Background/Objectives: Dual-layer stents (DLS) with micromesh technology may offer better protection from plaque protrusion compared to single-layer stents (SLS), but little data are available. The aim of this study is to compare clinical outcomes of elective carotid artery stenting for asymptomatic and symptomatic patients treated for primary CAS with DLS or SLS in a high-volume center. Methods: This study is a single-center retrospective cohort study and included patients who underwent elective CAS between December 2006 and September 2023. The final analysis included patient baseline characteristics, postoperative complications and patient outcomes. Results: A total of 573 patients underwent elective carotid artery stenting in the study period. Most of the 573 patients undergoing CAS were male (62.5%), and the median age of patients at the time of CAS was 70 years. Of the 573 eligible patients, 43.5% (n = 249) were asymptomatic and 56.4% (n = 323) were symptomatic. Analyzing neurological complications, it was found that the only factor that had a statistically significant effect was the type of stent used. Patients who had a carotid stenting procedure using a single-layer carotid stent had statistically significantly more periprocedural neurological complications (8.3% (n = 35)) than the double-mesh stent group (2% (n = 3)), mostly due to more transient ischemic attacks in the single-layer stent group (4% (n = 17)) compared to the double-mesh group (0.7% (n = 1)). Conclusions: The use of carotid double-layer stents is associated with a low rate of periprocedural and postprocedural events.

Background and Objectives: Many quantitative imaging modalities are available that quantify chronic liver disease, although only a few of them are included in clinical guidelines. Many more imaging options are still competing to find their place in the area of diagnosing chronic liver disease. We report our first prospective single-center study evaluating different imaging modalities that stratify viral hepatitis-associated liver fibrosis in a treatment-naïve patient group. Materials and Methods: The aim of our study is to compare and to combine already employed 2D shear wave elastography (2D-SWE) with dynamic liver scintigraphy with 99mTc-mebrofenin in chronic viral hepatitis patients for the staging of liver fibrosis. Results: Seventy-two patients were enrolled in the study. We found that both 2D-SWE ultrasound imaging, with dynamic liver scintigraphy with 99mTc-mebrofenin are able to stratify CLD patients into different liver fibrosis categories based on histological examination findings. We did not find any statistically significant difference between these imaging options, which means that dynamic liver scintigraphy with 99mTc-mebrofenin is not an inferior imaging technique. A combination of these imaging modalities showed increased accuracy in the non-invasive staging of liver cirrhosis. Conclusions: Our study presents that 2D-SWE and dynamic liver scintigraphy with 99mTc-mebrofenin could be used for staging liver fibrosis, both in singular application and in a combined way, adding a potential supplementary value that represents different aspects of liver fibrosis in CLD.

Background and objectives—Chronic viral hepatitis B and C infections are one of the leading causes of chronic liver impairment, resulting in liver fibrosis and liver cirrhosis. An early diagnosis with accurate liver fibrosis staging leads to a proper diagnosis, thus tailoring correct treatment. Both invasive and noninvasive techniques are used in the diagnosis and staging of chronic liver impairment. Those techniques include liver biopsy, multiple serological markers (as either single tests or combined panels), and imaging examinations, such as ultrasound or magnetic resonance elastography. Nuclear medicine probes may also be employed in staging liver fibrosis, although the literature scarcely reports this. The purpose of our study was to investigate whether a dynamic liver scintigraphy with [^99mTc]Tc-mebrofenin has any value in staging or grading chronic liver damage. Materials and Methods—We prospectively enrolled patients with chronic viral hepatitis B and C infection referred for liver biopsy. All patient underwent dynamic liver scintigraphy with 99mTc-mebrofenin prior to liver biopsy. Dynamic liver scintigraphy was performed immediately after intravenous tracer injection for 30 min scanning time. Multiple scintigraphy parameters were calculated (whole liver lobe and focal area time to peak (TTP), 30 min to peak ratio (30/peak), whole lobe and focal area slope index in 350 s (slope_350). Liver biopsy took place shortly after imaging. Results—We found that many dynamic scintigraphic parameters are positively or negatively associated with different stages of liver fibrosis. The main parameters that showed most value are the ratio between 30 min and the peak of the dynamic curve (30/peak_dex (ratio)), and liver clearance corrected for body surface area and liver area (LCL_m²_dm² (%/min/m²/dm²)). Conclusions—Our present study proves that conducting dynamic liver scintigraphies with [^99mTc]Tc-mebrofenin has potential value in staging liver fibrosis. The benefits of this method, including whole liver imaging and direct imaging of the liver function, provide an advantage over presently used quantitative imaging modalities.

