Efficacy and Safety of Ethylene-Vinyl Alcohol (EVOH) Copolymer-Based Non-Adhesive Liquid Embolic Agents (NALEAs) in Transcatheter Arterial Embolization (TAE) of Acute Non-Neurovascular Bleeding: A Multicenter Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background and Objectives: Transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) is part of the daily practice of most interventional radiologists worldwide. The ideal liquid embolic agent is far from being identified. Non-adhesive liquid embolic agents (NALEA) harden from the outside to the inside, resulting in deep penetration, known as "magma-like" progression, which permits a more distal embolization with good control of the embolic material. This multicenter retrospective cohort study aims to assess the efficacy, feasibility and safety of transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) with ethylene-vinyl alcohol (EVOH)-based NALEAs (Onyx and Squid) in acute bleeding outside of the neurovascular area. Materials and Methods: This study is a multicenter analysis of retrospectively collected data of consecutive patients who had undergone, from January 2015 to December 2022, transcatheter arterial embolization with non-adhesive EVOH-based agents in the setting of acute non-neurovascular bleeding. Results: Fifty-three patients underwent transcatheter arterial embolization for acute non-neurovascular bleeding. Eight (15.1%) procedures were performed in patients with coagulopathy. The most used concentration of EVOH-based NALEAs was 34 (i.e., 8%), with a mean dose of 0.5 (±0.3) mL. The mean CT-to-groin time, the mean procedure time, the mean CT-to-embolization time and the mean fluoroscopy time were 22.9 (±12.4) min, 27.5 (±7) min, 50.3 (±13.1) min and 7.5 (±2.8) min, respectively. Technical success was achieved in all cases with a 96.2% clinical success rate. Complications were recorded in six (11.3%) patients. No statistically significant differences were observed between the group of patients with coagulopathy and the group of patients without coagulopathy in terms of efficacy and safety endpoints. Conclusions: Transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) performed with non-adhesive EVOH-based embolic agents is an effective, feasible and safe strategy for the management of acute non-neurovascular bleeding, even in the subgroup of patients with coagulopathy.

Migration of Ethylene Vinyl Alcohol Co-Polymer in the Urinary Tract Successfully Managed.

Selective embolization is the treatment of choice for traumatic renal pseudoaneurysm. The use of ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH) was recently described as an embolic agent in peripheral lesions. The aim of a good embolic agent is to: achieve rapid and effective embolization; reach and fill distal vasculature targeted for embolization; be easy to prepare and use. Moreover, it should be highly radiopaque, controllable during administration, biocompatible and cost-effective. EVOH is a non-adhesive embolic agent and its efficacy is independent from the coagulant status. The risk of non-targeted embolization should be reduced by the good radio-opacity of the embolic material that is injected under continuous fluoroscopy. Nevertheless, symptomatic EVOH migration was described. We report a unique case of embolization of a renal pseudoaneurysm and migration of EVOH in the urinary tract. Retrograde trans-urethral removal of the migrated embolic agent was successfully performed. Our case report indicates that EVOH may not be appropriate when a fistula with renal calyx is suspected, even if its migration in the urinary tract may be managed.

Design Parameters of Tissue-Engineering Scaffolds at the Atomic Scale.

Stem-cell behavior is regulated by the material properties of the surrounding extracellular matrix, which has important implications for the design of tissue-engineering scaffolds. However, our understanding of the material properties of stem-cell scaffolds is limited to nanoscopic-to-macroscopic length scales. Herein, a solid-state NMR approach is presented that provides atomic-scale information on complex stem-cell substrates at near physiological conditions and at natural isotope abundance. Using self-assembled peptidic scaffolds designed for nervous-tissue regeneration, we show at atomic scale how scaffold-assembly degree, mechanics, and homogeneity correlate with favorable stem cell behavior. Integration of solid-state NMR data with molecular dynamics simulations reveals a highly ordered fibrillar structure as the most favorable stem-cell scaffold. This could improve the design of tissue-engineering scaffolds and other self-assembled biomaterials.

The role of ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer in association with other embolic agents for the percutaneous and endovascular treatment of type Ia endoleak.

AIM: To evaluate safety, technical and clinical success of embolization of type Ia endoleak (T1a EL) using ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer as embolic agent alone or in combination with other materials. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Five patients presented T1a EL after endovascular repair of aortic aneurysms (EVAR) with radiological evidence of expanding sac size; in particular, three had contained rupture. In one patient, proximal cuff insertion was previously performed, in three patients proximal cuff was urgently inserted but T1a EL persisted; one patient, previously treated with Ovation Abdominal Stent Graft System, was directly proposed for endovascular treatment. In all cases, endovascular embolization was successfully performed and the transfemoral approach was always chosen; in one case it failed and translumbar approach by direct puncture of the sac was required. Used embolization agents were glue, ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer (Onyx) and coils in three cases, n-butyl cyanoacrylate and Onyx in one case, Onyx and coils in the last case. RESULTS: Technical success rate was 100% as well as clinical success. No major or minor complication, including non-target embolization, was registered. Clinical success was 100% until today and the sac diameter remained stable in four patients and decreased in one. CONCLUSIONS: Onyx may be considered a suitable embolic agent in the treatment of patients with type Ia endoleaks after EVAR, after failure of conventional treatments such as prolonged balloon inflation of the aortic neck or deployment of large bare stent.

Ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer as embolic agent for treatment of type II endoleak: our experience.

AIM: To evaluate safety, technical and clinical success of embolization of type II endoleak (T2 EL) using ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer as embolic agent alone or in combination with others materials. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From March 2007 to March 2015, 104 patients presented T2 EL during follow-up. A total of 21 patients met the criteria for treatment. T2 EL was treated with TAE (n = 18), DPSI (n = 10) or laparoscopic ligature of the inferior mesenteric artery (n = 1). DPSI was considered in case TAE was unsuccessful (8/18 patients). Ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer was used as embolic agent in 12 patients: alone in 5 cases, in association with glue and with glue and thrombin in 3 and 2 cases, respectively, during TAE. Onyx was injected in two cases of embolization performed with DPSI: in one case alone and in the other in combination with thrombin and glue. RESULTS: Technical success rate was 100%. Immediate clinical success was 91.7%; in one patient CEUS revealed persistent T2 EL, decreased if compared with that before the procedure. Secondary clinical success was 91.7%; until today, in one patient T2EL is persistent, nevertheless, the sac diameter remained stable. No major or minor complications were registered. CONCLUSIONS: Onyx could be an ideal embolic agent for endovascular and percutaneous embolization of T2 EL.

The "great imitator": IgG4-related disease of the oral cavity. Two case reports and scoping review.

This study aimed to review the lesser-known intraoral manifestations of immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD). In this paper we report an unprecedented case of oral IgG4-RD mimicking angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia (ALHE), and another case presenting as plasma cell gingivitis. We then performed a scoping review of published cases of IgG4-RD involving the oral cavity. The following data were collected for each case: age, sex, intraoral site(s) involved, clinical appearance, imaging features, serum IgG4 values, histopathology, treatment, and follow-up duration. Fifty-one cases of oral IgG4-RD were published in literature. The hard palate and jaw bones were the two main locations reported, while the histological identification of a IgG4/IgG plasma cells ratio ≥40% was fundamental for diagnosis. Conversely, the pathological features of storiform fibrosis and obliterative phlebitis were not common. Future reports regarding oral IgG4-RD should report clear adherence to the recognized international diagnostic criteria of the disease.

Species-level characterization of saliva and dental plaque microbiota reveals putative bacterial and functional biomarkers of periodontal diseases in dogs.

Periodontal diseases are among the most common bacterial-related pathologies affecting the oral cavity of dogs. Nevertheless, the canine oral ecosystem and its correlations with oral disease development are still far from being fully characterized. In this study, the species-level taxonomic composition of saliva and dental plaque microbiota of 30 healthy dogs was investigated through a shallow shotgun metagenomics approach. The obtained data allowed not only to define the most abundant and prevalent bacterial species of the oral microbiota in healthy dogs, including members of the genera Corynebacterium and Porphyromonas, but also to identify the presence of distinct compositional motifs in the two oral microniches as well as taxonomical differences between dental plaques collected from anterior and posterior teeth. Subsequently, the salivary and dental plaque microbiota of 18 dogs affected by chronic gingival inflammation and 18 dogs with periodontitis were compared to those obtained from the healthy dogs. This analysis allowed the identification of bacterial and metabolic biomarkers correlated with a specific clinical status, including members of the genera Porphyromonas and Fusobacterium as microbial biomarkers of a healthy and diseased oral status, respectively, and genes predicted to encode for metabolites with anti-inflammatory properties as metabolic biomarkers of a healthy status.

Bronchial artery embolization with an ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer agent (Squid) and polyvinyl alcohol particles for treatment of hemoptysis.

Bronchial artery embolization (BAE) is considered the first choice treatment for hemoptysis. To our knowledge no cases of BAE using a recent ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer agent (Squid) have been previously mentioned. Two cases of BAE for remitting hemoptysis using Squid and polyvinyl alcohol particles are reported in this technical note. The final angiographic control confirmed full exclusion of the target territory in both cases. Both patients felt some chest pain immediately after the embolization, not requiring any medications. No more episodes of hemoptysis occurred in the following 3 months after the procedure.

