Vena Cava Research Articles

Ultrasonographic Evaluation of Systemic Venous Congestion in Maintenance Hemodialysis Patients During Fluid Removal.

Fluid overload is a frequent and serious complication in hemodialysis patients. The combination of multiple point of care ultrasound (POCUS) measurements can identify significant venous congestion but its usefulness to determine ultrafiltration (UF) requirements and dry weight is unknown. Therefore, we evaluated prospectively patients in maintenance hemodialysis to establish the correlations between changes in venous congestion parameters and fluid removal. This was a prospective, single-center, observational study. POCUS venous congestion measurments were performed in 22 patients during 32 online post-dilutional hemodiafiltration sessions and findings were correlated with UF volume, central venous pressure and body water composition determined by multifrequency bioelectric impedance analysis (BIA). The pre dialysis weight was on average 1.9 kg above the BIA estimated dry weight, the average initial IVC diameter was <2 cm. An initial abnormal Hepatic Vein (HV) waveform was present in 26% (8) of the measurements. The average UF volume was 2084 ± 655 ml and correlated with changes in inferior vena cava (IVC) diameter (R= 0.34, CI 95% (0.18, 0.56) p < 0.05) but not with any other POCUS venous congestion parameters. Normalization of the IVC diameter and HV waveform was observed during the first UF hour in all initially altered measurements. Diameter reduction in the IVC correlated with total body water volume reduction estimated with BIA when measured immediately after fluid removal (R= 0.34, CI 95% (0.08, 0.56) p<0.05) Conclusion. Reduction in IVC diameter had a modest but significant correlation with UF volume in our patients on maintenance hemodiafiltration. POCUS may be used to monitor patients during UF.

External validation of a quantitative model to guide patient selection for placement of an optional or permanent inferior vena ca va filter

Objectives: The objective of this study was to validate a previously published quantitative model that predicts the likelihood of an optional inferior vena cava filter (IVCF) being kept as a permanent device in a different patient population. Material and Methods: An institutional database of IVCF patients from 2016 to 2018 was reviewed. As in the published reference, if a retrieval was attempted, the IVCF was categorized as “removed;” if no attempt was performed, the filter was categorized as “kept permanent.” Patient parameters, such as age, sex, history of venous thromboembolism, presence of neurologic disease, presence of malignancy, as well as indications for IVCF placement were analyzed. The previously published formula was applied to analyze its ability to predict the likelihood of an optional IVCF being kept permanently in a new, external population. Results: A total of 270 patients were identified. Seventy-one filters were “removed” and 199 were “kept permanent.” Advanced age (odds ratio [OR] 1.05; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03–1.07) and presence of malignancy (OR 2.55; 95% CI 1.29–5.07) were the factors associated with the IVCF being “kept permanent” versus “removed.” None of the other parameters was statistically significant. The receiver operating characteristic curve yielded the area under the curve of 0.66, compared to the previously published value of 0.8. The sensitivity and specificity of the model were 64.3% and 62.0%, respectively. Conclusion: Advanced age and presence of malignancy were associated with optional IVCFs being kept as permanent devices. However, the previously published formula did not yield an accurate quantitative prediction in this external patient population.

Complications of Deep Venous Stenting and Their Management.

Complications after iliofemoral and inferior vena cava stenting are rare, and most can be managed effectively without significant long-term consequences for the patient. Nevertheless, the procedure is not without risk, and clinicians considering starting a venous practice must be aware of the range of complications that can occur, which range from minor access site bleeds to fatal arrhythmia from stent migration to the heart. Most complications can be avoided with appropriate patient selection, stent sizing, and careful access and deployment techniques.

Vascular Complications After Venoarterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Support: A CT Study.

