Sarcopenia in Patients with Cirrhosis after Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt Placement.

Background Sarcopenia is frequently found in patients with cirrhosis and is associated with liver dysfunction, cirrhosis-related complications, and poorer quality of life. Purpose To evaluate changes in skeletal muscle and fat mass at CT and to evaluate the relationship of sarcopenia to mortality in patients with cirrhosis after transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) placement. Materials and Methods Patients who underwent TIPS between August 2016 and May 2020 were included in this retrospective study. Skeletal muscle and fat mass were evaluated at CT at the L3 vertebra at baseline and at 2 months, 5 months, and 1 year after TIPS. Sarcopenia was defined as L3 skeletal muscle index (SMI) less than 50 cm2/m2 for men and less than 39 cm2/m2 for women. The primary end point was change in skeletal muscle and fat mass, and secondary end points included survival and the predictive factors for survival. Changes in skeletal muscle and fat mass over time were analyzed by generalized estimating equations. Results A total of 224 patients (159 men [113 with and 46 without sarcopenia] and 65 women [32 with and 33 without sarcopenia]) were included. In male patients with sarcopenia, the mean L3 SMI increased from 41.8 cm2/m2 (baseline) to 49.1 cm2/m2 (at 5-month follow-up; P < .001) and 49.6 cm2/m2 (at 1-year follow-up; P < .001) after TIPS. In female patients with sarcopenia, SMI increased from 33.7 cm2/m2 (at baseline) to 40.6 cm2/m2 (at 5-month follow-up; P < .001) and 42.0 cm2/m2 (at 1-year follow-up; P < .001) after TIPS. Sarcopenia (hazard ratio, 3.0; 95% CI: 1.2, 7.8) was identified as an independent risk factor for mortality after TIPS, and the patients who converted from sarcopenic to nonsarcopenic had higher cumulative survival rate than those who did not (96.4% vs 82.1%; log-rank P = .04). Conclusion In patients with sarcopenia, both skeletal muscle and fat mass increased after transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt placement. The reversal of sarcopenia could reduce the risk of death. © RSNA, 2022 Online supplemental material is available for this article. See also the editorial by Lee in this issue.

Impact of TIPS on Splenic Volume and Thrombocytopenia.

OBJECTIVE. Splenomegaly and thrombocytopenia are common complications in patients with cirrhosis. The present study aimed to evaluate changes in splenic volumes and platelet counts after TIPS insertion. MATERIALS AND METHODS. A total of 104 patients who had a diagnosis of portal hypertension and had undergone TIPS placement between November 2015 and August 2019 were enrolled in this retrospective cohort study. We retrospectively calculated splenic volumes before TIPS placement and at 1-2 and 6-12 months after TIPS placement and monitored the platelet count at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after TIPS placement. RESULTS. The mean (± SD) portal pressure gradient before TIPS placement was 28.3 ± 4.6 mm Hg; after TIPS placement, it was 11.3 ± 4.5 mm Hg (p < .001). The mean splenic volume of all 104 patients before TIPS placement was 868 ± 409 cm3, and at 1-2 months after TIPS placement, it was 710 ± 336 cm3 (p < .001). Among the 43 patients for whom splenic volume data were available at both 1-2 and 6-12 months after TIPS placement, the mean splenic volume decreased from 845 ± 342 cm3 to 691 ± 301 cm3 and then to 674 ± 333 cm3, respectively. Correspondingly, the number of patients with severe thrombocytopenia decreased from 25 patients (35.7%) before the TIPS procedure to 16 patients (22.9%) in the 1-2 months after TIPS placement and then to 11 patients (15.7%) in the 6-12 months after TIPS implantation. The increase in the platelet count was significantly correlated with decreasing splenic volume (r2 = 0.3735; p < .001). CONCLUSION. In most patients, TIPS placement resulted in a significant decrease in splenic volume and a significant increase in the platelet count during the same period.

Prospective Comparison of Conventional CTA With Angiography-CT for Identification of Culprit Systemic Arteries in Patients Undergoing Bronchial Artery Embolization for Hemoptysis.

