Current State of Combination of Locoregional Therapies with Immune Checkpoint Inhibition.

Advances in immunotherapy have changed the landscape of oncology over the past decade. Still, most patients with solid organ tumors do not derive a durable benefit from immunotherapies. How these tumors evade treatment has not been fully elucidated, but several studies are seeking ways to stimulate treatment response in these immunologically quiescent tumors. Of these, the combination of locoregional therapy with immune checkpoint inhibition is of interest to the interventional radiologist. This brief report provides an overview of current trials testing the effectiveness of locoregional therapy in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors and identifies future research goals.

Utility of MR Angiography in the Identification of Prostatic Artery Origin Prior to Prostatic Artery Embolization.

In 17 patients who underwent prostate artery embolization for treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms, the accuracy of preprocedural magnetic resonance (MR) angiography was retrospectively compared with intraprocedural digital subtraction angiography (DSA) in the identification of prostatic artery origin. Of 34 vessels, 26 MR angiography identified origins (76.5%) were confirmed by DSA at the time of embolization. Although image postprocessing is required, the ability of MR angiography to accurately identify prostatic artery origins prior to embolization is useful in treatment planning and can obviate the need for separate computed tomographic angiography, thus reducing both radiation dose and time demand on patients.

Transplant Renal Interventions.

Renal transplantation is the most commonly performed solid-organ allograft surgery; in 2021, 25487 kidneys were transplanted in the United States, and nearly 42,000 adult patients were listed for transplant. As the treatment of choice for patients with end-stage renal disease, transplantation is performed at more than 250 centers. Despite a high rate of success, renal transplantation is not without complication, and the interventional radiologist plays a crucial role in the management of the postoperative patient. Knowledge of postsurgical anatomy, imaging findings, and technical challenges unique to these patients is important for the safe and effective treatment of transplant-related conditions. We offer a guide to the most common interventions in the renal transplant population, including biopsy, vascular interventions, and the management of urinary obstruction.

Suitability of the woodchuck HCC as a preclinical model for evaluation of intra-arterial therapies.

The most commonly used preclinical models of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are limited for use in testing of intra-arterial therapies such as transarterial chemoembolization and radioembolization. Issues encountered with the more commonly used animal models include dissimilarity in their disease development compared with humans and the size of the vasculature which can make intra-arterial therapy testing difficult or impossible. Here we describe the suitability of the woodchuck HCC model for testing of intra-arterial therapies. We describe the techniques for pre-embolization imaging assessment using CT and MRI, technical tips on performing angiography and embolization, and pathological assessment of treated liver.