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Shamar Young,1 Isa Cam,1 Mehmet Gencturk,1 Nathan Rubin,2 Donna D’souza,1 Siobhan Flanagan,1 Jafar Golzarian,1 Tina Sanghvi3 1University of Minnesota, Department of Radiology, Division of Interventional Radiology, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA; 2Biostatistics Core, Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA; 3Minneapolis VA Medical Center, Department of Radiology, Minneapolis, MN, USACorrespondence: Shamar YoungUniversity of Minnesota, Department of Radiology, Division of Interventional Radiology, 420 Delaware St SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USATel +612-624-6189Email youn1862@umn.eduBackground: The purpose of this study is to determine and compare the ability of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), aspartate-aminotransferase-to-lymphocyte ratio (ALRI), systemic-inflammation index (SII) and lymphocyte count to predict oncologic outcomes in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients undergoing transarterial chemoembolization (TACE).Materials and Methods: A single-center retrospective review of 296 patients who were treated for 457 HCCs was performed. Pre- and post-treatment laboratory and treatment outcome variables were collected. Objective radiologic response (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) were evaluated. Patients were categorized into above and below median scores and compared.Results: The median pretreatment NLR, PLR, ALRI, SII, and lymphocyte count were 2.7 (range: 0.4– 55), 88.3 (range: 0.1– 840), 71.8 (range: 0.1– 910), 238.1 (range: 0.1– 5150.8), and 1 (range: 0.1– 5.2) 103/μL, respectively. Patients with above median ALRI scores were less likely to achieve an ORR as compared to those with below median ALRI values (132 (132/163, 81%) vs 150 (150/163, 92%), p = 0.004). On univariate analysis, patients with above median pretreatment NLR (HR 1.41, 95% CI: 1.09– 1.83, p = 0.01) and below median lymphocyte count (HR 0.69, 95% CI: 0.53– 0.92, p = 0.01) had significantly worse PFS. The relationship between PFS and NLR (p = 0.08) as well as lymphocytes (p = 0.20) no longer remained on multivariate analysis. On univariate analysis, below median pretreatment NLR (HR 1.72, 95% CI: 1.2– 2.45, p = 0.003) and ALRI (HR 1.52, 95% CI: 1.05– 2.2); p = 0.03) as well as above median lymphocyte count (HR 0.48, 95% CI: 0.34– 0.7, p < 0.0001) were associated with improved OS. The significant relationship between lymphocytes and OS remained on multivariate analysis (HR 0.50, 95% CI: 0.28– 0.9, p = 0.02), but the relationship with NLR (p = 0.94) did not persist.Conclusion: NLR is predictive of PFS and OS in patients with HCC undergoing TACE and may be superior to other inflammatory scores (PLR, ALRI, and SII) in this setting. However, lymphocyte count may be most predictive of OS.Keywords: hepatocellular carcinoma, chemoembolization, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, aspartate-aminotransferase-to-lymphocyte ratio, systemic-inflammation index

Aviation is one of the most global industries, and if we can model and predict a country’s air transportation flow and indicators ahead of time, we may be able to use it as a key decision-making tool for the management and operation process. This study proposes a new modeling, and prediction method that employs both fractional calculus and Multi Deep Assessment Methodology (MDAM) techniques. For the application, air passengers carried, air freight, available seat kilometers, number of flights, destination points, international travelers, international destination points, and international flight data between 2011 and 2019 for eight countries with the busiest airports were chosen. As a result, the highest modeling error was discovered to be Germany’s air transport freight factor expressed as a percentage of 1,59E-02. The percentage of predictions with errors less than 10% was 90.278. We also compared the performance of two different MDAM methodologies. The novel MDAM wd methodology proposed in this paper has a higher accuracy in aviation factors prediction and modeling.