In this prospective study of patients undergoing bronchial artery embolization for hemoptysis, preprocedural conventional CTA identified 86.3% of culprit systemic arteries confirmed by selective angiography, whereas intraprocedural angio-CT identified 97.1%. The findings indicate a role of angio-CT to help identify target vessels for embolization during such procedures.

Melatonin enhances the efficacy of anti-PD-L1 by improving hypoxia in residual tumors after insufficient radiofrequency ablation.

The hypoxic microenvironment and inflammatory state of residual tumors caused by insufficient radiofrequency ablation (iRFA) are major reasons for rapid tumor progression and pose challenges for immunotherapy. We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated with RFA and observed that iRFA was associated with poor survival outcomes and progression-free survival. Using an orthotopic HCC mouse model and a colorectal liver metastasis model, we observed that treatment with melatonin after iRFA reduced tumor growth and metastasis and achieved the best outcomes when combined with anti-programmed death-ligand 1 (anti-PD-L1) therapy. In mechanism, melatonin inhibited the expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transitions, hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α, and PD-L1 in tumor cells after iRFA. Flow cytometry revealed that melatonin reduced the proportion of myeloid-derived suppressor cells and increased the proportion of CD8+ T cells. Transcriptomic analysis revealed an upregulation of immune-activated function-related genes in residual tumors. These findings demonstrated that melatonin can reverse hypoxia and iRFA-induced inflammation, thereby overcoming the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) and enhancing the efficacy of immunotherapy.

The time window for pre-emptive transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt could be extended to 5 days.

As recommended by Baveno VII consensus, the utilization of pre-emptive transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (pTIPS) has been considered as standard therapeutic approach for the management of acute variceal bleeding (AVB) associated with cirrhosis., but the 72-h window for pTIPS is too narrow. This study aimed to compare the clinical outcomes between patients who received <72 h pTIPS and 72 h-5d pTIPS. In this study, a total of 63 cirrhotic patients with AVB who underwent pTIPS between October 2016 and December 2021 were included in this retrospective study. They were divided into <72 h group (n = 32) and 72 h-5d group (n = 31), based on the timing of the intervention. The Kaplan-Meier curves demonstrated that there were no significant differences in the cumulative incidence of death (22.3% ± 7.4% vs. 19.9% ± 7.3%, log-rank P = 0.849), variceal rebleeding (9.7% ± 5.3% vs. 17.8% ± 7.3%, log-rank P = 0.406), OHE (28.5% ± 8.0% vs. 23.9% ± 8.0%, log-rank P = 0.641) and shunt dysfunction (8.6% ± 6.0% vs. 17.4% ± 8.1%, log-rank P = 0.328) between <72 h and 72 h-5d groups. In the total cohort, sarcopenia was identified as an independent risk factor for mortality (HR = 11.268, 95% CI = 1.435-88.462, P = 0.021) and OHE(HR = 12.504, 95% CI = 1.598-97.814, P = 0.016). In conclusion, the clinical outcomes of cirrhotic patients with AVB who underwent pTIPS within the 72-h to 5-day window were found to be comparable to those treated within the 72-h window.

Large-scale pretrained frame generative model enables real-time low-dose DSA imaging: An AI system development and multi-center validation study.

BACKGROUND: Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) devices are commonly used in numerous interventional procedures across various parts of the body, necessitating multiple scans per procedure, which results in significant radiation exposure for both doctors and patients. Inspired by generative artificial intelligence techniques, this study proposes GenDSA, a large-scale pretrained multi-frame generative model-based real-time and low-dose DSA imaging system. METHODS: GenDSA was developed to generate 1-, 2-, and 3-frame sequences following each real frame. A large-scale dataset comprising ∼3 million DSA images from 27,117 patients across 10 hospitals was constructed to pretrain, fine-tune, and validate GenDSA. Two other datasets from 25 hospitals were used for evaluation. Objective evaluations included SSIM and PSNR. Five interventional radiologists independently assessed the quality of the generated frames using the Likert scale and visual Turing test. Scoring consistency among the radiologists was measured using the Kendall coefficient of concordance (W). The Fleiss' kappa values were used for inter-rater agreement analysis for visual Turing tests. FINDINGS: Using only one-third of the clinical radiation dose, videos generated by GenDSA were perfectly consistent with real videos. Objective evaluations demonstrated that GenDSA's performance (PSNR = 36.83, SSIM = 0.911, generation time = 0.07 s/frame) surpassed state-of-the-art algorithms. Subjective ratings and statistical results from five doctors indicated no significant difference between real and generated videos. Furthermore, the generated videos were comparable to real videos in overall quality (4.905 vs. 4.935) and lesion assessment (4.825 vs. 4.860). CONCLUSIONS: With clear clinical and translational values, the developed GenDSA can significantly reduce radiation damage to both doctors and patients during DSA-guided procedures. FUNDING: This study was supported by the National Key R&D Program and the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

