Association of arteriovenous fistulae with precapillary pulmonary hypertension - A single center retrospective analysis of invasive hemodynamic parameters.

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary hypertension (pH) is a well-known complication among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Arteriovenous fistulae (AVF) have been associated with pH mainly by increasing cardiac output. However, the burden of precapillary pH in individuals with CKD and an AVF is unclear. OBJECTIVES: To better and more fully understand the mechanism and development of precapillary pH in patients with AVF, as well as the consequences of precapillary pH in these patients. METHODS: This was a large retrospective study of patients with CKD stage 4 or 5 who underwent right heart catheterization (RHC) from 2018 to 2023. The data were stratified according to the presence of AVF. To determine if AVF was independently associated with precapillary pH, we used a multivariable logistic regression analysis adjusting for demographics and potential comorbidities associated with precapillary pH, including diagnosis of chronic lung disease, obstructive sleep apnea, connective tissue disease, history of venous thromboembolism, chronic anemia, and heart failure. RESULTS: Of 651 patients with CKD4 or CKD5, 145 (22 %) had AVF and 506 (78 %) did not have AVF. Within the AVF group, the median age was 64 years (IQR 54-71), and they were predominantly males (61 %, n = 88) and African American (77 %, n = 111). A total of 31 % (n = 45) had evidence of precapillary pH, 30 % (n = 43) of combined pH, and 14 % (n = 20) of isolated postcapillary pH. Compared to the non-AVF group, precapillary pH was more likely in the AVF group (31% vs 17 %, p < 0.0001). On multivariable analysis, AVF was independently associated with precapillary pH (OR 2.47, CI 1.56-3.89; p < 0.0001). The median time from dialysis initiation to RHC date (and precapillary pH diagnosis) was 6 years (IQR 3-8). CONCLUSION: Based on RHC findings, almost one-third of patients with CKD and AVF had precapillary pH. The presence of AVF was independently associated with precapillary pH.

Transarterial embolization in non-cavernous and cavernous sinus dural arteriovenous fistulas: A systematic review and meta-analysis of proportions.

BACKGROUND: Transarterial embolization (TAE) is pivotal in managing non-cavernous and cavernous sinus dural arteriovenous fistulas (CSDAVFs). METHODS: Systematic searches were conducted across ScienceDirect, Medline, and Cochrane databases for longitudinal studies on TAE outcomes in non-CSDAVFs and CSDAVFs. Post-procedural outcomes, including complete, incomplete, and failed AVFs obliteration, and end-study outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: Our meta-analysis involved 27 studies with 643 patients and 736 fistulas. Symptoms in both groups included tinnitus (29.74 %), ocular/visual symptoms (29.12 %), hemorrhage (19.42 %), and headache (19.11 %). Feeding arteries mainly originated from the meningeal arteries (49.16 %). In non-CSDAVFs cases, fistula locations were within sinus complexes (69.23 %) and specific dural areas (28.31 %). Complete AVFs obliteration was 81 % (95 %CI: 70 % - 90 %), slightly higher in non-CSDAVFs (82 %, 95 % CI: 69 % - 92 %) than CSDAVFs (79 %, 95 %CI: 58 % - 95 %). Incomplete obliteration occurred in 14 % (95 %CI: 5 % - 39 %), with rates of 11 % (95 %CI: 2 % - 26 %) in non-CSDAVFs and 19 % (95 % CI: 5 % - 39 %) in CSDAVFs. Failed obliteration was rare (1 %, 95 %CI: 0 % - 3 %), with similar rates in both groups. At end-study follow-up, resolution of AVFs was achieved in 97 % of cases (95 %CI: 92 % - 100 %). However, complications occurred in 17 % of cases (95 %CI: 10 % - 25 %), with a higher incidence in CSDAVFs (22 %, 95 %CI: 9 % - 37 %) compared to non-CSDAVFs (13 %, 95 %CI: 6 % - 23 %). CONCLUSIONS: TAE with embolic agents demonstrates favorable outcomes in non-CSDAVFs and CSDAVFs, with high rates of AVFs obliteration and resolution. Complications, particularly in CSDAVFs, warrant careful consideration in treatment decisions.

