Objective To evaluate the value of MRI and MDCT in detecting both inferior vena cava tumor thrombus and vena cava wall invasion in renal cell carcinoma. Methods Databases including PubMed, EMbase, The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE (Ovid), CBM, CNKI, VIP and WanFang Data were searched from January 2000 to February 2012. Relevant studies were screened on the basis of the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and then quality assessment and data extraction were conducted. Then heterogeneity test and meta-analysis were conducted using RevMan 5 and Meta-disc 1.4. Results A total of 6 trials involving 244 patients and 246 cases of renal cell carcinoma were included. The results of meta-analysis showed that, for the MRI group and the MDCT group, the sensitivity was 0.963 and 0.952, the specificity was 0.969 and 0.979, the value of +LR was 9.759 and 15.57, the value of −LR was 0.091 and 0.108, and the dOR was 198.71 and 251.54, respectively. There were no significant differences in pooled effect-size among groups (Pgt;0.05). The area under curve (AUC) of summary ROC curve analysis as well as Q index of the MDCT group were 0.981 8 and 0.940 7, respectively. Conclusion There is no significant difference in the value of MRI and MDCT in detecting inferior vena cava tumor thrombus induced by renal cell carcinoma. More original studies on vena cava wall invasion by tumor thrombus should be conducted in the future due to the limitation of current materials.
Transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) can promote the quality of cardiac surgery and reduce peri-operative complications, and thus has been gradually accepted by cardiac surgeons. Through an esophageal probe, TEE can clearly visualize the internal structure of the heart without interrupting surgical procedure. As a newly developed technology which breaks the limitations tied to the traditional two-dimensional TEE, the realtime threedimensional transesophageal echocardiogram (RT3D-TEE) has the advantages of showing threedimensional structure of the heart and providing full range of anatomical information of the heart. Furthermore, it can precisely analyze the anatomical structure of the abnormal heart valves and provide assessment of the change of heart volume. Relying on its unique imaging property, it can largely facilitate preoperative decision-making and provide realtime intraoperative guidance as well as accurate postoperative evaluation. It has now been successfully applied in various types of cardiac surgical procedures including valve repair surgery, congenital heart defect intervention, cardiac mass removal as well as heart function evaluation. In this article, we will review the applications of RT3D-TEE in cardiac surgery, and try to form a basis for its further clinical application.
Objective To investigate the relation between the sites of colorectal cancer and liver metastatic distribution. Methods The enhanced multiple-slice spiral CT images and clinical data of 105 cases diagnosed colorectalcancer with liver metastases admitted from January 2010 to April 2012 were analyzed retrospectively. Primary site of the tumor， numbers of the metastases on CT images， and the anatomical position of the inferior mesenteric vein （IMV） terminates were recorded. Results ①The ratio of metastases in the right and left hemiliver was 2∶1 for 38 right-sided primary tumors as compared with 1.2∶1 for 67 left-sided primary tumors. The pattern of lobar distribution was significantly different in the two groups （χ2=8.709， P=0.003）. ②In the left-sided colon cancer group， the ratio of metastases in the right and left hemiliver was 65∶98 for 28 patients with IMV terminating in splenic vein （SpV）， 116∶52 for 36 patients with IMV terminating in superior mesenteric vein （SMV）， and 13∶15 for 3 patients with IMV terminating in the junction of SMV and SpV. The pattern of lobar distribution was significantly different among the three groups （χ2=28.575， P=0.000）. Further comparison between the former two groups， the difference was statistically significant （χ2=27.951， P=0.000）. ③In 25 patients with IMV terminating in SpV， the metastases of 19 cases were mainly distributed in the left lobe of liver （P=0.001）；In 34 patients with IMV terminating in SMV， the metastases of 25 cases located mainly in the right hepatic lobe （P=0.000）. Conclusions Right-sided colon cancers selectively involve the right lobe of liver， while left-sided tumors selectively involve the right lobe of liver when its IMV terminates in SMV and involve the left lobe when its IMV terminates in SpV， respectively. The discovery may help shorting the diagnostic workup in patients presenting with liver metastases from an unknown primary site， and may improve the detection rate of metastases in initial diagnosis and follow-up.
Objective To discuss the clinical outcome of fast-track surgery for low/super-low rectal cancer. Methods Between October 2007 and December 2008, 120 patients underwent low/super-low rectal cancer resection without formation of stoma in the West China Hospital were analyzed retrospectively. Postoperative early rehabilitations were compared between fast-track group and traditional group. Results In early rehabilitations, time of first passing flatus, ambulation, oral intake, and pulling out urinary catheter and the hospital stay in fast-track group were significantly earlier than those in traditional group （Plt;0.05）, while there was no significant difference in time of using nasogastric tubes or drains （Pgt;0.05）. There was also no significant difference in postoperative morbidity of complications between the 2 groups （Pgt;0.05）. Conclusion Fast-track surgery for low/super-low rectal cancer is safe and can accelerate recovery with decreased length of hospital stay.