Vascular complications after venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) remains poorly studied, although they may highly impact patient management after ECMO removal. Our aim was to assess their frequency, predictors, and management. Retrospective, observational cohort study. Two ICUs from a tertiary referral academic hospital. Adult patients who were successfully weaned from venoarterial ECMO between January 2021 and January 2022. None. Vascular complications frequency related to ECMO cannula. A total of 288 patients were implanted with venoarterial ECMO during the inclusion period. One hundred ninety-four patients were successfully weaned, and 109 underwent a CT examination to assess for vascular complications until 4 days after the weaning procedure. The median age of the cohort was 58 years (interquartile range [IQR], 46-64 yr), with a median duration of ECMO support of 7 days (IQR, 5-12 d). Vascular complications were observed in 88 patients (81%). The most frequent complication was thrombosis, either cannula-associated deep vein thrombosis (CaDVT) (n = 63, 58%) or arterial thrombosis (n = 36, 33%). Nonthrombotic arterial complications were observed in 48 patients (44%), with 35 (31%) presenting with bleeding. The most common site of CaDVT was the inferior vena cava, occurring in 33 (50%) of cases, with 20% of patients presenting with pulmonary embolism. There was no association between thrombotic complications and ECMO duration, anticoagulation level, or ECMO rotation flow. CT scans influenced management in 83% of patients. In-hospital mortality was 17% regardless of vascular complications. Vascular complications related to venoarterial ECMO cannula are common after ECMO implantation. CT allows early detection of complications after weaning and impacts patient management. Patients should be routinely screened for vascular complications by CT after decannulation.

Lack of sex-specific differences in the associations between the dimensions of great vessels and exercise performance in amateur cyclists.

Endurance training enhances exercise capacity and triggers cardiovascular adaptations in both males and females. We investigated the relationship between the dimensions of great vessels and exercise capacity in amateur cyclists while considering sex differences. Using resting transthoracic echocardiography, we measured the dimensions of the main pulmonary artery (PA), aorta, and inferior vena cava (IVC) in 190 participants, who subsequently underwent a cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) until exhaustion. The mean age of study participants was 30 years. Males (71%) exhibited a larger aortic annulus (approximately 3.5 mm, p<0.0001) and PA diameter (2.4 mm, p<0.0001) than females. No significant sex differences were found in expiratory or inspiratory IVC diameters. Males achieved greater peak exercise capacity, including workload, O2 consumption (VO2), and O2 pulse. Aortic and PA dimensions showed strong correlations with energy expenditure, workload, VO2, and O2 pulse. However, these correlations weakened when analyzed separately by sex. Multivariate linear regression revealed associations between CPET results, vessels size, and sex, with sex differences observed only in the intercepts-not in interactions between sex and vessels size. Despite males having better CPET results and larger vessels, the relationships between peak exercise capacity parameters and vessel dimensions were similar in both sexes. Larger vessel dimensions (of the aorta, PA, and IVC) were associated with greater peak exercise capacity in amateur cyclists, with no significant sex differences in these associations.

Coronary arteriovenous fistula originating from the left coronary artery and draining into the superior vena cava.

Coronary arteriovenous fistulas are rare coronary anomalies. Most fistulas arise from the right coronary artery and drain into the right heart structures. We report a case of a 59-year-old man with a rare coronary arteriovenous fistula that originates from the left coronary artery and drains into the superior vena cava. He was diagnosed incidentally with cardiac computed tomography during the investigation for atrial fibrillation. Surgical fistula ligation was successfully performed under cardiac arrest with cardiopulmonary bypass. The patient was discharged without complications.

Dynamic Narrowing of the Diaphragmatic Vena Cava in Ovis aries.

Dorset sheep (Ovis aries) are common models in translational cardiovascular research due to physiologic and anatomic similarities to humans. While employing ovine subjects to study single-ventricle physiology, we repeatedly observed position-based changes in central venous pressure (CVP) which could not be explained by hydrostatic (gravitational) effects. Inferior vena cava (IVC) narrowing or compression has been demonstrated in numerous species, and we hypothesised that this phenomenon might explain our observations in O. aries. This study aimed to characterise position-dependent morphology of the IVC in O. aries using catheter-based hemodynamic and dimensional measurements, three-dimensional MRI reconstruction and histological analysis. Baseline measurements revealed a significant reduction in IVC dimensions at the level of the diaphragm (dVC) compared to the abdominal vena cava (aVC) and thoracic vena cava (tVC). We also observed a transdiaphragmatic pressure gradient along the IVC, with higher pressures in the aVC compared to the tVC. We found that variation of position and fluid status altered IVC haemodynamics. Histological data showed variable muscularity along the length of the IVC, with greater smooth muscle content in the aVC than the tVC. These findings will improve understanding of baseline ovine physiology, help refine experimental protocols and facilitate the translation of findings to the clinic.

