Techniques in vascular and interventional radiology
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Tech Vasc Interv Radiol · Mar 2021
ReviewUterine 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. ⋯ 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.
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Knee osteoarthritis, a chronic degenerative condition, can be a debilitating and limiting process with affected patients presenting with symptoms such as pain, restrictive range of motion, and swelling. This condition commonly afflicts millions of people with a higher incidence among the elderly that results from chronic mechanical repetitive loading. The treatment of pain generating conditions such as arthritis in large joints is complex requiring interventions of varying focuses such as weight loss, anti-inflammatory medications, corticosteroid, hyaluronic and viscosupplementation injections, and prescription opioids. ⋯ Cooled radiofrequency ablation is an emerging technique that offers a minimally invasive alternative for treating knee pain with a clinical relevance in patients who are not surgical candidates due to coexistent medical comorbidities or those who are undesiring of surgery. This procedure uses radiofrequency ablation that blocks genicular nerves from transmitting knee pain signals to the brain. Further research will allow the application of this technique to treat other sensory nerves in large joints such as the hip and shoulder.
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Renal cell carcinoma is most commonly diagnosed in the sixth or seventh decade of life. Historically, surgical extirpation was the gold standard treatment option for small renal masses. However, given the comorbidities in this elderly population, not all patients are candidates for surgery. ⋯ Various ablative modalities are available in clinical practice. This includes radiofrequency ablation, cryoablation, microwave ablation, irreversible electroporation, high intensity focused ultrasound, and laser ablation. In this review, we focus on the most commonly used modalities including radiofrequency ablation and cryoablation and to a lesser extent microwave ablation and irreversible electroporation.
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Tech Vasc Interv Radiol · Sep 2019
Collaboration is Key - Bridging the Gap and Building an IR Endoscopy Practice.
While the tools and techniques employed by interventional radiologists on a day-to-day basis translate well to learning the skills required to perform basic endoscopic interventions, collaboration with other specialties is crucial to the success of an interventional radiology endoscopy program. As in any field in medicine, the paramount goal is to improve patient care. Adding the ability to directly visualize structures through an endoscope to certain interventional radiologic procedures may greatly augment the efficacy, safety, and success of interventional radiology procedures. Colleagues in urology, gastroenterology, and surgery should be involved in decision-making and treatment planning to ensure that a shared vision for optimal patient care is achieved.
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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. ⋯ 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.