There is a limited amount of data on the role of programmed cell death ligand (PD-L) -1 and PD-L2 in salivary gland carcinomas. We aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of PD-L1 and PD-L2 expressions, which are closely related to immune mechanisms, with respect to salivary gland tumor types and stages. Data from patients with salivary gland masses surgically removed between 2006 and 2021, diagnosed with a malignant salivary gland neoplasm, were retrospectively analyzed. Immunoreactivity for PD-L1 and PD-L2 was performed on resection materials. The mean age of 90 patients was 52.1±18.8 and 46.7% were male. Overall, 55.6% of patients were diagnosed with adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC), 23.3% with mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC), 16.7% with acinic cell carcinoma (AciCC), 3.3% with ductal carcinoma (DC), and 1 patient with pleomorphic adenoma ex carcinoma (PA-ex-CA). In all, 52% of ACC, 12% of AciCC, 24% of MEC, and 12% of DC cases were at stage IV. The tumor diameter, frequencies of lymphovascular invasion, metastasis, positive surgical margin, recurrence, and mortality rates of patients at stages III and IV were significantly larger than those at stages I and II ( P <0.05). The percentages of tumor cell score (TCS) and immune cell score (ICS) for PD-L1 were significantly higher among patients with MEC compared with those with other types of tumors ( P =0.0011). However, the percentages of combined score (CS) for PD-L1 and tumor cell score for PD-L2 were comparable among tumor types ( P >0.05). No significant difference was found in these scores for PD-L1 between tumor stages ( P >0.05), but for PD-L2, all patients at stage I had TCS <1% for PD-L2, while all patients at stages II and III, and 92% of patients at stage IV had TCS ≥1% ( P <0.0001). High expression of PD-L1 was mostly observed in MEC cases ( P =0.0016), while all patients with AciCC had a low PD-L1 expression level ( P =0.0206). The mean tumor diameter, rate of lymphovascular invasion, perineural invasion, metastasis, positive surgical margin, recurrence, type of treatment, mortality, and TILs ratio did not differ significantly according to PD-L1 expression level ( P >0.05). The percentage of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes was comparable among negative and positive PD-L1 scores according to both 1% and 5% threshold values ( P >0.05). High PD-L1 expression is rare in AciCC, while PD-L1 expression is high in MEC. Our findings underline the importance of future screening for PD-L1 and PD-L2 before patients undergoing immunotherapies in all salivary gland tumors., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background and Purpose: Cystic pituitary adenomas and cystic craniopharyngiomas may mimic Rathke cleft cysts when there is no solid enhancing component on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This study aims to investigate the efficiency of MRI findings in differentiating Rathke cleft cysts from pure cystic pituitary adenoma and pure cystic craniopharyngioma., Materials and Methods: 109 patients were included in this study (56 Rathke cleft cysts, 38 pituitary adenomas, and 15 craniopharyngiomas). Preoperative magnetic resonance images were evaluated using 9 imaging findings. These findings include intralesional fluid-fluid level, intralesional septations, midline /off-midline location, suprasellar extension, an intracystic nodule, a hypointense rim on T2-weighted images, ≥ 2 mm thickness of contrast-enhancing wall, T1 hyperintensity and T2 hypointensity. p < 0.01 was considered statistically significant., Results: There was a statistically significant difference among groups for these 9 findings. Intracystic nodule and T2 hypointensity were the most specific MRI findings in differentiating Rathke cleft cyst from the others (98.1% and 100%, respectively). Intralesional septation and thick contrast-enhancing wall were the most sensitive MRI findings ruling out Rathke cleft cysts with 100% sensitivity., Conclusion: Rathke cleft cysts can be distinguished from pure cystic adenoma and craniopharyngioma with the presence of an intracystic nodule, T2 hypointensity, the absence of the thick contrast-enhancing wall, and absence of intralesional septations., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Abstract: An 88-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with a recurrent lower urinary tract infection. He had a history of open prostatectomy for benign prostatic hyperplasia 15 years ago and smoking. A mass arising within a bladder diverticula was suspected on the left lateral wall of the bladder on ultrasonography. Although no mass was observed in the bladder lumen on the cystoscopy, abdominal CT detected a left-sided pelvic soft tissue mass. A hypermetabolic mass was detected on 18 F-FDG PET/CT performed because of suspicion of malignancy, and it was excised. Granuloma secondary to chronic vasitis was diagnosed histopathologically., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest and sources of funding: none declared., (Copyright © 2023 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Subdural hematoma without subarachnoid hemorrhage secondary to intracranial aneurysm rupture is rare and may complicate patient management due to delay in diagnosis and subsequent treatment. Herein, we describe a case presenting with pure SDH secondary to the rupture of a posterior communicating artery infundibular dilatation (PcoA-ID). