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International audience; ObjectiveThis study assessed primary stent patency predictive factors in three groups of patients with history of lower limb (LL) vein thrombosis: non-thrombotic iliac vein lesion (NIVL), acute deep vein thrombosis (aDVT), and post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS).MethodsConsecutive patients from January 2014 to December 2020 with history of LL vein stenting from seven hospitals were included. All patients received an iliac or common femoral venous stent and had at least a six month follow up available with stent imaging. Anticoagulant and antiplatelet therapy strategies employed after venous stenting are reported and compared between groups.ResultsThis study included 377 patients: 134 NIVL, 55 aDVT, and 188 PTS. Primary patency was statistically significantly higher in the NIVL group (99.3%) compared with the PTS group (68.6%) (p < .001) and the aDVT group (83.6%) (p = .002). PTS patients received a statistically significantly greater number of stents (p < .001) and had more stents below the inguinal ligament (p < .001). Median follow up was 28.8 months (IQR 16, 47). Discontinuation of antiplatelet therapy at the last assessment was 83.6% for NIVL, 100% for aDVT, and 95.7% for the PTS group (p < .001). Discontinuation of anticoagulation therapy at the last assessment was 93.2% for NIVL, 25.0% for aDVT, and 70.3% for the PTS group (p < .001). The only predictor of worse primary patency in the aDVT group was long term anticoagulation before stenting.ConclusionPatients with NIVL have better primary patency after venous stenting than patients with venous thrombotic disorders. Long term anticoagulation before stenting was the only factor associated with poorer primary patency in patients with aDVT.

OBJECTIVES Our goal was to evaluate results of endovascular aortic arch repair using the Relay Branch system. METHODS Forty-three patients with thoracic aortic pathology involving the aortic arch have been treated with the Relay Branch system (Terumo Aortic, Sunrise, FL, USA) in 10 centres. We assessed in-hospital mortality, neurological injury, treatment success according to current reporting standards and the need for secondary interventions. In addition, outcome was analysed according to the underlying pathology: non-dissective disease versus residual aortic dissection (RAD) (defined as remaining dissection after previous type A repair, chronic type B aortic dissections). RESULTS In-hospital mortality was 9% (0% in patients with RAD). Disabling stroke occurred in 7% (0% in patients with RAD); non-disabling stroke occurred in 19% (7% in patients with RAD). Early type IA and B endoleak formation occurred in 4%. Median follow-up was 16 ± 18 months. During the follow-up period, 23% of the patients died. Aortic-related deaths were low (3% in patients with RAD). CONCLUSIONS The results of endovascular aortic arch repair using the Relay Branch system in a selected patient population with regard to technical success are good. In-hospital mortality is acceptable, the number of disabling strokes is low and technical success is high. Non-disabling stroke is a major concern, and every effort has to be taken to reduce this to a minimum. The best outcome is seen in patients with underlying RAD. Finally, more data are needed.

Resume Introduction L’embolie pulmonaire (EP) est une pathologie cardiovasculaire frequente et potentiellement grave. Le traitement de l’EP repose sur une stratification appropriee du risque, pour une prise en charge adaptee. Le but de cet article est de definir la place des nouvelles methodes endovasculaires pour la prise en charge des embolies pulmonaires, sur la base d’un consensus pluridisciplinaire. Donnees recentes Brievement, pour une EP a haut risque, presentant un etat de choc ou un arret cardiaque, une thrombolyse systemique ou une embolectomie est recommandee, alors que pour une EP a faible risque, l’anticoagulation seule est proposee. Les patients normaux tendus atteints d’EP mais presentant des signes biologiques ou d’imagerie de dysfonctionnement du cœur droit constituent un groupe dit « a risque intermediaire » pour lequel la strategie therapeutique reste controversee. En effet, certains patients peuvent necessiter une prise en charge plus agressive en complement du traitement anticoagulant, car environ 10 % vont decompenser hemodynamiquement avec un risque de mortalite eleve. La thrombolyse systemique peut etre une option, mais avec des risques hemorragiques en particulier intracrâniens. Des approches pharmaco-mecaniques hybrides variees sont proposees pour conserver les avantages de la thrombolyse tout en reduisant ses risques, mais l’experience clinique globale de ces differentes techniques reste limitee. Les patients presentant une embolie pulmonaire a risque intermediaire eleve et a haut risque doivent etre pris en charge par une equipe pluridisciplinaire alliant les competences des cardiologues, reanimateurs, pneumologues, radiologues interventionnels et chirurgiens cardiaques. Une telle equipe peut determiner quelle intervention – thrombolyse seule ou assistee, fragmentation mecanique percutanee du thrombus ou embolectomie chirurgicale – convient le mieux a un patient particulier. Conclusion A partir des donnees de la litterature, il est possible de stratifier la prise en charge des embolies pulmonaires en fonction du tableau clinique et de proposer a certaines formes severes une thrombectomie endovasculaire.

Primary Aldosteronism (PA) is increasingly considered as a common disease affecting up to 10% of the hypertensive population. Standard of care comprises laparoscopic total adrenalectomy but innovative treatment such as RadioFrequency Ablation (RFA) constitutes an emerging promising alternative to surgery. The main aim of this study is to analyse the cost of RFA versus surgery on aldosterone-producing adenoma patient from the French National Health Insurance (FNHI) perspective.The ADERADHTA study was a prospective pilot study aiming to evaluate both safety and efficacy of the novel use of adrenal RFA on the patients with PA. This study conducted on two French sites and enrolled adult patients, between 2016 and 2018, presenting hypertension and underwent the RFA procedure. Direct medical (inpatient and outpatient) and non-medical (transportation, daily allowance) costs were calculated over a 6-month follow-up period. Moreover, the procedure costs for the RFA were calculated from the hospital perspective. Descriptive statistics were implemented.Analysis was done on 21 patients in RFA groups and 27 patients in the surgery group. The difference in hospital costs between the RFA and surgery groups was €3774 (RFA: €1923; Surgery: €5697 p 0.001) in favour of RFA. Inpatient and outpatient costs over the 6-month follow-up period were estimated at €3,48 for patients who underwent RFA. The production cost of implementing the RFA procedure was estimated at €1539 from the hospital perspective.Our study was the first to show that RFA is 2 to 3 times less costly than surgery. The trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under the number NCT02756754.

