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Intravascular lymphomatosis (IVL) is a rare large-cell lymphoproliferative disorder characterized by a widespread lymphoma proliferation within the lumen of medium and small vessels, frequently presenting with skin and/or central nervous system (CNS) manifestations. The tumor is of B-cell origin in most cases. Prognosis is poor with a reported median survival of 5-7 months. We describe here two cases of IVL. The first was that of a 55-year-old woman with a large B-cell lymphoma of the leg, successfully treated with conventional chemotherapy (CHT) followed by autologous peripheral stem cell transplantation. At 3 months from the autograft she relapsed with a picture of hemophagocytic syndrome (HPS) and CNS symptoms. She died before any specific treatment, and post-mortem examination revealed the intravascular proliferation of lymphoma B-cells in the brain and bone marrow. The second case was that of a 60-year-old male with CNS involvement at diagnosis. He responded poorly to CHOP-like CHT, and died 2 months after diagnosis and 6 months after onset of symptoms. Failure of CHT at least in some IVL patients may be related to a delay in the initiation of therapy due to non-specific neurological symptoms. Therefore, early diagnosis based upon aggressive attempts immediately followed by adequate therapy may prove beneficial to these patients. In the present report, we performed an extended medline-based review of the published series of patients with IVL.

In intravascular lymphoma (IVL) tumor cells are initially restricted to vascular lumina. Neurological syndromes predominate and are caused by ischemia as well as tumor infiltration into the nervous system. Ante mortem diagnosis is challenging and frequently impossible. Chemotherapy is effective if started prior to ischemic damage. Over a three year period, we have diagnosed IVL in seven patients. Tissue diagnosis could be accomplished in only three cases. Forthose in whom tissue diagnosis failed we based our diagnosis on clinical presentation, typical magnetic resonance imaging findings, spinal fluid cytopathology, and molecular analyses. Six patients were treated with methotrexate chemotherapy alone or in combination with CHOP. Three patients are in complete remission 9-20 months after initial diagnosis. Another patient achieved a partial response. Two patients died due to progressive disease shortly after initiation of treatment. Grade III toxicity was observed in only 4 of 61 cycles. Based on a small retrospective series of patients, we conclude that methotrexate is a well tolerated and effective agent for the treatment of IVL.

Vascular leiomyosarcomas are rare tumors, and only 21 have been described as developing in the systemic arteries. We present a case, the sixth in the literature, of a leiomyosarcoma originating in the popliteal artery of a 67-year-old woman treated with en bloc excision of the neoplasia and the artery followed by a popliteal tibioperoneal trunk bypass. The patient then was underwent adjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy. After 31 months of follow-up, the patient has mild claudication but does not have either recurrence or metastasis.

Primary Pulmonary Artery Sarcoma is a rare entity, which shares some clinical features with Thromboembolic Pulmonary Disease (TEPD), complicating differential diagnosis. The authors report a Clinical Case of a Primary Pulmonary Artery Sarcoma in a 59 years old man, admitted with a history of dyspnoea on exertion, chest pain and general symptoms. Chest X-ray, Computed Tomography Scan, Angiographies and Magnetic Resonance Imaging suggested TEPD. Blood Analysis performed before anticoagulation therapy: Lupus Anticoagulant-and Ig M Anticardiolipin +. Our presumptive initial diagnosis was TEPD in a patient with a hypercoagulable state. Intravenous heparin was started, with some clinical improvement but 2 months later he was readmitted, due to clinical and radiological deterioration. Pulmonary Thromboendarterectomy was considered but a right pneumonectomy was necessary because of bleeding. He died of ARDS in a single lung in the 7th day after surgery. Pathology revealed pulmonary artery sarcoma with pulmonary and pleural metastases.