Improvement of sarcopenia is beneficial for prognosis in cirrhotic patients after TIPS placement.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between the improvement of sarcopenia and post-TIPS prognosis has not been fully investigated. AIMS: To assess what level of sarcopenia improvement is required for potential benefits to post-TIPS prognosis. METHODS: In this retrospective study, 109 cirrhotic patients with sarcopenia who underwent TIPS between February 2016 and January 2021 were included. The change in skeletal muscle index (SMI) at 6 months post-TIPS was assessed and the correlations of SMI improvement with clinical outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: During follow up, 59 (65.6%) patients reversed from sarcopenic to non-sarcopenic, and the cumulative mortality (8.5 % vs. 26.0%, log rank P = 0.013) and incidence of overt hepatic encephalopathy (OHE) (18.6% vs. 44.0%, log rank P = 0.004) in patients who reversed were significantly lower than who did not. SMI improvement rate was identified as an independent risk factor for mortality and OHE. In addition, the cumulative survival rate of patients with sarcopenia reversal or SMI improvement rate > 10.4% was significantly higher than that of patients with an SMI improvement rate ≤ 10.4% (92.5% vs. 58.6%, log rank P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Reversal of sarcopenia or significant SMI improvement by TIPS could reduce the risk of death and OHE.

Changes and influencing factors of liver volume after transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Liver volume is an important measure of liver reserve and helps to determine the course of liver disease. This study aimed to observe the dynamic changes of liver volume after transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) and analyze the related factors. Methods: Clinical data of 168 patients who underwent TIPS procedures between February 2016 and December 2021 were collected and analyzed retrospectively. The changes in liver volume after TIPS in the patients were observed, and the independent predictors affecting increases in liver volume were analyzed using a multivariable logistic regression model. Results: The mean liver volume was decreased by 12.9% at 2±1 months post TIPS and rebounded at 9±3 months post TIPS, but did not recover to its pre-TIPS level completely. Most patients (78.6%) had decreased liver volume at 2±1 months post TIPS, and in multivariable logistic regression, a lower albumin (ALB) level, a lower subcutaneous fat area at L3 (L3-SFA), and a higher degree of ascites were identified as independent factors predicting increased liver volume. The risk score model for predicting increased liver volume was Logit(P)=1.683-0.078 (ALB) -0.01 (pre TIPS L3-SFA) +0.996 (grade 3 ascites =1; non-grade 3 ascites =0). The area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.729, and the cut-off value was 0.375. The rate of liver volume change at 2±1 months post TIPS was significantly correlated with that of spleen volume change (R2=0.378, P<0.001). The rate of subcutaneous fat change at 9±3 months post TIPS was significantly correlated with that of liver volume change (R2=0.782, P<0.001). In patients with a liver volume increase, the mean computed tomography value (Hounsfield units) decreased significantly after TIPS placement (65.9±17.7 vs. 57.8±18.2, P=0.009). Conclusions: Liver volume was decreased at 2±1 months post TIPS and slightly increased at 9±3 months post TIPS; however, it did not recover to its pre-TIPS level completely. A lower ALB level, a lower L3-SFA, and a higher degree of ascites were all predictors for increased liver volume post TIPS.

Self-supervised learning enables 3D digital subtraction angiography reconstruction from ultra-sparse 2D projection views: A multicenter study.