International audience; Objective: The indication of percutaneous renal transluminal angioplasty (PTRA) in fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) is mainly based on renal artery stenosis (RAS) due to atherosclerosis criteria, which are not specific to FMD. Consequently, the selection of patients who could benefit from this treatment and its effectiveness remain uncertain. The aims of this study were to: (1) report the effects of PTRA guided by trans-stenotic pressure measurements on hypertension 7 months after treatment; (2) assess the impact of pressure measurement to guide treatment efficacy in comparison to visual angiographic parameters; and (3) evaluate the reproducibility and accuracy of the stenosis measurement using a 4F catheter in comparison to a pressure guidewire.Methods: This prospective multi-centric study analyzed 24 patients with hypertension with RAS due to FMD that required PTRA. Clinical, duplex ultrasound, and angiographic indices were collected, and patients were followed up for 7 months (±1 month). Angiographic indices were measured twice both by a pressure guidewire and a 4F catheter. Assessment of procedural and clinical success of angioplasty was performed for all patients.Results: Twenty-three patients (96%) had procedural success (considered as a post-PTRA translesional systolic gradient ≤10 mmHg or reduced by at least 80%) with a significant decrease in the systolic gradient after angioplasty (26.50 mmHg; [interquartile range, 16.75-38.75] vs 0.00 [interquartile range, 0.00-2.00]; P < .01). Three patients (12%) had complications, including two renal artery dissections and one partial renal infarction. Twenty-one patients (88%) were clinical responders to angioplasty at follow-up. Visual stenosis assessment showed a poor correlation with systolic gradient measurement before and after PTRA (R from -0.05 to 0.41; P = 0.06-0.82). High correlations were found between pressure measurements made by a 4F catheter and guidewire (R from 0.64 to 0.89; P ≤ .003).Conclusions: In patients selected by clinical indicators and duplex ultrasound, reaching a translesional systolic gradient ≤10 mmHg or reduced by at least 80% after angioplasty, promotes a high success rate for PTRA in hypertension due to FMD RAS.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02586870.

Objective To describe mid-term outcomes of the use of EndoAnchors as an adjunct for arch and thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR). Methods A retrospective multicentre series from nine centres using the Heli-FX EndoAnchor System (Medtronic Inc, Minneapolis, USA) at TEVAR over May 2014–May 2019 is presented. The study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov with number NCT04100499. The primary outcome was freedom from Type I endoleak at EndoAnchors deployments; secondary outcomes included evaluation of aortic wall penetration (AWP) at first computed tomography scan, EndoAnchor-related issues and mortality. Results 54 high-risk patients (35 males/19 females, age 73 ± 11 years) with arch, thoracic and thoracoabdominal aneurysmal disease (3 chronic post-dissection and one patch pseudoaneurysm), with a mean neck length 19.7 ± 6.6 mm that were treated with multiple hybrid and endovascular techniques were included. A total of 329 EndoAnchors were used with a mean of 6.1 ± 2.5 per patient. Overall adequate AWP was 86%, whereas arch (Ishimaru’s zones 0–2) deployments achieved 80.6% when compared to 87.3% in descending thoracic aorta (dTA); although there was no statistical significance. Freedom from type I endoleaks was 88% at 2 year follow-up, due to 4 type IA endoleaks, two of them successfully treated, one with conservative treatment due to complexity of repair and remaining patient died 1 year later due to endograft infection. There were reported five EndoAnchor-related issues; four losses and one renal stent-graft was crushed due to catheter deflection solved with balloon reinflation. None of the losses had clinical significance. Overall mortality is described for 7 (9.5%) patients, one of them aneurysm-related. Conclusions The adjunctive use of EndoAnchors in TEVAR and complex TEVAR procedures achieved acceptable outcomes at midterm in a high-risk series with hostile seal zones. Still, they should be still judiciously used as there is lack of data to suggest a more liberal use; therefore, the landing zone should not be compromised in favour of their use.

Purpose: To describe steps related to intraoperative C-arm orientations that can be taken during preoperative planning of thoracic stent-graft repair to facilitate the deployment of EndoAnchors in the distal aortic arch. Technique: Previous experience from transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) may be helpful in addressing issues with C-arm orientation. In TAVI, preoperative computed tomography (CT) images are routinely obtained to generate a patient-specific curve that represents a virtually complete rotation of the C-arm perpendicular to the annulus. The curve clearly demonstrates that each adjustment in cranial or caudal view needs parallax correction in the left or right anterior oblique direction to remain perpendicular, and vice versa. This experience can be translated to the preoperative planning of EndoAnchor use in the aortic arch. By placing markers along the circumference of the proximal landing zone of the preoperative CT scan, the required C-arm orientations can be determined for each marker. Conclusion: Determining the optimal C-arm orientation during preoperative planning will facilitate successful EndoAnchor deployment and may contribute to improved durability of endovascular repair in hostile necks in the aortic arch.

BACKGROUND Right ventricular (RV) function is a powerful independent predictor of adverse heart failure outcomes. The aim of this study was to compare the predictive value of main RV systolic imaging parameters for outcome. METHODS Seventy-nine patients underwent comprehensive cardiovascular imaging modalities including transthoracic echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging, and tomographic equilibrium radionuclide ventriculography (ERV) for the assessment of RV function. The composite primary endpoint (CPE) was defined by the occurrence of death, heart transplantation, implantation of a left ventricular assist device, or new-onset acute heart failure. RESULTS During a mean follow-up of 13 ± 9 months, 15 (19%) patients reached the CPE. The areas under the receiver operator characteristic curves for the prediction of the CPE were 0.922 (P

Purpose To evaluate the impact of blended learning using a combination of educational resources (flipped classroom and short videos) on medical students’ (MSs) for radiology learning. Material and methods A cohort of 353 MSs from 2015 to 2018 was prospectively evaluated. MSs were assigned to four groups (high, high-intermediate, low-intermediate, and low achievers) based on their results to a 20-MCQs performance evaluation referred to as the pretest. MSs had then free access to a self-paced course totalizing 61 videos based on abdominal imaging over a period of 3 months. Performance was evaluated using the change between posttest (the same 20 MCQs as pretest) and pretest results. Satisfaction was measured using a satisfaction survey with directed and spontaneous feedbacks. Engagement was graded according to audience retention and attendance on a web content management system. Results Performance change between pre and posttest was significantly different between the four categories (ANOVA, P = 10−9): low pretest achievers demonstrated the highest improvement (mean ± SD, + 11.3 ± 22.8 points) while high pretest achievers showed a decrease in their posttest score (mean ± SD, − 3.6 ± 19 points). Directed feedback collected from 73.3% of participants showed a 99% of overall satisfaction. Spontaneous feedback showed that the concept of “pleasure in learning” was the most cited advantage, followed by “flexibility.” Engagement increased over years and the number of views increased of 2.47-fold in 2 years. Conclusion Learning formats including new pedagogical concepts as blended learning, and current technologies allow improvement in medical student’s performance, satisfaction, and engagement.

Aortic valvular calcium score (AVCS) can identify severe aortic stenosis (AS) and provide powerful prognostic information. In severe and symptomatic AS, patients can be referred for a transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). The aim of this study was to determine whether AVCS, measured on the preoperative contrast enhanced multislice computed tomography (MSCT), is associated with device success (DS), major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) and paravalvular leak (PVL) after TAVR. Three hundred and fifty-two consecutive patients who underwent TAVR with a preoperative standardised contrast enhanced MSCT were included in the study. Valvular calcification detection was defined by adding + 100 Hounsfield Unit (HU) to mean HU determined by a region of interest placed in the contrast enhanced ascending aorta. AVCS was then indexed to the aortic annulus surface (AVCSi). Endpoints were DS and 30-day MACE according to Valve Academic Research Consortium-2 consensus document, and moderate to severe PVL. DS was obtained for 305 patients. In multivariate analysis, AVCSi was negatively and independently associated with DS: OR = 0.99, 95% CI 0.99–0.99, p = 0.03. In the subgroup analysis, this association was particularly relevant with self-expanding prostheses [n = 151 (43%), p = 0.018] and in the cases of asymmetric calcium valvular distribution [n = 283 (80%), p 0.002]. There was no association between MACE and AVCS (p = 0.953) and AVCSi (p = 0.757). PVL was positively associated with AVCS (p

