Sudden-onset portal vein (PV) thrombosis can result in refractory massive ascites.Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) can be a bridge or rescue therapy for the restoration of portal blood flow and control of ascites.We present one case of a liver transplant recipient who underwent TIPS as a rescue therapy to control PV thrombosis-associated refractory ascites.The patient who had received living donor liver transplantation 15 years before had PV thrombosis, which resulted in sudden-onset massive ascites.TIPS was performed to control refractory ascites.Soon after TIPS, the amount of ascites decreased rapidly, and the patient was discharged at 3 weeks after TIPS.Anticoagulation was maintained to prevent thrombus formation.Liver function was maintained well after TIPS, but the patient suffered from several episodes of hepatic encephalopathy.At 6 months after TIPS, stent flow was well maintained with stable liver function.Retransplantation was planned for the patient.In conclusion, the present case suggests that TIPS can be used as a rescue therapy for refractory ascites in liver transplant recipients with graft failure-associated portal vein thrombosis.

Portal vein (PV) interposition using a vein homograft can induce various PV complications.We present a case of pediatric living-donor liver transplantation (LDLT) showing late-onset stenosis of the interposed PV conduit, which was treated by endovascular stenting.The patient was an 11-month-old female infant weighing 7.8 kg with hepatoblastoma.She was partially responsive to systemic chemotherapy.Thus, LDLT was performed to treat the tumor.The living donor was the 34-yearold mother of the patient.After non-anatomical size reduction, the weight of the reduced left lateral section graft was 235 g, with a graft-to-recipient weight ratio of 3.0%.Recipient hepatectomy was performed according to the standard procedures of pediatric LDLT.The graft PV was anastomosed with an interposed external iliac vein homograft.The liver graft was partially accommodated in the right subphrenic fossa, resulting in dextro-plantation.The patient recovered from LDLT operation.However, at 4 months after transplantation, PV conduit stenosis occurred.This PV stenosis was initially treated with balloon dilatation, but the stenosis did not disappear.Finally, endovascular stenting was performed.The patient has been doing well for 3 years 6 months after transplantation with patent PV flow.In conclusion, interposition of PV conduit carries risk of PV conduit stenosis, hence it is necessary to perform regular follow-up studies for PV patency for a prolonged period.Radiological intervention is the only therapeutic treatment for such PV conduit stenosis.

PURPOSE:To investigate the effectiveness of plug-assisted retrograde transvenous obliteration (PARTO) for portal steal from complicated portosystemic shunts (PSSs) in living-donor liver transplantation (LDLT).MATERIALS AND METHODS:This retrospective study included consecutive patients who underwent LDLT and intraoperative or postoperative PARTO for complicated PSS between January 2020 and December 2021. PARTO was performed when hepatofugal portal flow steal was identified during intraoperative cineportography, and afferent vein embolization was difficult because of multiple afferent veins or incomplete afferent vein embolization. Liver volume, complete obliteration of PSS, technical success, adverse events, and follow-up clinical and laboratory data were evaluated.RESULTS:Thirty-seven patients were included, and the technical success rate was 100% with no major adverse events. During the median follow-up of 20.0 months, all patients recovered well with suitable regeneration of the liver without graft dysfunction related to a portal steal. The liver volume significantly increased within 1 month (median, 956 vs 1,198 mL; P < .001). Complete obliteration of a PSS occurred in 36 of 37 (97.3%) patients, and there was no recurrence during follow-up. The Child-Pugh score, serum albumin and total bilirubin levels, and prothrombin time showed significant improvement over serial follow-up. Compared with preprocedural values (14.9 cm/s), follow-up portal flow (median) peaked on the first day (71.2 cm/s, P < .001) and then remained significantly high at 1 week (60.3 cm/s, P < .001) and 1 month (53.1 cm/s, P < .001), in accordance with the graft regeneration.CONCLUSIONS:PARTO is an effective procedure for the treatment of complicated PSS in LDLT.

