Virtual Injection Software Reduces Radiation Exposure and Procedural Time of Prostatic Artery Embolization Performed with Cone-Beam CT.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the impact of virtual injection software (VIS) use during cone-beam computed tomography (CT)-guided prostatic artery embolization (PAE) on both patient radiation exposure and procedural time. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This institutional review board (IRB)-approved comparative retrospective study analyzed the treatment at a single institution of 131 consecutive patients from January 2020 to May 2022. Cone-beam CT was used with (Group 1, 77/131; 58.8%) or without VIS (Group 2, 54/131, 41.2%). Radiation exposure (number of digital subtraction angiography [DSA] procedures), dose area product (DAP), total air kerma (AK), peak skin dose (PSD), fluoroscopy time (FT), and procedure time (PT) were recorded. The influences of age, body mass index, radial access, and use of VIS were assessed. RESULTS: In bivariate analysis, VIS use (Group 1) showed reduction in the number of DSA procedures (8.6 ± 3.7 vs 16.8 ± 4.3; P < .001), DAP (110.4 Gy·cm2 ± 46.8 vs 140.5 Gy·cm2 ± 61; P < .01), AK (642 mGy ± 451 vs 1,150 mGy ± 637; P = .01), PSD (358 mGy ± 251 vs 860 mGy ± 510; P = .001), FT (35.6 minutes ± 15.4 vs 46.6 minutes ± 20; P = .001), and PT (94.6 minutes ± 41.3 vs 115.2 minutes ± 39.6, P = .005) compared to those in Group 2. In multivariate analysis, AK, PSD, FT, and PT reductions were associated with VIS use (P < .001, P < .001, P = .001, and P = .006, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The use of VIS during PAE performed under cone-beam CT guidance led to significant reduction in patient radiation exposure and procedural time.

Ergonomics in Interventional Radiology: Awareness Is Mandatory.

Ergonomics in interventional radiology has not been thoroughly evaluated. Like any operators, interventional radiologists are exposed to the risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders. The use of lead shielding to radiation exposure and the lack of ergonomic principles developed so far contribute to these disorders, which may potentially affect their livelihoods, quality of life, and productivity. The objectives of this review were to describe the different situations encountered in interventional radiology and to compile the strategies both available to date and in development to improve ergonomics.

Secondary S100B Protein Increase Following Brain Arteriovenous Malformation Rupture is Associated with Cerebral Infarction.

Early S100B protein serum elevation is associated with poor prognosis in patients with ruptured brain arteriovenous malformations (BAVM). The purpose of this study is to determine whether a secondary elevation of S100B is associated with early complications or poor outcome in this population. This is a retrospective study of patients admitted for BAVM rupture. A secondary increase of S100B was defined as an absolute increase by 0.1 µg/L within 30 days of admission. Fisher's and unpaired t tests followed by multivariate analysis were performed to identify markers associated with this increase. Two hundred and twenty-one ruptures met inclusion criteria. Secondary S100B protein serum elevation was found in 17.1% of ruptures and was associated with secondary infarction (p < 0.001), vasospasm-related infarction (p < 0.001), intensive care (p = 0.009), and hospital length of stay (p = 0.005), but not with early rebleeding (p = 0.07) or in-hospital mortality (p = 0.99). Secondary infarction was the only independent predictor of secondary increase of S100B (OR 9.9; 95% CI (3-35); p < 0.001). Secondary elevation of S100B protein serum levels is associated with secondary infarction in ruptured brain arteriovenous malformations.

Acute Subdural Hematomas in Ruptured Brain Arteriovenous Malformations: Association with Distal Flow-Related Aneurysms.

PURPOSE: Non-traumatic acute subdural hematomas (SDH) are rare and have seldom been reported in ruptured brain arteriovenous malformations (BAVM). The aim of this study was to report the frequency of acute SDH in BAVM-related hemorrhage and to determine the relationship of SDHs with BAVM angioarchitectural features. METHODS: This was a retrospective monocentric study of patients admitted for BAVM rupture between 2003 and 2017. Patients with rupture complicating or closely following partial embolization procedures were excluded. Univariate followed by multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine factors significantly and independently associated with SDHs and distal flow-related aneurysms. RESULTS: A total of 181 patients with 188 BAVM ruptures admitted during the study period were included, eleven cases of acute SDH were identified (6%) and 2 cases of isolated SDH were found. The presence of a distal flow-related aneurysm was the only feature independently and significantly associated with SDH (odds ratio [OR] 8.1, 95% confidence interval, CI 1.9-34.5, P = 0.003). Distal flow-related aneurysms were associated with proximal flow-related aneurysms (OR 28, 95%CI 4.9-163.8, P < 0.001), were more frequent in infratentorial BAVMs (OR 3.7, 95%CI 1.3-10.2, P = 0.01) and more often found in cases of acute SDH (OR 16.9, 95%CI 3.6-79.6, P < 0.001) and subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) (OR 4.5, 95%CI 1.7-12.2, P = 0.003). CONCLUSION: Ruptured BAVMs can rarely present with acute SDH and SDH in ruptured BAVMs are often associated with distal flow-related aneurysms. This finding may impact acute management of ruptured BAVMs with SDH by eliciting an emergent and thorough imaging work-up to identify distal flow-related aneurysm(s), in turn leading to treatment.