Potential new treatment for inferior vena cava injury using extracorporeal membrane oxygenation applying flow diversion effect

BackgroundRetrohepatic inferior vena cava (IVC) injuries remain among the most lethal and serious liver injuries. Gauze packing is currently the first choice for IVC injuries; however, laparotomy itself poses the risk of circulatory collapse. Thus, less invasive treatment strategies are needed.MethodsIn this study, we conducted an animal experiment to replicate and validate successful treatments for an actual case of retrohepatic IVC injury that we had encountered.ResultsA woman in her 80s presented to our hospital due to cardiac arrest caused by a pulmonary artery embolism. Venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) was introduced, and the patient was resuscitated. After resuscitation, contrast-enhanced CT revealed liver and retrohepatic IVC injuries, possibly caused by chest compressions. Liver injury was treated using transarterial embolization of the left hepatic artery. To treat the retrohepatic IVC injury, ECMO flow was increased to enhance the negative drainage pressure. The extravasation of the contrast medium had resolved in IVC angiography, and we opted for nonoperative management. The patient’s hemodynamic status gradually stabilized, and ECMO was withdrawn on day 6. We confirmed these findings in a dog model of retrohepatic IVC injury.ConclusionsOur findings from the patient and the animal model suggest that the flow diversion effect of ECMO can effectively manage active bleeding from the IVC by inserting a drainage cannula across the injured lesion. We think this procedure represents a novel treatment option for retrohepatic IVC injuries.

Impact of neoadjuvant therapy on prognosis in renal cell carcinoma with inferior vena cava thrombus

BackgroundThe standard treatment for non-metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) with inferior vena cava (IVC) thrombus is complete surgical resection; however, this procedure is complex and carries high complication rates and perioperative mortality. Previous studies have explored preoperative multimodal therapy to reduce surgical difficulty, but limited evidence prevents guideline recommendations. This study aimed to investigate the impact of neoadjuvant therapy on the prognosis of patients with RCC and IVC thrombus without distant metastasis. MethodsData from 2006 to 2024 on RCC patients with IVC thrombus undergoing radical nephrectomy plus IVC thrombus resection were collected. Patients received neoadjuvant therapy, including tyrosine kinase inhibitors or immune checkpoint inhibitors, followed by surgery. Tumor size and thrombus height were assessed by computed tomography. Disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were calculated using Kaplan-Meier curves. Multivariate analysis was used to identify factors predicting DFS. ResultsThirty-one patients who did not receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy therapy (NAC-Naive group) and 19 patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy therapy (NAC group) were analyzed. The NAC group showed significant reductions in primary renal tumor size and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio compared to the NAC-Naive group just before nephrectomy. The NAC group had significantly improved DFS and OS. Median DFS and OS were not reached in the NAC group compared to 26.3 months and 73.5 months, respectively, in the NAC-Naive group. The NAC group had a 2-year recurrence-free survival rate of 70.9% compared to 50.6% in the NAC-Naive group. Multivariate analysis identified a preoperative tumor size of 10 cm or larger and lack of neoadjuvant therapy as poor prognostic factors for DFS. ConclusionNeoadjuvant therapy significantly improves the prognosis of RCC patients with IVC thrombus. This therapy reduces surgical invasiveness and has a mid- to long-term preventive effect on recurrence. These findings support the potential benefit of neoadjuvant systemic therapy in improving outcomes for this patient population.

