Intraluminal brachytherapy using a balloon applicator has been the treatment of choice for superficial esophageal carcinomas. During treatment, the applicator is made to expand to be cylindrical as determined from an AP radiograph. However, optimal expansion of the applicator is not usually confirmed by computed tomography (CT). Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the shape of the balloon applicator by CT. Ten patients with superficial esophageal carcinoma were treated with intraluminal brachytherapy using a balloon applicator. The applicators were expanded properly in all patients as viewed from the AP radiograph. In seven of 10 patients, optimal expansion of the applicator was observed on CT. However, in the remaining three patients, applicators were found to be distorted presumably not only by primary tumor and mediastinal lymph nodes but also by neighboring organs. These results indicate that, when treating superficial esophageal carcinoma using a balloon applicator, there may be risks of applicator distortion in some cases. Assessment by CT should be done to precisely confirm the shape of the applicator.

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Cardiovascular effects of OPC-13340, a potent, long-acting 1,4-dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker, in dogs.

The cardiovascular effects of OPC-13340, a newly developed 1,4-dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker, were examined in several canine preparations. In conscious normotensive and DOCA-salt hypertensive dogs, OPC-13340, at doses of 10 to 30 micrograms/kg, i.v., and 0.3 to 3 mg/kg, p.o., exerted an hypotensive action in a dose-dependent manner. The hypotensive action of OPC-13340 was longer lasting and more potent than that of nicardipine and nifedipine. In conscious, normotensive instrumented dogs, OPC-13340, at doses of 1 and 3 mg/kg, p.o., dose-dependently decreased total peripheral resistance and mean blood pressure and increased heart rate, cardiac output and left ventricular contractility. In anesthetized open-chest dogs, OPC-13340, at doses of 1 to 30 micrograms/kg, i.v., increased coronary blood flow and decreased mean blood pressure, heart rate, coronary vascular resistance, arteriovenous oxygen difference and myocardial oxygen consumption. In contrast to OPC-13340, nicardipine did not change the myocardial oxygen consumption. From these results it was concluded that OPC-13340 lowered blood pressure and improved coronary circulation in dogs and that the duration of these actions was longer lasting than that of nifedipine and nicardipine. These actions of OPC-13340 may be useful in the treatment of hypertension and angina pectoris.

Anesthesia↗