Pulmonary nocardiosis is a rare disease, which mainly affects immunocompromised hosts such as uncontrolled diabetics; HIV patients; and patients on immunosuppressive therapies such as anticancer drugs, systemic steroids, and transplant recipients. The diagnosis is often missed and delayed, resulting in inappropriate treatment and thus higher mortality. We are reporting a case of pulmonary nocar...

Coronary heart disease (CHD), the leading cause of death worldwide, is ideally managed through a combination of lifestyle change, optimum medical care, and interventional therapies, including surgery [1]. These three modalities are partners, rather than competitors, from which cardiologists and patients may chose, according to evidence, patient needs, and preferences. While genetic predispositi...

Thrombolysis and percutaneous transluminal angioplasty represent the cornerstone of the pharmacologic treatment of and the interventional approach to patients with myocardial infarction (MI). They are very effective. However, they are hampered by some critical limitations. Therefore, alternatives to standard thrombolytic therapy have been developed. Platelet glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa blockade ...

Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) has evolved from being primarily a diagnostic modality into an interventional endoscopic tool for the management of both benign and malignant gastrointestinal illnesses. EUS-guided therapy has garnered particular interest as a minimally invasive approach for the treatment of pancreatic cancer, a disease often complicated by its aggressive course and poor survival. Th...

Ambulatory ECG (AECG) is very commonly employed in a variety of clinical contexts to detect cardiac arrhythmias and/or arrhythmia patterns which are not readily obtained from the standard ECG. Accurate and timely characterization of arrhythmias is crucial to direct therapies that can have an important impact on diagnosis, prognosis or patient symptom status. The rhythm information derived from ...

Acute stroke affects 795,000 people per year in the United States, and eighty-seven percent of these represent ischemic stroke. New level I evidence has created a need for consistent, effective and rapid triage of stroke patients to properly select those who will most benefit from endovascular stroke therapy. This review highlights anatomical factors and imaging signs that are prognostic with r...

Treatment options for hepatocellular carcinoma have evolved over recent years. Interventional radiologists and surgeons can offer curative treatments for early stage tumours, and locoregional therapies can be provided resulting in longer survival times. Early diagnosis with screening ultrasound is the key. CT and MRI are used to characterize lesions and determine the extent of tumour burden. Im...

By most accounts, the field of interventional cardiology appears to have achieved one of its most elusive milestones, the virtual eradication of restenosis. In the present issue of Circulation, however, Hedman and colleagues1 report the results of a pilot study of gene therapy with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) for restenosis prevention. Are these authors attempting to develop a tre...

Coronary revascularization evolved from an understanding of the relationship between coronary obstructions and the clinical manifestations they produce. Visualization of the coronary arteries in patients was necessary, and coronary arterography made that possible. Peripheral vascular surgical techniques were logically applied to the coronary circulation as technology for cardiac surgery had bee...

The sacroiliac joint (SIJ) is an integral part of both the lumbar spine and the pelvic girdle. It is frequently the source of low back pain and pelvic girdle pain. Recent research has permitted a deeper understanding of its function and assessment. The mechanical assessment of the SIJ as a transmitter of load between trunk and lower limbs, and as a means to absorb torsion stresses of the pelvis...