Primary Aldosteronism.

Primary aldosteronism is the underlying cause of hypertension in primary care settings in approximately 6% of cases, and it is even more common in patients with resistant hypertension. However, it is estimated that only about 2% of patients who have risk factors for primary aldosteronism have been formally tested or diagnosed. The first step in the diagnosis of primary aldosteronism is case detection and involves testing patients who are at risk, including individuals with resistant hypertension, as well as those with well-controlled hypertension and a first-degree relative with primary aldosteronism, hypokalemia, an adrenal nodule, atrial fibrillation, obstructive sleep apnea, or a family history of an early stroke (i.e., younger than 40 years). Initial case detection is performed by simultaneously measuring plasma aldosterone concentration and plasma renin activity; an elevated aldosterone-renin ratio (greater than 30) indicates independent aldosterone secretion (i.e., aldosteronism). After a positive case detection, confirmatory testing should be performed. Confirmatory tests include the captopril challenge, oral or intravenous salt loading, or fludrocortisone suppression. Results are positive if aldosterone levels remain high after interventions that suppress or interrupt physiologic production of aldosterone. If the confirmatory test is positive, adrenal computed tomography and adrenal vein sampling should be performed to differentiate unilateral from bilateral adrenal production of aldosterone. Patients with unilateral primary aldosteronism should undergo adrenalectomy, whereas those with bilateral production should be treated with mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists, such as spironolactone or eplerenone.

Hemorrhage from Adrenal Vein Rupture during Adrenal Vein Sampling.

We describe a case of right adrenal hemorrhage from adrenal vein sampling treated conservatively with overnight admission and pain control. We review the existing literature on rates of this complication, typical clinical outcomes, and practical tips to avoid its occurrence.

Transplant Hepatic Artery Rupture.

A case of transplant hepatic artery thrombosis treated with thrombolysis and vascular stenting is presented. Stenting was complicated by hepatic artery rupture necessitating emergent stent graft placement. Hepatic artery occlusion in a liver transplant often leads to biliary complications such as ischemic cholangiopathy, biliary necrosis, cholangitis, biloma formation, intrahepatic abscesses, and liver failure. Prompt recognition and appropriate treatment of hepatic artery thrombosis are necessary to avoid graft failure and possible death.

Best Practices: Indications and Procedural Controversies of Adrenal Vein Sampling for Primary Aldosteronism.

Primary hyperaldosteronism (PA) is the most common secondary form of hyper-tension in middle-aged adults. Its harmful effects exceed those of essential hyper-tension. Once PA is diagnosed, treatment hinges on whether aldosterone secretion is unilateral or bilateral, as the former can be effectively treated with adrenalectomy but the latter is treated medically with mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists such as spironolactone or eplerenone. Adrenal vein sampling (AVS) is critical in this determination. There is wide variation in how AVS is performed, including whether to use synthetic adrenocorticotropic hormone stimulation and where the catheter tip should be placed during left adrenal gland sampling. In addition, some institutions and guidelines omit AVS in young patients (i.e., those younger than an age threshold ranging from 35 to 40 years old) who have unilateral adrenal findings on cross-sectional imaging. In this article, we provide background on PA and performance of AVS and then summarize the evidence supporting best practices for these three areas of controversy regarding how and when to perform AVS.

Utilization of bilateral percutaneous microwave ablation of the adrenal glands in ectopic Cushing's syndrome.

Ectopic Cushing's syndrome (CS) is rare and difficult to cure when the source is elusive. Medical management is complex and often times contraindicated in the medically complex patient. We present a complicated case of ectopic CS where bilateral percutaneous microwave ablation (MWA) of the adrenal glands successfully cured hypercortisolism when surgery and medical therapies were contraindicated. A 71-year-old male was diagnosed with ectopic CS after adrenocorticotropic hormone-dependent hypercortisolism persisted after hypophysectomy despite a positive gradient of >3 on inferior petrosal sinus sampling. An ectopic source was not identified. Surgery and medical therapies were contraindicated due to comorbidities and drug interactions. Bilateral MWA of the adrenal glands was performed. Postprocedurally cortisol levels declined and the patient was clinically adrenally insufficient at 6 months. Bilateral MWA of the adrenal glands can prove to be an effective treatment option for ectopic CS when surgical resection and medical therapies are ineffective or contraindicated.

Superior Vena Cava Syndrome: Etiologies, Manifestations, and Treatments.