For thoracic endovascular aortic repair of the arch, branched and fenestrated endografts are available with different limitations regarding anatomy and extent of the pathology. Comparisons are lacking in the literature. The aim of this study was to compare the results of 2 currently commercially available devices for branched thoracic endovascular aortic repair and fenestrated thoracic endovascular aortic repair.In a retrospective, multicenter cohort study, a consecutive patient series treated with branched thoracic endovascular aortic repair or fenestrated thoracic endovascular aortic repair for aortic arch pathologies was assessed. Baseline characteristics, procedural fenestrated thoracic endovascular aortic repair, and outcome were analyzed. Furthermore, the potential anatomic feasibility of the respective alternate device was assessed on the preoperative computed tomography scans.The branched thoracic endovascular aortic repair and fenestrated thoracic endovascular aortic repair cohorts consisted of 20 and 34 patients, respectively, with similar comorbidities; indication was aneurysm in 65% and 79%, penetrating aortic ulcer in 20% and 9%, and dissection in the remaining procedures, respectively. Technical success was achieved in all but 1 patient. Perioperative mortality and major stroke rate were both 10% in branched thoracic endovascular aortic repair and 0% and 3% in fenestrated thoracic endovascular aortic repair, respectively. During follow-up of 31 and 40 months, 1 branch occlusion occurred in the branched thoracic endovascular aortic repair cohort, and 2 late endoleaks occurred in the fenestrated thoracic endovascular aortic repair group. One aortic death occurred. Although 35% of patients undergoing branched thoracic endovascular aortic repair were anatomically suitable for fenestrated thoracic endovascular aortic repair, 91% of those undergoing fenestrated thoracic endovascular aortic repair were suitable for branched thoracic endovascular aortic repair.Both branched thoracic endovascular aortic repair and fenestrated thoracic endovascular aortic repair show excellent technical success and acceptable complication rates, whereas branched thoracic endovascular aortic repair tends toward higher morbidity, especially stroke rates. By offering fenestrated thoracic endovascular aortic repair along with branched thoracic endovascular aortic repair, aortic centers could potentially lower complication rates and simultaneously still treat a wide range of anatomies.

To assess the results of endovascular treatment in a large population of patients suffering from post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS) due to iliocaval occlusive disease.In this retrospective multi-center study, 698 patients treated by stenting for PTS in 15 French centers were analyzed. Primary, primary assisted, and secondary patency rates were assessed, and clinical efficacy was evaluated using Villalta and Chronic Venous Insufficiency Questionnaire in 20 questions (CIVIQ-20) scores. Outcomes were compared against pre-operative CT-based severity of the post-thrombotic lesions in the thigh (4 grades).Technical success, defined as successful recanalization and stent deployment restoring rapid anterograde flow in the targeted vessel, was obtained in 668 (95.7%) patients with a complication rate of 3.9%. After a mean follow-up of 21.0 months, primary patency, primary assisted patency, and secondary patency were achieved in 537 (80.4%), 566 (84.7%), and 616 (92.2%) of the 668 patients, respectively. Venous patency was strongly correlated to the grade of post-thrombotic changes in the thigh, with secondary patency rates of 96.0%, 92.9%, 88.4%, and 78.9%, respectively, for grades 0 to 3 (p = .0008). The mean improvements of Villalta and CIVIQ-20 scores were 7.0 ± 4.7 points (p .0001) and 19.1 ± 14.8 points (p .0001), respectively.Endovascular stenting as a treatment option for PTS due to chronic iliocaval venous occlusion generates a high technical success, low morbidity, high midterm patency rate, and clinical improvement. Venous patency was strongly correlated to the severity of post-thrombotic lesions in the thigh.

PurposeMedical imaging plays a central and decisive role in guiding the management of patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs). Our aim was to synthesize all recent literature of PNETs, enabling a comparison of all imaging practices.Methodsbased on a systematic review and meta-analysis approach, we collected; using MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases; all recent imaging-based studies, published from December 2014 to December 2019. Study quality assessment was performed by QUADAS-2 and MINORS tools.Results161 studies consisting of 19852 patients were included. There were 63 ‘imaging’ studies evaluating the accuracy of medical imaging, and 98 ‘clinical’ studies using medical imaging as a tool for response assessment. A wide heterogeneity of practices was demonstrated: imaging modalities were: CT (57.1%, n=92), MR (42.9%, n=69), PET/CT (13.3%, n=31), and SPECT/CT (9.3%, n=15). International imaging guidelines were mentioned in 2.5% (n=4/161) of studies. In clinical studies, imaging protocol was not mentioned in 30.6% (n=30/98) of cases and only mentioned imaging modality without further information in 63.3% (n=62/98), as compared to imaging studies (1.6% (n=1/63) of (pConclusionWe provide an overview of the updated current trends in use of medical imaging for diagnosis and response assessment in PNETs. The most commonly used imaging modalities are anatomical (CT and MRI), followed by PET/CT and SPECT/CT. Therefore, standardization and homogenization of PNETs imaging practices is needed to aggregate data and leverage a big data approach for Artificial Intelligence purposes.

Accurate prediction of portal hypertension recurrence after transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) placement will improve clinical decision-making.To evaluate if perioperative variables could predict disease-free survival (DFS) in cirrhotic patients with portal hypertension (PHT) treated with TIPS.We recruited 206 cirrhotic patients with PHT treated with TIPS, randomly assigned to training (n = 138) and validation (n = 68) sets. We recorded 7 epidemiological, 4 clinical, and 9 radiological variables. TIPS-distal end positioning (TIPS-DEP) measured the distance between the distal end of the stent and the hepatocaval junction on contrast-enhanced CT scans. In the training set, the signature was defined as the random forest for survival algorithm achieving the lowest error rate for the prediction of DFS which was landmarked 4 weeks after the TIPS procedure. In the training set, a simple to use scoring system was derived from variables selected by the signature. The primary endpoint was to assess if TIPS-DEP was associated with DFS. The secondary endpoint was to validate the scoring system in the validation set.Overall, patients with TIPS-DEP ≥ 6 mm (n = 49) had a median DFS of 24.5 months vs. 72.8 months otherwise (n = 157, p = 0.004). In the training set, the scoring system was calculated by adding age ≥ 60 years old, Child-Pugh B or C, and TIPS-DEP ≥ 6 mm (1 point each) since the signature showed high DFS probability at 6.5 months post-landmark in patients that did not meet these criteria: 86%, 80%, and 78%, respectively. The hazard ratio [95 CI] between patients determined to be low-risk ( 2 points) and high-risk (≥ 2 points) was 2.30 [1.35-3.93] (p = 0.002) in the training set and 2.01 [0.94-4.32] (p = 0.072) in the validation set.TIPS-DEP is an actionable radiological biomarker which can be combined with age and Child-Pugh score to predict death or PHT symptom recurrence after TIPS procedure.• TIPS-DEP measurement was the third most important but only actionable variable for predicting DFS. • TIPS-DEP 6 mm was associated with a DFS probability of 78% at 6.5 months post-landmark. • A simple scoring system calculated using age, Child-Pugh score, and TIPS-DEP predicted DFS after TIPS.