Background: Routinely, the standard for measuring the success of preoperative embolization procedure as an adjunct in the management of head and neck vascular tumours has been to evaluate the amount of blood loss, duration of surgery, and intraoperative neurovascular injuries., Objective: We hypothesized that the rate of change in the preoperative hemoglobin status would more accurately and objectively reflect the effectiveness of the embolization technique., Materials and Methods: Twenty-six patients with extracranial vascular tumours were divided into two groups (A and B) of 13. Group A patients had preoperative embolization and group B patients directly underwent surgery. The difference between the preoperative and postoperative hemoglobin levels and the percentage rate of change of hemoglobin status were calculated., Results: The percentage rate of change of preoperative to postoperative hemoglobin is less in group A (9.43%) when compared with group B (18.27%). The ratio of preoperative to postoperative hemoglobin in the two groups is also statistically significant (1:1.9)., Conclusions: The percentage rate of change of preoperative to postoperative hemoglobin and the ratio of preoperative to postoperative hemoglobin are more accurate and objective parameters for assessment of success of preoperative embolizations rather than other variables such as intraoperative blood loss or duration of surgery.

A patient is described who presented with pancytopenia, splenomegaly and excessively elevated lactate dehydrogenase levels in concurrence with signs of extramedullary hematopoiesis. Although initially considered in the differential diagnostic spectrum, a highly aggressive lymphoma could not be identified before the patient died, 6 weeks after admission. Even an intensive diagnostic work-up including splenectomy and repeated bone marrow biopsies was inconclusive. Finally, the diagnosis of an intravascular large B-cell lymphoma, a highly aggressive clinical subtype of a diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, spreading within vascular structures of multiple organs was established by autopsy. Intravascular large B-cell lymphoma is often not diagnosed before death due to the exclusive intravascular growth pattern of the tumor cells and a fulminant clinical course. The heterogeneous clinical features of this lymphoma subtype are discussed.

Intravascular lymphomatosis (IVL) is characterised by an almost exclusive intravascular proliferation of malignant lymphoid cells, with the diagnosis often made only when the illness is in its terminal phase or at autopsy. We detail a case of IVL affecting the lung and liver of a 49-year-old Chinese man presenting primarily with lung symptoms and incidental findings of abnormal serum transaminase levels, the ante-mortem diagnosis being established on transbronchial lung biopsy and percutaneous liver biopsy specimens, respectively. Histology disclosed CD20 + CD5 - CD10 [corrected] - malignant large mononuclear B cells within the lumina of the blood vessels of the affected organs as well as sinusoids of the liver. Significantly, the patient had a history of large B cell lymphoma affecting the eyelid 18 months prior to the angiotropic disease, suggesting a possible link between the more common types of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and IVL. A brief review of all cases of primary pulmonary intravascular lymphomatosis is also presented.

Background: The aim of this study was to report an exceptional case of a patient presenting with intracaval and intracardiac leiomyomatosis treated by combined surgical and medical treatment., Case: A 48-year-old presented with intracaval and intracardiac leiomyomatosis (IL) discovered 6 years following a total hysterectomy with ovarian conservation for myomas. Surgical resection of the pelvic myomas and intracaval leiomyomatosis was performed during the same surgical procedure. Given the presence of a small tumor residuum in the pelvic cavity, postoperative medical treatment based on a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist was delivered for 1 year. The patient was followed-up using clinical examination and systematic CT scan. Ten months following the end of medical treatment, she is still in good health and the pelvic residuum has stabilized., Conclusions: Patients with pelvic tumor combined with IL could be treated using a one-stage surgical procedure. In cases of incomplete surgical resection, medical treatment based on GnRH agonist could be successfully delivered., (Copyright 2001 Academic Press.)

Objective/methods: To present an additional case of leiomyosarcoma of the inferior vena cava and review the literature, with special reference to the etiology, diagnosis and treatment of this rare tumor., Results: The patient was submitted to radical surgery and short course radiotherapy. Twelve months thereafter, the patient is asymptomatic and disease-free., Conclusions: Leiomyosarcoma of the inferior vena cava is a rare and aggressive tumor. Treatment is by aggressive and radical surgery.

The typical vascular anomalies (tumors and vascular malformations) that involve the liver in infants and children are summarized. Many of these lesions are complex and require multiple imaging modalities, often including angiography, for precise diagnosis.