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of rupture of a PcoA-ID with SDH in the convexity and tentorium, which also tracked into the upper cervical spine along the subdural space. Additionally, we briefly discuss the previously published cases of pure SDH secondary to intracranial aneurysm rupture., Case Report: A 44-year-old female presented with headache, dizziness, nausea and left-sided diplopia to an outside institution. Initial diagnostic work-up showed no intracranial hemorrhage, however, magnetic resonance angiography and subsequent digital subtraction angiography revealed left posterior communicating artery infundibular dilatation. Two days later, the patient presented with a loss of consciousness. Computed tomography was positive for bilateral hemispheric subdural hematoma with no evidence of subarachnoid hemorrhage. Digital subtraction angiography showed left posterior communicating artery infundibular dilatation and pseudoaneurysm originating from the inferior area of the infundibular dilatation, concerning recent rupture. Balloon assisted coil embolization was performed and the patient had a good outcome without any neurological deficit., Conclusion: Subdural hematoma in a young adult without a history of trauma or coagulopathy warrants additional vascular imaging to search for underlying vascular lesions. It should also be kept in mind that infundibular dilatation may rupture and cause a pure subdural hematoma., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Background: Preoperative ultrasound (US) for cephalic cut-down is related to shorter procedure time and higher success rate. This study aimed to assess efficiency of US-guided percutaneous cephalic vein (CV) puncture for placement of cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs)., Methods: Patients undergoing a procedure including both US-guided pectoral nerve block (PECS) and percutaneous CV puncture were retrospectively investigated. Patient medical history and demographic data was collected. Clinical features of the procedures and intra- and post-operative complications occurring were collected from patient records. Clinical data included target vessel features, and the time taken for the following: CV puncture; CV and PECS puncture; total procedure., Results: In total 34 patients had CV puncture with US-guided PECS block was attempted in all patients and the procedure was successful in 27 of 34 (79.4%) patients. The total number of CV puncture attempts was 62 for 34 leads (mean attempts per lead = 1.82). The mean ± standard deviation time for CV puncture was 137.5 ± 27.4 s. There were no venous access-related complications., Conclusion: US-guided CV puncture appears feasible and safe with an acceptable success rate. In case of failure of the US-guided axillary or subclavian vein approach, it may be preferred as an alternative to the cephalic cut-down procedure, where the success rate is relatively lower and the risk of bleeding is higher.

Uterine arteriovenous malformation (AVM) is a rare entity. This report describes selective catheterisation and embolisation of a uterine AVM in an infertile woman, subsequent spontaneous pregnancy and postpartum recurrence of the AVM treated with a second embolisation procedure. A 22-year woman presented with menometrorrhagia and failure to conceive. Pelvic magnetic resonance imaging showed a large uterine AVM. Selective catheterisation and embolisation of the AVM was performed. The patient conceived spontaneously two months later and delivered vaginally. A second embolisation was performed due to recurrence of uterine AVM at six months postpartum. This is the first case reporting postpartum recurrence of a pre-conceptionally treated uterine AVM. Selective catheterisation and embolisation is a minimally-invasive, fertility-preserving procedure that successfully treats uterine AVM and should be the treatment of choice when the patient desires pregnancy. Successful pregnancy and vaginal delivery following embolisation is possible; however, an increased awareness of postpartum AVM recurrence is required. Key Words: Fertility, Pregnancy, Therapeutic embolisation, Uterus, Arteriovenous malformation.

Background: Cyanoacrylate (CA) has been used as an embolizing agent in the treatment of greater saphenous vein (GSV) insufficiency in recent years and the results regarding the use of this method have started to be published. To the best of our knowledge, the publications in literature do not mention about a significant negative effect of endovenous CA (EVCA) embolization. We aimed to evaluate the effects and undesirable events of this relatively new treatment method and compare them with literature, using the follow-up data of our patients., Methods: Patients who had GSV insufficiency for at least 3 months and were treated with EVCA embolization because of this disease were included in the study. Patients were excluded if they had deep vein thrombosis (DVT), excessive tortuous GSV, and peripheral neuropathy. Hospital archive records were reviewed and undesirable events like DVT, thrombophlebitis, and pain related to this treatment procedure were recorded., Results: EVCA embolization procedure was performed in a total of 54 patients with an average age of 49.36 ± 13.06 years for the purpose of treating GSV insufficiency. One patient was observed to develop n-butyl CA (NBCA) extension of approximately 5 mm from saphenofemoral junction (SFJ) to the main femoral vein and painful thrombophlebitic reaction was observed in 6 extremities at the first control examination., Conclusion: In our opinion, while EVCA embolization is a treatment option with similar success rates to endovenous thermal ablation (EVTA), it should be kept in mind that there may be a possibility of developing thrombophlebitis and NBCA extension or thrombus extension to the deep veins., (© 2022 Isfahan Cardiovascular Research Center & Isfahan University of Medical Sciences.)