Superior vena cava (SVC) obstruction, whether from benign or malignant causes, results in a variety of symptoms. It is a potential medical emergency when cerebral or laryngeal edema occurs. Endovascular therapy is the treatment of choice for patients in need of emergent relief of symptoms. This article will provide a review of SVC syndrome with a focus on endovascular treatment techniques.

Paracentesis: Faster and easier using the RenovaRP® pump.

PURPOSE Paracentesis is commonly performed in interventional radiology practice, and large volume paracentesis (LVP) using wall suction can take up to an hour to complete, placing significant stress on room and resource time. As the number of LVP procedures performed by Interventional Radiologists continue to increase, this study was undertaken to analyze the impact of the RenovaRP® Paracentesis Management System (GI Supply) on procedure time and patient satisfaction. METHODS Between March 9, 2020 and May 29, 2020, procedural data and patient satisfaction was collected as part of a practice quality improvement project and retrospectively analyzed on 39 sequential paracenteses performed with wall suction prior to acquiring the RenovaRP® system and subsequently on 42 paracenteses performed with use of the device. RESULTS A substantially higher fluid flow rate was found using the RenovaRP® system compared to wall suction, 237.2 mL/min vs. 108.6 mL/min (P < .001). This resulted in a significant decrease in procedure room time from 53 min to 31 min (P < .001). There was associated improvement in the patient experience during paracentesis. CONCLUSION The RenovaRP® decreases procedure time for LVP with improvement in the patient experience during paracentesis.

Internal Jugular Central Venous Catheter Tip Migration: Patient and Procedural Factors.

Background: The ideal central venous catheter (CVC) tip position placement is controversial, and CVCs do not remain in a fixed position after placement. This study evaluates both patient and procedural factors which may influence CVC tip migration and subsequent catheter dysfunction. Materials and Methods: This study evaluates CVC placements at a single institution. Patient age, gender, body mass index (BMI), catheter laterality, CVC type and indication for central venous access were recorded. Catheter tip location relative to the carina was measured at time of placement and removal utilizing supine fluoroscopic imaging. Patients' electronic medical records were reviewed for evidence of catheter dysfunction. Statistical analysis was performed utilizing odds ratios and two tailed Student's t-test. Results: 177 patients were included (101 female; mean age 55; mean BMI 29.2). Catheter types included 122 ports, 50 tunneled large bore central venous catheters (≥9 French), and 5 tunneled small bore central venous catheters (<9 French). 127 were right sided catheters, and 50 were left sided. Left sided CVCs had a mean cranial tip migration of 3.2 cm (standard deviation ±2.9 cm) compared to 0.8 cm (standard deviation ±1.9 cm) for right sided catheters (p = 0.000008). Catheters that migrated cranially by >2 cm had more than 7× greater risk of dysfunction compared to catheters that migrated ≤2 cm (odds ratio of 7.2; p = 0.0001). Left sided CVCs were significantly more likely to have >2 cm of cranial migration (odds ratio 6.9, 95% CI 3.4−14.2, p < 0.0001) and had a higher rate of dysfunction, likely due to this cranial migration (32% vs. 4.7%; p = 0.00001). Gender and BMI were not found to be associated with catheter dysfunction or an increased odds ratio of >2 cm cranial migration. Conclusions: Left-sided CVCs migrate an average of 2.4 cm cranially more than right-sided catheters. Additionally, when migration occurs, left-sided catheters are more likely to be dysfunctional. These suggest that lower initial placement may be beneficial in left-sided catheters.

Embolization of pulmonary artery aneurysms in a patient with Behçet's disease complicated by coil erosion into the airway.

Behçet's disease is an inflammatory vasculitis with the unique feature of pulmonary artery aneurysms. We describe a patient with Behçet's disease and pulmonary artery aneurysms who presented with massive hemoptysis treated by coil embolization. Although there was immediate resolution of hemoptysis and improvement in hemodynamic status, 2 months later the patient reported a refractory cough and feeling of foreign body in her throat. Imaging demonstrated partial coil migration into the bronchus and trachea. Although endovascular intervention is the first-line treatment for massive hemoptysis, in patients with Behçet's disease, active inflammation and chronic steroid use may increase the risk of coil erosion and migration.

Pre-Procedure Thrombocytopenia and Leukopenia Association with Risk for Infection in Image-Guided Tunneled Central Venous Catheter Placement.