Diagnosing immune-mediated myocarditis is challenging because of non-specific clinical signs and symptoms. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) provides subepicardial late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) in the setting of acute myocarditis, but the diagnostic value of LGE pattern for differentiating between immune-mediated and viral-related aetiologies remains unknown.To determine the value of LGE pattern for differentiating between immune-mediated and viral-related aetiologies in patients with acute myocarditis.One hundred and five patients with acute myocarditis who underwent CMR, including LGE variables, were included retrospectively. Viral-related aetiology was retained with a negative autoimmune and autoinflammatory assessment at diagnosis and 6-month follow-up.Aetiology was immune-mediated in 31 patients and viral-related in 74 patients. Patients with immune-mediated myocarditis were older (55±16 vs. 31±12years; P0.001) and more likely to be female (52% vs. 14%; P0.001) than those with viral-related myocarditis. There was no difference in left ventricular ejection fraction between the immune-mediated and viral-related myocarditis groups (53±15% vs. 57±8%; P=0.61). Regarding LGE, patients with viral-related myocarditis were more likely to have basal anteroseptal, mid anteroseptal, mid anterior and basal anterolateral location. Patients with immune-mediated myocarditis were more likely to have apical septal, apical inferior, apical lateral, mid anterolateral and basal inferior location. Segments with difference in prevalence of LGE between aetiologies were summed to build a score where positive significant association with immune-mediated myocarditis was quoted 1 and positive significant association with viral-related myocarditis was quoted -1. A score≥0 differentiated immune-mediated from viral-related myocarditis with 94% sensitivity and 77% specificity (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve 0.88; P0.001).CMR provides arguments for differentiating immune-mediated from viral-related acute myocarditis by showing preferential LGE localization in apical septal, apical inferior, apical lateral and basal inferior segments.

Purpose The purposes of this retrospective study were to assess the efficacy of endovascular techniques for the treatment of transplant renal artery stenosis (TRAS) by analyzing technical and clinical success and to compare the results of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) alone to those of stenting. Materials and methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 31 patients who underwent endovascular treatment for TRAS between January 2012 and December 2017. There were 23 men and 8 women with a mean age of 60.5 ± 14 (SD) years (range: 24–81 years). Ten patients (10/31; 32%; 8 men, 2 women; median age, 63 years) were treated with PTA alone and 21/31 (68%; 15 men, 6 women; median age, 65 years) with metallic stent placement. Several variables including serum creatinine level, glomerular filtration rate, arterial blood pressure value, antihypertensive medication obtained before and after treatment were compared. Technical success was assessed for each procedure. Clinical success was defined as a 15% drop in serum creatinine level, a decrease greater than 15% in mean blood pressure values or a decrease greater than 10% in mean blood pressure values with a reduction in the number of antihypertensive drugs needed for hypertension control. Results Technical success was obtained in all patients [31/31; 100%; 95% confidence interval (CI): 89–100%] and clinical success in 27/31 patients (87%; 95%CI: 71–95%). Four patients (4/31; 13%; 95%CI: 5–29%) underwent repeat endovascular intervention. Mean serum creatinine level and mean arterial blood pressure values were significantly lower after treatment (177.4 and 93.8 μmol/l, respectively) compared to before treatment (319.4 and 106.7 μmol/l, respectively) in the stent group but not in the group treated with PTA alone (P = 0.0012 and P = 0.002, respectively). Conclusion The endovascular approach is safe and effective in the management of TRAS and stenting, depending on the morphology of the stenosis, should be the treatment of choice when possible.

To enhance clinician’s decision-making by diagnosing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in cirrhotic patients with indeterminate liver nodules using quantitative imaging features extracted from triphasic CT scans. We retrospectively analyzed 178 cirrhotic patients from 27 institutions, with biopsy-proven liver nodules classified as indeterminate using the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) guidelines. Patients were randomly assigned to a discovery cohort (142 patients (pts.)) and a validation cohort (36 pts.). Each liver nodule was segmented on each phase of triphasic CT scans, and 13,920 quantitative imaging features (12 sets of 1160 features each reflecting the phenotype at one single phase or its change between two phases) were extracted. Using machine-learning techniques, the signature was trained and calibrated (discovery cohort), and validated (validation cohort) to classify liver nodules as HCC vs. non-HCC. Effects of segmentation and contrast enhancement quality were also evaluated. Patients were predominantly male (88%) and CHILD A (65%). Biopsy was positive for HCC in 77% of patients. LI-RADS scores were not different between HCC and non-HCC patients. The signature included a single radiomics feature quantifying changes between arterial and portal venous phases: DeltaV-A_DWT1_LL_Variance-2D and reached area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.70 (95%CI 0.61–0.80) and 0.66 (95%CI 0.64–0.84) in discovery and validation cohorts, respectively. The signature was influenced neither by segmentation nor by contrast enhancement. A signature using a single feature was validated in a multicenter retrospective cohort to diagnose HCC in cirrhotic patients with indeterminate liver nodules. Artificial intelligence could enhance clinicians’ decision by identifying a subgroup of patients with high HCC risk. • In cirrhotic patients with visually indeterminate liver nodules, expert visual assessment using current guidelines cannot accurately differentiate HCC from differential diagnoses. Current clinical protocols do not entail biopsy due to procedural risks. Radiomics can be used to non-invasively diagnose HCC in cirrhotic patients with indeterminate liver nodules, which could be leveraged to optimize patient management. • Radiomics features contributing the most to a better characterization of visually indeterminate liver nodules include changes in nodule phenotype between arterial and portal venous phases: the “washout” pattern appraised visually using EASL and EASL guidelines. • A clinical decision algorithm using radiomics could be applied to reduce the rate of cirrhotic patients requiring liver biopsy (EASL guidelines) or wait-and-see strategy (AASLD guidelines) and therefore improve their management and outcome.

Imaging-guided interventions or interventional radiology (IR) are intended to improve the efficiency and accuracy of the medical procedure regardless of the organ, as well as the safety and comfort of the patient. Currently IR concerns all medico-surgical specialties with a number of acts constantly increasing, and is today a major field of innovation that responds to a strong societal demand to move towards more and more effective treatments, but also less and less invasive. The ambulatory shift in IR is a major prospect of saving and improving the quality of care. In the field of innovations, technical developments are major for both guidance methods and interventional radiology equipment. These developments affect all organ pathologies, but it is certainly in the field of oncology that progress is fastest, with personalized medicine with new drugs targeted to optimize tolerance to treatment and maximize effects. The aim of this article is to make this specialty better known, its organization both in terms of training and the permanence of care.