Idiopathic granulomatous mastitis (IGM) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the breast with unknown etiology that is characterized by granuloma formation. We analyzed the clinical, radiological, and therapeutic approaches; the recurrence rate of the disease; and the pathological findings diagnosed with mastitis in a retrospective study. We evaluated a total of 77 patients subjected to core needle or excisional biopsy with preliminary diagnosis of mastitis between January 2017-December 2019 who diagnosed with IGM, nonspecific mastitis/abscess, or periductal mastitis/plasma cell mastitis as a result of their pathological assessment. The mean age was 39.24 ± 10.6. Though 65 patients were diagnosed with IGM (84.4%), other diagnoses were reported as nonspecific mastitis/abscess (n = 9), periductal mastitis (n = 2) and plasma cell mastitis (n = 1). Recurrence occurred in 30 (39%) patients during follow-up. In patients without IGM, the number of 5-year postpartum mastitis diagnoses was significantly higher (p = 0.0008) while number of 2-year postpartum mastitis diagnoses was lower (p = 0.255) compared to those in IGM patients. The rates of axillary lymphadenopathy, bacterial culture, parity, and menopausal status were not different in patients without IGM. Linear correlation analysis did not reveal a significant relationship between radiological preliminary diagnosis and pathological diagnosis with BI-RADS classification. A detailed assessment, accompanied with clinical, radiological, and pathological findings, should be performed to achieve an accurate diagnosis and effective patient management in IGM. Furthermore, IGM should always be considered in the differential diagnosis of mastitis among breast masses., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: This study was carried out to evaluate the utility of susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) in demonstrating retinal hemorrhages (RH) in pediatric head trauma., Methods: Over a period of 7 years 67 children (age 0-4 years) with head trauma and MRI were included as either abusive head trauma (AHT) (n = 23), non-abusive head trauma (NAHT) (n = 38), or indeterminate (n = 6). Two pediatric neuroradiologists jointly reviewed the MR images for the presence of RH and sensitivity and specificity of SWI and T2WI were calculated., Results: The dilated fundoscopic examination (DFE) was positive for RH in 18/23 (78.3%) of the AHT group, 5/38 (13.2%) in the NAHT group, and 4/6 (66.7%) in the indeterminate group. Regarding the SWI MRI findings, SWI was positive for RH in 13/23 (%56.5), while T2WI was positive in 6/23 (%26.1) of the AHT group. Based on utilizing DFE as a standard, the sensitivity and specificity of SWI in the detection of RH was 63% and 100%, respectively and 30% and 100%, respectively on T2WI., Conclusion: Our results suggest that SWI is a useful diagnostic tool for detection of RH in pediatric head trauma in whom DFE is difficult to perform., (© 2020. Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Purpose: To determine the frequency and predictive factors for alcohol recidivism following transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunts (TIPS) placed in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis., Methods: One hundred ninety-nine patients who had a TIPS placed at a single institution for different indications in the setting of alcoholic cirrhosis were reviewed. Length of sobriety prior to TIPS placement and maintained sobriety at 1, 3 and 6-12 months after TIPS placement were recorded. Smoking history, substance abuse and psychiatric comorbidities were also recorded as was ascitic response to TIPS at 1, 3 and 6-12 months., Results: At 1 month 11/199 (5.5%) patients had experienced a relapse while, 20/199 (10.1%) had at 3 months, and 44/199 (22.1%) had at 12 months. There was no difference in ascitic response in those who did and did not relapse at 1 month (p = 0.57), 3 months (p = 1.00) or 1 year (p = 0.44). The mean time of sobriety at the time of TIPS placement for those who relapsed by 12 months was significantly less than those who did not relapse (5.11 (1.10-7.90) months vs 18.32 (8.63-48.12) months, p < 0.001). Concurrent psychiatric comorbidity (p < 0.001), substance abuse (p < 0.001), age less than 40 (p = 0.004) and smoking history at the time of procedure (p < 0.001) were also associated with alcohol relapse., Conclusion: Recidivism is a frequent issue for patients following TIPS placement; those who have concurrent psychiatric comorbidity, substance abuse, smoking history are younger than 40 and shorter sobriety duration prior to TIPS may be at increased risk.

