OBJECTIVES The last decade has witnessed considerable improvement in design and implantation techniques for the percutaneous closure of perimembranous ventricular septal defects. This study was undertaken to compare the results and economic analysis of traditional surgery and percutaneous closure with a modified double-disk occluder during hospitalization. METHODS A total of 345 consecutive p...

BACKGROUND Preoperative diagnosis of breast cancer is a standard of care. We conducted a population-based study to determine the factors associated with the use of percutaneous needle biopsy to diagnose breast cancer in Ontario. METHODS We identified a total of 3644 women who underwent breast tissue sampling (percutaneous needle biopsy or surgical excision) that yielded a diagnosis of cancer ...

OBJECTIVES To define the role of bypass surgery and percutaneous transluminal angioplasty to manage critical limb ischaemia due to infrainguinal arterial occlusive disease. DESIGN Retrospective review. SETTING Regional hospital, Hong Kong. PATIENTS Consecutive patients treated for critical limb ischaemia, for whom data were prospectively collected in those who underwent: (i) infrainguinal...

BACKGROUND Many patients with acute coronary syndromes are offered percutaneous coronary intervention. However, the appropriate indications for, and optimal timing of, such procedures are uncertain. We analysed timing of intervention and associated events (death and myocardial infarction) in the PURSUIT trial in which 9461 patients received a platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor, eptifibati...

Although open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) has been the standard of care for acetabular fractures, recent advancements in minimally invasive techniques have allowed percutaneous fixation to gain popularity. Percutaneous technique has been described in the literature as an adjuvant to ORIF. However, isolated percutaneous fixation has the advantage of limiting soft tissue disruption, le...

Percutaneous aortic valve implantation is an emergent technique alternative to surgical aortic valve replacement in high risk patients with aortic stenosis. Percutaneous aortic valve implantation techniques are undergoing rapid development and currently represent a dynamic field of research. Perioperative optimal strategies keep on evolving too. At a review of the literature, only three previou...

Twenty-four pyogenic liver abscesses have been treated during a six-year period percutaneously. Percutaneous management included percutaneous drainage and fine needle aspiration under ultrasound or CT scan guidance. Percutaneous management was successful in 92% of cases, and no further treatment was required in 91% of these. One patient died, giving a mortality rate of 4.1%. There were no compl...

The aim of this study was to review all published articles in the literature in English regarding percutaneous cervical cordotomy in cancer pain. Percutaneous cordotomy may be used to relieve unilateral pain below the level of the neck arising from a variety of causes. It is particularly indicated for unilateral chest pain associated with malignant disease. We searched for reports on MEDLINE an...

SUMMARY Percutaneous vertebroplasty has been deferred due to potential complications from urinary tract infections (UTIs). Our aim was to help sort out the types of treatment needed for percutaneous vertebroplasty patients and the length delay for performing the procedure. We searched for information regarding the ramifications of infection from the literature and devised a plan of treatment fo...

Percutaneous coronary intervention of grafts vessel is more challenging due to a higher incidence of periprocedural distal micro-emobilization and myocardial infarction. Percutaneous coronary intervention current guidelines advocate usage of distal embolic protection devices, especially in patients with a large thrombus burden, undergoing percutaneous intervention for vein graft disease. We pre...