Eric J. Monroe

The Nature and Scope of Moonlighting by Radiology Trainees

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES The practice of moonlighting by trainees is a longstanding controversy; however, the resident point of view remains distinctly underrepresented in the radiology literature. We report the resident perspective on the moonlighting practices of radiology trainees. METHODS Survey data were collected from resident members of the Association of University Radiologists representing 84 training programs in the United States to assess their routine and extracurricular clinical responsibilities. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze these data. RESULTS Moonlighting is practiced by radiology trainees at nearly three-fourths of the programs represented in this survey. Interpreting diagnostic imaging (85.5%) and monitoring contrast administrations (72.6%) are the most common duties performed. Twenty-one percent of moonlighting trainees perform procedures (excluding diagnostic fluoroscopy) in their extracurricular positions; of these, most (61.5%) are without attending supervision. Most trainees that moonlight spend 1 to 10 hours weekly doing so while averaging a 59-hour workweek at their primary jobs. CONCLUSIONS The clinical duties of moonlighting trainees may be more diverse than has been previously recognized. Although major discrepancies between overnight radiology trainee interpretations and attending final interpretations have been shown to be infrequent, the consequences of trainees performing procedures and monitoring adverse contrast reactions without attending supervision are unknown. The financial and professional benefits of moonlighting must be weighed against the potential for harm. Our data suggest that most moonlighting radiology trainees operate within the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-mandated 80-hour weekly work limit; the mandatory 8-hour break between shifts and 24-hour continuous duty limit may pose logistical challenges.

Role of interventional radiology in managing pediatric liver tumors

Primary liver malignancies are rare in children. Hepatoblastoma and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) together represent the overwhelming majority of cases. Overall survival of hepatoblastoma approaches 80% with multimodal treatment approaches that include chemotherapy, surgery and transplantation. However, there remains a subset of children with hepatoblastoma in whom resection or transplantation is not possible. The 5-year survival for children diagnosed with HCC is less than 30% and remains a significant therapeutic challenge. The poor outcomes for children with primary liver tumors motivate investigation of new therapeutic alternatives. Interventional oncology offers a broad scope of percutaneous and transcatheter endovascular cancer therapies that might provide clinical benefits. Minimally invasive approaches are distinct from medical, surgical and radiation oncologic treatments, and in adults these approaches have been established as the fourth pillar of cancer care. Transarterial chemoembolization is a minimally invasive locoregional treatment option performed by interventional radiologists with level-I evidence as standard of care in adults with advanced liver malignancy; transarterial chemoembolization in adults has served to prolong disease-free progression, downstage and bridge patients for surgical and transplant interventions, and improve overall survival. However, while several groups have reported that transarterial chemoembolization is feasible in children, the published experience is limited primarily to small retrospective case series. The lack of prospective trial evidence has in part limited the utilization of transarterial chemoembolization in the pediatric patient population. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the role of interventional radiology in the diagnosis and endovascular management of hepatic malignancies in children.

Cystic adventitial disease of the popliteal artery

Cystic adventitial disease of the popliteal artery is a relatively rare entity, responsible for approximately 1 in 1,200 cases of claudication. We present a case with both classic history and imaging features. We hope that our experiences may increase radiologists’ familiarity with this unusual but treatable entity.

Role of interventional radiology in managing pediatric liver tumors: Part 2: percutaneous interventions

Hepatoblastoma and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are the most common pediatric liver malignancies, with hepatoblastoma occurring more commonly in younger children and HCC occurring more commonly in older children and adolescents. Although surgical resection (including transplant when necessary) and systemic chemotherapy have improved overall survival rate for hepatoblastoma to approximately 80% from 30%, a number of children with this tumor type are not eligible for operative treatment. In contradistinction, pediatric HCC continues to carry a dismal prognosis with an overall 5-year survival rate of 30%. The Paediatric Hepatic International Tumour Trial (PHITT) is an international trial aimed at evaluating both existing and emerging oncologic therapies for primary pediatric liver tumors. Interventional radiology offers a number of minimally invasive procedures that aid in diagnosis and therapy of pediatric liver tumors. For diagnosis, the PHITT biopsy guidelines emphasize and recommend percutaneous image-guided tumor biopsy. Additionally, both percutaneous and endovascular procedures provide therapeutic alternatives that have been, to this point, only minimally utilized in the pediatric population. Specifically, percutaneous ablation offers a number of cytotoxic technologies that can potentially eradicate disease or downstage children with unresectable disease. Percutaneous portal vein embolization is an additional minimally invasive procedure that might be useful to induce remnant liver hypertrophy prior to extended liver resection in the setting of a primary liver tumor. PHITT offers an opportunity to collect data from children treated with these emerging therapeutic options across the world. The purpose of this manuscript is to describe the potential role of minimally invasive percutaneous transhepatic procedures, as well as review the existing data largely stemming from the adult HCC experience.

