Analysis of the Onco-Vascular Approach in Retroperitoneal Sarcoma with Vascular Involvement

Background: Due to the limited number of clinical series and the lack of multi-institutional or national registries concerning retroperitoneal sarcoma (RPS) extending to major arterio-venous structures, the short and long-term benefits following concomitant resection of these major structures are still antagonistic. Objective: To present our institutional experience with RPS tumors, to assess their vascular involvement and to analyze the outcomes of onco-vascular approach. Patients and methods: A retrospective review of our institutional RPS patients’ clinical charts was performed. All consecutive adult patients surgically treated for RPS were included. Resection of RPS tumors was followed by histopathological examination for grading. Types of vascular involvement were assessed preoperatively. RPS tumors were resected en bloc together with blood vessels according to the type of vascular involvement and the surgical standards. Results: This study included 14 patients;8 males (57%) and 6 females (43%) with RPS. Vascular resection was performed in all patients. Adherent structures were resected in 43%. Resection was performed for 29% RPSs with arterial venous involvement, 14% with only arterial involvement, and 57% with only venous involvement. All RPSs were classified as high-grade lesions, and 64% showed secondarily major vessels involvement. 43% of patients were treated by arterial resection. 80% had venous involvement. Venous resections were followed by venous reconstruction in all patients with both arterial and venous involvement. The morbidity rate was 43% while the mortality rate was 7%. Conclusion: Complete resection with clear margins is important for long-term survival in patients with retroperitoneal soft tissue sarcomas.

New System of Structural Health Monitoring

Monitoring of structures is an important challenge faced by researchers worldwide. This study developed a new structural health monitoring system which utilized the use of microprocessors, wireless communication, transducer, and cellular transmission that allows remote monitoring. The developed system will facilitate the monitoring process at any time and in any location with less human interference. The system is equipped with data processing subsystem which works on detection of structural behavior irregularity, defects, and potential failures. The system was tested using strain gages to measure the developed strains in different applications and structural models. The results developed using the new system showed that the generated readings from the system followed correctly the expected trend according to structural concepts. The developed system accomplished the desired features of lower cost, less power, reduced size, flexibility and easier implementation, remote accessing, early detection of problems, and simplified representation of the results.

Structural Health Monitoring: Alarming System

There is a huge investment in our infrastructure that is vital to our social and economic life. However, the aging and deterioration of the structures require implementing a damage detection system to monitor their structural integrity. In this study, a new alarming system was developed as part of a structural health monitoring system and installed in a scaled-down structure models. The designed system incorporated microprocessors, wireless communication, transducer, and cellular transmission that allow remote monitoring. The developed system facilitates continuous monitoring process of any part of structures and controlled remotely from any location. The system was equipped with data processing subsystem that detects structural behavior irregularity, defects, and potential failures. The system was tested using Linear Variable Differential Transformer (LVDT) for deflections and using strain gages to measure the developed axial and flexural strains in different structural models. Filtering algorithm was used to filter graphs and the data gathered in each loading stage was averaged and plotted to show the abrupt change in the values. The filtering system helps the alarming system to have a clear prediction of possible irregularities. The developed system provides the desired features of low cost, low power, small size, flexibility and easy implementation, remote accessing, early detection of problems, and simplified representation of the results.