Biomedical subjects

M Sako

Publications and source records attributed to M Sako.

183 records · Page 11Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Great earthquakes and medical information systems, with special reference to telecommunications.

The Hanshin-Awaji earthquake in January 1995 caused the greatest number of deaths and injuries in Japan since World War II. Various weaknesses of modern information systems were exposed during and after the earthquake. The authors carried out a questionnaire survey to investigate the current state of hospital information and to examine the kinds of information needed immediately after an earthquake. The survey results show that information about the ability to admit new patients and the availability of medical supplies is necessary immediately after such a disaster. These results will be useful for planning countermeasures against this kind of disaster.

Communication↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Pulmonary arteriovenous fistula: long-term results of percutaneous transcatheter embolization with spring coils.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of percutaneous treatment of PAVFs through the results of long-term follow-up. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Transcatheter embolization of PAVFs using spring coils was performed in seven patients (six women and one man) with nine PAVFs, between 1989 and 1995, who were followed up at least one year. The size of the nine PAVFs ranged from 4 mm to 70 mm in diameter (mean 26 mm). Two fistulas were huge, 70 x 45 mm and 60 x 65 mm in diameter. Embolization was performed twice in three patients and once in four patients. In the two patients with huge PAVFs, after anchoring metallic "spiders" into the feeding artery, the largest coils were positioned and entangled with the "spider" followed by the placement of smaller coils to fill in the center of the feeding artery. RESULTS: No severe complications were seen in the short-term follow-up. Arterial oxygen pressure improved in all patients with low oxygen pressure. Five patients with seven fistulas, six of which disappeared on chest X-ray film, are still alive after follow-up ranging from one year and 10 months to seven years and nine months. The two patients with huge fistulas died more than one year after treatment, one of hemoptysis of the contralateral lung and the other of pulmonary fibrosis. CONCLUSION: Complete embolization of a medium-sized feeding artery can cure this anomaly.

Arteriovenous Fistula↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Inferior vena cava filter placement for prevention of pulmonary tumor emboli of renal cancer with renal vein or vena caval tumor thrombus: prophylactic usage prior to transcatheter arterial embolization.

PURPOSE: To prevent pulmonary embolization of necrotic intravenous tumor thrombus after transcatheter embolization of renal cell carcinoma, we placed suprarenal inferior vena cava (IVC) filters. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Suprarenal IVC filters were placed prior to transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) in four patients, two women and two men, with renal cancer accompanied by renal vein in one and vena caval tumor thrombus in three patients. We used one bird's nest filter for the patient with renal vein tumor thrombus and a titanium Greenfield filter for each of the three patients with vena caval tumor thrombus. TAE was performed with pure ethanol under balloon occlusion of the renal artery. RESULTS: IVC filters were successfully placed at the suprarenal position. The patients tolerated the procedure well and had extensive tumor infarction, including the tumor thrombus, on follow-up computed tomography (CT). No pulmonary infarction or adverse effects were seen during the follow-up period. One patient died from diabetic renal failure, two patients have been alive for 8.5 and 7.5 months respectively, the other one is lost to follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Suprarenal IVC filter placement prior to TAE for advanced renal cell carcinoma invading the renal vein or the IVC is an effective procedure to prevent pulmonary thromboemboli and may contribute to longer survival.

Aged↗