Introduction

Society of Interventional Radiology Clinical Practice Guidelines

To investigate the safety and efficacy of large-bore uncovered stents for treating malignant superior vena cava syndrome.

This retrospective study included 115 patients (89 men, 26 women; mean age 63.2 years; range 21–83 years) who underwent endovascular large-bore (≥18 mm in diameter) uncovered stent placement between August 2015 and July 2022. One patient was lost to follow-up. Therefore, 114 patients were available for follow-up.

Stent placement was technically successful in all 115 patients. Minor procedure-related complications occurred in nine (7.8 %) patients. One hundred eight (93.9 %) patients experienced complete or marked symptomatic relief (Kishi score ≤ 2) at a mean of 3 days after procedure. The cumulative stent patency rates were 98.2 %, 95 %, 93.7 %, 91.5 %, 83.5 %, and 83.5 % at 1, 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months, respectively. Stent occlusion occurred in ten (8.8 %) of 114 patients at a mean of 215 days (range 1–732 days) due to thrombosis (n = 7) and tumor ingrowth (n = 3). Stent occlusion did not occur in 21 patients who underwent subsequent central venous catheter insertion. The median patient survival time was 159 days (95 % confidence interval 102–216 days). Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed adjuvant anticancer treatment (p = 0.001) and tumor response (p < 0.001) as independent predictors of patient survival.

Endovascular placement of large-bore uncovered stents was a safe and effective treatment for malignant superior vena cava syndrome. Large-bore stent placement can effectively prevent stent occlusion by tumor ingrowth in most cases, and it can provide a sufficient diameter for subsequent insertion of central venous catheters.

In this review, a systematic literature search on the effectiveness and complication rates of ultrasound-guided and magnetic resonance-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound (USg-/MRgHIFU) for abdominal wall endometriosis (AWE) was conducted in six databases in May/June 2023. Original articles of (non)randomized trials, cohort studies, case-control studies and case series published in peer-reviewed journals were included. Of the included studies the level of evidence (LoE) and methodological quality using the ROBINS-I and IHE-QAT was assessed. Primary outcomes were non-perfused volume ratio (NPV%), lesion size, pain scores, side effects and complication rates according to Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) guidelines. Secondary outcomes were recurrence and re-intervention rates.

Seven cohort studies (one of good methodological quality) (LoE 3) on USgHIFU were included (n = 212, AWE lesions = 240–245). Six months after USgHIFU treatment, pain scores were reduced with 3.3–5.2 points (baseline: 5.1–6.8, n = 135). Self-limiting side effects were pain (85.7 % (114/133)) and swelling (34.6 % (46/133)) in the treatment area. Complications occurred in 17.7 % (32/181), all of which were minor. Recurrence occurred in 12.8 % (11/86). Three of these seven cohort studies compared USgHIFU (n = 61) with surgical excision (n = 74). Pooled results showed no significant differences in pain scores, complications (resp. 26.3 % (10/38) vs. 32.6 % (15/46) (p = 0.53)) and recurrences (resp. 4.9 % (3/61) vs. 5.4 % (4/74) (p = 0.90)).

This systematic review suggests that HIFU is an effective and safe treatment option for AWE. USgHIFU treatment led to reduced pain scores and lesion size, was free of major complications and had a pooled recurrence rate of 12.8 %. Compared to surgical excision pooled results showed no significant differences in pain scores, complications and recurrences after USgHIFU. However, many of the included studies had limitations in their methodological quality and therefore the results should be interpreted with caution. Well-structured high-quality randomized controlled trials comparing HIFU to standard care should be conducted to provide more conclusive evidence.

The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility, safety, and 6-month outcomes of prostate artery embolization (PAE) using N-butyl-cyanoacrylate (NBCA) glue as the only embolic agent in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)-related lower urinary tract symptoms.

Patients with BPH-related lower urinary tract symptoms who were treated by PAE using methacryloxysulfolane-NBCA mixed with ethiodized oil (1:8 ratio) between September 2018 and January 2023 were retrospectively included. Vascular mapping was made using cone-beam computed tomography angiography. PAEs were performed as an outpatient procedure, under local anaesthesia. Outcomes were assessed at six months using the International Prostate Symptoms Score (IPSS) and associated quality-of-life score (IPSS-QoL), prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level, prostate volume, and International Index of Erectile Function form 5 (IIEF5).

A total of 103 men with a mean age of 68.4 ± 6 (standard deviation [SD]) years were included. Technical success rate was 100%. The mean fluoroscopy time was 26.4 ± 12.5 (SD) min and the median radiation dose was 23 980 mGy·cm (Q1, Q3: 16 770, 38 450). Compared to baseline, statistically significant improvements were observed at six months for the IPSS (8.9 ± 6.2 [SD] vs. 20.2 ± 6.5 [SD]; P = 0.01), IPSS-QoL (2.1 ± 1.4 [SD] vs. 5.1 ± 0.9 [SD]; P = 0.01), PSA level (3.6 ± 3.2 [SD] ng/mL vs. 4.8 ± 4.2 [SD] ng/mL; P = 0.0001), and prostate volume (78.6 ± 43.5 [SD] mL vs. 119.1 ± 65.7 [SD] mL; P = 0.01). Minor adverse events developed in 19/103 (18.4%) patients. No major complications occurred. Compared to baseline, the IIEF5 did not change significantly at six months (15.3 ± 6.8 [SD] vs. 15.8 ± 6.8 [SD]; P = 0.078).