BACKGROUND. TIPS placement is an effective method for treating a number of complications of portal hypertension. Although this complex procedure has been firmly established in treatment algorithms, more data are needed to determine the most efficient and safest ways to perform the procedure. OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of three different techniques of portal vein (PV) cannulation during TIPS placement on procedure efficiency. METHODS. The medical records of patients who underwent TIPS creation between 2005 and 2019 were reviewed. On the basis of the PV access technique used, patients were grouped as follows: group 1 (G1) included patients who underwent a transabdominal ultrasound (US)-guided technique to obtain PV access, group 2 (G2) consisted of those who underwent fluoroscopically guided wedged hepatic portography, and group 3 (G3) included those who underwent percutaneous US-guided PV guidewire placement for fluoroscopic targeting. RESULTS. Of the 264 patients who underwent TIPS creation, 54 (20.5%) were in G1, 172 (65.1%) were in G2, and 38 (14.4%) were in G3. The mean (± SD) fluoroscopic time in G1 (34.8 ± 16.6 minutes) did not differ from that in either G2 (38.9 ± 20.8 minutes; p = .09) or G3 (29.5 ± 14.6 minutes; p = .06). However, G2 patients had significantly longer fluoroscopic times than G3 patients ( p = .005). The mean total anesthesia time in G1 (190.2 ± 45.6 minutes) did not differ from that in G2 (199.7 ± 59.5 minutes; p = .15). However, G3 had a mean anesthesia time (162.6 ± 39.7 minutes) that was significantly shorter than that in both G1 ( p = .003) and G2 ( p < .001). The mean contrast volume was significantly lower in G1 than in G2 (67.9 ± 36.8 mL vs 87.1 ± 42.9 mL; p = .005). More intrahepatic needle passes were required in G2 (median, 4 passes; interquartile range [IQR], 1-7 passes) than in G1 (median, 2 passes; IQR, 1-4 passes; p = .004) and G3 (median, 2 passes; IQR, 1-7.25 passes; p = .04). When complications in G1 and G3 were pooled, this cohort had significantly fewer complications than G2 ( p = .01). CONCLUSION. Ultrasound-guided PV access and percutaneous PV guidewire placement for fluoroscopic targeting during TIPS creation are associated with shorter procedure and fluoroscopic times and potentially decreased complications. CLINICAL IMPACT. The present study helps interventional radiologists understand the safest and most efficient way to access the PV, which is a key step during TIPS placement.

We report an unusual case of radiation-induced glioma with a very long latent period. The patient had a history of brain stem glioma diagnosed 40 years earlier treated by radiotherapy. For treatment of radiation-induced glioma, radiotherapy was utilized again. Following therapy, the patient presented with an acute pontine infarct. To the best of our knowledge this may be the first report of radiation-induced glioma and radiation-induced stroke occurring within the same patient., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Pudendal neuralgia (PN) is a painful and disabling condition, which reduces the quality of life as well. Pudendal nerve infiltrations are essential for the diagnosis and the management of PN. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of finger-guided transvaginal pudendal nerve infiltration (TV-PNI) technique and the ultrasound-guided transgluteal pudendal nerve infiltration (TG-PNI) technique., Methods: Forty patients who underwent PNI for the diagnosis of PN were evaluated. Thirty-five of these 40 patients, who were diagnosed as PN, underwent a total of 70 further unilateral PNI. All the patients underwent PNI for twice after the first diagnostic PNI, 1 week apart., Results: In the ultrasound (US)-guided TG-PNI group, the success rate was 68.8% (11 of 16) in both "pain in the sitting position" and "pain in the region from the anus to the clitoris." The success rate of blocks in the US-guided TG-PNI group was 75% (12 of 16) in terms of pain during/after intercourse. In the finger-guided TV-PNI group, the success rate was 84.2% in both "pain in the sitting position" and "pain in the region from the anus to the clitoris." The success rate of blocks in the fingerguided TV-PNI group was 89.5% (17 of 19) in terms of pain during/after intercourse. There was no statistically significant difference in the success rate of the 3 assessed conditions between the 2 groups (P>0.05)., Conclusion: The TV-PNI may be an alternative to US-guidance technique as a safe, simple, effective approach in pudendal nerve blocks.

