Position Paper of the German Society for Interventional Radiology and Minimally Invasive Therapy (DeGIR) and the German Roentgen Society (DRG) on Structural and Professional Requirements in Interventional Oncology.

Interventional oncology (IO) employs various techniques to enable minimally invasive, image-guided treatment of tumor diseases with both curative and palliative goals. Additionally, it significantly contributes to managing tumor-related and perioperative complications, offering diverse supportive procedures for patients at all stages of their diseases. The execution of IO procedures places unique demands on the equipment, personnel, and structural organization of radiological clinics, necessitating specific expertise from interventional radiologists.

Correlation of preoperative sonographic staging and postoperative histopathologic staging in patients with invasive breast cancer.

Purpose: To assess the accuracy of preoperative sonographic staging in patients with primary invasive breast cancer.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed a prospectively kept service database of patients with newly diagnosed, unifocal, cT1-3, invasive breast cancer. All patients were diagnosed at a single center institution between January 2013 and December 2021.

Laparoscopic Fertility-Sparing Surgery for Early Ovarian Malignancies.

The demand for fertility-sparing surgery (FSS) has increased in the last decade due to increased maternal age, increased incidence of ovarian malignancies in younger patients, and technical advances in surgery. Data on oncological safety and fertility outcomes of patients with ovarian cancer after laparoscopic FSS are sparse, but some retrospective studies have shown that open FSS may be offered to selected patients. We assessed the role of minimally invasive FSS in comparison with radical surgery (RS) in terms of oncological safety and reproductive outcomes after FSS in this multicenter study.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on therapeutic interventional oncology procedures and diagnostic CT/MRI examinations at a German university hospital.

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic led to the implementation of severe restrictions on public life in Germany and a reduction in the number of non-COVID patients presenting for care. The aim of this study was to measure the impact on the number of therapeutic interventional oncology procedures in relation to diagnostic imaging studies at a high-volume radiology department.

Materials And Methods: The numbers of therapeutic interventional oncology procedures and diagnostic CT/MRI examinations for the years 2010 to 2021 were extracted using the hospital information system.

Quality of life and sexual function in patients aged 35 years or younger undergoing hysterectomy for benign gynecologic conditions: A prospective cohort study.

Objective: To evaluate how hysterectomy performed for benign gynecologic pathologies affects the quality of life and sexual function of patients aged 35 years or younger, and if outcomes differ according to the surgical technique.

Methods: Seventy-three patients who underwent total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH), supracervical laparoscopic hysterectomy (SLH), or vaginal hysterectomy (VH) for benign uterine disorders between April 2014 and June 2020 at the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Saarland University Hospital, Homburg, Germany, were enrolled in this prospective observational cohort study. Quality of life and sexual function were assessed preoperatively and 6 months postoperatively using standardized validated questionnaires: the European Quality of Life Five-Dimension Scale (EQ-5D) and the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI).

Value of Clinical Information on Radiology Reports in Oncological Imaging.

Radiological reporting errors have a direct negative impact on patient treatment. The purpose of this study was to investigate the contribution of clinical information (CI) in radiological reporting of oncological imaging and the dependence on the radiologists’ experience level (EL). Sixty-four patients with several types of carcinomas and twenty patients without tumors were enrolled.

[Covered endovascular reconstruction of aortic bifurcation (CERAB)].

Background: Aortoiliac stenosis is common cause of peripheral arterial disease (PAD), which is particularly prevalent in older age (> 60 years) with a prevalence of 20%. In early stages (TASC [Trans-Atlantic Inter-Society Consensus] II A/B), these stenoses can be successfully treated by endovascular procedures. For more complex aortoiliac stenoses (TASC II C/D), open surgical treatment was the primary treatment in the past.

Surgical and endovascular revascularization of chronic mesenteric ischemia.

Purpose: Chronic mesenteric ischemia (CMI) is a rare but life-threatening disease. This study reviewed outcomes in patients treated surgically for CMI by open treatment (OT) and endovascular treatment (ET), analyzing risk factors for endovascular failure.

Methods: Clinical data for 36 patients treated for CMI from 2007 to 2017 were retrospectively analyzed.

Incidence of and risk factors for vaginal cuff dehiscence following total laparoscopic hysterectomy: a monocentric hospital analysis.

