Increased awareness and aggressive screening have resulted in significantly increased incidence of diagnosis of CAI, with associated lower stroke-related mortality. VAIs have been noted with similar incidence, and though the stroke rate is lower with VAI, stroke outcomes are generally catastrophic. Anticoagulation therapy is effective for both varieties of BCVI.

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The membership of the Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) Standards of Practice Committee represents experts in a broad spectrum of interventional procedures from the private and academic sectors of medicine. Generally, Standards of Practice Committee members dedicate the vast majority of their professional time to performing interventional procedures; as such, they represent a valid broad expert constituency of the subject matter under consideration for standards production.Technical documents specifying the exact consensus and literature review methodologies as well as the institutional affiliations and professional credentials of the authors of this document are available upon request from SIR, 3975 Fair Ridge Dr., Suite 400 N., Fairfax, VA 22033. METHODOLOGYSIR produces its Standards of Practice documents using the following process. Standards documents of relevance and timeliness are conceptualized by the Standards of Practice Committee members. A recognized expert is identified to serve as the principal author for the standard. Additional authors may be assigned dependent upon the magnitude of the project.An in-depth literature search is performed using electronic medical literature databases. Then, a critical review of peer-reviewed articles is performed with regard to the study methodology, results, and conclusions. The qualitative weight of these articles is assembled into an evidence table, which is used to write the document such that it contains evidence-based data with respect to content, rates, and thresholds (Fig E1 and Table E1, available online at www.jvir.org).When the evidence of literature is weak, conflicting, or contradictory, consensus for the parameter is reached by a minimum of 12 Standards of Practice Committee members using a modified Delphi consensus method (Appendix A). For purposes of these documents, consensus is defined as 80% Delphi participant agreement on a value or parameter.The draft document is critically reviewed by the Standards of Practice Committee members by telephone conference calling or face-to-face meeting. The finalized draft from the Committee is sent to the SIR membership for further input/criticism during a 30-day comment period. These comments are discussed by the Standards of Practice Committee, and appropriate revisions are made to create the finished standards document. Prior to its publication, the document is endorsed by the SIR Executive Council.

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The incidence of deep venous thromboses (DVTs) associated with peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) in patients with hematological malignancies is not well described. We sought to determine the incidence, characteristics, and outcomes of PICC-related DVTs in this patient population. Retrospective, single center cohort analysis of patients with hematological malignancies with upper extremity PICCs and symptomatic upper extremity DVTs were identified by electronic medical record databases search. Between April 2001 and February 2006, 899 PICCs were placed in 498 patients, and ultrasound documented DVTs were observed in 39 (7.8%) a median of 26 days after PICC placement. Twenty-three (59%) had a new diagnosis of hematological malignancy at the time of PICC placement. DVT management included PICC removal (71%), thrombectomy/thrombolysis (13%), and 3-month anticoagulation. No pulmonary emboli or hemorrhages were observed. A change to centrally inserted tunneled internal jugular (IJ) catheters was instituted February 2006, and the incidence of DVTs was 0.4% among 843 tunneled IJ catheters placed in a subsequent cohort of 667 patients with hematological malignancies. Patients with hematological malignancies have a high incidence of PICC-associated DVTs. Internal jugular vein tunneled PICCs are associated with a very low incidence of DVTs in this patient population.

The use of fenoldopam mesylate at appropriate doses offers patients at high risk for contrast-associated nephropathy a chance to avoid this complication. To learn the extent and true nature of the effect of fenoldopam mesylate in this patient population requires a rigorous scientific trial, which is currently underway.

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Clinical human islet transplantation has been performed successfully using a percutaneous transhepatic approach to access the portal vein. The risks from percutaneous delivery of islets, such as bleeding and puncturing neighboring structures, can be avoided by a transmesenteric approach to the portal vein, which we have used to stent completely or near-completely occluded portal veins in both cirrhotic and noncirrhotic patients with minimum morbidity. After minilaparotomy, a second-order tributary branch of the mesenteric vein is cannulated to provide endovascular access to the portal vein. The islet preparation is infused through a catheter directed under fluoroscopy from the mesenteric vein to the portal vein. Pre- and postinfusion portograms are obtained to confirm the absence of any interval changes in portal venous flow. We have performed this procedure successfully in three islet-transplant recipients each receiving two infusions on separate occasions, with some of these procedures performed under local anesthesia without complications. The transmesenteric approach promises to be a safe alternative to percutaneous islet delivery.