Purpose The aim of this article is to define the place of new endovascular methods for the management of pulmonary embolisms (PE), on the basis of a multidisciplinary consensus. Method and results Briefly, from the recent literature, for high-risk PE presenting with shock or cardiac arrest, systemic thrombolysis or embolectomy is recommended, while for lowrisk PE, anticoagulation alone is proposed. Normo-tense patients with PE but with biological or imaging signs of right heart dysfunction constitute a group known as “at intermediate risk” for which the therapeutic strategy remains controversial. In fact, some patients may require more aggressive treatment in addition to the anticoagulant treatment, because approximately 10% will decompensate hemodynamically with a high risk of mortality. Systemic thrombolysis may be an option, but with hemorrhagic risks, particularly intra cranial. Various hybrid pharmacomechanical approaches are proposed to maintain the benefits of thrombolysis while reducing its risks, but the overall clinical experience of these different techniques remains limited. Patients with high intermediate and high risk pulmonary embolism should be managed by a multidisciplinary team combining the skills of cardiologists, resuscitators, pneumologists, interventional radiologists and cardiac surgeons. Such a team can determine which intervention – thrombolysis alone or assisted, percutaneous mechanical fragmentation of the thrombus or surgical embolectomy – is best suited to a particular patient. Conclusions This consensus document define the place of endovascular thrombectomy based on an appropriate risk stratification of PE., Thrombectomy; Pulmonary embolism; Thrombolytic therapy; Pharmacomechanical thrombectomy; Embolectomy.

OBJECTIVE: There are no recommendations for screening for thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAAs), even in patients with infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of TAAs in patients with AAAs and to analyse the risk factors for this association. METHODS: This was a multicentre prospective study. The Aortic Concomitant Thoracic and Abdominal Aneurysm (ACTA) study included 331 patients with infrarenal AAAs > 40 mm between September 2012 and May 2016. These patients were prospectively enrolled in three French academic hospitals. RESULTS: Patients were classified as having a normal, aneurysmal, or ectatic (non-normal, non-aneurysmal) thoracic aorta according to their maximum aortic diameter indexed by sex, age, and body surface area. Thoracic aortic ectasia (TAE) was defined as above or equal to the 90th percentile of normal aortic diameters according to gender and body surface area. Descending TAA was defined as ≥q 150% of the mean normal value, and ascending TAA as > 47 mm in men and 42 mm in women; 7.6% (n~= 25) had either an ascending (seven cases; 2.2%) or descending aortic TAA (18 cases; 5.4%), and 54.6% (n~= 181) had a TAE. Among the 25 patients with TAAs, five required surgery; two patients had TAAs related to penetrating aortic ulcers < 60 mm in diameter, and three had a TAA > 60 mm. In the multinomial regression analysis, atrial fibrillation (AF) (odds ratio [OR] 11.36, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.18 - 59.13; p~= .004) and mild aortic valvulopathy (OR 2.89, 1.04-8.05; p~= .042) were independent factors associated with TAAs. Age (OR 1.06, CI 1.02 - 1.09; p~= .003) and AF (OR 4.36, 1.21 - 15.61; p~= .024) were independently associated with ectasia. CONCLUSION: This study confirmed that TAAs coexisting with AAAs are not rare, and one fifth of these TAAs are treated surgically. Systematic screening by imaging the whole aorta in patients with AAAs is clinically relevant and should lead to an effective prevention policy.

Primary aldosteronism is characterized by hypertension, frequent hypokalemia, and an inappropriately high aldosterone-to-renin ratio (ARR) [1,2]. Aldosterone-producing adenoma (APA or Conn syndrome) is one of the main causes of primary aldosteronism [3]. Laparoscopic total-adrenalectomy is an option to normalize or at least improve blood pressure (BP) control, hypokalemia, and normalize the ARR [4,5]. However, the reported result of surgery is around 50% of clinical cure rate with an overall complication rate of 9.5% [2,6–8]. An efficient but less invasive alternative technique could be the use of radiofrequency ablation (RFA). RFA is widely used to treat solid neoplasms, especially in patients not only with primary or secondary malignancies of the liver, the lung, the kidney, and the breast but also for primary and metastatic adrenal neoplasms, including adrenocortical carcinomas [9–15]. More recently, RFA has been used for patients with primary aldosteronism and unilateral adenoma [16–25]. These studies focused on hormonal resolution of primary aldosteronism, computed tomography (CT) aspects, and safety data after RFA but the putative positive impact on BP control was not clearly depicted [16–25]. The aim of this study is, therefore, to assess whether RFA improves ambulatory BP control in patients with hypertension because of primary aldosteronism and unilateral adrenal adenoma. Normal potassium, ARR values and safety of the procedure are the secondary outcomes.

Background The study sought to learn about incidence and reasons for distal stent graft–induced new entry (dSINE) after thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) or after frozen elephant trunk (FET) implantation, and develop prevention algorithms. Methods In an analysis of an international multicenter registry (EuREC [European Registry of Endovascular Aortic Repair Complications] registry), we found 69 dSINE patients of 1430 (4.8%) TEVAR patients with type B aortic dissection and 6 dSINE patients of 100 (6%) patients after the FET procedure for aortic dissection with secondary morphological comparison. Results The underlying aortic pathology was acute type B aortic dissection in 33 (44%) patients, subacute or chronic type B aortic dissection in 34 (45%) patients, acute type A aortic dissection in 3 patients and remaining dissection after type A repair in 3 (8%) patients, and acute type B intramural hematoma in 2 (3%) patients. dSINE occurred in 4.4% of patients in the acute setting and in 4.9% of patients in the subacute or chronic setting after TEVAR. After the FET procedure, dSINE occurred in 5.3% of patients in the acute setting and in 6.5% of patients in the chronic setting. The interval between TEVAR or FET and the diagnosis of dSINE was 489 ± 681 days. Follow-up after dSINE was 1340 ± 1151 days, and 4 (5%) patients developed recurrence of dSINE. Morphological analysis between patients after TEVAR with and without dSINE showed a smaller true lumen diameter, a more accentuated oval true lumen morphology, and a higher degree of stent graft oversizing in patients who developed dSINE. Conclusions dSINE after TEVAR or FET is not rare and occurs with similar incidence after acute and chronic aortic dissection (early and late). Avoiding oversizing in the acute and chronic settings as well as carefully selecting patients for TEVAR in postdissection aneurysmal formation will aid in reducing the incidence of dSINE to a minimum.

Purpose To quantify the hemodynamic consequences of thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) by comparing the preoperative and postoperative wall shear stress (WSS) and vorticity profiles on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. Materials and Methods The pre- and postoperative computed tomography (CT) scans from 20 consecutive patients (median age 69 years, range 20–87) treated for different thoracic aortic pathologies (11 aneurysms, 5 false aneurysms, 3 penetrating ulcers, and 1 traumatic aortic rupture) were segmented to construct patient-specific CFD models using a meshless code. The simulations were run over the cardiac cycle, and the WSS and vorticity values measured at the proximal and distal landing zones were compared. Results The CFD runs provided 4-dimensional simulations of blood flow in all patients. WSS and vorticity profiles at the proximal landing zone (located in zones 0–3 in 15 patients) varied in 18 and 20 of the cases, respectively; WSS was increased in 11 cases and the vorticity in 9. Pre- and postoperative WSS median values were 4.19 and 4.90 Pa, respectively. Vorticity median values were 40.38 and 39.17 Hz, respectively. Conclusion TEVAR induces functional alterations in the native thoracic aorta, though the prognostic significance of these changes is still unknown. CFD appears to be a valuable tool to explore aortic hemodynamics, and its application in a larger series would help define a predictive role for these hemodynamic assessments.

