Dear X-Ray Insider,
Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization, or TACE, is widely used for the palliative treatment of hepatic tumors. But inadvertent embolization of nontarget organs is a major cause of complications in TACE. Fortunately, Korean interventionalists have found that "superselective" angiography can preempt these complications by helping clinicians assess the origins of nonhepatic arteries. To read more, click here.
In other interventional news, presenters at the 2006 Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) meeting shared their technique for treating varicose veins with a foam sclerosing agent. In another SIR talk, a group from Philadelphia described how they performed fluoroscopically guided subtalar injections in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.
We also offer several articles on x-ray research and experimentation. First, Swiss investigators have developed a phase-sensitive imaging method that may improve soft-tissue visualization on conventional absorption radiography. Also, a group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has demonstrated the point at which healthy tissue starts to degrade after radiation exposure. Finally, a French team applied x-ray technology to the field of microfluidics, which offers an improved understanding of molecular structures.