Compared with the excellent good results on the arterial side, venous angioplasty combined with stent-application was described relatively late in the literature, dealing in the majority of cases with palliative tumour stenoses of the superior and inferior vena cava. Recanalization of benign stenoses, especially of the pelvic venous spur (May/Thurner; syn. Pelvic compression syndrome, Cockett) was realized so far only in a limited number of cases. We have performed this interventional therapy since 1991 in 21 patients (female: 16, male: 5), with good long-term results in 18 cases. According to the special patho-anatomy of the "spur", developing intimal proliferation and progressive stenosis at the left-sided ilio-caval junction in about 20% of the average adult population, a restrictive indication is, however, mandatory. According to strong clinical symptoms (severe varicosis and leg oedema at the left-sided lower extremity), phlebographic and functional parameters (won by central venous blood pressure measurements) are indicating selected cases for this curative treatment.

Intravascular malignant lymphocytosis (IML) is a rare systemic disease characterized by proliferation of malignant B (rarely T) lymphoid cells within the lumina of small arteries, veins, and capillaries. Diagnosis requires skin, liver, renal, meningeal, or brain biopsy, but is rarely made ante mortem. In this report, we describe a patient who had an ante mortem diagnosis of IML as a result of a skin biopsy. Autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (auto-PBSCT) was successfully performed after chemotherapy. The patient has survived for more than 30 months since the onset of the disease and maintains complete remission on the 450th day post PBSCT. To our knowledge, this is the first case of IML treated by auto-PBSCT.

Objective: Increasing use of modern high-resolution imaging techniques yields to describe very early stages of aortic pathology which, if left untreated, may lead to overt aortic dissection. One typical example is aortic intramural hematoma (IMH) with a limited number of cases described in the literature and uncertainties still existing about the most appropriate treatment. Purpose of our study is to report our experience in the evaluation and treatment of IMHs., Methods: From 1991 to 1999 175 patients were conveyed to our centre for aortic dissection; in nine of them diagnosis of acute IMH was performed., Results: Diagnosis was obtained by means of conventional CT scan of the chest. All the patients underwent surgery, one patient died (11%). At the follow-up (mean 31 months) eight patients were alive and well and did not require any other cardiac surgery., Conclusions: The possibility to progress to overt aortic dissection may explain the need to an early diagnosis in the treatment of acute IMHs. Immediate surgical treatment is, in our experience, the preferred therapeutic option.

We describe a case of relapsed intravascular lymphomatosis (IVL) successfully treated with autologous PBSCT. A 59-year-old Japanese female patient with IVL who had achieved CR after six courses of biweekly CHOP therapy developed lymphoma. She achieved a second CR after six courses of modified biweekly CHOP therapy, followed by autologous PBSCH and high-dose chemotherapy (CBDCA, VP-16, MCNU, CY) with PBSCT. There has not been any evidence of recurrence 48 months after PBSCT. Our case suggests that PBSC is acceptable as a source for stem cell rescue in IVL.

Leiomyosarcoma (LMS) of the inferior vena cava (IVC) is a rare vascular tumour, with about 200 cases reported since 1871. The Authors report a case of leiomyosarcoma of the suprarenal inferior vena cava preoperatively diagnosed by ultrasonography and computed tomography. A surgical resection and venous wall reconstruction was performed. Complete surgical resection with a tumour-free margin (1 cm) is the treatment of choice. Neoadjuvant therapy may be given to downsize the tumour and increase resectability rate. When complete resection is not possible, debulking combined with radiation therapy provides good palliation.

Recent advances in microcatheter technology, refinements in embolic agents and improvements in navigational techniques have allowed for endovascular embolization to become an important adjunct in the treatment of vascular head and neck lesions. We describe several case reports where endovascular embolization was utilized in the treatment of such lesions.