PAE with NBCA is a feasible and safe method that provides good outcomes at six months in patients with BPH-related lower urinary tract symptoms. This method deserves further evaluation in randomized trials with longer follow-up.

The rate of complications and risk of local recurrence following percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and microwave ablation (MWA) for liver tumors varies significantly between investigations. This meta-analysis aimed to assess complication rates and risk of local recurrence after percutaneous RFA and MWA.

PubMed, Medline, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, Embase, Google Scholar, and CINAHL were systematically searched from database inception until August 2022 to retrieve articles reporting the complication rates and risk of recurrence after percutaneous RFA and MWA for the treatment of liver tumors. Pooled odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated and displayed by forest plots. To measure heterogeneity, Cochran Q and I² statistics were also applied. Egger’s test and funnel plots were also performed to assess any potential publication bias. Additionally, subgroup analysis was done to investigate the source of heterogeneity.

26 studies including 2026 and 1974 patients for RFA and MWA, respectively, were included. The rate of minor complications was significantly higher after MWA compared to RFA, yielding an overall OR of 0.688 (95% CI: 0.549–0.862, P = 0.001). Similarly, the rate of major complications was significantly higher after MWA than RFA (P = 0.012), yielding an overall OR of 0.639 (95% CI: 0.450–0.907). No significant difference was found between RFA and MWA in terms of local recurrence after ablation (P > 0.05). In addition, there was no statistical evidence of publication bias.

When most factors are considered equally, percutaneous RFA and MWA can be considered safe modalities for the treatment of liver tumors, with RFA superior in terms of the incidence of minor and major complications.

To evaluate the role of Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) PET/CT as a metabolic guide in increasing the accuracy, diagnostic yield and safety of CT-guided percutaneous needle lung biopsy (PNB).

Retrospective analysis of 340 consecutive patients with suspicious lung nodules, masses or extensive disease that underwent lung biopsy over a 3-year period. Patients were divided into three groups; those that had PET/CT prior to the biopsy, those that had PET-CT following the biopsy and those who did not undergo PET-CT. Correlation was made with the histopathological result.

353 PNBs were performed (median lesion size 30 mm, 7–120 mm) with overall diagnostic rate of 83.9 % (95.8 % malignant). Biopsy success rate was 88.8 % with PET-CT pre-PNB, versus 78.9 % of 175 PNB without PET-CT upfront (p < 0.01 Fisher exact test). Correct targeting to PET-CT-maximum activity area (MAA) was present in 87.1 %. Biopsy success rate was 88.8 % for PNBs targeting the PET-CT-MAA region and only 52.8 % for PNBs not targeting the PET-CT-MAA (p < 0.0001). PET-CT pre-PNB had higher rates of PET-CT-MAA targeting compared to PET-CT post PNB (91.0 % v 80.0 %, p = 0.01). The availability of PET-CT before the PNB lead to significantly increased biopsy success rates in patients with a mass (OR:7.01p = 0.004), compared to a nodule (p = 0.498) or multiple nodules (p = 0.163). Patients with a PET-CT pre-PNB underwent fewer PNB passes (mean 2.6 v 3.1, p < 0.0001 Mann Whitney U). Serious complications were less common in PET-CT pre-PNB group (4.5 % v 10.9 %, p < 0.05). Pre-PNB PET-CT performance improvement applied to all 3 radiologists and was greatest for masses and infiltrative abnormalities.

Metabolic information provided by 18F-FDG PET/CT and PNB localisation to the PET-CT maximum activity region is associated with higher diagnostic biopsy rates especially in masses and appears to account for improved performance, less needle passes and complications when available pre-biopsy.

TIPS is the most effective treatment for portal hypertension. Patient selection remains important to achieving optimal post-TIPS outcomes. The study evaluates 1-year mortality factors in cirrhotic patients receiving TIPS.

Methods: 87 cirrhotic patients received a TIPS between 2015 - 2021. Predictors of 1-year and overall mortality were assessed by estimating cumulative incidence functions and Grey's test to adjust for liver transplantation as a risk competing with mortality. Variables with p < 0.05 were checked for collinearity and included in the multivariate Cox proportional hazards model. Model discrimination was evaluated by calculating the area under the ROC curve.

Results: 87 patients were included (68% men; 22% ≥70 years). ALD was the primary cirrhosis cause. Most patients were Child-Pugh class B, MELD-Na score was 13.6 ± 6.0 points. The most frequent indication for TIPS was bleeding (51.7%), followed by refractory ascites (42.5%). The variables positively associated with mortality in univariate analysis were ascites, clinically overt sarcopenia and MELD-Na score, while ongoing nutritional supplementation improved survival. In the multivariate analysis, only clinically overt sarcopenia and MELD-Na score remained independently associated with mortality. A MELD-Na/sarcopenia model demonstrated a good discrimination, AUROC: 0.86 (95% CI 0.77 – 0.95).

Conclusion: MELD-Na score, and sarcopenia were significantly associated with 1-year survival in cirrhotic patients who received TIPS.