Recurrent thrombosis and patency of the arteriovenous access in patients receiving hemodialysis.

BACKGROUND: Thrombosis of the vascular access in patients with end-stage renal disease requiring hemodialysis are common and require timely interventional procedures to restore patency. The aim of the current study was to identify factors having a significant effect on patency rates after access thrombosis. Our hypothesis was the length of time between the initial clotting of the access and the subsequent percutaneous declotting impacts the patency rates of the vascular access. METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, patients with a clotted arteriovenous access between Jan 1, 2011, and Jan 1, 2016, were included. Demographics, access history, and associated details of the access procedure were reviewed from the electronic medical record. Statistical analysis was done using t-test and chi-square or fisher exact tests to compare arteriovenous fistulae (AVF) and arteriovenous grafts (AVG). Primary patency, defined as the time from index procedure to endpoint, was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method and log rank test. RESULTS: There were 883 percutaneous declotting procedures reviewed. About 351 procedures were performed in patients with an AVF and 532 with an AVG. The mean time from thrombosis to declotting was 1.71 ± 2.29 days. The overall median primary patency for both AVF and AVG was 43 days with no difference in patency between patients with AVF (39 days) versus AVG (42 days; p = 0.385). The time period from access thrombosis to declotting did not affect patency rates for either AVG or AVF (p = 0.385). On multivariable analysis, prior intervention (HR: 1.32, 95% CI: 1.14-1.53, p < 0.001) and cardiovascular disease (HR: 1.19, 95% CI: 1.03-1.37, p = 0.016) were independently associated with access patency. CONCLUSIONS: Time from thrombosis to declotting did not affect patency rates however once there was a thrombotic event, recurrent thrombosis requiring intervention was common with patency significantly decreased. Future prospective studies to validate our results and study pathogenic mechanisms of recurrent thrombosis are warranted.

Bilateral Congenital Pelvic Arteriovenous Malformation: A Case Report and Review of Literature.

PURPOSE: Through a paradigmatic case and a systematic literature review, we present various endovascular strategies for treating pelvic paravesical arteriovenous vascular malformations (AVMs), with a focus on the efficacy of accessing the shunt point through direct puncture of the venous collector. CASE REPORT: A 42-year-old male with nonspecific pelvic pain underwent a computed tomography (CT) scan, which revealed bilateral pelvic AVMs characterized by a network of arteriolar afferents originating from the internal iliac arteries and the inferior mesenteric artery, draining into 2 interconnected giant venous sacs in the bilateral paravesical space. The malformation was classified as type II according to the Cho classification. Following an unsuccessful attempt at transarterial embolization, we devised a plan for bilateral transvenous embolization in 2 separate sessions. Venous access was achieved through percutaneous transperineal ultrasound-guided puncture of the dominant outflow venous sac. A microcatheter was then placed directly into the shunt point, where sclerosant and embolic agents were specifically delivered. Follow-up imaging showed complete obliteration of both pelvic AVMs. CONCLUSIONS: Effective hemostasis of pelvic paravesical AVMs can be achieved by targeting the shunt point from the aneurysmal dominant outflow vein, potentially through direct percutaneous puncture. CLINICAL IMPACT: This study aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of a transvenous approach in cases of embolization of pelvic paravesical arteriovenous vascular malformations (AVMs). The key to successful treatment lies in occluding the shunt point within the aneurysmal dominant outflow vein's wall, which can be reached transvenously and potentially through direct percutaneous puncture. Although arterial occlusion can be performed additionally, it should not be performed alone due to its higher risk of AVM persistence/recurrence.

Part 2: The development and advancement of the detachable balloon catheter; a historical and technical review.

