RESUMO
Purpose: Transradial arterial access has become more popular in body interventional procedures but has not been ubiquitously adapted. This retrospective study assesses the efficacy of this approach in uterine artery embolization. Aim of the study was to compare transradial to transfemoral arterial access in patients undergoing uterine artery embolization for the treatment of fibroids. Material and methods: A total of 172 patients underwent uterine artery embolization procedures at our institute from October 2014 to June 2020. Of these, 76 patients had their operations performed via transfemoral access while 96 underwent transradial access. The peak radiation dose, fluoroscopy time, procedure time, total contrast volume, and equipment cost for each procedure were all reviewed to evaluate for statistical differences between the 2 groups. Results: All cases were technically successful without major complications. The average peak skin dose was 2281 mGy,with no statistical difference between the transradial or transfemoral cohorts. Average fluoroscopy time was 25 minutes, also with no statistical difference between the subsets. Mean procedure time was 100 min, and mean contrast volume usage was 138 mL with no statistical differences. Similarly, the average equipment cost was $2204, with no significant differences found between transradial and transfemoral access. Conclusions: With respect to many pertinent radiation parameters, transradial access was evaluated as being an equally efficacious alternative to transfemoral access in uterine artery embolization procedures. The results of this study suggest that transradial access should be considered more often, whenever viable, as an option in the uterine artery embolization treatment of fibroids.
RESUMO
The issue of no-shows in radiology is complicated and challenging. Mammography and ultrasound have the highest rate of no-shows among radiologic exams. Screening mammography is one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce breast cancer related deaths. However, the benefit of screening is heavily dependent on patient compliance to routine exams. Enhancing patients' commitments to their scheduled appointments, thereby improving early detection and decreasing breast cancer related mortality. Retrospective analysis of no-show visits scheduled from August 2017 to December 2017 (before the implementation of combined phone, email and text-based reminders) and from August 2019 to December 2019 (after the implementation of reminder and follow-up phone calls after missed appointments by the coordinator) in an urban academic breast imaging center was conducted. There were 368 no-show patients in 2017 and 238 no-show patients in 2019. Percentage of no-shows, and delay time to the rescheduled missed appointment were calculated. Subgroup analysis of the type of studies that were missed and those who did not reschedule the missed appointment was conducted. Mann Whitney U test was used to analyze differences between group means. No-show visits decreased by 50% in 2019 when compared to 2017. The average wait time between the missed appointment and the rescheduled appointment decreased significantly from 30.7 weeks in 2017 to 12.1 weeks in 2019 (P = 0.047). The percentage of no-show visits was highest among the unemployed, patients scheduled for screening mammograms and patients with a high average of no-show visits. No-show visits adversely impact patient outcome and contribute to increased cost of healthcare. Through a deeper understanding of the factors contributing to no-shows, we can strive to make appropriate interventions to alleviate the consequences of no-shows.