Purpose: Vaginal cuff dehiscence (VCD) is one of the major surgical complications following hysterectomy with data on incidence rates varying largely and studies assessing risk factors being sparse with contradictive results. The aim of this study was to assess the incidence rate of and risk factors for VCD in a homogenous cohort of women treated for benign uterine pathologies via total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH) with standardized follow-up.

Methods: All patients undergoing TLH at the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Saarland University Hospital between November 2010 and February 2019 were retrospectively identified from a prospectively maintained service database.

Radioembolization versus portal vein embolization for contralateral liver lobe hypertrophy: effect of cirrhosis.

Purpose: Preoperative hypertrophy induction of future liver remnant (FLR) reduces the risk of postoperative liver insufficiency after partial hepatectomy. One of the most commonly used methods to induce hypertrophy of FLR is portal vein embolization (PVE). Recent studies have shown that transarterial radioembolization (TARE) also induces hypertrophy of the contralateral liver lobe.

Management and outcome of true visceral and renal artery aneurysm repair.

Purpose: Visceral and renal artery aneurysms (VAA, RAA) are very rare pathologies. Both surgical and endovascular therapies are discussed as therapeutic options for ruptured and non-ruptured aneurysm repair; we describe our experience in the open and endovascular management of these entities.

Methods: Retrospective database analysis of 60 treated VAA and RAA in 59 patients between 1994 and 2020.

Impact of pulmonary embolism on morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing pancreatic surgery.

Purpose: Postoperative pulmonary embolism (PE) after pancreatic surgery is a potentially life-threatening complication. However, the magnitude of morbidity and mortality of PE is still uncertain. The present study aims to assess the incidence of PE after pancreatic surgery and analyze its impact on the outcome.

Infected versus sterile abdominal fluid collections in postoperative CT: a scoring system based on clinical and imaging findings.

Purpose: Characterization of intraabdominal fluid collections as postoperative complication is a challenging task. The aim was to develop and validate a new score to differentiate infected from sterile postoperative abdominal fluid collections and to compare it with a published score.

Materials And Methods: From May to November 2015, all patients with postoperative CT and C-reactive protein (CRP) 24 hours before CT-guided drainage were retrospectively included (Group A).

[Thermoablation : Friend and foe of immunotherapy].

Background: Evidence from multiple studies have shown the potential of thermal ablative therapies to induce regression of metastases and tumors which are distant from the treated metastases-within the same organ or even in other organs-the so-called abscopal effect. Unfortunately, this effect is most often weak and not always reproducible. Recent developments in systemic therapies showed that immunomodulating drugs are of major interest in patient-tailored tumor therapy due to the fact that they are able to enhance the treatment effect of conventional chemotherapy.

Rectal gas-induced susceptibility artefacts on prostate diffusion-weighted MRI with epi read-out at 3.0 T: does a preparatory micro-enema improve image quality?

Purpose: To assess whether the application of a preparatory micro-enema reduces gas-induced susceptibility artefacts on diffusion-weighted MRI of the prostate.

Methods: 114 consecutive patients who received multiparametric 3 T MRI of the prostate at our institution were retrospectively enrolled. 63 patients self-administered a preparatory micro-enema prior to imaging, and 51 patients underwent MRI without bowel preparation.

Risk Factors for In-hospital Mortality After Transarterial Intervention After Postpancreatectomy Hemorrhage.

Purpose: Postpancreatectomy hemorrhage (PPH) is one of the leading causes of mortality after pancreatic resection. Late onset PPH is most often treated using a transarterial approach. The aim of this study was to analyze risk factors for in-hospital mortality after endovascular treatment.

Holmium-166 Radioembolization in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Feasibility and Safety of a New Treatment Option in Clinical Practice.

Purpose: To investigate clinical feasibility, technical success and toxicity of Ho-radioembolization (Ho-RE) as new approach for treatment of hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) and to assess postinterventional calculation of exact dosimetry through quantitative analysis of MR images.

Materials And Methods: From March 2017 to April 2018, nine patients suffering from HCC were treated with Ho-RE. To calculate mean doses on healthy liver/tumor tissue, MR was performed within the first day after treatment.