The detachable balloon catheter (DBC) was a revolutionary technique for the treatment of cerebrovascular pathologies. It was used to treat carotid cavernous fistulas (CCFs), vertebro-jugular fistulas, arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), and aneurysms. The DBC became the foundation for neurointerventional techniques, leading to the development of coil embolization and bioactives. Our team selected relevant articles from PubMed published between 1974 and 2023. Articles were excluded if they did not discuss the use or development of the detachable balloon catheter or subsequent technologies. The DBC was used to occlude vessels, either temporarily or permanently. Dr Gerard Debrun implemented findings from Dr Fedor Serbinenko's research to develop an intravascular detachable balloon technique. He developed many variations using type I and type II balloon catheters that differed in size, length, and material, allowing for the personalization of treatment based on the lesion. This revolutionary thinking showed that every pathology has a different shape and anatomy that require a unique approach. The DBC would offer the first alternative to the conventional practice of carotid occlusion in CCF treatment at the time. The DBC would later be used in aneurysm occlusion and the embolization of AVMs, with additional benefit in traumatic vascular sacrifice. Although the DBC has largely been replaced, it is still useful in a small subset of patients, and has financial incentive as it is more affordable than coils. This technique was a monumental stride in the history of neurointervention and helped propel the specialty to the current era of patient-specific interventions.

Cervical intraosseous arteriovenous malformation: report of a rare entity and its management dilemmas.

Intraosseous occurrence of a spinal AVM is anecdotal, with only four such cases reported previously. This is the first report of a spinal intraosseous AVM in the cervical vertebrae. A 44-year-old male patient presented with a 2-month history of progressive quadriparesis and bladder dysfunction. Magnetic resonance imaging showed multiple flow voids within the C4 and C5 vertebral bodies, and an extradural component causing cord compression. CT showed extensive bony destruction at both levels. The diagnosis of an intraosseous AVM was confirmed with spinal angiography. The AVM was noted to be fed by branches from the ascending cervical arteries and the vertebral artery. The nidus was draining into the vertebral venous plexus and thence into the jugular vein through the marginal sinus. The patient underwent partial embolization of the AVM. Surgical resection was attempted but found to be unfeasible due to torrential bleeding. A 360-degree stabilization along with decompressive laminectomies was performed, resulting in clinical improvement and disease stabilization at one year follow-up. The case and its management dilemmas are discussed in light of a brief literature review.

Apple Vision Pro Augmented Reality-Assisted Minimally Invasive Surgical Treatment of Spinal Dural Arteriovenous Fistula.

This report outlines the innovative use of augmented reality (AR) in the surgical planning and treatment of a spinal dural arteriovenous fistula (dAVF) via a minimally invasive technique. AR technology by way of an Apple Vision Pro headset was employed to enhance preoperative visualization and understanding of the pathology, leading to successful surgical ligation of the AVF. This case describes a 56-year-old male presenting with progressive weakness and thoracic myelopathy who showed marked improvement postoperatively, highlighting AR's potential to improve surgical approach and outcomes.

Evaluation of multiple deep neural networks for detection of intracranial dural arteriovenous fistula on susceptibility weighted angiography imaging.

