Society of Interventional Radiology, March 24-29, 2012

The Society of Interventional Radiology's 37th Annual Meeting

The annual meeting of the Society of Interventional Radiology was held from March 24 to 29 in San Francisco and attracted more than 5,000 participants from around the world, including clinicians, academicians, allied health professionals, and others interested in interventional radiology. The conference highlighted recent advances in disease management and minimally invasive, image-guided therapeutic interventions, with presentations also focusing on improving the health of patients through advances in image-guided therapy.

In one study, Govindarajan Narayanan, M.D., of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, and colleagues evaluated whether using percutaneous irreversible electroporation (IRE) in the treatment of locally advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma (LAPC) with vascular encasement would downstage the cancer to the point where patients with the condition would be eligible for surgery.

"For the initial abstract, we had treated eight patients but then treated another seven after the abstract was published for a total of 15 patients. Of those treated with IRE, two patients became eligible for surgery and had undergone surgery," Narayanan said. "Of the two patients who underwent surgery, one is currently 420 days out and the other is 350 days out without any sign of disease. Within the subgroup of the 15 patients, we found that patients who had localized disease to the pancreas did better than those with metastatic disease."

Overall, the investigators found that percutaneous IRE of LAPC was feasible and safe, with a prospective neoadjuvant trial in LAPC incorporating IRE being planned.

Abstract No. 8

In another study, Hector Ferral, M.D., of the North Shore University Healthcare System in Evanston, Ill., and colleagues found angioplasty to be a safe and effective approach for the treatment of venous abnormalities in patients with multiple sclerosis.

"Venous blockages are common in patients with multiple sclerosis. A total of 95 percent of the patients in our series had a venous blockage that required treatment," Ferral said. "Angioplasty is safe; we had only a 3 percent major complication rate and there were no deaths related to the procedure."

In addition, the investigators found that angioplasty provided symptomatic benefit in 54 percent of the individuals treated.

"We will continue working in the best way possible to further determine the clinical impact of this therapy," Ferral added.

Abstract No. 49

Jeremy Collins, M.D., of Northwestern University in Chicago, and colleagues reviewed dose data from computed tomography (CT)-guided lung biopsy procedures performed before and after instituting a low-dose guidance protocol.

"Reviewing 50 consecutive biopsy procedures with the standard protocol and the low-dose protocol, the low-dose protocol resulted in an average dose of 3.5 mSv compared to an average dose of 10.3 mSv. This corresponds to a dose reduction of 66 percent," Collins said. "The impact on clinical practice is immediate as this protocol can be applied on any multidetector CT scanner used for procedural guidance. We are looking at further modifications of the protocol in smaller patients (body mass index of <20 kg/m²) to further reduce dose in this cohort, [for which] image quality is typically very good with CT."

Abstract No. 62

SIR: Percutaneous Cryoablation Feasible for Breast Cancer Mets

MONDAY, March 26 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with oligometastatic breast cancer, percutaneous cryoablation (PCA) is well tolerated, with low recurrence and complication rates, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the Society of Interventional Radiology, held from March 24 to 29 in San Francisco.

Abstract
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