Percutaneous Biliary Endoscopy for Stones.

Intraductal biliary stones can result in significant acute and long-term complications. When patients' anatomy precludes more traditional management, the interventional radiologist may be called upon to provide well-established techniques for percutaneous biliary drainage and stone removal. This can be particularly challenging when the patient has excessively mobile, impacted, large or multiple stones. Percutaneous biliary endoscopy with adjunct interventional techniques can successfully treat these patients avoiding the patient dreaded "tube for life" scenario. Direct percutaneous visualization of the biliary tree can also diagnose and provide symptomatic relief for stone-mimicking pathologic conditions such as biliary tumors. This article will review the role, technique, and considerations for percutaneous biliary endoscopy and adjunct interventions in patients with isolated and complex, biliary stone disease and stone-mimicking pathologies.

The ABCs of the FDA: A Primer on the Role of the United States Food and Drug Administration in Medical Device Approvals and IR Research.

The role of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in medical device regulation is important to device-driven specialties such as interventional radiology. Whether it is through industry-sponsored trials during the approval process for new devices or investigator-initiated research prospectively evaluating the role of existing devices for new or established procedures, interaction with the FDA is an integral part of performing significant research in interventional radiology. This article reviews the potential areas of interface between the FDA and interventional radiology, as understanding these areas is necessary to continue the innovation that is the hallmark of this specialty.

Catheter venography and endovascular treatment of chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disorder characterized by damage to the myelin sheath insulation of nerve cells of the brain and spinal cord affecting nerve impulses which can lead to numerous physical and cognitive disabilities. The disease, which affects over 500,000 people in the United States alone, is widely believed to be an autoimmune condition potentially triggered by an antecedant event such as a viral infection, environmental factors, a genetic defect or a combination of each. Chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) is a condition characterized by abnormal venous drainage from the central nervous system that has been theorized to have a possible role in the pathogenesis and symptomatology of MS (1). A significant amount of attention has been given to this theory as a possible explanation for the etiology of symptoms related to MS patients suffering from this disease. The work of Dr. Zamboni, et al, who reported that treating the venous stenoses causing CCSVI with angioplasty resulting in significant improvement in the symptoms and quality of life of patients with MS (2) has led to further interest in this theory and potential treatment. The article presented describes endovascular techniques employed to diagnose and treat patients with MS and CCSVI.