• Marcelo Guimaraes, Claudio Schonholz, Christopher Hannegan, Michael Bret Anderson, June Shi, and Bayne Selby.
• Division of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, Medical University of South Carolina, 96 Jonathan Lucas St., Charleston, SC 29425, USA. guimarae@musc.edu
• J Vasc Interv Radiol. 2012 Aug 1; 23 (8): 1016-21.

PurposeTo report the technique and acute technical results associated with the PowerWire Radiofrequency (RF) Guidewire used to recanalize central vein occlusions (CVOs) after the failure of conventional endovascular techniques.Materials And MethodsA retrospective study was conducted from January 2008 to December 2011, which identified all patients with CVOs who underwent treatment with a novel RF guide wire. Forty-two symptomatic patients (with swollen arm or superior vena cava [SVC] syndrome) underwent RF wire recanalization of 43 CVOs, which were then implanted with stents. The distribution of CVOs in central veins was as follows: six subclavian, 29 brachiocephalic, and eight SVC. All patients had a history of central venous catheter placement. Patients were monitored with regular clinical evaluations and central venography after treatment.ResultsAll 42 patients had successful recanalization of CVOs facilitated by the RF wire technique. There was one complication, which was not directly related to the RF wire: one case of cardiac tamponade attributed to balloon angioplasty after stent placement. Forty of 42 patients (95.2%) had patent stents and were asymptomatic at 6 and 9 months after treatment.ConclusionsThe present results suggest that the RF wire technique is a safe and efficient alternative in the recanalization of symptomatic and chronic CVOs when conventional endovascular techniques have failed.Copyright © 2012 SIR. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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