BACKGROUND & AIMS:We compared multibipolar radiofrequency ablation (mbpRFA) with open liver resection (OLR) or laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) in patients with HCCs within Milan. METHODS:This multicenter cohort study included patients treated by mbpRFA, OLR or LLR for HCC within the Milan Criteria, developed on advanced fibrosis in nine French centres between 2008 and 2018. Adjustments on HCC size/number, gender, age, ASA, HCV, HBV, metabolic syndrome, chronic alcohol intake, MELD score, serum AFP level, APRI score, cirrhosis, significant portal hypertension and HCC localization were performed using multivariable regressions with centre-robust variance and propensity score-based matching (3:1 nearest-neighbour with calliper < 0.1; effective ratios 2.18:1 and 2.43:1). RESULTS:1040 patients were included (median age: 64 years; male 82.9%), with 606, 266 and 168 treated by mbpRFA, LLR and OLR. Most HCCs were solitary (84.8%) and on cirrhosis (89.2%). In months, the follow-up was 50.2 (95% CI: 45.3, 54.3), 43.3 (95% CI: 40.0, 48.6) and 47.4 (95% CI: 40.8, 58.7) for mbpRFA, LLR and OLR patients. After matching, OLR patients had similar overall survival (OS) (HR = 1.05 [CI 95% = 0.65, 1.69], p = 0.853), transplant-free survival (TFS) (HR = 0.91 [CI 95% = 0.56, 1.47]; p = 0.690) or recurrence-free survival (RFS) (HR = 0.99 [CI 95% = 0.69, 1.43]; p = 0.968) compared to mbpRFA patients but with more severe adverse events (RR = 2.58 [CI 95% = 1.16, 5.71]; p = 0.02) and mortality (RR = 4.51 [CI 95% = 1.16, 17.59]; p = 0.03). After matching, LLR patients had better OS (HR = 0.57 [CI 95% = 0.38, 0.88], p = 0.01) but similar TFS (HR = 0.77 [CI 95% = 0.55, 1.1]; p = 0.152) and more severe adverse events (RR = 2.61 [CI 95% = 1.15, 5.96]; p = 0.022) compared to mbpRFA patients. LLR patients had a better RFS (HR = 0.7 [CI 95% = 0.53, 0.91]; p = 0.009) than mbpRFA patients. When distant-only recurrences were considered in the mbpRFA patients, there was no significant difference in RFS (p = 0.087). The LLR survival benefit was consistent across pre-specified subgroups, with no interaction surviving correction for multiple testing. CONCLUSIONS:Minimally invasive modalities (LLR or mbpRFA) should be prioritized when treating early HCC. LLR maximizes oncological outcomes, but mbpRFA maintains optimal TFS with less morbidity.

Hepatic microwave ablation (MWA) is a growing treatment modality in the field of primary and secondary liver cancer. One potential side effect is thermal damage to adjacent structures, including the pericardium if the hepatic lesion is located near the diaphragm. Hemorrhagic cardiac tamponade is known to be a rare but potentially life-threatening complication. Here we present the first case of cardiac complication following MWA treatment in a 55-year-old man who presented with late cardiac tamponade. Adequate and timely management is essential, and clinicians should be fully aware of the need to perform early transthoracic echocardiography to detect signs of pericardial effusion when cardiac involvement is suspected.

Introduction: Pancreatic metastases from soft tissue sarcomas is rare.Case presentation: A woman known for high grade intimal sarcoma presented during her follow a solitary metastatic relapse of the head of pancreas.The MRI evidenced a 3.5 cm mass of the head of pancreas, hyper-intense on T1, T2 and diffusion weighted images.A new 18 F-FDG PET/CT confirmed the presence of a solitary hypermetabolic mass of the head of the pancreas (SUVmax 11.4), highly suspicious of an isolated pancreatic relapse.Results: Following multidisciplinary discussion, a pancreaticoduodenectomy with resection of whole gallbladder and locoregional lymph nodes dissection was performed.The patient had survived > 6 years after the pancreatectomy.Conclusions: Pancreatic metastases from STS are quite rare and no standard approach has been established yet.Multidisciplinary approach and evaluation of a surgical resection of isolated metastases can achieve long disease-free survival interval and be of curative intent.