Background Despite known limitations, the decision to operate on abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is primarily on the basis of measurement of maximal aneurysm diameter. Purpose To identify volumetric and computational fluid dynamics parameters to predict AAAs that are likely to progress in size. Materials and Methods This study, part of a multicenter prospective registry (NCT01599533), included 126 patients with AAA. Patients were sorted into stable (≤10-mL increase in aneurysm volume) and progression (>10-mL increase in aneurysm volume) groups. Initial AAA characteristics of the derivation cohort were analyzed (maximal diameter and surface, thrombus and lumen volumes, maximal wall pressure, and wall shear stress [WSS]) to identify relevant parameters for a logistic regression model. Model and maximal diameter diagnostic performances were assessed in both cohorts and for AAAs smaller than 50 mm by using area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Results Eighty-one patients were included (mean age, 73 years ± 7 years [standard deviation]; 78 men). The derivation and validation cohorts included, respectively, 50 and 31 participants. In the derivation cohort, there was higher mean lumen volume and lower mean WSS in the progression group compared with the stable group (60 mL ± 14 vs 46 mL ± 18 [P = .005] and 66% ± 6 vs 53% ± 9 [P = .02], respectively). Mean lumen volume and mean WSS at baseline were correlated to total volume growth (r = 0.47 [P = .002] and -0.42 [P = .006], respectively). In the derivation cohort, a regression model including lumen volume and WSS to predict aneurysm enlargement was superior to maximal diameter alone (AUC, 0.78 vs 0.52, respectively; P = .003); although no difference was found in the validation cohort (AUC, 0.79 vs 0.71, respectively; P = .51). For AAAs smaller than 50 mm, a regression model that included both baseline WSS and lumen volume performed better than maximal diameter (AUC, 0.79 vs 0.53, respectively; P = .01). Conclusion Combined analysis of lumen volume and wall shear stress was associated with enlargement of abdominal aortic aneurysms at 1 year, particularly in aneurysms smaller than 50 mm in diameter. © RSNA, 2020 Online supplemental material is available for this article. See also the editorial by Mitsouras and Leach in this issue.

International audience; Acute pulmonary embolism is a frequent cardiovascular emergency with an increasing incidence. The prognosis of patients with high-risk and intermediate-high-risk pulmonary embolism has not improved over the last decade. The current treatment strategies are mainly based on anticoagulation to prevent recurrence and reduce pulmonary vasculature obstruction. However, the slow rate of thrombus lysis under anticoagulation is unable to acutely decrease right ventricle overload and pulmonary vasculature resistance in patients with severe obstruction and right ventricle dysfunction. Therefore, patients with high-risk and intermediate-high-risk pulmonary embolism remain a therapeutic challenge. Reperfusion therapies may be discussed for these patients, and include systemic thrombolysis, catheter-directed therapies and surgical thrombectomy. High-risk patients require systemic thrombolysis, but may have contraindications as a result of the high risk of bleeding. In addition, intermediate-high-risk patients should not receive systemic thrombolysis, despite its high efficacy, because of prohibitive bleeding complications. Recently, percutaneous reperfusion techniques have been developed to acutely decrease pulmonary vascular obstruction with lower-dose or no thrombolytic agents and, thus, potentially higher safety than systemic thrombolysis. Some of these techniques improve key haemodynamic variables. Cardiac surgical techniques and venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation as temporary circulatory support may be useful in selected cases. The development of pulmonary embolism centres with multidisciplinary pulmonary embolism teams is mandatory to enable adequate use of reperfusion and improve outcomes. We aim to present the state of the art regarding reperfusion therapies in pulmonary embolism, but also to provide guidance on their indications and patient selection.; L’embolie pulmonaire aiguë est une urgence cardiovasculaire fréquente. Son incidence augmente rapidement tandis que sa mortalité reste stable. Le pronostic des patients à haut risque et à risque intermédiaire élevé reste médiocre sans amélioration au cours de la dernière décennie. Les stratégies de traitement actuelles reposent sur l’anticoagulation pour prévenir les récidives et réduire l’obstruction vasculaire pulmonaire. Cependant, la lyse du thrombus sous anticoagulant est lente et ne permet pas une diminution rapide de la surcharge du ventricule droit et des résistances vasculaires pulmonaires chez les patients présentant une obstruction sévère et une dysfonction ventriculaire droite. La prise en charge de ces patients reste un défi thérapeutique et peut amener à discuter des thérapies de reperfusion comme la thrombolyse systémique, les techniques percutanées par cathéter et la thrombectomie chirurgicale. La thrombolyse systémique est indiquée chez les patients à haut risque en l’absence de contre-indication formelle en raison du risque hémorragique. Mais elle ne devrait pas être utilisée chez les patients à risque intermédiaire élevé malgré son efficacité élevée en raison de complications hémorragiques rédhibitoires. Récemment, les techniques de reperfusion percutanées ont été développées visant à diminuer de manière aiguë l’obstruction vasculaire pulmonaire avec un dose réduite ou sans thrombolytique et en conséquence un profil de sécurité amélioré. Certaines de ces techniques ont démontré une grande efficacité sur les paramètres hémodynamiques clés. Enfin, les techniques de chirurgie cardiaque et le support circulatoire temporaire par ECMO veno-artérielle se sont améliorées et peuvent être utiles dans certains cas. Le développement de centres spécialisés avec une équipe multidisciplinaire est obligatoire afin de permettre une utilisation adéquate de la reperfusion pour améliorer le pronostic des patients. Ce document vise à faire un état de l’art concernant les thérapies de reperfusion de l’embolie pulmonaire tout en discutant leurs indications et la sélection des patients.

Purpose The clinical adoption of quantitative imaging biomarkers (radiomics) has established the need for high quality contrast-enhancement in medical images. We aimed to develop a machine-learning algorithm for Quality Control of Contrast-Enhancement on CT-scan (CECT-QC). Method Multicenter data from four independent cohorts [A, B, C, D] of patients with measurable liver lesions were analyzed retrospectively (patients:time-points; 503:3397): [A] dynamic CTs from primary liver cancer (60:2359); [B] triphasic CTs from primary liver cancer (31:93); [C] triphasic CTs from hepatocellular carcinoma (121:363); [D] portal venous phase CTs of liver metastasis from colorectal cancer (291:582). Patients from cohort A were randomized to training-set (48:1884) and test-set (12:475). A random forest classifier was trained and tested to identify five contrast-enhancement phases. The input was the mean intensity of the abdominal aorta and the portal vein measured on a single abdominal CT scan image at a single time-point. The output to be predicted was: non-contrast [NCP], early-arterial [E-AP], optimal-arterial [O-AP], optimal-portal [O-PVP], and late-portal [L-PVP]. Clinical utility was assessed in cohorts B, C, and D. Results The CECT-QC algorithm showed performances of 98 %, 90 %, and 84 % for predicting NCP, O-AP, and O-PVP, respectively. O-PVP was reached in half of patients and was associated with a peak in liver malignancy density. Contrast-enhancement quality significantly influenced radiomics features deciphering the phenotype of liver neoplasms. Conclusions A single CT-image can be used to differentiate five contrast-enhancement phases for radiomics-based precision medicine in the most common liver neoplasms occurring in patients with or without liver cirrhosis.