Dosimetry measurements and Monte Carlo simulations for a catheter-based 32P endovascular brachytherapy source wire are described. The measured dose rates were obtained using both radiochromic dye film and an automated plastic scintillator. The investigated source has dimensions of 27 mm in length and 0.24 mm in diameter, and is encapsulated in NiTi. For the radiochromic film measurements, calibrated radiochromic dye film was irradiated at distances between 1 and 5 mm from the source axis in A-150 plastic, and read out with a high-resolution scanning densitometer. The depth-dose curve measured in A-150 is then converted to that in water using correction factors obtained from Monte Carlo calculations. For the scintillator system, direct measurements in water were acquired at distances between 1 and 6 mm from the center of the source, along the perpendicular bisector of the source axis. The scintillator was calibrated in terms of absorbed-dose rate in a reference beta-particle field at multiple depths. The measured dose rates obtained from the film and scintillator measurements were then normalized to the measured source activity, i.e., to convert the measured data to units of cGy/s/mCi. Theoretical dosimetry calculations of the catheter-based 32P wire geometry were also obtained from Monte Carlo simulations using the Electron Gamma Shower code (EGS4), the Monte Carlo N-particle transport code (MCNP4B), and CYLTRAN from the Integrated Tiger Series codes (ITS v.3) and found to be in good agreement. The results of both measurements and calculations are expressed as absorbed-dose rate in water per unit of contained activity (cGy/s/mCi). Comparisons indicate that the measured and calculated dosimetry are in good agreement (<10%) within the relevant treatment distances (1-5 mm). This work fully characterizes the radiation field around a novel 32P beta brachytherapy source in water. The depth-dose curve can be used to calculate the dose to the vessel wall from a 27 mm 32P source wire centered within the vessel lumen.

Primary extranodal lymphoma with high frequency and/or unique feature in Japan is discussed. Waldeyer ring lymphoma is most frequent(30%). Most tumors consist of diffuse, large cell type of B cell. CHOP followed by radiation achieved 94.1% of 5 years survival. Gastrointestinal lymphoma is another frequent lymphoma. Surgical rejection followed by chemotherapy and radiation therapy achieved high response. Pyothorax-associated lymphoma is a unique entity reported in Japan. EB-virus and artificial pneumothorax are related to its occurrence. In intravascular lymphomas, lymphoma cells regionally exist in small vessel and are diffuse, large cell type of B cells. Brain is frequently involved. Bone lymphoma is found in 4-8%. The prognosis depend on the site and 5 year relapse-free survival is 70%.

The authors present a review of up-to-date methods of vasoformative tissue tumours treatment. The necessity to choose the best therapy and the risks of single therapeutical procedures are pointed out.

Vascular birthmarks look alike in various tints of blue, pink, or red. These anomalies are either vascular tumors or vascular malformations. Hemangioma is the most common vascular tumor of infancy, typically appearing in the neonatal period. Hemangiomas grow rapidly during the first year of life and regress slowly during childhood. Treatment is indicated for problematic or endangering hemangiomas, usually the administration of corticosteroids or interferon-alfa, and in some instances, embolization or surgical resection. The more aggressive and rare vascular tumors, kaposiform hemangioendothelioma and tufted angioma, are often associated with thrombocytopenia and coagulopathy (Kasabach-Merritt phenomenon) and less responsive to pharmacological therapy. Vascular tumors, particularly hemangioma, are often confused with vascular malformations; although etiology, histology, and clinical behavior are quite different. Vascular lesions should be biopsied if there is any suspicion of malignancy.

Tumors of the carotid body are rare neoplasms that arise from neuroectodermic tissues. They are located in the fork of the primitive carotid artery. They are benign, slow-growing, and asymptomatic, and predominate in women. We present a case of bilateral carotid chemodectoma on the external carotids. These tumors were diagnosed by CT, MRI and superselective angiography. The treatment of choice is surgical after arteriographic embolization. Exeresis is curative in most cases, but some cases require radiotherapy.