Objectives: Bleeding risk after percutaneous portal vein access procedures is not negligible. Various agents, coils and plug, have been used to minimize this risk, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. This study reports the results of coagulation using thermal-ablation (radiofrequency or microwave ablation) as an alternative to trans-hepatic puncture tract closure. Methods: Ten patients who benefited from portal vein recanalization or portal hypertension-relative bleeding complication embolization using percutaneous portal vein access and who underwent thermal-ablation of the puncture tract between December 30, 2019 and July 16, 2020 were included. Early efficiency and safety were evaluated using imaging (ultrasound and/or CT scan) and laboratory data (hemoglobin, hepatic function) at 24 h. Follow-up was performed until August 2020. Results: No bleeding from the puncture tract and no embolization-related complications were observed in all 10 patients at 24 h or during follow-up with median of 3 months (range 1-8 months), even in case of ascites or therapeutic coagulation. Conclusion: Thermal-ablation seems to be a safe, effective and rapid technique to avoid bleeding after percutaneous transhepatic direct portal vein access. Advances in knowledge: Thermal-ablation could be an alternative for transhepatic puncture tract closure especially for patients with high bleeding risk.

BACKGROUND & AIMS:Long-term outcomes after percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) have been poorly studied. We aim to determine the outcomes after multibipolar RFA in these patients compared to other aetiologies as well as the prognostic impact of metabolic syndrome (MS).METHODS:Patients who underwent multibipolar RFA as the first treatment for HCC within Milan criteria (2008-2018) were enrolled in this multicentre retrospective cohort from four tertiary centres in France. The association of MS and NAFLD with adverse events and outcomes after percutaneous RFA were assessed using Kaplan Meier method, log-rank test and uni/multivariate analysis with the Cox models.RESULTS:Among 520 patients, 390 patients (75%) had at least one component of MS including obesity (30%) and 95% had cirrhosis. Sixty-two patients (12.6%) had NAFLD-HCC, 225 (45.5%) had alcohol-related-HCC, 36 (7.3%) had HBV-HCC and 171 (34.6%) had HCV-HCC. Patients with NAFLD-HCC were significantly older (median age 72.6 years, P < .001), more obese (median BMI 30.3 kg/m2 , P < .001) and had more components of MS. Patients with NAFLD-HCC achieved a median overall survival (OS) of 79 months (1-year, 3-year and 5-year OS of 90%, 71% and 59%). There were no differences in morbidity, tumour recurrence and OS among patients with NAFLD-HCC vs other aetiologies as well as no prognostic impact of metabolic components.CONCLUSIONS:Percutaneous multibipolar RFA is an efficient treatment in HCC patients with NAFLD or metabolic syndrome and achieved similar long-term oncological outcomes compared to other aetiologies.

Background & Aims: We aimed to evaluate long-term outcome of patients with chronic non-cirrhotic extrahepatic portal vein obstruction (CNC-EHPVO) who underwent portal vein recanalisation (PVR) without transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) insertion and to determine factors predicting PVR failure and stent occlusion.Methods: This retrospective monocentric study included all patients who underwent PVR without TIPS insertion in the context of CNC-EHPVO between the years 2000 and 2019. Primary patency was defined by the absence of a complete stent occlusion on follow-up imaging.Results: A total of 31 patients underwent PVR with a median follow-up of 52 months (24-82 months). Indications were gastrointestinal bleeding (n = 13), abdominal pain attributed to CNC-EHPVO (n = 7), prior to abdominal surgery (n = 4), and others (n = 7). Technical success was obtained in 27 patients. PVR failure was associated with extension within the intrahepatic portal veins (p = 0.005) and recanalisation for abdominal pain (p = 0.02). Adverse events occurred in 6 patients with no mortality. Anticoagulation was administered in 21 patients after technical success of PVR. In patients with technical success, 5-year primary patency was 73% and was associated with improved muscle mass (p = 0.007) and decreased spleen volume (p = 0.01) at 1 year. Furthermore, 21 (78%) patients with PVR technical success were free of portal hypertension complication at 5 years. Conclusions: PVR without TIPS insertion was feasible and safe in selected patients with CNC-EHPVO and portal hypertension with past or expected complications. Primary patency at 5 years was obtained in 3 of 4 patients with technical success of PVR and was associated with a control of complications of CNC-EHPVO. PVR was associated with improvement of sarcopenia and decreased spleen volume at 1 year.Lay summary: Patients with chronic obstruction of the portal vein and without cirrhosis or malignancy can develop complications related to the high pressure in the venous system. The present study reports long-term favourable outcome of patients in whom the obstruction was treated with stents. (c) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL). This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Hepatocellular benign liver tumours are mainly developed on normal liver and include hepatic hemangioma, focal nodular hyperplasia and hepatocellular adenoma from the most frequent to the less frequent. The diagnosis of hepatic hemangioma and of simple hepatic biliary cysts can be performed using non-invasive criteria using liver ultrasonography or contrast enhanced MRI. Most of the time the diagnosis of focal nodular hyperplasia can be achieved using contrast-enhanced ultrasonography or contrast enhanced MRI with an additional value of hepatobiliary contrast-agent in this setting. Rarely, if a doubt persists, a tumour and non-tumour liver biopsy can be required in order to establish the diagnosis. As hepatic hemangioma, simple hepatic biliary cysts and focal nodular hyperplasia are not associated with complications, they don't require any treatments or follow-up. Hepatocellular adenomas are mainly diagnosed at histology on surgical samples or liver biopsy even if some radiological features are highly suggestive of several subtypes of hepatocellular adenomas. Finally, the management of hepatocellular adenomas should be guided according to the tumour size, gender but also to the molecular subtypes.

