Bipolar Radiofrequency Ablation of Painful Spinal Bone Metastases Performed under Local Anesthesia: Feasibility Regarding Patient's Experience and Pain Outcome.

Background and objectives: To assess the pain relief of bipolar RFA combined or not with vertebroplasty in patients with painful vertebral metastases and to evaluate the feasibility and tolerance of the RFA procedure performed under local anesthesia. Materials and Methods: 25 patients (18 men, 7 women, mean age: 60.X y.o) with refractory painful vertebral metastasis were consecutively included between 2012 and 2019. A total of 29 radiofrequency ablation (RFA) procedures were performed under CT guidance, local anesthesia and nitrous oxide inhalation, including 16 procedures combined with vertebroplasty for bone consolidation purposes. Pain efficacy was clinically evaluated using the visual analogue scale (VAS) at day 1, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and 12 months, and the tolerance of the procedure was evaluated. Results: Procedure tolerance was graded as either not painful or tolerable in 97% of cases. Follow-up postprocedure mean VAS score decrease was 74% at day 1: 6.6 (p < 0.001), 79% at 1 month: 6.6 (p < 0.001), 79% at 3 months: 6.5 (p < 0.001), 77% at 6 months, and 79% at 12 months: 6.6 (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Bipolar RFA, with or without combined vertebroplasty, appears to be an effective and reliable technique for the treatment of refractory vertebral metastases in patients in the palliative care setting. It is a feasible procedure under local anesthesia which is well tolerated by patients therefore allowing to broaden the indications of such procedures. Field of study: interventional radiology.

Radiofrequency neurolysis versus local nerve infiltration in 42 patients with refractory chronic inguinal neuralgia.

BACKGROUND: Chronic inguinal neuralgia involving ilioinguinal and iliohypogastric nerves is a frequent complication of surgical procedures involving a lower abdominal incision such as hernia repair, appendicitis surgery, or cesarean sections. Chronic inguinal neuralgia is a very painful condition and diagnosis can be challenging as it is an overlooked impairment. Existing specific treatments are inefficient and often fail. OBJECTIVE: The purposes of this study are to describe, evaluate, and compare ilioinguinal and iliohypogastric radiofrequency neurolysis (RFN) and local injection. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective comparison cohort study from 2005 to 2011. SETTING: A single center, Academic Interventional Pain Management Unit METHODS: Forty-two patients suffering from chronic inguinal pain refractory to specific medication were included. A total of 18 RFN procedures (14 patients) and 28 injections (28 patients) were performed. Pain was assessed in both groups using Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores (0-10) measured immediately before and after the procedure and at one, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after the procedure. Mean duration of pain prior to the procedure and mean duration of pain relief were noted. Moreover, mean maximum early pain relief was assessed. All procedures were ambulatory under computed tomography (CT) guidance. Injections contained 1.5 mL of cortivazol and 3 mL of lidocaine-ropivacaine (30%-70%). Radiofrequency neurolysis was performed using a Neurotherm RF Generator. In both cases, 22-gauge needles were used. After needle retrieval, control slices were taken and the patient was supervised for 30 minutes at the CT unit. RESULTS: The mean age in both groups was 48.7 years. Forty-two patients (97.6%) presented postsurgical inguinal pain, 62% of which occurred after hernia repair. All included patients had undergone previously unsuccessful pain therapies. Mean VAS scores were 7.72 in the RF group and 7.46 in the infiltration group. Maximum early pain relief did not statistically differ (77% in the RFN group and 81.5% in the injection group). Mean duration of pain relief was statistically significant (P = .005) in the RF group (12.5 months) compared to the infilitration group (1.6 months). Mean VAS scores during the year following the procedure were all significantly in favor of radiofrequency neurolysis management. LIMITATIONS: Those inherent to small study samples and retrospective studies. CONCLUSION: Radiofrequency neurolysis appears to be significantly more effective than local nerve infiltrations. It is a safe and effective treatment for chronic inguinal pain. Local steroid injection along with local injection of anesthetics should be used as a confirmation of ilioinguinal neuropathy before performing radiofrequency neurolysis.

Using a contrast-enhanced imaging sequence at 3-minute delay in 3-T magnetic resonance imaging for acute infarct evaluation.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the performance of a delayed-enhancement (DE) sequence adapted for a 3-minute delay after bolus injection of a contrast media in cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in acute reperfused myocardial infarction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-three patients with recent myocardial infarction underwent contrast-enhanced MRI. Sequences of first-pass (FP) perfusion imaging and DE imaging at 3 and 15 minutes were performed at the acute phase. Of these patients, 49 had a follow-up cardiac magnetic resonance examination. Infarct sizes were quantified by 2 experienced users with a 17-segment model at the acute phase (at FP and at 3- and 15-minute delay) and at the chronic phase (at 15 minutes because only fibrous areas hyperenhance late). Areas of hypoenhancement and hyperenhancement were also calculated. Results from the 3-minute imaging sequence at the acute phase were compared with the FP (taking into account dark signal areas), with the 15-minute DE imaging sequence results at the acute phase [taking into account dark signal and hyperenhanced (white plus dark signal) areas] and with the 15-minute DE imaging sequence from the chronic phase (taking into account hyperenhanced areas). Least squares regression and Bland-Altman plots were performed for the comparisons. RESULTS: For the evaluation of hyperenhancement, the comparison between imaging sequence results at 3 minutes versus 15-minute DE at the acute phase (respectively, at the chronic phase) shows a good correlation (r(2) = 0.941; respectively r(2) = 0.862, at the chronic phase) and the Bland-Altman plot indicates a good concordance (m =-0.43; SD = 2.69; respectively m = 2.76; SD = 3.92); For the evaluation of hypoenhancement, the comparison between imaging sequence results at 3 minutes versus FP (respectively, 15 minutes at the acute phase) also shows a good correlation (r(2) = 0.751; respectively r(2) = 0.71) and the Bland-Altman plot indicates a good concordance (m = -1.06; SD = 3.34; respectively m = 2.90; SD = 3.11). Finally, the interobserver study provides a very good kappa coefficient (kappa = 0.82), and good kappa coefficients from the intraobserver study (kappa1 = 0.78 and kappa2 = 0.86). CONCLUSIONS: The use of a delayed contrast-enhanced sequence adapted for a 3-minute delay after the bolus injection has the potential to obtain quickly reliable information comparable with the perfusion delay at FP and reliable information from the infarct size at 15 minutes and at the chronic phase.