Safety and effectiveness of cervical vertebroplasty: report of a large cohort and systematic review.

PURPOSE: To evaluate retrospectively safety and effectiveness of cervical vertebroplasty (cVP) based on a single-center large cohort. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All cVP performed at a single center from January 2001 to October 2014 were included and reviewed. Procedure-related complications (minor and major) were systematically recorded. Effectiveness in terms of analgesia was evaluated using a semi-quantitative grading scale at 1-month follow-up. Risk factors for the occurrence of a procedure-related complication or cement leakage, as well as factors influencing pain relief at 1-month follow-up, were evaluated using a multivariate analysis. RESULTS: One hundred and forty cVP procedures (176 vertebrae) were performed in 130 consecutive patients (88 female, 42 male; mean age = 56 years) during the inclusion period. Among the treated lesions, 80% were bone metastases (mostly from breast cancer), 8% were related to hematological malignancies, and 12% were non-malignant lesions. One fatal complication (0.7%) was related to cement migration in the vertebrobasilar system. Three cervical hematomas were recorded, one of them requiring prolonged oral intubation. The overall rate of major complications was 1.5%. At 1 month, pain reduction was observed in 76% of the cases. Additional surgical fixation was required in 6.1% of the cases. cVP of more than one vertebra during the same session was an independent risk factor for procedure-related complications. CONCLUSION: Cervical vertebroplasty is a safe technique with an acceptable major complication rate. Its effectiveness in terms of pain relief is good at mid-term follow-up. KEY POINTS: • Cervical vertebroplasty (cVP) is a safe procedure with a low rate of major complications (1.5%). • cVP provides pain relief in 76% of the cases. • Additional fixation surgery is rarely required after cVP (6.1% of the cases).

Medina embolization device for the treatment of intracranial aneurysms: 18 months' angiographic results.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The Medina embolization device (MED) is a new flow disruption device combining the design of a detachable coil with an intrasaccular flow disrupter. Safety and short-term angiographic effectiveness of this device have recently been reported. However, long-term angiographic results are lacking. We report herein the 18 months' angiographic outcome in patients treated for a wide-neck intracranial aneurysm with the MED. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Nineteen patients (17 female, mean age 50 years) with 20 wide-neck intracranial aneurysms (six ruptured; 14 unruptured) were treated by the MED between January 2015 and June 2016. Procedure-related complications were systematically recorded; discharge and 6-9 months' follow-up modified Rankin Scale scores were assessed. Angiographic mid-term and long-term follow-up were performed with a mean delay of 6.4±1.5 months (n=16 aneurysms) and 17.7±4.2 months (n=15 aneurysms), respectively. Occlusion rates were evaluated after the procedure and at the mid-term and long-term follow-up using the Roy-Raymond scale. RESULTS: Embolization with the MED was feasible in all except two cases (2/20, 10%). One per-procedural perforation was recorded (1/20, 5%) and one MED deployment failed because of the aneurysm's shape (1/20, 5%). Three cases of thromboembolic complications were observed (3/20, 15%). Only one thromboembolic complication was responsible for clinical sequelae. Grade A occlusion rate was 61% (11/18) after the procedure, 75% at 6 months' follow-up (12/16), and 80% (12/15) at long-term follow-up. Two cases (2/18, 11%) of recanalization at mid-term were documented angiographically. No recanalization occurred between the mid-term and long-term follow-up. CONCLUSION: MED is a hybrid embolization device, combining properties of a conventional coil with those of an intrasaccular flow disrupter. Our series focusing on long-term angiographic follow-up shows a satisfactory long-term occlusion rate. Larger series with longer angiographic follow-up times are warranted to confirm these preliminary results.

Early Rebleeding after Brain Arteriovenous Malformation Rupture, Clinical Impact and Predictive Factors: A Monocentric Retrospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Brain arteriovenous malformations (BAVMs) are a leading cause of intracranial hemorrhage in young adults. This study aimed to identify individual predictive factors of early rebleeding after BAVM rupture and determine its impact on prognosis. METHODS: Early rebleeding was defined as a spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage within 30 days of BAVM rupture in patients with nonobliterated BAVMs. One hundred fifty one patients with 158 BAVM hemorrhagic events admitted to a tertiary care center during 14 years were included. Univariate followed by multivariate logistic regression was performed to assess the impact of early rebleeding on in-hospital mortality and modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score beyond 3 months and to identify independent predictors of early rebleeding. RESULTS: Eight early rebleeding events were observed, 6 of which occurred during the first 7 days. Early rebleeding was independently and significantly associated with poor outcome (mRS ≥3 beyond 3 months, p = 0.004) but not with in-hospital mortality (p = 0.9). Distal flow-related aneurysms (p = 0.009) and altered consciousness with a Glasgow coma scale score of 3 (p = 0.01) were independently associated with early rebleeding. CONCLUSIONS: Early rebleeding is a severe complication that can occur after BAVM-related hemorrhage. Distal flow-related aneurysms and initial altered consciousness are associated with early rebleeding.