Objectives: The potential contribution of ultrasound (US) to diagnose adductor longus (AL) tendinopathy in athletic pubalgia requires clarification. We investigate US findings from AL tendons of asymptomatic participants to identify the range and prevalence of common US features not associated with groin pain. Methods: We consecutively enrolled 45 volunteers physically active participants with no history of groin pain. US features of bilateral AL tendons were investigated and recorded by two experienced musculoskeletal radiologists (MSKR) in accordance with a defined ultrasound protocol. Two other MSKRs retrospectively and independently analyzed all US images. Results: Ninety AL tendons from 45 participants (4/45 women) were imaged (average age: 35 years +/- 14.6; dominant side: 37/45 (82.2%) right, 8/45 (17.8%) left). Abnormalities on US were found in all 45 (100%) AL tendons, including: abnormal echogenicity (98.9%/100% respectively according to reader), loss of fibrillar structure (92.2%/97.8%), irregularities of the superficial paratendon (23.3%/30%), calcifications (22.2%/ 25.5%), and cortical erosion (52%/55.5%), with excellent inter-observer assessment. No AL tears or hyperemia at color Doppler were detectable. Conclusions: AL tendon abnormalities were identified via US in 100% of our asymptomatic athletes. The significance of these US findings should be interpreted cautiously with respect to clinical presentation. On the other hand, there is a need for supplemental investigation into the clinical relevance of US AL tendon tears not present in the present asymptomatic athlete population.

PURPOSE:Chemo-radiotherapy (CRT) is the standard treatment for non-metastatic anal squamous cell carcinomas (ASCC). Despite excellent results for T1-2 stages, relapses still occur in around 35% of locally advanced tumors. Recent strategies focus on treatment intensification, but could benefit from a better patient selection. Our goal was to assess the prognostic value of pre-therapeutic MRI radiomics on 2-year disease control (DC).METHODS:We retrospectively selected patients with non-metastatic ASCC treated at the CHU Bordeaux and in the French FFCD0904 multicentric trial. Radiomic features were extracted from T2-weighted pre-therapeutic MRI delineated sequences. After random division between training and testing sets on a 2:1 ratio, univariate and multivariate analysis were performed on the training cohort to select optimal features. The correlation with 2-year DC was assessed using logistic regression models, with AUC and accuracy as performance gauges, and the prediction of disease-free survival using Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier analysis.RESULTS:A total of 82 patients were randomized in the training (n = 54) and testing sets (n = 28). At 2 years, 24 patients (29%) presented relapse. In the training set, two clinical (tumor size and CRT length) and two radiomic features (FirstOrder_Entropy and GLCM_JointEnergy) were associated with disease control in univariate analysis and included in the model. The clinical model was outperformed by the mixed (clinical and radiomic) model in both the training (AUC 0.758 versus 0.825, accuracy of 75.9% versus 87%) and testing (AUC 0.714 versus 0.898, accuracy of 78.6% versus 85.7%) sets, which led to distinctive high and low risk of disease relapse groups (HR 8.60, p = 0.005).CONCLUSION:A mixed model with two clinical and two radiomic features was predictive of 2-year disease control after CRT and could contribute to identify high risk patients amenable to treatment intensification with view of personalized medicine.