Intravenous leiomyomatosis with cardiac extension is a rare entity. The case of a 49-year-old patient is described: she was operated on for intracaval intra-atrial leiomyomatosis. After an incomplete procedure (the tumour appeared not totally resectable), the patient was treated for a period of three years with a GnRH-analogue, whereafter the patient was doing clinically well and the tumour, although it regained some growth, was in a stable situation. This new strategy seems of certain importance to the surgeon, as it carries an alternative to a high-risk reoperation. To our knowledge, this is the first description of such a combined therapeutical approach.

Background: Besides anatomically-based radiodiagnostics, functional imaging may be used for characterizing soft tissue sarcomas (STS). This study evaluates positron emission tomography (PET) with three different radiotracers (fluorine-18 deoxyglucose [FDG], carbon-11 aminoisobutyric acid [AIB] and oxygen-15-labeled water [O15-water]) for imaging STS and the detection of local recurrence., Patients and Methods: 21 patients presented with 9 primary STS, 5 recurrent STS and 10 lesions suspicious for local recurrence (radiological tomography). Standardized uptake values (SUV) were calculated in tumor and normal tissues (muscle/blood vessels). Surgery with pathological examination or follow-up data were referred to as control criteria., Results: All tracers accumulated in STS with no difference between primary and locally recurrent tumors. The uptake in STS was increased compared to muscle (FDG, P < 0.0001; AIB, P = 0.0039; O15-water, P = 0.002) and to blood vessels for FDG (P < 0.0001) as well as AIB (P = 0.0038). Of 10 patients with suspected recurrence, 6 presented neither PET criteria for recurrence nor local failure in the specimens or during follow-up, while 4 cases with positive PET scans were ultimately diagnosed with local failure., Conclusion: Besides FDG, AIB and O15-water were shown to accumulate in primary and recurrent STS of different histologic type. A precise differentiation from normal muscle was found for all tracers. FDG and AIB differentiated viable tumor from blood vessels. PET using FDG, AIB and O15-water is suitable for functional imaging of STS and the detection of sarcoma recurrence.

Background: Leiomyosarcoma of the inferior vena cava (IVC) is an uncommon tumor that many believe portends a poor prognosis compared with leiomyosarcoma with similar histology at other anatomic sites. Because of the limited international experience with this disease, the optimal management of these patients is unknown., Methods: From October 1978 to January 1997, 14 patients with leiomyosarcoma of the IVC were treated at the University of California-Los Angeles Medical Center. Wide resection was attempted in all patients. The characteristics of each patient were documented and compared with those of patients with leiomyosarcoma of the stomach (n = 13), small intestine (n = 18), retroperitoneum (n = 19), and uterus (n = 10) who were treated during the same time period., Results: Age, gender, tumor size, tumor grade, and lymph node status did not impact survival of patients with leiomyosarcoma of the IVC. Patients with positive surgical margins fared significantly worse (P < 0.03) compared with those who underwent complete resection. Radiation therapy diminished local recurrence and may improve median survival (6 months [n = 2] vs. 51 months [n = 12]) in this patient population. Patients who received combined chemotherapy and radiation lived longer than those who did not (P < 0.05). The 5-year cumulative survival rate (Kaplan-Meier method) was 53% for patients with leiomyosarcoma of the IVC, 47% for those with leiomyosarcoma of the stomach, 43% for those with leiomyosarcoma of the small intestine, 56% for those with leiomyosarcoma of the retroperitoneum, and 65% for those with leiomyosarcoma of the uterus., Conclusions: Despite having a tumor that originates from the IVC, patients with this tumor type can enjoy reasonably long term survival. It appears that these patients benefit from radiation therapy to control local disease. Survival of these patients is no worse than of patients with leiomyosarcomatous lesions of other origin. Aggressive surgical management combined with adjuvant therapy offers the best treatment for patients with leiomyosarcoma of the IVC.