Although the distribution of arterial involvement is still the subject of controversy for defining the diagnostic criteria for thromboangiitis obliterans (TAO), several reports have described TAO involving the more proximal arterial segment. This study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics and outcomes of large artery TAO in comparison with those of small artery TAO.Between January 2007 and July 2019, 83 consecutive symptomatic patients with a diagnosis of lower extremity TAO were stratified according to the most proximal arterial involvement, with the cutoff level of the adductor canal as a reference (large artery TAO versus small artery TAO), and analyzed retrospectively. The study outcomes included any amputations and major amputations.The large artery TAO group consisted of 30 patients (36.1%), and the small artery TAO group consisted of 53 patients (63.9%). In terms of clinical symptoms and signs, the proportion of major tissue loss (Rutherford class 6) was significantly higher among patients with large artery TAO than among those with small artery TAO (13.3% versus 0%, P = .02). Any amputation rate was similar between the large and small artery TAO groups during the median follow-up period of 148 months (range, 0-376 months) (43.3% versus 28.3%, P = .16). However, the major amputation rate was significantly higher among patients with large artery TAO (13.3% versus 0%, P = .02). On Kaplan-Meier survival analysis of the cumulative event-free rates, although there was a similar 10-year amputation-free survival rate (P = .24) between the 2 groups, the large artery TAO group had a significantly lower 10-year major amputation-free survival rate (P < .01) than the small artery TAO group.Large artery TAO is a limb-threatening condition and had a worse prognosis than small artery TAO.

Objective: To investigate the long-term outcomes of percutaneous treatment of benign biliary strictures using temporary placement of a retrievable expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) covered stent.Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the outcomes of 148 patients (84 male and 64 female; age range, 11-92 years) who underwent percutaneous transhepatic placement and removal of a retrievable PTFE-covered stent for the treatment of benign biliary strictures between March 2007 and August 2019 through long-term follow-up. Ninety-two patients had treatment-naive strictures and 56 had recurrent/refractory strictures.Results: Stent placement was technically successful in all 148 patients. The mean indwelling period of the stent was 2.4 months (median period, 2.3 months; range, 0.2-7.7 months). Stent migration, either early or late, occurred in 28 (18.9%) patients. Clinical success, defined as resolution of stricture after completing stent placement and removal, was achieved in 94.2% (131 of 139 patients). The overall complication rate was 15.5% (23 of 148 patients). During the mean follow-up of 60.2 months (median period, 52.7 months; range, 1.6-146.1 months), 37 patients had a recurrence of clinically significant strictures at 0.5-124.5 months after removal of biliary stent and catheter (median, 16.1 months). The primary patency rates at 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10 years after removal of biliary stent and catheter were 88.2%, 70.0%, 66.2%, 60.5%, and 54.5%, respectively. In the multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression analysis, sex, age, underlying disease, relation to surgery, stricture type, biliary stones, history of previous treatment, and stricture site were not significantly associated with the primary patency. Conclusion: Long-term outcomes suggest that percutaneous treatment of benign biliary strictures using temporary placement of retrievable PTFE-covered stents may be a clinically effective method.

Purpose:Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) has lower perioperative mortality and morbidity rates and shorter hospital stays when compared to open surgical repair (OSR) in octogenarian patients. However, its long-term results remain unclear. Hence, we aimed to analyze and compare the long-term outcomes of OSR and EVAR in this aging population.Methods:This single-center, retrospective, observational study analyzed the data of patients older than 80 years who underwent primary repair of an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) between 2011 and 2016 in our hospital. The primary outcomes were in-hospital complications and 30-day mortality, while the secondary outcomes included all-cause mortality and reintervention rate.Results:Among the 48 patients with elective AAA repair, 13 underwent OSR and 35 underwent EVAR. In-hospital complications occurred in 10 patients (20.8%), 5 for OSR (38.5%) and 5 for EVAR (14.3%) with no significant difference between the groups (P = 0.067). In the OSR group, pulmonary complications were the most common events; in the EVAR group, 2 patients had ischemic colitis diagnosed with sigmoidoscopy and recovered by conservative treatment. The 1- and 5-year survival rates were 77.8% and 55.6% in the OSR group, and 66.0% and 54.9% in the EVAR group, respectively. The reintervention rate was 8.6% for the EVAR group; none of the OSR group were readmitted.Conclusion:The difference in procedures did not affect patient survival. Therefore, OSR does not necessarily have a worse prognosis than EVAR. Individual risk stratification must be preceded before the selection of an appropriate treatment method.

