Clinical study of the CT hepatic arteriography guided percutaneous radiofrequency ablation of hypervascular hepatocellular carcinoma / 中华放射学杂志

Objective:To investigate the feasibility of CT hepatic arteriography(CTHA) guided percutaneous radiofrequency ablation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Methods:Forty-four patients diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinomas were enrolled in this prospective study from September 2019 to May 2021 in Henan Cancer Hospital. Thirty-three out of the 44 patients were treatment naive, 8 cases recurred after radiofrequency ablation, and the other 3 patients recurred after surgery. The mean size of HCC nodules was 5-44(17±8)mm measured on enhanced MRI images. Each patient was implanted a 5-French Cobra catheter or a 5-French RH angiographic catheter, then was catheterized into common hepatic artery or proper hepatic artery, under DSA monitoring via right femoral artery. Then the patient was transferred to CT operation room. Percutaneous radiofrequency ablation was performed by CTHA guidance using contrast agent injected via the catheter indwelled in hepatic artery. The endpoint of a complete ablation was a non-enhancing ablation necrosis zone in the target tumor and the target tumor margin at least 5 mm on CTHA. At the end of the procedure, the probe was retracted using tract ablation, and the arterial catheter and sheath were removed. The number of HCC lesions showed on the enhanced MRI and CTHA imaging were compared using Wilcoxon rank-sum test. The technical success rate and volume of contrast agent used during the CTHA ablation procedures were summarized.Results:Additional tumors were founded in 13 out of the 44 patients during the CT hepatic arteriography compared with enhanced MRI. The tumors founded by enhanced MRI and CTHA were 64 and 91 respectively, with statistical significance ( Z=-3.24, P=0.001). One patient dropped out of the study after palliative ablation and was transferred to transaterial chemoembolization treatment because the number of lesions showed by CTHA scan was more than 5. The other 43 patients got complete ablation verified by immediate postoperative assessment using CTHA. The technical success rate was 100%. The average volume of contrast agent used in CTHA guided radiofrequency ablation was 30-80(42±14)ml. There was no complications occurred related to the CTHA guided percutaneous radiofrequency ablation procedures. Conclusions:CTHA can demonstrate additional lesions that can not be detected by the enhanced MRI images, which improves the lesion conspicuity and verifies the optimal position of radiofrequency probe. The complete tumor ablation can be verified by CTHA performed immediately after ablation.

Investigation of the replacement of obstructed double J tube in ureter under X-ray guidance / 中华放射学杂志

Objective:To investigate the feasibility and safety of the X-ray guided obstructive double J tube replacement in ureter.Methods:The clinical data of 44 patients with double J tube obstruction who underwent double J tube replacement from April 2016 to August 2019 were analyzed retrospectively. Among the 44 cases, there were 3 males and 41 females, aged from 27.0 to 70.0 (54.6±11.2) years. The time since last double J tube placement, the method of transurethral remove of double J tube, the method of double J tube replacement, the location of double J tube obstruction and postoperative complications were collected, and the success rate of operation was calculated. According to the different positions of calcium salt deposition in double J tubes, the obstructive double J tubes were divided into bladder end type, renal pelvis end type, two-end type and whole partial type. The replacement method was differentiated according to different types of double J tube obstruction. The cut-off end method was to cut off the obstructed bladder end of double J tube by scissors, and the internal unobstructed double J tube could be seen. The guide wire could be introduced into the renal pelvis through the double J tube, and the new double J tube could be replaced. This method was only used for bladder end type double J tube obstruction. The thine guide wire method was to replace the common guide wire which could not pass through the renal pelvis end obstruction with the microguide wire, so that it could pass through the end of the double J tube of the renal pelvis end obstruction or through the side hole, enter into the renal pelvis, withdraw the original double J tube, and then replace the new double J tube. This method was suitable for renal pelvis end type double J tube obstruction, or combined with cut-off end method for two-end type double J tube obstruction. In the auxiliary sheath method, the obstructed double J tube was used as the support, the vascular sheath tube was sent into the ureter, and the guide wire was sent to the renal pelvis through the sheath tube to replace the new double J tube. This method was suitable for all types of double J tube obstruction.Results:A total of 47 X-ray-guided double J tube replacements were performed in 44 patients. In the removal of double J tube, 37 cases of direct method and 10 cases of indirect method were used, and the overall success rate of double J tube removal was 100% (47/47). The time from the last double J tube placement was (4.2±1.3) months. There were 23 cases of bladder end type obstruction, 8 cases of renal pelvis end obstruction, 5 cases of two-end type obstruction, and 11 cases of whole partial type obstruction.The success rate of replacing double J tubes by cut-off end method, thin guide wire method and auxiliary sheath method was 76.0% (19/25), 50.0% (2/4) and 77.8% (14/18), respectively. After the failure of the cut-off end method or the thin guide wire method, 4 cases were further replaced by the thin guide wire method or auxiliary sheath method, and 3 cases were successful. Therefore, the overall success rate of double J tube replacement was 80.9% (38/47). The double J tubes were inserted by percutanous pyelostomy in 9 patients who failed to replace double J tube successfully. Among the 44 cases, there were 4 cases of urethral orifice pain and discomfort, and 2 cases of gross hematuria, all of which relieved spontaneously.Conclusion:It is feasible and safe to replace the obstructive double J tube in ureter under X-ray guidance.