Placement of image-guided tunneled and non-tunneled large-bore central venous catheters (CVCs) are common procedures in interventional radiology. Although leukopenia and/or thrombocytopenia are common at the time of placement, the roles these factors may have in subsequent catheter-related infection have yet to be investigated. A single-institution retrospective review was performed in patients who underwent CVC placement in interventional radiology between 11/2018-6/2019. The electronic medical record was used to obtain demographics, procedure details, pre-placement laboratory values, and the subsequent 90-day follow-up. A total of 178 tunneled and non-tunneled CVCs met inclusion criteria during this time period. White blood cell (WBC) and platelet counts were found to be significant risk factors for subsequent infection. Administration of pre-procedure antibiotics was not found to be a significant factor for subsequent infection (p = 0.075). Leukopenia and thrombocytopenia at the time of CVC placement are both risk factors of line infection for tunneled large-bore CVCs. This should lead to the consideration of using a non-tunneled CVC when clinically feasible, or the delayed placement of these catheters until counts recover.

Vascular plugs are associated with reduced fluoroscopy times compared to endovascular coils in proximal splenic artery embolization in trauma.

PURPOSE: Proximal splenic artery embolization plays an important role in the treatment of hemodynamically stable blunt splenic trauma patients with medium- to high-grade injuries. Proximal splenic artery embolization is most often performed utilizing endovascular coils or vascular plugs. The objective of this study was to compare technical and clinical outcomes of proximal splenic artery embolization using either endovascular coils or vascular plugs in patients with traumatic splenic injuries. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A single-institution retrospective review of all proximal splenic artery embolizations for trauma over a 5-year period was performed. Patients who underwent embolization using both endovascular coils and vascular plugs were excluded. Baseline characteristics, including patient age, sex, and grade of splenic injury, were recorded. Complication rates, rates of splenic salvage, and total fluoroscopy time were recorded and compared. RESULTS: A total of 26 patients were included in the analysis (17 males, 9 females, median age: 50 years). Of these, 15 patients were treated with vascular plugs (57.7%), while 11 patients (42.3%) were treated with endovascular coils. Mean grade of injury was 3.5 and 4.1 in the vascular plug and endovascular coils groups, respectively. There were no differences between the groups regarding these baseline characteristics. Splenic salvage was 100% in both groups. No major complications were identified in either group. Mean fluoroscopy time was significantly lower in the vascular plug group (14.5 versus 34.0 min; p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Proximal splenic artery embolization for splenic trauma can be satisfactorily achieved with either vascular plugs or endovascular coils with no differences in splenic salvage or complication rates in this retrospective study. However, embolization utilizing vascular plugs had significantly reduced fluoroscopy times.

Port malposition in the azygos vein resulting in a veno-broncho and broncho-esophageal fistula: A case report.

We present a case of a port malposition into the azygos vein resulting in both a broncho-esophageal and veno-bronchial fistula. While complications of central venous catheter malposition into the azygos vein are well documented in literature, these unique complications have not yet been described. This case underscores how utilizing state of the art technology like intra-cavity electrocardiography rather that reliance on fluoroscopy can help eliminate catheter malposition and its potential catastrophic consequences.

Renal Mass Biopsy.

Kidney cancer accounts for 2% of cancer related deaths. Historically, a patient with a solid renal mass would undergo surgery without biopsy given the previously low diagnostic yield of biopsy and the fear of tumor seeding. This led to a high rate of resection for benign masses. With the rising incidence of renal masses discovered on imaging, improvements in biopsy technique and advancements in pathologic evaluation of biopsy samples of renal masses, renal mass biopsy now plays an important role in selected patients with renal masses. Coaxial core needle biopsy is the preferred technique with a low rate of complications and a high diagnostic yield. This article will discuss indications, methods, utility, limitations and complications of renal mass biopsy.

Kidney Tissue Biopsy.

Kidney tissue biopsy is a commonly performed procedure which is valuable in the work-up for patients with medical renal disease and renal transplant. This article will review indications, contraindications, technique and potential complications of kidney biopsy.

Emerging approaches to pre-hospital hemorrhage control: a narrative review.