Efficacy of Primary Stent-Graft Placement in the Treatment of Vascular Access Graft Outflow Tract Stenosis.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to present our personal experience using covered nitinol stent-graft in the treatment of outflow tract stenosis of arteriovenous grafts (AVGs) for hemodialysis access. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between May 2015 and October 2017, we retrospectively evaluated 36 (24 males, 12 females; mean age: 65.6 years) patients with AVGs on hemodialysis who underwent percutaneous angioplasty followed by endovascular stent-graft deployment for the treatment of stenosis of the venous outflow of the AVG. Indication for treatment included early restenosis (<3 months after previous percutaneous transluminal angioplasty [PTA]), long stenosis (stenoses >50% extending for a length >5 cm), and recoil of the stenosis after PTA performed with a noncompliant high-pressure balloon. Of 36 patients, 27 (75%) required surgical thrombectomy prior to endovascular procedure. Technical success, clinical success, primary and secondary patency, and safety were evaluated. RESULTS: Technical success was 100%, and clinical success was 94.4%. Primary patency was 94.4%, 72.2%, 63%, 45.9%, and 45.9% at 1, 3, 6, 12, and 18 months (average: 215 days, range: 9-653 days); secondary patency was 94.4% and 86.1% at 1 and 3 months; 80.4% at 6, 12, and 18 months; and 53.6% at 24 months (average: 276.8 days, range: 9-744 days). No deaths were registered. CONCLUSIONS: In selected cases, the use of stent-graft represents an effective and safe solution for the treatment of stenotic complications of the venous outflow of AVGs, even in the setting of access thrombosis.

Drug-coated balloon angioplasty in failing haemodialysis arteriovenous shunts: 12-month outcomes in 200 patients from the Aperto Italian registry.

BACKGROUND: We evaluated the safety and technical and clinical outcomes of angioplasty with a drug-coated balloon for the management of venous stenosis in arteriovenous grafts and arteriovenous fistulas in patients undergoing haemodialysis. METHODS: Data were obtained from an ongoing prospective, non-randomised registry conducted at three Italian centres. Patients were treated with a drug-coated balloon according to standard procedures in each participating centre. Evaluation was by colour Doppler imaging every 3 months. The primary end-point was primary assisted patency. The secondary end-point was the rate of assisted patency of the vascular access. RESULTS: A total of 311 angioplasty procedures in 200 patients, (60.4% male), were analysed. The procedural success rate was 100%. A total of 192 treatments of restenosis were necessary in 81 patients during average 21 ± 8 months follow-up. Kaplan-Meier estimates indicated that 88.0%, 64.2% and 40.6% of treated lesions were free from restenosis at 6, 12 and 24 months, respectively. Including multiple angioplasty, circuit patency rates were 99.2%, 92.5% and 84.8% at 6, 12 and 24 months, respectively. Primary patency rates were highest in shunts treated de novo with drug-coated balloons. Risk of restenosis was associated with circuit age (p = 0.017), history of treatment with conventional angioplasty (p < 0.001) and the kind of balloon used during pre-dilation (p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: The results suggest that favourable long-term patency rates can be achieved with the drug-coated balloon in a varied population of patients with failing haemodialysis arteriovenous shunts treated under conditions of actual care.

Endovascular treatment of splenic artery aneurysms.

PURPOSE: To assess the feasibility and effectiveness of endovascular treatment of splenic artery aneurysms (SAAs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between May 2000 and June 2003 we treated 11 true SAAs in 9 patients (7 females and 2 males; mean age 58 years), 8 saccular and 3 fusiform, 4 located at the middle tract of the splenic artery, 5 at the distal tract and 2 intra-parenchymal. The diagnosis was performed with colour-Doppler ultrasound and/or CT-angiography; 7 patients were symptomless, 1 had left hypochondriac pain, and 1 had acute abdomen caused by a ruptured SAA. Four SAAs were treated by microcoil embolization of the aneurysmal sac with preservation of splenic artery patency; in 2 cases this was associated with transcatheter injection of N-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate. Four cases were treated by endovascular ligature, with sectoral spleen ischaemia. One ruptured SAA received emergency treatment with splenic artery cyanoacrylate embolization. Two intra-parenchymal SAAs were excluded, one by cyanoacrylate embolization of the afferent artery and the other by transcatheter thrombin injection in the aneurysmal sac. RESULTS: Technical success was observed in all cases (in 10/11 at the end of the procedure; in 1/11 at CT performed 3 days after the procedure). The follow-up (mean 18 months; range 6-36) was performed by colour-Doppler ultrasound and/or CT-angiography 3, 6 and 12 months after the procedure and subsequently once a year; the complete exclusion of the aneurysms was confirmed in 11/11 cases. The complications were: 4 cases of mild left pleuritis; fever and left hypochondriac pain 1 day after the procedure (in the same 4 patients and in one other case); 5 cases of sectoral spleen ischaemia and 1 case of diffuse spleen infarction with partial revascularization by collateral vessels. No alteration of the levels of pancreatic enzymes was found; a transitory increase in platelet count occurred only in the patient with diffuse spleen infarction. CONCLUSIONS: Using different techniques, endovascular treatment is feasible in nearly all SAAs. It ensures good immediate and long term results, and no doubt presents some advantages in comparison to surgical treatment, as it is less invasive and allows the preservation of splenic function.