Liver transplantation is now accepted as the gold standard treatment of many end-stage liver diseases. The piggyback technique is the most used orthotopic liver transplantation. The improving survival rates are based on progress in medical care and surgical and endovascular techniques. Hepatic artery complications after liver transplantation are uncommon but represent an important cause of morbidity, mortality, and retransplantation. Hepatic artery angioplasty can be used for treatment of solitary focal stenosis. The portal complication rate is very low; percutaneous angioplasty is effective in the treatment of portal vein stenosis but has to be reserved to patients with symptoms of portal hypertension. Endovascular treatment of hepatic artery thrombosis has emerged as an alternative procedure, even in the early phase after transplantation. A stenosis may develop at the suprahepatic or infrahepatic anastomoses in the standard orthotopic technique or involve the hepatic vein orifices or cavocaval anastomosis in the piggyback technique. For the endovascular treatment of hepatic venous stenoses, multiple angioplasties may be necessary to obtain a good result in the long term. Bile duct complications are an important cause of postsurgical morbidity and graft survival. The percutaneous treatment of anastomotic biliary strictures consists of an initial balloon biloplasty followed by long-term drainage with large-bore drains; for biliary leaks, a large internal drain catheter is placed within the bile ducts to have the upper series of side holes in the intrahepatic bile ducts above the leak and the lower holes in the duodenum.

Objectives Our goal was to assess the results after orthotopic branched endovascular aortic arch repair using a new double-branch endoprosthesis in patients with thoracic aortic disease affecting the aortic arch who cannot undergo classical surgery. Methods Within a 4-year period, 15 patients with thoracic aortic disease affecting the aortic arch were treated with the Bolton Relay plus double-branch endoprosthesis (Bolton Medical, Sunrise, FL, USA). We assessed clinical outcome, occurrence of endoleaks and the need for secondary interventions. The median logistic EuroSCORE I level was 13.6 (4.2; 22.8). Results The in-hospital mortality rate was 6.7%. A disabling stroke was observed in 1 (6.7%) patient, whereas non-disabling strokes occurred in 2 (13.3%) patients. Type I and III endoleaks occurred in 6.7%. The median follow-up period was 263 (1st quartile 84; 2nd quartile 564) days. Four patients died during the follow-up period. Aortic-related survival was 100%. Conclusions Orthotopic branched endovascular aortic arch repair using the Bolton Relay Plus double-branch endoprosthesis is a safe and feasible technique enriching the armamentarium to treat patients with thoracic aortic disease who cannot undergo classical surgery. Aortic-related survival is excellent, and the occurrence of disabling stroke and endoleaks warranting treatment is low. Further studies are needed to assess the long-term durability of this new method.

Objectifs Evaluer le traitement endovasculaire du syndrome post-thrombotique (SPT) lie a une occlusion veineuse chronique iliofemorale ou cave inferieure et determiner les facteurs influencant la permeabilite prothetique. Methodes Dans cette etude multicentrique retrospective realisee dans 15 centres francais specialises en radiologie interventionnelle vasculaire, tous les dossiers des patients traites par stenting endovasculaire pour un SPT lie a une occlusion veineuse chronique proximale entre 2009 et 2019 ont ete retrospectivement analyses. Les taux de permeabilite primaire, primaire assistee et secondaire etaient determines par echographie-Doppler et/ou phleboscanner. L’efficacite clinique etait evaluee grâce aux scores de Villalta et CIVIQ-20. Les resultats du traitement endovasculaire etaient compares a la severite preoperatoire des lesions, a l’extension distale du stenting, a la presence d’une thrombophilie, aux antecedents de recidive thrombotique et au delai avant traitement. Resultats Au total, 698 patients (419 femmes) ont ete inclus. Un succes technique immediat a ete obtenu chez 668/698 (95,7 %) patients, avec un taux de morbidite de 3,9 %. Apres un suivi moyen de 20,7 mois, une permeabilite primaire, primaire assistee ou secondaire a ete obtenue respectivement chez 537/668 (80,4 %) patients, 566/668 (84,7 %) patients et 616/668 (92,2 %) patients. Pour les patients presentant des lesions post-thrombotiques absentes ou minimes, les taux de permeabilite secondaires en fin de suivi etaient respectivement de 96,0 % (216/225) et 92,9 % (131/141), chutant a 88,4 % (168/190) pour les patients avec lesions severes et a 78,9 % (30/38) pour ceux avec des lesions majeures (p = 0,0008). Il n’y avait pas de correlation entre la permeabilite veineuse et l’extension distale du stenting, la presence d’une thrombophilie, l’antecedent de recidive thrombotique ou le delai avant traitement. Les ameliorations moyennes des scores de Villalta et CIVIQ-20 etaient respectivement de 7,0 ± 4,7 points (p Conclusion Le traitement par recanalisation puis stenting endovasculaire peut etre propose dans le traitement du SPT lie a une occlusion veineuse chronique proximale, permettant des taux eleves de permeabilite et d’amelioration clinique a moyen terme, pour un taux de morbidite faible. La permeabilite veineuse apparait par ailleurs fortement correlee a la severite des lesions post-thrombotiques des veines de la cuisse.

The objective of this study was to retrospectively assess the incidence, etiology, and management of type III endoleaks in a large cohort of patients treated with endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) in two European university centers.From 1995 until 2014, 965 EVAR procedures were performed with use of first- and second-generation (n = 79) or third-generation (n = 886) endografts. Radiologic follow-up was performed with computed tomography and abdominal plain film examinations in accordance with the European Collaborators on Stent/graft Techniques for aortic Aneurysm Repair (EUROSTAR) scheme. The potential relationship between the type of endograft and the incidence of type III endoleak and the time interval between initial EVAR and diagnosis of type III endoleak were calculated.Twenty patients (2.1%) were identified with 25 type III endoleaks (n = 10/79 [12.7%] for first- and second-generation endografts and n = 10/886 [1.2%] for third-generation endografts; P .001). Disconnection was found in 14 of 25 endoleaks (56%) and a fabric defect in 11 of 25 (44%) endoleaks, both without any difference between first- and second- vs third-generation endografts (P = .216). The time interval between initial EVAR and type III endoleak was 3.87 and 5.92 years, respectively, for first- or second-generation and third-generation endografts (P = .148). Twenty-five type III endoleaks were treated using endovascular techniques (n = 22 [88%]) or by open surgical conversion (n = 3 [12%]).Type III endoleak rarely (2.1%) occurs after EVAR, with a higher incidence in first- and second-generation endografts. In the majority of cases, the underlying mechanism is disconnection of the stent graft components. Type III endoleaks may occur early or late after initial EVAR and can, in most cases, be managed endovascularly, although type III endoleak may recur.