3D digital subtraction angiography (DSA) reconstruction from rotational 2D projection X-ray angiography is an important basis for diagnosis and treatment of intracranial aneurysms (IAs). The gold standard requires approximately 133 different projection views for 3D reconstruction. A method to significantly reduce the radiation dosage while ensuring the reconstruction quality is yet to be developed. We propose a self-supervised learning method to realize 3D-DSA reconstruction using ultra-sparse 2D projections. 202 cases (100 from one hospital for training and testing, 102 from two other hospitals for external validation) suspected to be suffering from IAs were conducted to analyze the reconstructed images. Two radiologists scored the reconstructed images from internal and external datasets using eight projections and identified all 82 lesions with high diagnostic confidence. The radiation dosages are approximately 1/16.7 compared with the gold standard method. Our proposed method can help develop a revolutionary 3D-DSA reconstruction method for use in clinic.

Potential Benefits of Underdilation of 8-mm Covered Stent in Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt Creation.

INTRODUCTION: Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a major complication of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) creation. This study was aimed to determine whether underdilated TIPS with 8-mm polytetrafluoroethylene-covered stents could reduce the risk of HE and liver damage yet maintain clinical and hemodynamic efficacy. METHODS: This retrospective case-controlled study included 134 patients treated with TIPS from March 2017 to November 2019. All the TIPS procedures were created using 8-mm covered stents, and according to the diameter of expansion balloon catheters, the patients were divided into 2 groups, an underdilated group (6-mm balloon catheter, n = 73) and a control group (8-mm balloon catheter, n = 61). RESULTS: The Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated that the cumulative incidence of overt HE in the underdilated group was significantly lower than that in the control group (11.0% vs 29.5%, log rank P = 0.007), but no statistical differences were found toward variceal rebleeding, shunt dysfunction, and survival between groups. In multivariate analysis, the independent risk factors for overt HE were identified as age (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.036, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.003-1.069, P = 0.032), Child-Pugh score (HR = 1.519, 95% CI = 1.212-1.905, P < 0.001), and group assignment (HR = 0.291, 95% CI = 0.125-0.674, P = 0.004). DISCUSSION: Underdilated TIPS with 8-mm polytetrafluoroethylene-covered stents could reduce the risk of HE and liver function impairment compared with completely dilated TIPS, but not increase the risk of variceal rebleeding, shunt dysfunction, and death.

A new choice of stent for transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt creation: Viabahn ePTFE covered stent/bare metal stent combination.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the clinical outcomes in terms of structure and function between the insertion of a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) created with the Viabahn ePTFE covered stent/bare metal stent (BMS) combination and the Fluency ePTFE covered stent/BMS combination. METHODS: A total of 101 consecutive patients who received a TIPS from February 2016 to August 2018 in our center were retrospectively analyzed. Sixty-four subjects were enrolled in the Viabahn group and 37 were enrolled in the Fluency group. The geometry characteristics of the TIPS were calculated, and the associated occurrence of shunt dysfunction, survival, overt hepatic encephalopathy, and variceal rebleeding were evaluated. RESULTS: The technical success rate was 100%. After the insertion of the TIPS, the rate of shunt dysfunction during the first 3 months was significantly different between the Viabahn and Fluency groups (1.6% and 13.5%, respectively; p â€‹= â€‹0.024). Multivariate analysis indicated that the angle of portal venous inflow (α) was the only independent risk factor for shunt dysfunction (hazard ratio â€‹= â€‹1.060, 95% confidence interval â€‹= â€‹1.009-1.112, p â€‹= â€‹0.020). In addition, 3 months after the TIPS insertion, the α angle distinctly increased from 20.9° â€‹± â€‹14.3°-26.9° â€‹± â€‹20.1° (p â€‹= â€‹0.005) in the Fluency group but did not change significantly in the Viabahn group (from 21.9° â€‹± â€‹15.1°-22.9° â€‹± â€‹17.6°, p â€‹= â€‹0.798). CONCLUSIONS: Shunt dysfunction was related to the α angle owing to the slight effect on the α angle after the implantation of the TIPS. The Viabahn ePTFE covered stent/BMS combination was more stable in structure and promised higher short-term stent patency compared with the Fluency ePTFE covered stent/BMS combination.

