Use of Metformin and Survival in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) Undergoing Liver Directed Therapy: Analysis of a Nationwide Cancer Registry.

BACKGROUND: Examine the association of metformin use and overall survival (OS) in patients with HCC undergoing image-guided liver-directed therapy (LDT): ablation, transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), or Yttrium-90 radioembolization (Y90 RE). METHODS: Using National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry and Medicare claims databases between 2007 and 2016, we identified patients ≥ 66 years who underwent LDT within 30 days of HCC diagnosis. Patients with liver transplant, surgical resection, and other malignancies were excluded. Metformin use was identified by at least two prescription claims within 6 months before LDT. OS was measured by time between first LDT and death or last Medicare observation. Comparisons were performed between both all and diabetic patients on and not on metformin. RESULTS: Of 2746 Medicare beneficiaries with HCC undergoing LDT, 1315 (47.9%) had diabetes or diabetes-related complications. Among all and diabetic patients, 433(15.8%) and 402 (30.6%) were on metformin respectively. Median OS was greater for patients on metformin (19.6 months, 95% CI 17.1-23.0) vs those not (16.0 months, 15.0-16.9; p = 0.0238). Patients on metformin had lower risk of death undergoing ablation (HR 0.70; 0.51-0.95; p = 0.0239) and TACE (HR 0.76, 0.66-0.87; p = 0.0001), but not Y90 RE (HR1.22, 0.89-1.69; p = 0.2231). Among diabetics, OS was greater for those on metformin vs those not (HR 0.77, 0.68-0.88; p < 0.0001). Diabetic patients on metformin had longer OS undergoing TACE (HR 0.71, 0.61-0.83; p < 0.0001), but not ablation (HR 0.74, 0.52-1.04; p = 0.0886) or Y90 RE (HR 1.26, 0.87-1.85; p = 0.2217). CONCLUSION: Metformin use is associated with improved survival in HCC patients undergoing TACE and ablation.

Safety and feasibility of a novel bi-directional portal vein access kit during transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt creation.

BACKGROUND: Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) creation remains as one of the more technically challenging endovascular procedures. Portal vein access from the hepatic vein often requires multiple needle passes, which increases procedure times, risk of complications, and radiation exposure. With its bi-directional maneuverability, the Scorpion X access kit may be a promising tool for easier portal vein access. However, the clinical safety and feasibility of this access kit has yet to be determined. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective study, 17 patients (12 male, average age 56.6 ± 9.01) underwent TIPS procedure using Scorpion X portal vein access kits. The primary endpoint was time taken to access the portal vein from the hepatic vein. The most common indications for TIPS were refractory ascites (47.1%) and esophageal varices (17.6%). Radiation exposure, total number of needle passes, and intraoperative complications were recorded. Average MELD Score was 12.6 ± 3.39 (range: 8-20). RESULTS: Portal vein cannulation was successfully achieved in 100% of patients during intracardiac echocardiography-assisted TIPS creation. Total fluoroscopy time was 39.31 ± 17.97 min; average radiation dose was 1036.76 ± 644.15 mGy, while average contrast dose was 120.59 ± 56.87 mL. The average number of passes from the hepatic vein to the portal vein was 2 (range: 1-6). Average time to access the portal vein once the TIPS cannula was positioned in the hepatic vein was 30.65 ± 18.64 min. There were no intraoperative complications. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical utilization of the Scorpion X bi-directional portal vein access kit is both safe and feasible. Utilizing this bi-directional access kit resulted in successful portal vein access with minimal intraoperative complications. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Retrospective cohort.

Correlation of Non-tumoral Liver Dose with Treatment-Related Adverse Events in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma Treated with Glass-Based Yttrium-90 Radioembolization.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the relationship between non-tumor liver (NTL) dose and adverse events (AE) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated with glass-based Yttrium-90 radioembolization (Y90-RE). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of patients with HCC treated with Y90-RE between 2013 and 2018 was performed. Baseline characteristics including demographics and Y90-RE treatment approach were captured. Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events v5 was assessed at months 3 and 6 post-treatment. Using voxel-based dosimetry with MIM Software V. 6.9, dose-volume histograms of treated area of liver were created. Receiver operator characteristic curve was used to determine NTL dose threshold predicting AEs. Multivariate analysis was used to determine independent clinical factors of predicting severe AEs. Chi-square analysis was used to compare proportions. RESULTS: Two hundred and twenty-nine consecutive patients (115(50.2%) lobar and 114(49.8%) segmental) were included. At 3 months, there was a lower rate of any grade AE (55(46%) segmental and 36(31%) lobar, p = 0.009) and increased rate of severe AEs for lobar compared to segmental (2(2%) segmental and 9(8%) lobar, p = 0.029). At 6 months, severe AEs were greater for lobar than segmental (1(1%) segmental vs 10(9%) lobar, p = 0.005). For lobar Y90-RE, mean NTL dose of 112 Gy predicted severe AE (89% sensitivity and 91% specificity (AUC = 0.95, p = < 0.0001) at 3 and 6 months. For the segmental group, no significant association was found between NTL dose and severe treatment-related AE at 3 and 6 months. CONCLUSION: In patients with HCC undergoing glass-based lobar Y90-RE, NTL dose of > 112 Gy is associated with severe treatment-related AEs at 3-6 months.