BACKGROUND: The natural history of intracranial dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF) is variable and early diagnosis is crucial in order to positively impact the clinical course of aggressive DAVF. Artificial intelligence (AI) based techniques can be promising in this regard, and in this study, we used various deep neural network (DNN) architectures to determine whether DAVF could be reliably identified on susceptibility-weighted angiography images (SWAN). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 3965 SWAN image slices from 30 digital subtraction angiographically proven DAVF patients and 4380 SWAN image slices from 40 age-matched patients with normal MRI findings as control group were included. The images were categorized as either DAVF or normal and the data was trained using various DNN such as VGG-16, EfficientNet-B0, and ResNet-50. RESULTS: Various DNN architectures showed the accuracy of 95.96% (VGG-16), 91.75% (EfficientNet-B0), and 86.23% (ResNet-50) on the SWAN image dataset. ROC analysis yielded an area under the curve of 0.796 (p < .001), best for VGG-16 model. Criterion of seven consecutive positive slices for DAVF diagnosis yielded a sensitivity of 74.68% with a specificity of 69.15%, while setting eight slices improved the sensitivity to above 80.38%, with a decrease of specificity up to 56.38%. Based on seven consecutive positive slices criteria, EfficientNet-B0 yielded a sensitivity of 73.21% with a specificity of 45.92% and ResNet-50 yielded a sensitivity of 72.39% with a specificity of 67.42%. CONCLUSION: This study shows that DNN can extract discriminative features of SWAN for the classification of DAVF from normal with good accuracy, reasonably good sensitivity and specificity.

An arteriovenous fistula model: Carotid artery-posterior facial vein fistula in rats.

OBJECTIVE: To describe an alternative arteriovenous fistula (AVF) model involving anastomosis of the common carotid artery (CCA) with the posterior facial vein (PFV). METHODS: Twenty-two male Sprague-Dawley rats (age 6-8 weeks) were used to establish the AVF model involving end-to-side anastomosis of PFV and CCA. The peak velocity of the CCA and the diameter of the outflow vein were recorded at 7, 14, and 42 days after the operation using Doppler ultrasound. Pathological examination of the intimal lesions was performed at 14 and 42 days after operation. RESULTS: One rat died within 24 h after surgery related to anesthesia. The patency rates at days 7, 14, and 42 were 85.7%, 81%, and 81%, respectively. The diameter of the carotid artery in rats is approximately 0.8 mm. The diameter of the outflow vein was increased by 1.7-fold and 2.2-fold at 7 days (1.1 ± 0.118 mm) and 14 days (1.4 ± 0.073 mm). At 42 days (1.96 ± 0.101 mm) after operation, the diameter was 3-fold greater compared to the unoperated control rat. The peak systolic flow velocity of the carotid artery at 7 days (593 ± 17.36 mm/s) and 14 days (767 ± 13.64 mm/s) after surgery was significantly greater compared to the control rat (314 ± 15.13 mm/s). The rate of increase was fastest at 7 days and leveled off from 14 to 42 days (875 ± 26 mm/s) after surgery. At 14 days, the intima area showed a nearly 50-fold increase (230 ± 9.93 µm2 × 103) compared to control (area 5 ± 0.37 µm2 × 103). Comparing 6 weeks with 2 weeks (280 ± 10.54 µm2 × 103) after surgery, the intima area increased 1.2 times. CONCLUSION: The CCA-PFV fistula in rats is a viable alternative AVF model.

Convexity dural arteriovenous fistula with Sylvian-Labbé collateral pattern: A case report.

Convexity dural arteriovenous fistula (dAVF) is associated with high-grade dAVF and is usually presented with aggressive clinical presentation. Precise diagnosis and understanding the pathogenesis are important to achieving successful treatment without complications. We report a case of dAVF with Sylvian-Labbé collateral pattern, concerning embryological development that was thought to be involved in the vascular architecture and pathogenesis of dural AVF. Thus, a 60-year-old man was presented with sudden onset of seizure with no history of trauma. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) showed cortical hemorrhage in the left precentral gyrus. Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) showed the convexity dural arteriovenous fistula (dAVF) involving a vein that appeared to be the vein of Labbé, the drainer was anastomosed with superior middle cerebral vein (SMCV) and formed the varix. With the successful treatment with trans-arterial embolization (TAE), obliteration of dAVF was achieved with no neurological deficits. This case highlights convexity dAVF with the complex relationship between embryological development and the arcade of venous drainage route, wherein the anomaly might be acquired and caused by elevated venous pressure in a vein that appeared to be the vein of Labbé. Gaining knowledge of the embryological basis may aid in a deeper understanding of acquired pathologies.

