The 36th Annual Meeting of the Society of Interventional Radiology
The 36th annual meeting of the Society of Interventional Radiology was held March 26 to 31 in Chicago and attracted over 5,200 participants from around the world, including clinicians, academicians, allied health professionals, and others interested 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 improvements in image-guided therapy.
In one study, Ji Hoon Shin, M.D., of the University of Ulsan in Seoul, South Korea, and colleagues found that pelvic arterial embolization (PAE) is a safe and effective treatment for primary postpartum hemorrhage. The investigators evaluated the outcomes of 225 patients (average age, 32 years) who underwent PAE for primary postpartum hemorrhage between January 2000 and June 2010.
"There have not been many studies that have looked at the effectiveness and safety of PAE for postpartum hemorrhage, and most of them included [fewer] than 100 patients. Our sample evaluated over 200 patients and found that PAE was effective and safe, demonstrating an initial success rate of 86 percent, increasing to a clinical success rate of 89 percent with repeat PAE," Shin said.
The investigators also found that a few patients underwent additional PAE sessions or surgeries, and overall bleeding control was achieved in 97.8 percent of the patients studied.
"For the treatment of postpartum hemorrhage, hysterectomy -- complete removal of the uterus -- [has been] the definitive surgical solution for many years. However, PAE is a safe and effective minimally invasive treatment for postpartum hemorrhage," Shin added. "A major advantage of PAE is that it can save the uterus and preserve fertility. Referring obstetricians' awareness of this procedure is still limited. The patients need to know [about] the option of this kind of PAE because it is a rapid, safe, and uterus-saving procedure."
Abstract No. 214
In another study, Riad Salem, M.D., of Northwestern University in Chicago, and colleagues found that higher doses of intra-arterial yttrium-90 radioembolization (Y-90) than previously tried are safe, are effective in patients who fail chemotherapy, and preserve patients' quality of life. In a four-year, prospective study, the investigators evaluated the efficacy and safety of Y-90 in 151 patients with liver metastases from colorectal, neuroendocrine, and other cancers.
"We knew that this unique interventional radiology treatment, done on an outpatient basis, which combines the radioactive isotope Y-90 into microspheres (small beads about the width of five red blood cells) that deliver radiation directly to a tumor, was one of the best ways to give patients a treatment that doesn't harm healthy cells," Salem said in a statement. "Now we know that patients can actually tolerate much higher doses of radiation than previously thought, which provides results in patients progressing on standard chemotherapy."
Press Release
James B. Spies, M.D., of the Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and colleagues found that treating fibroids with uterine fibroid embolization improves lower urinary tract problems among women without affecting incontinence. The investigators evaluated 46 women with symptomatic fibroids who had lower urinary tract symptoms and underwent uterine fibroid embolization between March 2008 and May 2010.
Three months after treatment, the investigators found that women reported an improvement in most urinary symptoms, with bladder diaries showing a significant reduction in the number of total voids at day and night. No difference was found in incontinence episodes. Obesity may attenuate the effects.
"This research shows that minimally invasive uterine fibroid embolization effectively reduces fibroid-related urinary symptoms in women and should therefore be offered as a treatment choice. Women need to know their options and make treatment choices that are right for them, knowing confidently that uterine fibroid embolization is an option to hysterectomy (uterus removal) and myomectomy (surgical removal of fibroids)," Spies said in a statement.
Abstract No. 168
SIR: Method Effective for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia
TUESDAY, March 29 (HealthDay News) -- Prostatic artery embolization (PAE) results in symptom improvement similar to that of transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) among patients with symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), without the risks related to TURP such as sexual dysfunction, according to research presented at the annual meeting of the Society of Interventional Radiology, held from March 26 to 31 in Chicago.
More Information
SIR: Renal Denervation Helps Control Hypertension
MONDAY, March 28 (HealthDay News) -- Renal denervation (RDN) appears to be safe and effective in reducing and controlling hypertension among individuals with uncontrolled hypertension when current medications fail, according to research presented at the annual meeting of the Society of Interventional Radiology, held from March 26 to 31 in Chicago.
More Information