Management of uncomplicated total knee arthroplasty chronic pain and stiffness utilizing cooled radiofrequency ablation: a single institution pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to introduce cooled radiofrequency ablation technical feasibility as an alternative percutaneous image-guided treatment of chronic pain and stiffness in the setting of uncomplicated total knee arthroplasty. MATERIAL AND METHOD: This retrospective pilot study includes a total of 19 consecutive patients experiencing persistent chronic pain after total knee arthroplasty, without underlying hardware complications who had failed conservative care. Patients initially underwent anesthetic blocks of the genicular nerve branches to determine C-RFA candidacy. After adequate response to the anesthetic blocks (> 50% immediate pain relief), patients were subjected to cooled radiofrequency ablations 2-3 weeks later. Treatment response was evaluated utilizing clinically validated questionnaires (KOOS, the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score) and visual analog scale (VAS) to assess pain severity, stiffness, functional activities of daily living, and use of pain medication. Follow-up outcome scores were collected up to 1 year after C-RFA procedure. RESULT: A total of 21 knees were treated consecutively between 4/2019 and 1/2020 (mean age 70.5 years; 5 M:14F). The mean total KOOS score improved significantly from baseline at 35.0 ± 14.0 to 64.2 ± 14.7 at a mean of 10.2 months after treatment (p < 0.0001), with significant improvement in mean stiffness score from 44.8 ± 16.7 to 68.8 ± 20 (p < 0.0001). The mean VAS score improved significantly from baseline at 8.30 ± 1.1 to 2.45 ± 1.8 (p < 0.0001). No major complications were encountered. No patients went on to receive re-treatment, surgical revision, or other intervention. CONCLUSION: Image-guided genicular nerve cooled radiofrequency ablation offers a promising alternative in treating chronic pain/stiffness in the setting of uncomplicated TKA.

Endovascular retrieval of an inferior vena cava filter penetrating the false lumen of a chronic aortic dissection, with concomitant iliocaval reconstruction.

Inferior vena cava filter (IVCF) placement is indicated in patients with acute venous thromboembolism who cannot be adequately anticoagulated or have failed anticoagulation. Prompt IVCF retrieval decreases the risk of complications associated with longer dwell times including fracture, penetration, and further thromboembolic events. Endovascular IVCF retrieval has been performed despite penetration into adjacent structures including the aorta; however, penetration into the false lumen of an aortic dissection is rarely seen. This case report describes endovascular management of an 11 year old IVCF that caused iliocaval thrombosis and penetrated the false lumen of a chronic type B aortic dissection.

Challenges of Implementing Artificial Intelligence in Interventional Radiology.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning (DL) remains a hot topic in medicine. DL is a subcategory of machine learning that takes advantage of multiple layers of interconnected neurons capable of analyzing immense amounts of data and "learning" patterns and offering predictions. It appears to be poised to fundamentally transform and help advance the field of diagnostic radiology, as heralded by numerous published use cases and number of FDA-cleared products. On the other hand, while multiple publications have touched upon many great hypothetical use cases of AI in interventional radiology (IR), the actual implementation of AI in IR clinical practice has been slow compared with the diagnostic world. In this article, we set out to examine a few challenges contributing to this scarcity of AI applications in IR, including inherent specialty challenges, regulatory hurdles, intellectual property, raising capital, and ethics. Owing to the complexities involved in implementing AI in IR, it is likely that IR will be one of the late beneficiaries of AI. In the meantime, it would be worthwhile to continuously engage in defining clinically relevant use cases and focus our limited resources on those that would benefit our patients the most.

Uterine Artery Embolization for Secondary Postpartum Hemorrhage.

Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) affects approximately 14 million women yearly, accounts for 25% of delivery-related deaths in the world and is the main cause of emergency peripartum hysterectomy. Traditionally, PPH is defined as at least 500 mL of blood loss after vaginal delivery or 1000 mL of blood loss after cesarean-section. However, several authors have suggested a simpler definition to include women who experience hemodynamic instability after birth regardless of amount of blood loss. Secondary PPH is defined as bleeding that occurs after 24 hours to 12 weeks from delivery, and can fail medical management. It is imperative that the clinical team recognize the signs and symptoms of secondary PPH and, if necessary, consult the interventional radiology service for a minimally invasive option of uterine artery embolization, which has shown up to 95% success rate.

Prophylactic absorbable gelatin sponge embolization for angiographically occult splenic hemorrhage.

Nonoperative management of traumatic splenic hemorrhage includes the targeted administration of embolic agents. In certain instances where computed tomography angiography cannot exclude a bleed, prophylactic embolization with absorbable gelatin sponge has been used. In this retrospective case series review, we characterized the demographic data and clinical outcomes associated with 4 patients who underwent prophylactic transarterial splenic artery embolization after blunt abdominal trauma. Embolization was employed in cases where computed tomography angiography findings suggested at least a moderate splenic injury, and simultaneously where hemorrhage was not apparent during fluoroscopic angiography. Periprocedural hemodynamic status, technical success, and postoperative complications are discussed. The goal of this report was to discuss the safety and efficacy of prophylactic gelatin sponge embolization for occult splenic hemorrhage. In cases where a hemorrhagic site might be occult, this approach has the potential to minimize bleeding complications and the need for further intervention.

Successful sclerotherapy of a recurrent, benign parotid cyst.

Benign parotid lesions can grow to be a cosmetic deformation with psychological sequelae for a patient. Although surgical resection is the treatment of choice, cyst aspiration has also been attempted. This, however, has been shown to recur, requiring repeat intervention. An alternative therapeutic method not as widely recognized, but which has been reported to be both effective and less invasive than surgery for treating parotid cyst lesions, is sclerotherapy. Here we describe a report of a patient with a benign, localized, cystic neck mass refractory to 2 trials of fine needle aspiration. After the patient refused surgical resection, a trial of sterile ethanol sclerotherapy was performed. Our patient tolerated the procedure well with a significant reduction in the size of the lesion.