OBJECTIVE. The objective of our study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of CT in differentiating gangrenous cholecystitis from uncomplicated cholecystitis and healthy gallbladders. MATERIALS AND METHODS. We performed a retrospective review of 308 patients with histologically proven gangrenous cholecystitis who underwent preoperative CT 1 month before gallbladder removal over a 4-year period. Two readers who were blinded to the histologic diagnosis independently recorded CT features of and overall likelihood of gangrenous cholecystitis on a 5-point scale (1, definitely absent; 5, definitely present). Ratings were dichotomized such that a diagnosis was considered present at a rating of 4 or 5 and considered absent at lower ratings. Interobserver variability for individual CT findings was also assessed. RESULTS. Patients had gangrenous cholecystitis (n = 28), acute cholecystitis (n = 98), chronic cholecystitis (n = 118), or healthy gallbladders (n = 64). Multivariate analysis showed that CT findings of...

Juan YH, et al. Yonsei Med J. 2011 Jul;52(4):574-580. http://dx.doi.org/10.3349/ymj.2011.52.4.574

Drug-eluting beads transarterial chemoembolization (DEB-TACE) is an alternative to conventional lipiodol-based TACE (cTACE) to treat hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). With the advancement in pharmacology, small-caliber DEB-TACE (< 100 μm) has been introduced since 2016. For the treatment of hepatic neoplasms or HCC, there is a tendency to use smaller beads by DEB-TACE to achieve more extensive tumor necrosis and a significant reduction in liver toxicity in comparison with that caused by cTACE. However, the indications and potential complications of small-caliber DEB-TACE remain uncertain and have not been well established, due to lack of randomized phase III clinical trials. Instead of systematic or meta-analysis review, this narrative review article describes the suggested indications and contraindications of DEB-TACE with small DEBs, benefit of super-selective embolization of the feeding arteries and the recommended selection of small-caliber DEB. This review was approved by the institutional review board (File Number: 1-105-05-158).