Superselective Renal Artery Embolization Management of Post-percutaneous Nephrolithotomy Hemorrhage and Its Methods.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy and safety of superselective renal arterial embolization (SRAE) in the treatment of patients with renal hemorrhage after percutaneous nephroscopy (PCNL). In addition, embolization techniques and embolization materials during operation were also worthy of further discussion. Methods: From February 2015 to December 2019, clinical data of 49 consecutive patients with renal hemorrhage after PCNL were retrospectively analyzed. Demographic and clinical data of patients were recorded, changes in serum creatinine values were analyzed, and the safety and efficacy of TAE were evaluated. Clinical experience was also recorded. Results: A total of 49 patients underwent angiography, of which 46 patients received SRAE due to positive hemorrhagic foci detected by angiography, and the technical success rate of 46 patients was 100%. Among the three patients who did not receive embolization, one patient underwent nephrectomy, and two patients improved with conservative treatment, with a clinical success rate of 98%. There was no statistically significant difference between serum creatinine before PCNL and 7 days after SRAE (101.6 ± 36.5 to 100.5 ± 27.1 µmol/L; P = 0.634), and no significant change was observed in serum creatinine at the last follow-up (99.4 ± 34 µmol/L, P = 0.076). No major complications occurred after embolization. Conclusions: SRAE is safe and effective in patients with renal hemorrhage after PCNL. The experience of interventional therapy and the choice of embolization materials in this study may provide certain benefits for the treatment of patients with renal hemorrhage after PCNL.

Apatinib-loaded CalliSpheres Beads for embolization in a rabbit VX2 liver tumor: characterization in vitro, pharmacokinetics and tumor response in vivo.

Apatinib mesylate is an oral antiangiogenic agent that can inhibit activation of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 tyrosine kinase. However, its therapeutic use in liver cancer is restricted due to severe systemic toxicity. Our work aimed to construct apatinib-loaded CalliSpheres Beads (CBAPA) and investigate its application in transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) of liver cancer. The established stock solution containing 20, 40 or 60 mg apatinib were fully mixed with 100-300 µm CalliSpheres Beads (CB) for 2 hours, respectively. The highest loading efficiency at 30 min after combination in 20 mg group (maximum 70.7%). Further, apatinib can be steadily released from CBAPA in vitro release test. For pharmacokinetics and tumor response in vivo, sixty New Zealand white rabbits with VX2 liver tumor were assigned into four groups: sham (NS) group, apatinib solution alone (APA) group, CB group and CBAPA group. Apatinib was measured in plasma and liver tissue by high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Compared to APA group, the administration of apatinib by TACE with CBAPA resulted in low systemic concentration. In addition, intratumoural apatinib concentration was higher than adjacent hepatic parenchyma in the CBAPA group. Compared to other three groups, CBAPA group achieved lower tumor growth rate and improved survival time. In conclusion, these findings provide a basis for the potential application of apatinib-loaded CalliSpheres Beads in liver cancer.

Exploration of interventional therapy strategy for portal vein occlusion: a case series study.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the candidates, efficacy and safety of interventional therapies in the treatment of portal vein occlusion (PVO). METHODS: In our study, 13 patients diagnosed with PVO were included. Of all 13 patients, two received percutaneous portal vein recanalization (PVR), 10 received PVR and transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (PVR-TIPS), and one underwent intrahepatic portal branch-large collateral vessel shunt. RESULTS: Interventional approaches were completed in all patients, and the technical success rate was 100%. The portal pressure gradient of patients treated with PVR-TIPS fell from 31 ± 4 to 12 ± 3 mmHg. During the procedures, no life-threatening complications occurred. All the clinical symptoms were effectively controlled after the interventional therapies and all the patients survived during the follow-up, with no rebleeding or overt hepatic encephalopathy. But stent thrombosis occurred in one patient, the cumulative rate of stent patency was 92%. CONCLUSION: Interventional therapy was proved to be a well tolerated and effective strategy for PVO. For PVO patients without high intrahepatic resistance, if the patient is equipped with available portal inflow tract (superior mesenteric vein or splenic vein) and outflow tract (intrahepatic portal branches), PVR is the first choice; if the outflow tract is completely blocked with only available inflow tract, PVR-TIPS can be considered. For PVO patients with high intrahepatic resistance, as long as there is an available portal inflow tract, PVR-TIPS can be adopted.