The clinical impact of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in predicting outcomes in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients treated with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) remain unclear, and additional large-scale studies are required. This retrospective study evaluated outcomes in treatment-naïve patients who received TACE as first-line treatment for intermediate-stage HCC between 2008 and 2017. Patients who underwent TACE before and after 2013 were assigned to the development (n = 495) and validation (n = 436) cohorts, respectively. Multivariable Cox analysis identified six factors predictive of outcome, including NLR, which were used to create models predictive of overall survival (OS) in the development cohort. Risk scores of 0–3, 4–7, and 8–12 were defined as low, intermediate, and high risk, respectively. Median OS times in the low-, medium-, and high-risk groups in the validation cohort were 48.1, 24.3, and 9.7 months, respectively (p < 0.001). Application to the validation cohort of time-dependent ROC curves for models predictive of OS showed AUC values of 0.72 and 0.70 at 3 and 5 years, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression analysis found that NLR ≥ 3 was a significant predictor (odds ratio, 3.4; p < 0.001) of disease progression 6 months after TACE. Higher baseline NLR was predictive of poor prognosis in patients who underwent TACE for intermediate-stage HCC.

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to compare the safety and efficacy of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) with 30- to 60-μm drug-eluting microspheres with those of cisplatin-based TACE in the treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS. This retrospective single-center study included 607 patients who underwent drug-eluting microsphere (30-60 μm, loaded with doxorubicin) TACE (n = 119) or cisplatin-based TACE (n = 488) as first-line treatment of unresectable HCC between April 2017 and April 2018. With a propensity model correcting for selection bias, patients were selected from each treatment group to compare the effectiveness of drug-eluting microsphere TACE with that of cisplatin TACE. RESULTS. In the entire study population, the rates of major complications (1.7% vs 1.8%, p > 0.999), objective tumor response (80.7% vs 79.7%, p = 0.899), and time to progression (p = 0.536) were not significantly different between the drug-eluting microsphere TACE and cisplatin TACE groups. However, the drug-eluting microsphere TACE group had significantly higher objective tumor regression rates in subgroups with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage C disease (p = 0.033) and a maximal tumor size larger than 5 cm (p = 0.011). After adjustment by propensity score matching, the rates of major complications, objective tumor response, and time to progression remained similar between the two groups. CONCLUSION. Both TACE with 30- to 60-μm drug-eluting microspheres and cisplatin TACE were safe and effective for treating unresectable HCC. In patients with BCLC stage C disease and patients with large (> 5 cm) HCCs, TACE with 30- to 60-μm drug-eluting micro-spheres may have a better chance of obtaining an objective tumor response than conventional TACE performed with the protocol used in this study.

This study aimed to identify new predictors of sac behavior after endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR) and to investigate whether sac behavior is associated with long-term clinical outcomes. A total of 168 patients undergoing successful EVAR for abdominal aortic aneurysms with CTA follow-up of at least 1 year were included. Predictors of aneurysm sac behavior and its impact on long-term clinical outcomes were retrospectively analyzed. According to sac behavior, eligible patients were stratified into the sac regression group (n = 79, 47.0%) and the sac non-regression group (n = 89, 53.0%). Patients in the regression group were younger (p = 0.036) and more likely to take sarpogrelate hydrochloride postoperatively (p = 0.011) than those in the non-regression group. The incidence of postimplantation syndrome (PIS) was significantly higher in the regression group (p = 0.005). On multivariate analysis, sac regression was more likely to occur in those with PIS (hazard ratio [HR], 1.68; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.07–2.64; p = 0.023) and less likely to occur in those with transient type II endoleaks (HR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.20–0.95; p = 0.037) and higher thrombus density within the sac on follow-up CTA (HR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.95–0.99; p = 0.013). Non-regression of the sac was associated with significantly higher rates of re-intervention during the follow-up period (p = 0.001). In addition to type II endoleaks, PIS and thrombus density are new predictors of aneurysm sac behavior, and sac regression is significantly associated with lower rates of re-intervention. • After endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR), patients with sac regression were younger and more likely to take sarpogrelate hydrochloride postoperatively than those with sac non-regression. • The incidence of postimplantation syndrome (PIS) was significantly higher in patients with sac regression. • In our analysis, PIS and thrombus density within the sac were newly identified predictors of aneurysm sac behavior after EVAR.