Beyond Conventional: A Systematic Review of Non-Conventional Techniques for Radio-Cephalic Arteriovenous Fistula.

BACKGROUND: Radio-cephalic arteriovenous fistulas (RC-AVFs), the preferred vascular access for hemodialysis, have high failure rates. New techniques like the no-touch technique (NTT) and modified no-touch technique (MNTT) have shown promising results. Our objective is to highlight the effectiveness of non-conventional techniques, aiming to address the challenge of AVF failure. METHODS: We searched Medline, Google Scholar, and Clinicaltrials.gov until April 2023, following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Five relevant articles were found, all involving human studies on NTT or MNTT for RC-AVF creation. We focused on primary and secondary patency rates, fistula maturation rates, and complications. RESULTS: We reviewed five studies: two pilot, two prospective, and one retrospective. Three used NTT, and two used MNTT. Among double-arm studies, three out of four showed a significantly improved primary patency with non-conventional techniques. However, one study found no significant difference between non-conventional and conventional methods (90.5% vs. 84.2%; p=0.225). In a single-arm study, non-conventional technique (NTT) displayed 54% primary patency at one year. Secondary patency rates were in three studies. One demonstrated significant secondary patency with non-conventional methods compared to conventional (90% vs. 67.5%; p=0.028), while another found no significant difference (90.5% vs. 84.2%; p=0.803). In the single-arm study, the non-conventional technique (NTT) revealed 80% secondary patency at one year. CONCLUSION: Non-conventional techniques (NTT and MNTT) show promise in improving patency rates, hinting at their potential as alternatives to the conventional technique for RC-AVF creation. Further studies are crucial to confirm their effectiveness and evaluate long-term outcomes.

Management of cephalic arch stenosis in hemodialysis access: Updated systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Cephalic arch stenosis (CAS) is often recurrent, resistant to treatment and the intervention outcome is not well validated so far. We purposed to assess the clinical outcomes of CAS treatment in patients with hemodialysis access. METHODS: Electronic bibliographic sources were searched up to December 4 2023 to identify studies reported outcome after treating CAS. Direct and indirect evidence was combined to compare odds ratios (OR) and surfaces under the cumulative ranking curves across the different treatment modalities through meta-analysis and network meta-analyses (NMA). This systematic review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA-P. The review is registered in PROSPERO (CRD42022296513). RESULTS: Four randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and 15 non-RCTs were included in the analysis. The study population differed in fistula type, restenosis or thrombosis, and significant heterogeneity was observed among the publications. The risk of bias was low to serious. Meta-analysis found no significant difference between DCB and PTA in primary patency at 6 and 12 months (OR 1.16 and 0.60, respectively; low certainty of evidence). Favorable result with STG compared to stent or PTA at 3, 6, and 12 month was observed (OR 4.28, 5.13, and 13.12, and 4.28, 5.13, 13.12, respectively; low certainty of evidence). Regarding primary patency, the treatment rankings, from highest to lowest, were STG (92.7%), transposition (76.0%), stent (67.5%), DCB (46.3%), and PTA (64.5%) at 12 months. CONCLUSION: Despite data limitations, the low-quality evidence suggests that STG may merit consideration as a primary treatment option when all alternatives are applicable, given their potential for better primary patency and higher treatment ranking.

Construction and validation of a scale to assess knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding vascular protection anticipatory to the creation of an arteriovenous fistula.