Purpose: To compare the reliability and accuracy of the pre-treatment dosimetry predictions using conebeam computed tomography (CBCT) versus Tc-99m-labeled macroaggregated albumin (MAA) SPECT/CT for perfused volume segmentation in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma treated by selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) using Y-90-glass microspheres. Materials and methods: Fifteen patients (8 men, 7 women) with a mean age of 68.3 +/- 10.5 (SD) years (range: 47-82 years) who underwent a total of 17 SIRT procedures using Y-90-glass microspheres for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma were retrospectively included. Pre-treatment dosimetry data were calculated from Tc-99m-MAA SPECT/CT using either CBCT or Tc-99m-MAA SPECT/CT to segment the perfused volumes. Post-treatment dosimetry data were calculated using Y-90 imaging (SPECT/CT or PET/CT). The whole liver, non-tumoral liver, and tumor volumes were segmented on CT or MRI data. The mean absorbed doses of the tumor (DT), non-tumoral liver, perfused liver (DPL) and perfused non-tumoral liver were calculated. Intraand interobserver reliabilities were investigated by calculating Lin's concordant correlation coefficients (Pc values). The differences (biases) between preand post-treatment dosimetry data were assessed using the modified Bland-Altman method (for non-normally distributed variables), and systematic bias was evaluated using Passing-Bablok regression. Results: The intraand interobserver reliabilities were good-to-excellent (pc: 0.80-0.99) for all measures using both methods. Compared with Y-90 imaging, the median differences were 5.8 Gy (IQR: -12.7; 16.1) and 5.6 Gy (IQR: -13.6; 10.2) for DPL-CBCT and DPL-Tc-99m-MAA SPECT/CT, respectively. The median differences were 1.6 Gy (IQR: -29; 7.53) and 9.8 Gy (IQR: -28.4; 19.9) for DT-CBCT and DT-Tc-99m-MAA SPECT/CT respectively. Passing-Bablok regression analysis showed that both CBCT and Tc-99m-MAA SPECT/CT had proportional biases and thus tendencies to overestimate DT and DPL at higher post-treatment doses. Conclusion: CBCT may be a reliable segmentation method, but it does not significantly increase the accuracy of dose prediction compared with that of Tc-99m-MAA SPECT/CT. At higher doses both methods tend to overestimate the doses to tumors and perfused livers. (C) 2020 Societe francaise de radiologie. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

The treatment of persistent lumbar radicular pain (LRP) by CT-guided epidural steroid injection (ESI) is extensively used and associated with rare but serious complications. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP), which has recently been shown to favor healing and the anti-inflammatory process by delivering growth factors and cytokines, might be an alternative and potentially safer option. We compared the efficacy of interlaminar CT-guided epidural PRP injections (EPRPI) and ESI in the treatment of persistent LRP (> 6 weeks). In this non-randomized comparative study, patients were prospectively assessed for pain using the numerical rating scale (NRS) and for function with the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) before and 6 weeks after treatment. Related paired and independent t tests were used for intra- and inter-group comparisons. A total of 60 patients were included in 2 groups (n = 30 EPRPI, n = 30 ESI). A statistically significant improvement was found in both groups at 6 weeks (mean NRS values 5.7 (± 2.36) at D0 and 3.7 (± 2.3) at 6 weeks (p < 0.01); mean ODI values 30 (± 11) at D0 and 21 (± 13) at 6 weeks (p < 0.01)). No significant difference was observed in the decrease in NRS and ODI scores between the 2 groups at 6 weeks (p = 0.848 and p = 0.314 for the NRS and ODI, respectively). No major complications were noted. The results of CT-guided interlaminar EPRPI are similar to ESI for the treatment of persistent LRP and could be a safer option. • Treatment of persistent lumbar radicular pain by CT-guided epidural steroid injections is associated with rare but serious complications. • By promoting an anti-inflammatory process, epidural platelet-rich plasma injections might be an alternative treatment of persistent radicular pain. • Platelet-rich plasma CT-guided epidural injections are similar to steroid for the treatment of lumbar radicular pain at 6 weeks post-procedure and could be a safer option.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has the tendency to invade the portal and/or hepatic venous system. The invasion of the right atrium is uncommonly observed and constitutes a treatment challenge. We report the case of a patient with HCC invading the right atrium treated with 90Yttrium-transarterial radioembolization (90Y-TARE). Following the treatment, organizing pneumonia secondary to nivolumab occurred, raising the question of an interaction between 90Y-TARE and nivolumab.