Purpose To report our clinical experience of thrombin injection for iatrogenic pseudoaneurysms of peripheral arteries with or without balloon dilatation and coil embolization as adjunctive techniques. Materials and Methods A total of 10 patients undergoing thrombin injection for iatrogenic pseudoaneurysms from September 2007 to June 2017 were retrospectively investigated. The causative procedures, location of pseudoaneurysms, and complications were recorded, and technical and clinical success rates of the treatment were assessed. Results The femoral and brachial arteries were treated in eight and two patients, respectively. Technical success was confirmed in all cases, and a clinical success rate was 70% (7/10) was noted. Two patients presented with a complication of acute thrombosis at the distal arteries. In 7 patients, balloon occlusion was performed before injection of thrombin to prevent the spread of thrombin. Coil embolization of the distal branch was also performed in one of these patients. Conclusion For pseudoaneurysms of the femoral and brachial arteries that develop after various vascular procedures, thrombin injection is a safe and efficient treatment choice. In some cases, where there is concern for thrombin leakage, balloon occlusion and coil embolization could be performed together.

Background: To retrospectively investigate the use of angiography as a diagnostic tool and evaluate technical and clinical efficacy of transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) in Crohn's disease-related gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding. Methods: Institutional Review Board approval with waiver of patients' informed consent requirement was obtained. There were 39 angiographies performed in 24 patients (male:female = 18:6, median age = 25 years) presenting with Crohn's disease-related GI bleeding between 2001 and 2014. The technical and clinical success rate of TAE as well as procedure-related complications and 2-year mortality rate were evaluated. Clinical factors such as vital signs and laboratory findings as well as other modalities of investigations were analyzed. Results: Among 39 angiographies, 25.6% of angiographies were performed as the initial choice of investigation and angiography was performed after endoscopy failed to identify a bleeding site in 33.3%. There were negative angiographic findings in 66.7% (26/39). TAE (n = 13) demonstrated 100% technical success rate and 69.2% (9/13) clinical success rate with one case of ischemic complication and one case of mortality due to combined pneumonia. Ileal branches were the most frequent site of embolization and the combination of gelatin sponge slurry and microcoil was most commonly used. Conclusion: Angiography and TAE may be the initial or follow-up management option in patients with Crohn's disease presenting with acute GI bleeding. Although the rate of negative angiographic findings was high (66.7%), TAE showed high technical success rate and acceptable clinical success rate in patients with positive angiographic findings. Copyright (C) 2019, Society of Gastrointestinal Intervention.

Background Acute deep venous thrombi (DVT) have higher Hounsfield unit values than chronic (bland) thrombi at CT venography. Purpose To determine the relationship between DVT thrombus density found on CT venography images to the presence of acute pulmonary embolism (PE) and the future risk of postthrombotic syndrome (PTS) in patients with DVT. Materials and Methods In this retrospective study, patients were divided into two groups: PE with DVT group and DVT-only group. Wells scores were recorded. Thrombus density ratios were calculated (DVT thrombus Hounsfield units/surrounding vein Hounsfield units). The presence or absence of PTS was determined from the results of the Venous Insufficiency Epidemiologic and Economic Study on Quality of Life (VEINES-QOL) questionnaires given to the patients with DVT. Statistical analyses used receiver operating characteristic curves and Spearman correlation analyses. Results Eighty-six patients were included; the mean age was 60 years ± 17 (51 men; PE with DVT group, 54 patients [63%]; DVT-only group, 32 patients [37%]). The mean thrombus density ratio was significantly higher in the PE with DVT group than in the DVT-only group (53.6% ± 12.4 [standard deviation] vs 42.8% ± 11.9, respectively; P < .001). At multivariable analysis, Wells score greater than 4 (odds ratio, 12.0; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.0, 47; P < .001) and higher thrombus density ratio (odds ratio, 1.1; 95% CI: 1.0, 1.2; P = .001) were independent predictors of PE. The diagnostic performance for the thrombus density ratio (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.74; 95% CI: 0.63, 0.85; P < .001) may be more discriminative than that of the Wells score (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.70; 95% CI: 0.59, 0.81; P = .002) for the presence of PE. In subgroup analysis, the thrombus density ratio and VEINES-QOL score were correlated (r = 0.61; 95% CI: 0.30, 0.80; P < .001). Conclusion Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) density ratio at CT venography was associated with acute pulmonary embolism in patients with lower-extremity DVT. © RSNA, 2019 Online supplemental material is available for this article.