BACKGROUND: The possibility of creating an arteriovenous fistula (AVF) depends on the existence of an arterial-venous network that is in good condition, defined by the size and elasticity of the blood vessels. The knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) toward vascular protection play a crucial role in preserving the vascular network for patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), it is observed that there is a significant lack of tools to measure these variables. Thus, the aim of this study is to develop and validate a scale to assess KAP regarding vascular protection anticipatory to the creation of an arteriovenous fistula (the KAP-VPAC-AVF Scale). METHODS: Initial item development was guided by a literature review and clinical experience, after which the items were improved and perfected through the Delphi process. The content of the scale was judged by an expert panel for content validity. In a convenience sample of 551 patients with ESRD, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were conducted to examine the instrument's factor structure. RESULTS: The KAP-VPAC-AVF Scale encompasses 11 items distributed over three factors: knowledge, attitude, and practice, demonstrated excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.917) and construct validity, as confirmed by CFA with satisfactory fit indices (χ2/df = 2.394, RMSEA = 0.075, RMR = 0.049, CFI = 0.969, GFI = 0.936, AGFI = 0.892, TLI = 0.957, IFI = 0.970). CONCLUSION: The KAP-VPAC-AVF Scale is a scientific and effective assessment tool that can evaluate the KAP of ESRD patients regarding measures to preserve the vascular network.

Ultrasound-guided nitinol stent implantation to treat early restenosis of arteriovenous fistula: A 69-case study with 1-year outcome.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the feasibility, methods and effects of interventional ultrasound in nitinol stent implantation to treat early restenosis after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) in autogenous arteriovenous fistula (AVF). METHODS: From April 2018 to December 2021, 69 patients with early restenosis of AVF received ultrasound-guided nitinol stent implantation (UNSI) and were followed-up. Imaging features of the stent and procedure by ultrasound were observed. The technical success rate, clinical success rate and incidence of complications were recorded and counted. Target lesion primary patency (TLPP), access circuit primary patency (ACPP) and access circuit secondary patency (ACSP) were estimated. RESULTS: Ultrasonography can show the structure of the stent and guide the stenting process clearly. Both the technical and clinical success rates were 100%. Thirty-one patients had in-stent restenosis (ISR), which was treated by plain balloon (PB) PTA or drug coated balloon (DCB) PTA. The TLPP at 3, 6, 12 and 24 months were 100.0%, 94.2%, 63.4% and 39.6%, respectively. The ACPP at 3, 6, 12 and 24 months were 98.6%, 91.6%, 60.2% and 35.2%, respectively. The ACSP at 3, 6, 12 and 24 months were 98.6%, 98.6%, 95.6% and 93.8%, respectively. The TLPP of ISR after DCB PTA at 3, 6 and 12 months were 100.0%, 100.0% and 93.6%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study indicates ultrasonography can accurately guide nitinol stent implantation in AVF and this technique is a feasible and minimally invasive treatment for early restenosis after PTA with good short- and medium-term patency. DCB PTA may be used to deal with the ISR and is a way to prolong the patency of nitinol stent.

Reliable Stenosis Detection Based on Thrill Waveform Analysis Using Non-Contact Arteriovenous Fistula Imaging.

Hemodialysis therapy is an extracorporeal circulation treatment that serves as a substitute for renal function. In Japan, patients receive this efficient four-hour treatment, three times per week, allowing them to maintain a social life nearly equivalent to that of healthy individuals. Before the treatment, two punctures are performed to establish extracorporeal circulation, and a high blood flow rate is essential to ensure efficient therapy. Specialized blood vessels created through arteriovenous fistula (AVF) surgery are utilized to achieve high blood flow rates. Although the AVF allows safe and efficient dialysis treatment, AVF stenosis leads to a serious problem in dialysis. To early detect this abnormal blood flow, auscultation and palpation methods are widely used in hospitals. However, these methods can only provide qualitative judgment of the AVF condition, so the results cannot be shared among other doctors and staff. Additionally, since the conventional methods require contact with the skin, some issues require consideration regarding infection and low reproducibility. In our previous study, we proposed an alternative method for auscultation using non-contact optical imaging technology. This study aims to construct a reliable AVF stenosis detection method using Thrill waveform analysis based on the developed non-contact device to solve the problem with the contact palpation method. This paper demonstrates the performance validation of the non-contact imaging in the normal AVF group (206 total data, 75 patients, mean age: 69.1 years) and in the treatable stenosis group (107 total data, 17 patients, mean age: 70.1 years). The experimental results of the Mann-Whitney U test showed a significant difference (p=0.0002) between the normal and abnormal groups, which indicated the effectiveness of the proposed method as a new possible alternative to palpation.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Non-Contrast-Enhanced Time-Resolved MR Angiography to Assess Angioarchitectural Classification Features of Brain Arteriovenous Malformations.