In the United States, trauma claims the lives of over 150,000 civilians each year. In military settings, trauma and exsanguination result in 50% of combat related deaths. The majority of these deaths result from uncontrolled non-compressible hemorrhage. Non-compressible hemorrhage often results from deep vascular injuries within the torso, however can also occur secondary to penetrating injuries that involve the extremities. Given the high mortality rates for non-compressible hemorrhage, rapid and effective management of patients suffering from hemorrhage is essential to good patient outcomes. Consequently, there has been increasing interest in solutions for point-of-injury hemorrhage control in trauma and military medicine. Undoubtedly there is a great need for prehospital hemostatic interventions that can be deployed by trained and untrained personnel. Since 2001, various hemostatic agents have been developed, each with its advantages based upon the type and severity of injury, wound size, wound location, accessibility to injury site, and the coagulation status of the patient. These agents are often used in the military setting as a temporizing measure prior to definitive therapy and include techniques such as resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) and bioengineered agents including ResQFoam, RevMedx's XSTAT, Tranexamic acid (TXA), and QuikClot Combat Gauze (QCG). Here, we review the indications, composition, technique, efficacy, and outcomes of these hemostatic agents.

Endovascular interventions in the management of acute extremity trauma: a narrative review.

Minimally invasive endovascular interventions including stenting and embolization have been widely adopted for the treatment of emergent and traumatic thoracoabdominal injuries. In recent years, these techniques have been utilized in the setting of extremity vascular trauma with promising outcomes. By allowing for the rapid diagnosis and subsequent treatment of penetrating or blunt vascular extremity trauma, these techniques can help to minimize blood loss, reduce operative complications, and potentially prevent limb amputation. Here, we present a narrative review of the ever-increasing role of minimally invasive interventions in the management of extremity trauma and compare its use and outcomes to open surgical repair. A special focus is placed on diagnostic imaging modalities in trauma and the role of interventional radiologists in the work-up and treatment of extremity trauma. We discuss diagnostic imaging modalities that aid in the triaging of extremity trauma, such as Doppler sonography, CT angiography, and catheter-based angiography. We present an overview on the literature related to endovascular interventions such as embolotherapy and stent grafting as well as the technical challenges associated with each technique. Finally, we present our own cases on the workup and endovascular treatment of extremity trauma, including CT angiography, particulate and coil embolization, and stent graft placement.

Endovascular embolization in renal trauma: a narrative review.

Approximately 1-3% of all trauma patients have a renal injury. Eighty percent of renal trauma is due to blunt injury, with the remainder due to penetrating trauma which is most often iatrogenic. Contrast enhanced computed tomography is used to triage patients and offers a quick and accurate assessment of any potential organ injury. If injury is present, The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma grading system can both grade renal injuries and be used to help guide management and intervention. Grades are assigned based on imaging and clinical features of renal trauma, and have prognostic and treatment implications for patients. The objective of this narrative review is to identify optimal management of patients with renal trauma, specifically which patients can be treated with endovascular interventions following renal trauma, which can be observed, and which would be best managed surgically. For hemodynamically stable patients with renal trauma, endovascular angiography and embolization is a non-invasive approach that can be used to control bleeding and potentially avoid surgery or nephrectomy in select cases. Future research is needed to determine if a specific antibiotic regimen is needed prior to or following embolization. Further research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of endovascular management of high-grade renal trauma (grade V). Complications of renal embolization include short-term hypertension, long term hypertension in cases of significant ischemia, acute kidney injury, and infection.

Narrative review of vascular iatrogenic trauma and endovascular treatment.

Iatrogenic injury is unfortunately a leading cause of morbidity and mortality for patients worldwide. The etiology of iatrogenic injury is broad, and can be seen with both diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. While steps can be taken to reduce the occurrence of iatrogenic injury, it is often not completely avoidable. Once iatrogenic injury has occurred, prompt recognition and appropriate management can help reduce further harm. The objective of this narrative review it to help reader better understand the risk factors associated with, and treatment options for a broad range of potential iatrogenic injuries by presenting a series of iatrogenic injury cases. This review also discusses rates, risk factors, as well as imaging and clinical signs of iatrogenic injury with an emphasis on endovascular and minimally invasive treatments. While iatrogenic vascular injury once required surgical intervention, now minimally invasive endovascular treatment is a potential option for certain patients. Further research is needed to help identify patients that are at the highest risk for iatrogenic injury, allowing patients and providers to reconsider or avoid interventions where the risk of iatrogenic injury may outweigh the benefit. Further research is also needed to better define outcomes for patients with iatrogenic vascular injury treated with minimally invasive endovascular techniques verses conservative management or surgical intervention.