Purpose: To compare survival outcomes of patients with single medium-sized hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) who underwent treatment with transarterial chemoembolization, radiofrequency (RF) ablation, or a combination of the 2 therapies. Materials and Methods: Between 2000 and 2016, 538 patients underwent combined chemoembolization and RF ablation (n = 109), chemoembolization alone (n = 314), or RF ablation alone (n = 115) as first-line treatment for a single medium-sized (3.1-5.0 cm) HCC. Baseline demographic data (age, sex, etiology, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, presence of liver cirrhosis, and serum bilirubin, albumin, and a-fetoprotein levels) were similar among groups except for Child-Pugh class, albumin level, and tumor size. Propensity-score analysis with inverse probability weighting (IPW) was used to reduce any bias in treatment selection and other potential confounding factors. Results: Median follow-up time was 46.2 months. Before IPW, overall survival (OS) durations were significantly different among the 3 groups (median, 85 months for combined therapy, 56.5 months for chemoembolization alone, and 52.1 months for RF ablation alone; P = .01). The 10-year OS rates were 40.1%, 25.5%, and 19.5% for the combined, chemoembolization-only, and RF ablation-only groups, respectively. After IPW, OS remained superior in the combined chemoembolization/RF ablation group compared with the monotherapy groups (10-y OS, 41.8% with combined therapy, 28.4% with chemoembolization alone, and 11.9% with RF ablation alone; P = .022). Conclusions: Chemoembolization plus RF ablation may provide better survival outcomes than chemoembolization or RF ablation monotherapy, and can be considered a viable alternative treatment for unresectable single medium-sized HCCs.

We aimed to compare the clinical outcomes between endovascular treatment and inframalleolar bypass surgery for critical limb ischemia (CLI) in patients with thromboangiitis obliterans (TAO) and to assess the role of bypass surgery in the era of innovative endovascular treatment. Between January 2007 and December 2017, a total of 33 consecutive patients with the diagnosis of TAO presenting with CLI who underwent endovascular treatment (endovascular group, n = 22) or bypass surgery to the pedal or plantar vessels (bypass group, n = 11) were included and analyzed retrospectively. The primary endpoint was defined as a major amputation of the index limb, and the secondary endpoint was defined as graft occlusion, regardless of the number of subsequent procedures. In the bypass group, six patients (55%) had undergone previous failed endovascular procedures and/or arterial bypass surgery to the index limb before inframalleolar bypass, and two patients (18%) received microvascular flap reconstruction after bypass surgery. During the median follow-up period of 32 months (range 1-115 months), there were no significant differences in primary and secondary endpoints between the two groups although the bypass group had a higher Rutherford class than the endovascular group. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that there were similar limb salvage (P = 0.95) and graft patency rates (P = 0.39). In conclusion, endovascular treatment is a valid strategy leading to an acceptable limb salvage rate for TAO patients, and surgical bypass to distal target vessels could play a vital role in cases of previous failed endovascular treatment or extensive soft tissue loss of the foot.

Background: Endovascular treatment has become a significant therapeutic option for the management of intractable bleeding in gynecologic malignancies. However, the endovascular treatment types were almost never mentioned when active bleeding from different arteries was identified. Purpose: To present angiographic details and evaluate clinical efficacy of endovascular treatments to control active vaginal bleeding in uterine cervical cancer patients treated with radiotherapy. Material and Methods: In this retrospective study, six, consecutive cervical cancer patients treated with radiotherapy who underwent endovascular treatment for active vaginal bleeding were included. Angiographic findings, endovascular treatment details, and clinical outcomes were obtained. Results: Ten endovascular procedures were technically successful, in which bleeding arteries were the internal iliac artery/its branches (n = 5), external iliac artery (EIA) (n = 3), uterine artery (n = 1), and superior rectal artery (n = 1), and bleeding manifested as contrast extravasation (n = 6), pseudoaneurysm (n = 1), or both (n = 3). Three of the four repeated procedures showed different bleeding sites from the primary ones. Stent graft was inserted to preserve the patency of the bleeding EIA in two patients. For another EIA rupture, both proximal and distal embolization were performed, followed by femoral-to-femoral bypass to preserve blood flow. Bleeding control within one month was achieved in 80% (8/10). One minor complication, mild transient pelvic pain, occurred in one patient. Conclusions: Various endovascular treatment was feasible and effective to control active vaginal bleeding from cervical cancer. Repeated procedures showed commonly different bleeding foci and stent graft insertion was effective for preserving the patency of the large bleeding artery.