Background: Acute embolic ischemic stroke poses a significant healthcare challenge. Histological clot features’ variability among patients with acute ischemic stroke treated by mechanical thrombectomy has potential implications for determining treatment and etiology. This study investigated the clot histological feature differences among patients who experienced cardioembolic stroke and embolic stroke of undetermined source with different left atrial appendage (LAA) morphologies. Methods: We conducted a prospective observational study involving 79 patients with acute embolic ischemic stroke undergoing mechanical thrombectomy. Computed tomography angiography images were used to classify LAA morphologies. An artificial intelligence algorithm assessed the clot fibrin and red blood cell contents. Results: Patients with chicken-wing LAA morphology exhibited lower mean clot fibrin proportions than did those with non-chicken-wing morphology (p < 0.001). Linear regression analysis showed that chicken-wing LAA was significantly associated with a lower clot fibrin proportion (estimate, −0.177; 95% CI [−0.259, −0.096]; p < 0.001). The successful recanalization rate and first-pass effect between the groups did not differ significantly. Conclusions: The chicken-wing LAA morphological type is associated with lower clot fibrin contents, suggesting potentially different embolism mechanisms or diverse embolic sources, compared with the non-chicken-wing LAA types. Further studies are required to investigate this association.

Ischemic stroke following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is a rare complication, with an overall incidence of 0.56%. Most embolic strokes result from the dislodgement of atherosclerotic plaques, thrombi formed on catheter surfaces, procedural maneuvers, or, less commonly, air or metallic emboli originating from fractured guidewires. We present a unique case of stroke following PCI due to a previously unreported mechanism—arterial tunica media embolization associated with arterial access. A 57-year-old female presented with chest pain at rest and with exertion, accompanied by episodes of anxiety and fluctuating blood pressure, for which coronary angiography was performed, revealing 90–99% stenosis of the left anterior descending artery and necessitating PCI. During the procedure, the patient developed an eye deviation, aphasia, and left-sided hemiparesis. Cerebral angiography identified a M2 segment occlusion of the right middle cerebral artery (MCA) and a subocclusion of the right anterior cerebral artery (ACA). Thrombectomy was performed, retrieving two white, tubular emboli resembling fragments of a vessel wall, histologically confirmed to be arterial tunica media. While PCI is associated with a low complication rate, its increasing frequency necessitates awareness of emerging complications. This case underscores a previously undocumented potential embolic complication arising from the performance of PCI.

Background/Objectives: CT-guided transthoracic lung biopsy is a broadly performed and minimally invasive procedure for obtaining tissue samples from pulmonary lesions, offering a high diagnostic yield, and remains a cornerstone of accurate lung cancer diagnosis. The primary objective of this study was to assess the diagnostic yield of CT-guided transthoracic lung biopsies and to investigate the factors influencing this yield, with procedure-related complications being a secondary objective. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 356 CT-guided transthoracic lung biopsies performed between January 2021 and December 2023. The patient demographics, lesion characteristics (size, location) and histological findings were analyzed. The diagnostic yield was evaluated based on histological findings and, if necessary, follow-up information. Results: Of the 356 biopsies, 326 (91.6%) were found to be diagnostic, and 30 (8.4%) were non-diagnostic. The diagnostic yield was significantly influenced by lesion size and the number of biopsy cores, with lesions ≤2 cm associated with a higher diagnostic failure rate (p = 0.034). A significant interaction was also observed between lesion size and core number (p < 0.001). The overall complication rate was 11.5%, with pneumothorax being the most frequent event (7.0%). CIRSE grade 2 and grade 3 complications occurred in 4.8% and 3.1% of cases, respectively. Solid lesion morphology was identified as an independent predictor of complications (OR = 1.67, p = 0.022). Conclusions: In summary, CT-guided transthoracic lung biopsy demonstrates a high diagnostic yield with an acceptable safety profile and remains an important diagnostic tool in the evaluation of pulmonary lesions.