Background: The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of resection and reconstruction of major vessels on the limb salvage rate, local disease free survival, and overall survival for patients with soft tissue sarcomas invading to neurovascular bundles., Methods: Twenty patients were treated in a 7-year period by one surgical team. Preoperative therapy consisted of isolated limb perfusion (n = 6), systemic chemotherapy (n = 4), systemic chemotherapy combined with regional hyperthermia (n = 2), and external beam irradiation (n = 1). All patients underwent resection of the sarcoma monobloc together with the neurovascular bundle invaded. Vessels were replaced by an autologous vein transplant or an allograft, and, in six patients, a myocutaneous flap or skin graft had to be used for soft tissue coverage., Results: Histologic examination revealed negative histologic margins (R0-resection) and infiltration of the neurovascular bundle in all patients. In four patients, a local recurrence was observed, and, in three of them, reresection with negative margins was achieved. The mean local recurrence free survival was 54 months (confidence interval [CI], 42-66 months), and the mean overall survival was 48 months (CI, 32-57 months). Limb salvage was achieved in 19 of 20 patients. Eleven patients developed distant metastases after a mean survival time of 30 months., Conclusions: Extended sarcoma resection, including vessel replacement after preoperative multimodal therapy, provides long term local control and limb salvage. Amputation of extremity sarcoma can hardly be justified, even in cases of tumor invasion to neurovascular bundles. However, efforts to achieve better control over systemic spread are required for long term disease free survival.

Primary leiomyosarcoma of the pulmonary artery is an extremely rare tumor that is frequently misdiagnosed as chronic pulmonary embolism. In the present case, early diagnosis and location in the left pulmonary artery permitted resection by pneumonectomy with total cardiopulmonary bypass.

Malignant tumors arising from venous walls in the lower extremity are uncommon. Histologically they are divided into two groups: hemangioendotheliomas of intermediate malignancy and leiomyosarcomas. This report describes a retrospective series of seven primary venous tumors observed in four men and three women with a mean age of 49.8 years (range: 18 to 64 years) who underwent surgical treatment between 1985 and 1995. The tumor was located in the superficial femoral vein in four patients, common femoral vein in two patients, and greater saphenous vein in one patient. A palpable tumor was present in five patients, localized pain in two patients, and metastasis in two patients. The histological diagnosis was leiomyosarcoma in six patients and hemangioendothelioma in one patient. Surgical treatment consisted of complete resection in six patients and partial excision in one patient. Venous reconstruction was performed in two patients and adjuvant radiation therapy in four patients. There was no operative morbidity/mortality. Median survival was 31 months. Four patients with leiomyosarcoma died from metastasis. Two patients with leiomyosarcoma and one with hemangioendothelioma are alive at 9 years, 16 months, and 9 months, respectively. Local recurrence was never observed after complete resection. The prognosis of venous leiomyosarcoma of the lower extremities is poor due to early occurrence of metastasis. Doppler ultrasound and MRI are useful to establish early diagnosis at the nontumoral stage. Improvement in the prognosis of leiomyosarcoma may justify perioperative chemotherapy before and after radical surgical excision.

Intravascular sarcoma thrombi were histologically evident in 2% of 470 patients with soft tissue or bone sarcoma treated during the last 3 years. Vascular invasion by sarcoma in our series was associated with an aggressive disease and short-term overall survival. In all the cases there was a large or locally advanced primary high grade sarcoma, and in all but one case, where preoperative chemotherapy was administered, the response was far from satisfactory. The post-operative course in 70% of the patients was characterized by early systemic spread, and a median overall survival of 9.5 months. The gloomy prognosis of our patients does not necessarily stem only from the presence of vascular invasion, but may also be related to other factors as histologic grade and tumor size. However, as compared to similar cases in our patient population, which did not show vascular invasion, the course here was more violent and short.

The authors report a case of isolated intravenous leiomyomatosis involving a vein of the right renal hilum associated with operated hepatic myelolipoma with a diagnosis of metastatic renal cancer. These tumours are very rare and are usually diagnosed on histological examination of the resection specimen. Although they have a benign histology, they have a very different prognosis and therapeutic management. Although the association of these two exceptional tumours may appear to be purely incidental, a common aetiological factor may nevertheless exist.

