Transradial versus transfemoral access routes for diagnostic cerebral angiography: a large single-center comparative cost-analysis study.

OBJECTIVE: Recently, the transradial (TR) approach has become a common alternative because of its safety profile and increased patient satisfaction compared with the transfemoral (TF) route. Both routes are associated with their respective associated costs, and differences typically emerge on the basis of patient anatomy, operator expertise, and occurrence of complications. The authors' objective was to compare the overall costs of diagnostic cerebral angiography via both routes and to shed light on the individual equipment costs of each route. METHODS: This retrospective single-center study of 926 elective diagnostic angiograms was performed between December 2019 and March 2022. RESULTS: The study comprised of 314 and 612 angiograms performed through the TF and TR routes, respectively. A significantly greater proportion of female patients were included in the TF cohort (79.3% vs 67.8%, p < 0.001), and most other demographic characteristics and baseline modified Rankin Scale scores were comparable between cohorts. The overall cost of patients utilizing the TR route was comparable to that of the TF route (mean ± SD $12,591.80 ± $19,128.00 vs $12,789.50 ± 18,424.00, p = 0.88). However, the median cost of catheters was significantly higher in TR group ($55.20 vs $12.40, p = 0.03), while the median costs of closure devices ($87.00 vs $20.20 p < 0.001) and sheaths ($44.60 ± 11.3 vs $41.10 ± 3.10, p < 0.001) were significantly higher in the TF group. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the authors' study showed that the TR approach can be a less expensive option for patients undergoing diagnostic cerebral angiography, especially if complications occur. Future studies may corroborate these findings and potentially lead to the adoption of TR as a low-cost, efficient, gold-standard technique for cerebral angiography.

Comparison of Transradial vs Transfemoral Access in Neurovascular Fellowship Training: Overcoming the Learning Curve.

BACKGROUND: The transradial access (TRA) is rapidly gaining popularity for neuroendovascular procedures as there is strong evidence for its benefits compared to the traditional transfemoral access (TFA). However, the transition to TRA bears some challenges including optimization of the interventional suite set-up and workflow as well as its impact on fellowship training. OBJECTIVE: To compare the learning curves of TFA and TRA for diagnostic cerebral angiograms in neuroendovascular fellowship training. METHODS: We prospectively collected diagnostic angiogram procedural data on the performance of 2 neuroendovascular fellows with no prior endovascular experience who trained at our institution from July 2018 until June 2019. Metrics for operator proficiency were minutes of fluoroscopy time, procedure time, and volume of contrast used. RESULTS: A total of 293 diagnostic angiograms were included in the analysis. Of those, 57.7% were TRA and 42.3% were TFA. The median contrast dose was 60 cc, and the median radiation dose was 14 000 µGy. The overall complication rate was 1.4% consisting of 2 groin hematomas, 1 wrist hematoma, and 1 access-site infection using TFA. The crossover rate to TFA was 2.1%. Proficiency was achieved after 60 femoral and 95 radial cases based on fluoroscopy time, 52 femoral and 77 radial cases based on procedure time, and 53 femoral and 64 radial cases based on contrast volume. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates that the use of TRA can be safely incorporated into neuroendovascular training without causing an increase in complications or significantly prolonging procedure time or contrast use.

Incidental vestibular schwannomas: a review of prevalence, growth rate, and management challenges.

With the relatively recent increase in the use of MRI techniques, there has been a concurrent rise in the number of vestibular schwannomas (VSs) detected as incidental findings. These incidental VSs may be prevalent in up to 0.02%-0.07% of individuals undergoing MRI and represent a significant portion of all diagnosed VSs. The management of these lesions poses a significant challenge for practitioners. Most incidental VSs tend to be small and associated with minimal symptoms, permitting them to be managed conservatively at the time of diagnosis. However, relatively few indicators consistently predict tumor growth and patient outcomes. Furthermore, growth rates have been shown to vary significantly over time with a large variety of long-term growth patterns. Thus, early MRI screening for continued tumor growth followed by repeated MRI studies and clinical assessments throughout the patient's life is an essential component in a conservative management strategy. Note that tumor growth is typically associated with a worsening of symptoms in patients who undergo conservative management, and many of these symptoms have been shown to significantly impact the patient's quality of life. Specific indications for the termination of conservative management vary across studies, but secondary intervention has been shown to be a relatively safe option in most patients with progressive disease. Patients with incidental VSs will probably qualify for a course of conservative management at diagnosis, and regular imaging combined with the expectation that the tumor and symptoms may change at any interval is crucial to ensuring positive long-term outcomes in these patients. In this report, the authors discuss the current literature pertaining to the prevalence of incidental VSs and various considerations in the management of these lesions. It is hoped that by incorporating an understanding of tumor growth, patient outcomes, and management strategies, practitioners will be able to effectively address this challenging disease entity.