Study Objective: To demonstrate the laparoscopic approach to malformed branches of the vessels entrapping the nerves of the sacral plexus., Design: A step-by-step explanation of the surgery using video (educative video) (Canadian Task force classification II). The university's Ethics Committee ruled that approval was not required for this video., Setting: Kocaeli Derince Education and Research Hospital, Kocaeli, Turkey., Patient: A 26-year-old patient who had failed medical therapy and presented with complaints of numbness and burning pain on the right side of her vagina and pain radiating to her lower limbs for a period of approximately 36 months., Intervention: The peritoneum was incised along the external iliac vessels, and these vessels were separated from the iliopsoas muscle on the right side of the pelvis. The laparoscopic decompression of intrapelvic vascular entrapment was performed at 3 sites: the lumbosacral trunk, sciatic nerve, and pudendal nerve. The aberrant dilated veins were gently dissected from nerves, and then coagulated and cut with the LigaSure sealing device (Medtronic, Minneapolis, Minn)., Measurements and Main Results: The operation was completed successfully with no complications, and the patient was discharged from the hospital 24 hours after the operation. At a 6-month follow-up, she reported complete resolution of dyspareunia and sciatica (visual analog scale score 1 of 10)., Conclusion: A less well-known cause of chronic pelvic pain is compression of the sacral plexus by dilated or malformed branches of the internal iliac vessels. Laparoscopic management of vascular entrapment of the sacral plexus has been described by Possover et al [1,2] and Lemos et al [3]. This procedure appears to be feasible and effective, but requires significant experience and familiarity with laparoscopy techniques and pelvic nerve anatomy., (Copyright © 2018 American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aim: To seek the efficacy of selective spinal nerve blocks in the treatment of groin pain that are irresponsive to peripheral nerve blocks., Material and Methods: This retrospective study comprised 17 patients with ilioinguinal, iliohypogastric, and genitofemoral neuralgias treated between 2017 and 2018., Results: All patients received diagnostic peripheral nerve blocks and/or TAP blocks with blind or ultrasound-guided techniques. Four patients had ineffectual peripheral nerve blocks, after which they underwent T12 and L1 selective spinal nerve blocks. All four patients had satisfactory results., Conclusion: If distal peripheral nerve blocks are ineffective, an upper level nerve lesion, a lesion in the lumbar plexus or an L1 radiculopathy should be considered in ilioinguinal, iliohypogastric, and genitofemoral neuralgias. Upper level nerve blocks should be performed before deciding on surgery.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate clinical features of both carotid and vertebral arteries in the idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL) patients and healthy individuals to contribute additional knowledge on vascular compromise theory., Methods: This study was designed as a retrospective case control study in a tertiary referral center. 55 patients for ISSNHL and 35 healthy participants (70 ears) are involved to the study. All of the patients were evaluated for the systemic disorders and excluded other possible causes (autoimmune diseases, acoustic schwannoma, drug toxicity, etc) of ISSNHL. The carotid and vertebral arteries were assessed with Doppler USG; in fact, the vascular diameter (VD), intima media thickness (IMT), peak systolic velocity (PSV), blood flow (BF) and resistive index (RI) were evaluated. Related parameters were compared with the control groups., Results: In carotid artery system; common carotid artery intima-media thickness (CC-IMT) (p<0.001), and internal carotid artery intima-media thickness (IC-IMT) (p<0.001) were found significantly increased. Otherwise; PSV, VD and BF were not differed significantly. In vertebral artery system; VD (<0.001), PSV (<0.002) and BF (<0.001) were decreased significantly but vertebral artery RI was statistically increased (<0.001)., Conclusion: In our study, we found the carotid artery thickening on vascular wall. We also demonstrate the vascular compromise on vertebral arteries. The Doppler USG may lead to determine the etiology of ISSNHL and further investigations are needed to define the exact results., Level of Evidence: III b., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)