To evaluate the contribution and performance of multimodal imaging in the diagnostic and therapeutic management of cardiac masses. We carried out a monocentric retrospective study on patients referred for cardiac mass assessment between 2006 and 2019, and analyzed the respective contribution of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), cardiac computed tomography (CT), cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography coupled with CT (18F-FDG PET-CT). For each test, we determined strategy before and after its completion (need for another imaging or decision-making) as well as result on benign, malignant or indeterminate nature. For the 119 patients included, all imaging modalities increased decision-making rates, which rose from 2 to 54%, 23 to 62%, 31 to 85% and 49 to 100% before and after TEE, CT, CMR and 18F-FDG PET-CT, respectively (P

The aim of this study was to determine whether CS, measured on the preoperative contrast enhanced multislice computed tomography (MSCT), is associated with Device Success (DS), Major Adverse Cardiac Events (MACE) and paravalvular leaks (PVL) after TAVR. Methods We included 352 consecutive patients who underwent TAVR with a preoperative standardized contrast enhanced MSCT. Valvular calcifications detection was defined by adding +100 Hounsfield Unit (HU) to mean HU determined by a Region Of Interest placed in the contrast enhanced ascending aorta. CS was then indexed to the aortic annulus surface (CSi). Endpoints were DS and 30-days MACE according to Valve Academic Research Consortium-2 consensus document, and PVL greater than or equal to grade 2. Results DS was obtained for 305 patients. In multivariate analysis, CS and CSi were negatively and independently associated with DS: OR=0.88, 95% CI 0.81–0.96, p=0.004; and OR=0.94, 95% CI 0.91–0.98, p=0.002 respectively. There was no association between MACE and CS (p=0,953) and CSi (p=0,757). PVL was positively associated with CS (p Multivariate analysis for device success Multivariate analysis for device success procedure Initial Model Final Model OR (95% CI) p OR (95% CI) p Age (years) 1.06 (1–1.12) 0.058 Size (cm) 1.02 (0.98–1.07) 0.26 Hypertension 0.35 (0.13–0.92) 0.033 0.34 (0.13–0.87) 0.024 Diabete mellitus 1.72 (0.68–4.34) 0.249 Mean gradient 0.99 (0.97–1.02) 0.517 Mitral regurgitation 0.6 (0.28–1.27) 0.18 Valve size ≤23 1 (REF) 26 1.85 (0.8–4.27) 0.152 29 4.08 (1.32–12.59) 0.015 4.72 (1.62–13.78) 0.004 31 1.42 (0.32–6.38) 0.647 CS (for an increase of 1000 pts) 0.89 (0.81–0.98) 0.017 0.88 (0.81–0.96) 0.004 CSi (for an increase of 100 pts) 0.94 (0.9–0.99) 0.013 0.96 (0.91–0.98) 0.002 Example of CS measurement Conclusion In TAVR, the aortic valvular CS, measured on preoperative contrast enhanced MSCT, is significantly associated with DS and PVL, but not with 30-days MACE. Its routine use could be relevant to appreciate success chances of TAVR.

The aim of this study in a group of patients with primary aldosteronism was to evaluate the contribution of CB-CT (cone beam CT) to the overall success rate of adrenal vein sampling (AVS), and in particular to the selective cannulation of the right adrenal vein (RAV).This was a retrospective single-center study including 91 AVS procedures performed by our consultant radiologist between March 2011 and January 2017. Fifty cases were performed with CB-CT and 50 were performed without. Angiography with CB-CT was carried out after RAV cannulation to check the accurate catheter position. For each patient, we collected technical and biochemical success rates, as well as irradiation data.The overall success rate of AVS with CB-CT was 80 %, vs. 44 % without (p = 0.00046), with right-sided selectivity of 88 % vs. 49 % (p 0.0001). There was no significant increase in radiation exposure with CB-CT (p = 0.8206). Fluoroscopy time and quantity of iodine injected were significantly lower with CB-CT than without (p = 0.0039 and p 0.0001).CB-CT allows a better evaluation of the selectivity of right-sided adrenal catheterization and greatly increases the overall success rate of AVS.

Endovascular treatment of aortic arch pathologies is challenging due to its complex anatomical architecture and the presence of vital collateral branches. This paper aims to provide an overview of the currently available and future endovascular options for these diseases, particularly regarding branched stent-grafts and the Mona LSA device. After discussing the indications for revascularization of supra-aortic trunks in endovascular aortic repair, we present the principles, benefits and drawbacks of the main modern methods to overcome an insufficient proximal landing zone, i.e. hybrid repair with associated surgical bypass, chimney or snorkel grafts, fenestrated stent-grafts and branched stent-grafts. Subsequently, we detail the technical specifications of the two main branched stent-graft devices under study: the Valiant Mona LSA (Medtronic, Santa Rosa, CA, USA) and the W.L. Gore (Flafstaff, AZ, USA) arch branch device. The steps of the deployment procedure are described from examples of branched stent-graft aortic repair of aortic dissection and aneurysm of the left subclavian artery. Finally, available results of the premarket trial on the Mona LSA branched stent-graft device are recalled. Branched stent grafts represent a promising therapeutic option for pathologies of the aortic arch with insufficient proximal landing zone or mandatory revascularization of supra-aortic trunks. Further studies are needed to specify their indications, long-term effectiveness and safety.

Objective To assess safety, performance, and efficacy of the RELAY thoracic stent graft (Bolton Medical, Barcelona, Spain) in the treatment of patients who require elective thoracic endovascular aortic repair including aneurysms and dissections. Methods The RELAY Endovascular Registry for Thoracic Disease II (RESTORE II) is a multicenter, prospective, international cohort study involving 21 centers in 12 countries worldwide. All consecutively included patients underwent elective thoracic endovascular aortic repair with a RELAY or RELAY NBS stent graft (including off the shelf and custom-made devices) to repair thoracic aortic aneurysms or dissections. Demographic, clinical, and aortic parameters were Web-based registers. Safety and efficacy data were collected for a follow-up period of 24 months. RESTORE was a precedent registry involving European sites that used RELAY first-generation devices. Results A total of 173 patients were enrolled in the registry from October 2010 to September 2014 (aneurysm [n = 99]/dissection [n = 74]). Overall technical success of the intervention reached 97.1% irrespective of the etiology and geographic origin of patients. Baseline clinical heterogeneity was observed between devices concerning the etiology of the disease and certain comorbidities and/or risk factor distribution (diabetes, hypertension, myocardial infarction, angina pectoris). An average of 1.36 stent graft components were used per patient, with mean intended treatment length of 197.0 ± 87.7/188.7 ± 103.1 mm and mean access site diameter of 10.3 ± 8.2/9.7 ± 1.7 mm in aneurysms/dissections, respectively. The rate of all-cause 30-day mortality was lower than in the RESTORE registry (4.0% vs 7.2%). Perioperative neurologic complications were infrequent: paraplegia/paraparesis (2.9%) and stroke (0.6%) (vs 2.0% and 1.6% in the RESTORE registry). Freedom from all-cause mortality at 2 years was 93.6%. At the final completion angiography, device-associated complications were detected in 4.6% of the patients (vs 5.3% in the RESTORE) and endoleak rate was 6.4% (type I 5.8% and type II 1.7%). Conclusions The worldwide results of the RESTORE II registry show the safety and effectiveness of RELAY and RELAY NBS stent grafts for elective endovascular thoracic aortic repair. Compared with the RESTORE registry, the device presents a lower rate of perioperative complications.