Ultrasound-Guided Liver Biopsy With Gelatin Sponge Pledget Tract Embolization in Infants Weighing Less Than 10 kg.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to describe and assess the technical success and safety of ultrasound-guided liver biopsy with gelatin sponge pledget tract embolization technique in infants <10 kg across 3 tertiary pediatric hospitals. Materials and Methods: There were 67 pediatric patients weighing <10 kg (36 boys; 31 girls; average age 202 days; average weight 6 kg, range 1.5–9.9 kg) referred for liver biopsy performed with ultrasound guidance and gelatin sponge pledget tract embolization during a 2-year period. Patient history, procedural records, and clinical follow-up documents were retrospectively reviewed. Results: A total of 67 procedures were included. There was 100% technical success rate and all samples obtained provided adequate tissue for histological assessment. Average number of 18 G biopsy passes was 3 (range 1–6). There were no procedure-related deaths. There was 1 complication (1%) in a 5-kg infant who was readmitted 36 hours after biopsy with a fever and fully recovered after antibiotics were administered. Biliary atresia was the most common underlying diagnosis (20%), whereas others included acute rejection (16%) and biliary obstruction (7%). Conclusions: Ultrasound-guided percutaneous liver biopsy with gelatin sponge pledget tract embolization technique in children weighing <10 kg is safe, effective, and use of this technique may lead to a reduction in rates of adverse events reported in other pediatric series.

Proximal interruption of the pulmonary artery: Transcatheter embolization for emergent management of massive hemoptysis

Transcatheter embolization is the first-line treatment for massive hemoptysis and recurrent intractable hemoptysis. Proximal interruption of the pulmonary artery is a rare congenital anomaly characterized by hypertrophy and neovasculsarity of bronchial and nonbronchial aortopulmonary collaterals; hemoptysis complicates a minority of cases. We present a case of unilateral proximal interruption of the left pulmonary artery associated with a right-sided aorta, presenting in adulthood with hemoptysis. The patient was managed emergently with bronchial, intercostal, and inferior phrenic artery embolization.

Needle embolism in intravenous drug abuse.

Although intravenous drug users report the breaking of a needle as a relatively common occurrence, central embolism of needle fragments occurs infrequently in the literature. Central needle embolism also poses a conundrum for the radiologist, as the needle may be easily overlooked when the clinical history is nonspecific. We present two cases of needle embolism to the lung, one complicated by inflammatory mass and progressive pleuritic chest pain requiring wedge resection. We hope that our experiences may increase radiologists’ and emergency physicians’ familiarity with this unusual cause of chest pain. The radiological findings are subtle and may be easily overlooked, particularly without thorough clinical history.

Benefits and risks of protocol biopsies in pediatric renal transplantation

Protocol biopsies are defined as sampling of allograft tissue at predetermined times regardless of function. This procedure can be justified due to the lack of non-invasive methods to reliably diagnose rejection (acute or subclinical). Changes in creatinine are not seen with subclinical rejection or early acute rejection and do not always correlate with efficacy of treatment. Parents and providers are still hesitant to pursue protocol biopsy due to the potential complications and lack of definitive evidence of a benefit from doing this procedure. Importantly, the rate of transplant renal biopsy complications requiring additional intervention is low. It is unclear if detection and treatment of subclinical rejection detected on protocol biopsy will lead to improved graft survival. Our goal is to review the literature on this topic and share some of the experience in our center. Definition, indications, and complications of diagnostic transplant renal biopsies are not included in this review.

Safety and Efficacy Outcomes of Embolization in Hepatic Sarcomas

OBJECTIVE The outcome for patients with unresectable hepatic sarcoma is poor with a median survival period of 12-16 months. The purpose of this study was to evaluate liver-directed transcatheter therapies for the treatment of hepatic sarcomas. MATERIALS AND METHODS In a retrospective study, the cases of patients with primary and metastatic hepatic sarcoma treated by transcatheter embolization, chemoembolization, and 90Y radioembolization between 2004 and 2015 were identified. Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors version 1.1 response was assessed for the target tumor. Survival was assessed by means of Kaplan-Meier analysis. RESULTS Twenty-eight patients (17 [61%] men, 11 [39%] women; median age, 47 years) were included. Eighteen patients were treated electively. Two of the electively treated patients underwent embolization; eight, chemoembolization; six, radioembolization; and two, a combination of transcatheter treatments. Treatment was well tolerated; only one patient had grade 3 hepatic toxicity. The objective response rate of the index tumor was 61%, and the median overall survival period was 26.7 months. Ten patients underwent emergency embolization to control acute hemorrhage from tumor rupture. The median overall survival periods were 611 days for the patients with ruptured gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) (n = 3) and 19 days for the patients with ruptured angiosarcoma (n = 7). CONCLUSION Liver-directed transcatheter therapies are safe and may have a role in the elective management of unresectable primary and metastatic liver sarcomas. Emergency embolization for ruptured GIST may be effective for stabilizing the patients condition and allowing more definitive therapy in the future. However, emergency embolization has limited efficacy in treating patients with ruptured angiosarcoma, likely because of substantial venous bleeding at rupture and the aggressive behavior of this lesion.

An Interventionist’s Guide to Endocrine Consultations

Endocrinopathies are a heterogeneous group of disorders often resulting from pathologic sources of hormone production. When the clinical scenario, laboratory testing, and noninvasive imaging fail to aid confident identification of the source of hormone excess, endocrine venous sampling may localize obscure lesions to guide subsequent treatment. Knowledge of basic hormone signaling pathways, common pathophysiologic disruptions of these pathways, and serologic evaluation fosters informed conversations with referring physicians and effective patient selection. Success in the angiography suite requires familiarity with normal and variant anatomy of the multiple organs of the endocrine system, patient preparation, stimulation and sampling techniques, specimen handling, and results interpretation. ©RSNA, 2017.