In 86 patients with vascular tumor of vertebral column the disease course was studied up in dependence of histopathological type, and the additional diagnostical methods efficacy, tactics of treatment also.

A case of a 46-year-old woman with a left cavernous sinus hemangioma is reported. The onset of symptoms consisted in left orbital pain and ocular diseases. The suspected diagnosis were among Tolosa-Hunt syndrome and, after neuroimaging researches, cavernous sinus meningioma, trigeminal neurinoma, craniopharyngioma and adenoma with extrasellar extension. The lesion was partially removed with additional neurological deficit of the left 3rd cranial nerve. The patient underwent 7 months later focal radiation therapy of 45 Gray and a 19 months follow-up showed the complete disappearance of the mass and partial recovery of the 3rd cranial nerve function.

We report a case of leiomyosarcoma of the lower segment of the inferior vena cava in a fifty nine year old man who presented with bilateral leg edema on physical exploration. Ultrasonography, computed tomography scan and intravenous urography demonstrated the existence of a retroperitoneal tumour. The tumour and the affected venous fragment were resected. Postoperative radiotherapy was given. The patient was re-operated on three years later because of extra-local recurrence. Two years later the patient is assymptomatic and without radiological evidence of recurrence and/ or metastasis.

We report a case of testicular carcinoma invading the inferior vena cava. Tumor invasion was diagnosed via endovascular biopsy. This is the first known report of a diagnosis of this entity using endovascular biopsy. We also review the literature on diagnosis and management of inferior vena caval involvement by testicular cancer.

Lymphangioma and venous angioma are a group of pathological entities which have required surgical treatment since years. Extension, localization and poor delimitation of some lesions have resulted in technical difficulties and serious complications. Our group began the sclerosing therapy with an injection of fibrin adhesive and, due to the lack of response in the first patient, a program with Ethibloc as an alternative substance was developed. We present 10 cases, 4 lymphangiomas and 6 venous angiomas. In 50% of our patients one single session of sclerotherapy was made, in 25% two sessions, and in the rest 25% three. From 10 cases, 4 are still on treatment, complete remission in 5 cases, and good evolution in one case (mixed lymphangioma). As a long-term complication, we have noticed fistulization in 3 cases, and expulsion of the sclerosing agent. In our experience, percutaneous sclerosis with Ethibloc should be the first therapeutic alternative.

Leiomyosarcoma of the superior vena cava is exceptional. A case in a 52-year-old man is described. A treatment by means of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, operation, and adjuvant radiotherapy was performed. This aggressive treatment has permitted the patient to obtain a relatively long survival with a good quality of life.

Transcatheter arterial embolization (TCAE) is a well recognized radiological technique that has been used for over 25 years. It is a method of diminishing blood flow through selected vessels by inserting haemostatic material under angiographic control. The procedure is performed under local anaesthetic through a femoral or, occasionally, an axillary approach. We present our experience of the use of TCAE in the management of pain and haemorrhage in three hospice inpatients in whom other options had been exhausted. The use of TCAE as a technique for the palliation of these symptoms in the hospice setting is discussed.

Purpose: Evaluate therapeutic results of transcatheter segmental hepatic artery chemo-oily-embolization (segmental TAE) against advanced hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) accompanied by portal tumor thrombus (PTT)., Methods: Segmental TAE was performed in nine patients with hepatic cirrhosis and advanced HCCs accompanied by PTT. Four subsegmental portal branches were obstructed by PTT in three patients, and two were obstructed in the remaining six patients. TAE was performed into the targeted segmental hepatic artery followed by embolization with gelatin sponge particles., Results: In one patient undergoing subsequent resection, a marked anticancer effect on the PTT was demonstrated histologically. In the eight other patients who did not undergo subsequent resection, the cumulative survival rates were 67% at 6 months, 44% at 1 year, and 22% at 2 years. No serious complications were noted., Conclusions: This therapeutic approach is thought to be a useful treatment for HCC with PTT, because it reinforces anticancer effects and can be performed more safely than conventional transcatheter arterial embolization.