1/3. Treatment of a case of thromboembolism resulting from thoracic outlet syndrome with intra-arterial urokinase infusion.A 36-year-old man with thoracic outlet syndrome, admitted to the hospital with digital ischemia from subclavian artery thrombosis and distal embolization, was given intra-arterial urokinase. Thrombus in the subclavian artery was lysed successfully and peripheral emboli were partially cleared, resulting in relief of digital symptoms. Although surgical decompression and vascular reconstruction at the thoracic outlet may be necessary, this technique provides a means of recanalizing small distal vessels.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = vessel (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/3. Digital ischemia: angiographic differentiation of embolism from primary arterial disease.Embolic disease is often overlooked as a cause of digital ischemia. Unilateral symptoms, in particular, should suggest the possibility of emboli arising from the subclavian or more distal upper extremity vessels. Emboli may originate in the subclavian artery as the result of atherosclerosis at its origin or arterial injury secondary to thoracic outlet compression. Arteriography can be useful in the identification of upper extremity emboli and their source, and should include studies of the aortic arch, proximal subclavian artery, and digital arteries. Retrograde subclavian injections may be required to adequately demonstrate the origin of the subclavian artery. Magnification technique is often essential in differentiating small digital artery emboli from primary arterial diseases, such as Buerger disease or scleroderma.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = vessel (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/3. Giant bilateral fibrous dysplasia of first ribs: compression of mediastinum and thoracic outlet.A 43 year old woman presented with two large bilateral tumours of the first ribs that compressed the right subclavian vessels, trachea and oesophagus and led to right arm oedema, severe dyspnoea and dysphagia. The resected tumours showed typical histological features of fibrous dysplasia without malignant transformation. The right tumour weighed 1.5 kg and measured 17 x 13 x 10 cm. This report demonstrates that major surgery is still possible for resection of such exceptional giant compressive lesions, since fibrous dysplasia is a benign and non-infiltrative tumour.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = vessel (Clic here for more details about this article) |