December’s top 10 features findings of a retrospective cost-utility analysis published in BMJ Surgery Interventions & Health Technologies. In addition, highlights from the 2021 British Society of Interventional Radiology (BSIR) Annual Scientific Meeting (8–10 December, Glasgow, UK) attracted many readers, alongside an interview with the BSIR former president, Trevor Cleveland (Sheffield, UK).
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Two experts in the field of interventional radiology, Bernhard Gebauer (head of interventional radiology at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin in Berlin, Germany) and Ahmed Kamel Abdel Aal (professor of interventional radiology at the University of Texas Health Science Centre in Houston, USA) talk to Interventional News about their experience with SIR-Spheres Y-90 resin microspheres (Sirtex Medical).
2) One-year snapshot shows cost benefits for prostate artery embolization over gold standard surgery
A retrospective cost-utility analysis from a UK National Health Service (NHS) perspective finds prostate artery embolization is more cost-effective than transurethral resection of the prostate, the gold standard for the management of patients with benign prostate hyperplasia at one-year follow-up.
3) BSIR expands focus on diversity, equity and inclusion
Elika Kashef (interventional radiologist at Imperial College NHS Trust, London, UK) addresses the implications of interventional radiology not being equally accessible to people from all walks of life. This has triggered a re-think in the aspirations and nomenclature of the British Society of Interventional Radiology (BSIR) Women and Diversity Committee so that its broader agenda is reflected in its new name: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee.
4) BSIR 2021: Interventional radiologists rev up on IR registry and build strong case for day-case units
The British Society for Interventional Radiology (BSIR) has set up an interventional radiology (IR) registry to capture a glimpse of the scope, breadth, and immediate complication rate provided by the service in the UK. In parallel, UK interventional radiologists are bent on building a strong case for IR units to have their own day-case facilities, as these enabled the subspecialty to take pole position during the pandemic as a great resource for image-guided interventions and activity in a COVID-19-secure environment.
5) Expert raises red flags over forgotten stents and how they fail
“In the last few years, we have seen quite a dramatic increase in patients who present with a structural failure of their stent in the upper gastrointestinal tract, notably the oesophagus, stomach, and duodenum, which has been brought on by the dramatic increase in survival of patients, even with disseminated cancer, Hans-Ulrich Laasch (Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK) tells Interventional News.
Nicholas Inston (consultant vascular access and renal transplant surgeon, Birmingham, UK) discusses the crucial care interventional radiologists provide for renal patients with Ian Mcafferty (consultant interventional radiologist, Birmingham, UK, and immediate past president of the British Society of Interventional Radiology [BSIR]).
7) Philips acquires Vesper Medical
Royal Philips has announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire Vesper Medical, a US-based medical technology company that develops minimally-invasive peripheral vascular devices.
8) Fluidx Medical Technology announces Series A led by multinational strategic investor
Fluidx Medical Technology recently announced the oversubscribed closing of the first tranche of its Series A financing round. The Series A was led by a large multinational strategic investor and joined by the existing investor base as well as several new investors. A press release details that the funding will be used to support prospective clinical trials, including the pivotal trial, as well as preparation for market entry.
9) Personalised dosimetry and inclusion in guidelines redraw SIRT use for HCC
Jon Bell (Manchester, UK) outlines the importance of standardisation of selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) and how this rests on an advanced understanding of personalised dosimetry to achieve optimal outcomes for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. “So interventional radiologists, wherever they work, will be treating the same patients in the same way. […] The standardisation is crucial,” he says.
“Young interventional radiologists have got a very exciting future,” Trevor Cleveland (Sheffield, UK, and a former president of the British Society of Interventional Radiology [BSIR]), tells Interventional News. In 2021, Cleveland delivered the Wattie Fletcher lecture at the BSIR Annual Scientific Meeting (8–10 December, Glasgow, UK).