This study aims to assess the diagnostic accuracy of non-contrast-enhanced 4D MR angiography (NCE-4D-MRA) compared to contrast-enhanced 4D MR angiography (CE-4D-MRA) for the detection and angioarchitectural characterisation of brain arteriovenous malformations (bAVMs). Utilising a retrospective design, we examined 54 MRA pairs from 43 patients with bAVMs, using digital subtraction angiography (DSA) as the reference standard. Both NCE-4D-MRA and CE-4D-MRA were performed using a 3-T MR imaging system. The primary objectives were to evaluate the diagnostic performance of NCE-4D-MRA against CE-4D-MRA and DSA and to assess concordance between imaging modalities in grading bAVMs according to four main scales: Spetzler-Martin, Buffalo, AVM embocure score (AVMES), and R2eDAVM. Our results demonstrated that NCE-4D-MRA had a higher accuracy and specificity compared to CE-4D-MRA (0.85 vs. 0.83 and 95% vs. 85%, respectively) and similar agreement, with DSA detecting shunts in bAVMs or residuals. Concordance in grading bAVMs was substantial between NCE-4D-MRA and DSA, particularly for the Spetzler-Martin and Buffalo scales, with CE-4D-MRA showing slightly higher kappa values for interobserver agreement. The study highlights the potential of NCE-4D-MRA as a diagnostic tool for bAVMs, offering comparable accuracy to CE-4D-MRA while avoiding the risks associated with gadolinium-based contrast agents. The safety profile of imaging techniques is a significant concern in the long-term follow up of bAVMs, and further prospective research should focus on NCE-4D-MRA protocol improvement for clinical use.

Analysis of angiographic findings and short-term recurrence factors in patients presenting with hemoptysis.

OBJECTIVES: The abnormal anatomical alterations of blood vessels during DSA angiography in patients with hematological disorders were retrospectively examined, and the influencing factors of short-term (≤ 6 months) recurrent hemoptysis were statistically analyzed, and the consistency between admission diagnosis and intraoperative diagnosis was evaluated. METHODS: The intraoperative angiography data of patients who underwent selective bronchial artery embolization for hemoptysis in our hospital from January 2022 to December 2022 were reviewed. They were divided into the observation group and the control group based on whether there was recurrent hemoptysis. The Logistic regression model and forest map were employed to analyze the factors influencing the recurrence rate. RESULTS: A total of 104 patients were encompassed in this study (12 cases of tuberculosis, 35 cases of infection, 4 cases of lung cancer, 8 cases of bronchiectasis, 22 cases of arteriovenous fistula, 16 cases of aneurysm, and 7 cases of pulmonary hypertension). The coincidence rate of preoperative and intraoperative diagnoses was 73.1%. Pulmonary arteriovenous fistula and aneurysm were the predominant types of diseases that were misdiagnosed. The short-term recurrence rate was 16.3%, mainly attributed to the reopening of responsible vessels related to embolization, angiography leakage, and leaky embolization of specific types of vessels. The recurrence rate of only patients with arteriovenous fistula and aneurysm accounted for 47% of the total recurrence rate. The right bronchial artery, right internal thoracic artery, right thyroid neck trunk, and age were the independent factors influencing the recurrence of hemoptysis (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The main reason for angiographic leakage and embolization leakage in cases of hemoptysis is the lack of understanding of the anatomic variations of the vessels responsible. Careful examination of the specific types and locations of the vessels is the principal approach to reducing secondary operations.