Recent Update of Embolization of Postpartum Hemorrhage

Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is a life-threatening condition and remains a leading cause of maternal mortality. Transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) is an effective therapeutic strategy for PPH with the advantages of fast speed, repeatability, and the possibility of fertility preservation. We reviewed the vascular anatomy relevant to PPH, the practical details of TAE emphasizing the timing of embolization, and various clinical conditions of PPH according to a recent literature review.

Exploring ways to remove the double J tube fluoroscopically from ureter / 中华放射学杂志

Objective To investigate the feasibility and safety of the double J tube removal from ureter under fluoroscopy observation. Methods The medical records of patients in our department from April 2013 to March 2015, who performed“double J tube removal and/or replacement”were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed. These data included gender and age of the patient, position of the double J tube end in the bladder, removal method, fluoroscopy time, postoperative complications and so on. The removal methods were divided into a direct method and an indirect method. The direct method means using the ring of a gooseneck snare to hitch directly the end of double J tube in the bladder, and pulling it to the urethral orifice. For the indirect method, a guide wire and a gooseneck snare first were sent into the bladder to clip the double J tube, then, the ring of the gooseneck snare was used to hitch the end of the guide wire to withdraw the gooseneck snare and the guide wire to the urethral orifice, and the double J tube was pulled to the urethral orifice. The double J tube end position in the bladder had direct relationship with the choice of removal method. The author divided the double J tube end position in the bladder into A type, B1 type, B2 type, and C type. The bladder was divided into four quarters equally. Direct method was suitable for all types, while indirect method was only suitable for B2 and C type. Between April 2013 and September 2014, all patients were treated by the direct method;between October 2014 and March 2015, all patients with B1 and A type were treated by the direct method, and all patients with B2 and C type were treated by the indirect method. According to the success rate of operation, fluoroscopy time, the incidence of different complications, the efficacy and safety were determined. Results This study recruited a total of 49 patients, including 6 males and 43 females, who underwent 114 times of“double J tube removal”. On average, double J tube was removed 2.3 times per case. The overall success rate was 96.5% (110/114). The application of direct method was 92 times, and the success rate was 95.7%(88/92). The application of indirect method was 22 times, and the success rate was 100%(22/22). In this study, there were 4 failures to remove the double J tube, all of which happened in the direct method for the C type of patients. In the successful 110 cases, the average fluoroscopy time was (11.3+9.5) min. The application of direct method was 88 times, and the average fluoroscopy time was (12.3 ± 10.3) min; the application of indirect method was 22 times, and the average fluoroscopy time was (7.6±3.8) min. There were 10 cases with pain in urethral orifice, in which 9 cases was treated with direct method and one with indirect method. There were 5 cases with gross hematuria complicated in direct method. The overall incidence rate of the complications was 13.2% (15/114). All of postoperative complications resolved spontaneously. Conclusion The direct way and the indirect way to remove ureteral double J tube fluoroscopically are feasible and safe .