The percutaneous ablation of subcapsular hepatocellular carcinoma (S-HCC) may involve a risk of complications such as hemorrhage and tumor seeding, mainly linked to the direct tumor puncture often inevitable with mono-applicator ablation devices. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of no-touch multi-bipolar radiofrequency ablation (NTMBP-RFA) for the treatment of S-HCC ≤ 5 cm not puncturable via the non-tumorous liver parenchyma. Between September 2007 and December 2014, 58 consecutive patients (median age: 63 years [46–86], nine females) with 59 S-HCC ≤ 5 cm (median diameter: 25 mm [10–50 mm]), not puncturable via the non-tumorous liver parenchyma, were treated with NTMBP-RFA. Response and follow-up were assessed by CT or MRI. Complications were graded using the Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe classification. Overall local tumor progression (OLTP)-free survival was assessed using the Kaplan–Meier method. A Cox proportional model evaluated the factors associated with OLTP. Signs of peritoneal or parietal tumor seeding were noted during follow-up imaging studies. A complete ablation was achieved in 57/58 patients (98.3%) after one (n = 51) or two (n = 6) procedures. Three patients (5.2%) experienced complications (sepsis, cirrhosis decompensation; CIRSE grade 2 or 3). After a median follow-up period of 30.5 months [1–97], no patients had tumor seeding. The 1, 2 and 3-year OLTP-free survival rates were 98%, 94% and 91%, respectively. No factors were associated with OLTP. NTMBP-RFA is a safe and effective treatment for S-HCC not puncturable via the non-tumorous liver parenchyma.

e16661 Background: Nivolumab received accelerated approval by the FDA in 2017 for the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC). This study is aimed at evaluating the relationship between serious irAEs leading to treatment pause and survival of patients treated with nivolumab in our center. Methods: we performed a retrospective analysis of the patients treated at our center. The Kaplan Meir method was used to evaluate overall survival(OS). Log-rank test was conducted to compare groups in terms of OS. Adverse events were assessed using NCI CTCAE version 4.03 criteria. Results: Twenty patients with advanced HCC received nivolumab as palliative therapy between 2017-2019. 12/20 received nivolumab as first line treatment, 7/20 as second line. 6/20 patients stopped nivolumab due to serious irAEs including pancreatitis, kidney dysfunction and colitis leading to definitively stop of the therapy. The majority of patients received nivolumab in second line (5/6). The 1 year OS was 44% at the non-serious irAEs group and 84% in the serious irAEs group (p value = 0.0166). Median overall survival for the entire cohort was 11.4 months. The median OS was 8.11 months in patients without serious irAEs and 18.2 months in the group with toxicity. Conclusions: the occurrence of serious irAEs was associated with longer OS at our single center review. These results are in line with reports in other diseases such as lung cancer and melanoma. These retrospective data warrant further evaluation.

The therapeutic options in the treatment of cancer therapy have been recently significantly increased with systemic immune-targeted therapies. Novel immunotherapy approaches based on immune checkpoint blockade or engineered cytotoxic T lymphocytes have reached late-stage clinical development, with highly encouraging results. The success of cancer immunotherapy has generated a tremendous interest in further developing and exploring these strategies in combination with other approaches such as radiotherapy and local ablative therapies in oncology. The goal of this review is to discuss current approaches in immunotherapy and provide simple and constructive explanations on their mechanisms of action as well as certain more common and serious toxicities.

Objectives: To report the feasibility and efficacy of percutaneous ablation of small hepatic malignant tumors that are invisible on ultrasound and inaccessible using in-plane CT guidance, using a combination of high-frequency jet-ventilation (HFJV) and electromagnetic (EM) needle tracking. Methods: This study reviewed 27 percutaneous ablations of small hepatic tumors (<2 cm) performed using EM navigation-based probe placement and HFJV. All lesions were invisible on ultrasound and difficult to reach on CT requiring a double-oblique approach. The primary outcome was technical efficacy, defined as complete lesion coverage, and evaluated on contrast enhanced MRI after 3 and 6 months. Needle placement accuracy, the number of control CT acquisitions, procedure time, complications and radiation doses were assessed. Results: Twenty-one patients with 27 treated lesions (14 hepatocellular carcinomas and 13 metastases) were included in this study. Mean tumor size was 12 ± 5.7 mm. Thirty-three percent of the lesions were located on the hepatic dome. Complete ablation was obtained in 100% at the 3- and 6-month MRI follow-up. The ablation probe was correctly placed on the first pass in 96%, with a mean path-to-tumor angle of 7 ± 4 degrees and a mean tip-to-tumor distance of 22 ± 19mm. A readjustment for additional overlapping application resulted in complete treatment in 4 patients. Needle placement took a mean 23 ± 12 min with mean radiation doses of 558 mGy*cm. No major complications were reported. Conclusion: Percutaneous liver ablation of lesions that cannot be seen on US and requiring out-of-plane CT access can be successfully and safely treated using electromagnetic-based navigation and jet-ventilation.