Faculty Bibliography

PURPOSE: To evaluate late angiographic changes at the puncture site with use of a suture lock device for hemostasis after hemodialysis access interventions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-five patients who underwent percutaneous intervention of a failing or thrombosed access had 76 puncture sites (58 grafts, 15 fistulas, three composite) managed with a purse-string suture lock device. All patients had follow-up fistulograms available for analysis. Fistulograms at the site of sheath insertion were retrospectively compared with those obtained during subsequent hemodialysis access procedures to assess for changes in access lumen diameter. Access type, sheath size, and heparin dose were examined as predictors of access diameter change at the puncture site. RESULTS: The mean time to follow-up fistulography was 4.7 months; the cumulative observation time of the patient cohort was 30.5 dialysis years. The mean change in access diameter at the previous puncture site was -0.3%. No puncture sites became aneurysmal or stenotic during follow-up. Two of the 76 puncture sites (both grafts) developed mild (+28%) and moderate (+43%) bulging at the sheath site. The remaining 74 puncture sites (97%) showed no significant change in access diameter. The mean change in access diameter among fistulas was -6.2%, and that among grafts was +1.5% (P = .06). Neither sheath size (P = .26) nor heparin dose (P = .48) had an effect on access diameter. CONCLUSIONS: No patients developed aneurysms or stenosis at the puncture site after use of a suture lock device for hemostasis. This technique is consistent, safe, and effective in obtaining hemostasis after dialysis access interventions of fistulas and grafts

Significantly improved long-term patency can be achieved with transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) endografts compared to conventional bare stents. In the USA, approximately 80% of TIPS procedures are performed using these devices. The phenomenon of early shunt thrombosis with TIPS created with bare stent TIPS, attributed to biliary fistulae, is seldom observed in patients with TIPS endografts. Intrashunt stenoses within the polytetrafluoroethylene-lined conduit are also rare. However, as with shunts created with bare stents, distinct patterns of dysfunction can occur with TIPS endografts. Some of these are inherent to the learning curve of placing these devices and others are secondary to device design. The interventional radiologist needs to be aware of these patterns of shunt dysfunction and have a systematic approach to their management

Endografts continue to evolve the role of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunts for patients with complications of portal hypertension. Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) created with bare stents, although associated with high rates of short-term portal decompression, are plagued by shunt stenosis and thrombosis over the long term. In contrast, TIPS created with endografts achieve durable, sustained patency in most patients with portal hypertension. The technique of successful endograft placement does have technical nuances that differ from TIPS creation with bare stents. This article provides a step-by-step approach for the interventional radiologist for placement of the via Torr device, which is at currently the only US Food and Drug Administration approved endograft for TIPS. These techniques can also be applied to the creation of TIPS endografts using other off-label endograft devices

The direct intrahepatic portacaval shunt (DIPS) is a modification of the TIPS procedure, using intravascular ultrasound-guidance, combined with fluoroscopy. The DIPS procedure was initially conceived to increase the durability of shunt patency and extend the spectrum of patients with portal hypertension for whom endovascular portocaval shunting can be performed. The DIPS procedure involves intravascular ultrasound-guided puncture from the inferior vena cava to the portal vein through the caudate lobe of the liver. The shunt is completed with a polytetrafluoroethylene-covered stent graft. This article describes the indications, technique, and outcomes of the DIPS procedure to enable the interventional radiologist currently experienced with TIPS to incorporate this procedure into their practice

The present report describes two cases of T1b (>4 cm) renal cell carcinoma (RCC) treated with superselective embolization and radiofrequency ablation in the setting of renal artery stenosis and abdominal aortic aneurysm, respectively. In the first case, a solitary functioning kidney was treated with stent placement immediately before RCC embolization. In the second case, a brachial artery approach was used for RCC embolization after a failed femoral approach secondary to an abdominal aortic aneurysm. These cases illustrate the utility of combination therapy for T1b RCC and emphasize the need for interventional radiologists and interventional oncologists to possess the requisite endovascular skills to manage anatomic challenges from coexisting arterial disease when performing image-guided tumor interventions

PURPOSE: To report a wide-necked renal artery aneurysm treated successfully with stent-assisted Gugliemi detachable coil occlusion, assisted by three-dimensional (3-D) angiography. CASE REPORT: A 56-year-old woman with history of hypertension presented with a 2.5-cm wide-necked saccular aneurysm involving her distal right renal artery. A balloon-expandable stent was positioned across the neck of the aneurysm and multiple Gugliemi detachable coils were deployed through a microcatheter inserted through the interstices of the stent into the aneurysm sac, guided by 3-D angiography. Follow-up 3-D angiography at 6 months revealed a patent renal artery with continued exclusion of the aneurysm and preservation of renal blood flow. CONCLUSION: Stent-assisted coil occlusion assisted by 3-D angiography is a potential renal-sparing endovascular approach to treating wide-necked renal artery aneurysms with complex vascular anatomy

PURPOSE: To assess the toxicity and efficacy of chemoembolization and bland embolization in patients with neuroendocrine tumor metastases to the liver. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 67 patients underwent 219 embolization procedures: 23 patients received primarily bland embolization with PVA with or without iodized oil and 44 primarily received chemoembolization with cisplatin, doxorubicin, mitomycin-C, iodized oil, and polyvinyl alcohol. Clinical, laboratory, and imaging follow-up was performed 1 month after completion of therapy and every 3 months thereafter. Patients with disease relapse were treated again when feasible. Toxicity was assessed according to National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria for Adverse Events, version 3.0. Efficacy was assessed by clinical and morphologic response. Time to progression (TTP), time to treatment failure, and survival were estimated by Kaplan-Meier analysis. RESULTS: Ten of 67 patients (15%) were lost to follow-up. The mortality rate at 30 days was 1.4%. Toxicities of grade 3 or worse in severity occurred after 25% of chemoembolization procedures and 22% of bland embolization procedures (odds ratio, 1.2; 95% CI, 0.4-4.0). Mean length of stay was 1.5 day in both groups. Rates of freedom from progression at 1, 2, and 3 years were 49%, 49%, and 35% after chemoembolization and 0%, 0%, and 0% after bland embolization (log-rank test, P = .16). Among the subgroup with carcinoid tumors, the proportions without progression were 65%, 65%, and 52% after chemoembolization and 0%, 0%, and 0% after bland embolization (log-rank test, P = .08). Patients treated with chemoembolization and bland embolization experienced symptomatic relief for means of 15 and 7.5 months, respectively (P = .14). Survival rates at 1, 3, and 5 years after therapy were 86%, 67%, and 50%, respectively, after chemoembolization and 68%, 46%, and 33%, respectively, after bland embolization (log-rank test, P = .18). CONCLUSIONS: Chemoembolization was not associated with a higher degree of toxicity than bland embolization. Chemoembolization demonstrated trends toward improvement in TTP, symptom control, and survival. Based on these results, a multicenter prospective randomized trial is warranted