Unexpected normal ROTEM results in protein C deficiency with IVC thrombosis

Protein C deficiency is a hereditary disorder that increases the risk of thrombotic events but has unclear effects on rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM) analysis. A man in his 60s with a history of protein C deficiency and multiple thrombotic events underwent inferior vena cava (IVC) filter removal, iliocaval thrombectomy and infrarenal IVC placement for IVC-related complete iliocaval and common femoral vein thromboses. A ROTEM analysis showed normal coagulation in NATEM and EXTEM and only a slight shortening in A10 and A20 in INTEM, which was unexpected given his diagnosis of protein C deficiency. Normal results indicate that there is complexity and variability of coagulation to maintain a balanced state even in individuals with underlying coagulation disorders.

Surgical and Oncological Outcomes of Level III-IV Versus Level I-II Inferior Vena Cava Thrombectomy: A Decennial Experience of a High-Volume European Referral Center.

In patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) the role of the extent of tumor thrombus into the inferior vena cava (IVC) has never been addressed from a surgical and oncologic standpoint. This study aims to evaluate differences between level III-IV versus level I-II patients concerning peri- and postoperative morbidity, additional treatments and long-term oncological outcomes. Overall, 40 patients with RCC underwent radical nephrectomy (RN) with IVC thrombectomy at a single European institution between 2010 and 2023. Complications were reported according to the European Union (EAU) guidelines recommendations. Spider chart served as graphical depiction of surgical and oncologic outcomes. Overall, 22 (55%) and 18 (45%) patients harbored level III-IV and I-II IVC thrombus. Level III-IV patients experienced significantly higher rates of intraoperative transfusions (68 vs 39%), but not significantly higher rates of intraoperative complications (32% vs 28%). Level III-IV patients had significantly higher rates of postoperative transfusions (82% vs 33%) and Clavien Dindo ≥3 complications (41% vs 15%). In level III-IV versus level I-II patients, median follow up was 482 and 1070 days, the rate of distant recurrence was 59% and 50%, the rate of systemic progression was 27% and 13%, and the rate of additional treatment/s was 64% and 61%, respectively (all p values > 0.05). Overall survival was 36% in level III-IV patients and 67% in level I-II (p = 0.001). Our findings suggest that patients with level III-IV RCC who are candidates for IVC thrombectomy should be counselled about the higher likelihood of postoperative severe adverse events and worse overall survival relative to level I-II counterparts.

Development and Validation of a Comprehensive Predictive Model for Surgical Planning in Patients with Renal Cell Carcinoma and Inferior Vena Cava Tumor Thrombus

ObjectiveTo investigate preoperative predictors for selecting different surgical approaches in patients with renal cell carcinoma with inferior vena cava (IVC) tumor thrombus (RCC-IVCTT), and to establish and validate corresponding predictive models. MethodsClinical data of 583 RCC-IVCTT patients were retrospectively analyzed. Of these, 465 cases were used to construct predictive models, and 118 cases were used for validation. Univariate and multivariate analyses identified independent predictors for surgical strategies. Two nomogram prediction models were established based on relevant independent factors to predict surgical approach. ResultsIn the development cohort, 342 patients underwent IVC thrombectomy (IVCT), 91 underwent IVC cavectomy (IVCC), and 32 underwent IVC reconstruction (IVCR). Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified the following predictors for inability to perform IVCT: higher Mayo classification of tumor thrombus (TT), IVC wall invasion, presence of bland thrombus, pan-immune-inflammation value (PIV) > 358×109, and maximum anteroposterior (AP) diameter of IVC at renal vein ostium (RVo) > 24mm. Platelet > 170×109/L and inadequate collateral circulation were predictors for IVCR. The developed model predicted capacity of the nomogram was evaluated in terms of its calibration, discrimination, and clinical utility. The validation set confirmed these findings. ConclusionThe comprehensive preoperative predictive model for RCC-IVCTT patients aids in preoperative determination of the required surgical approach and necessity for IVC angiography, facilitating perioperative preparation and reducing unnecessary invasive examinations.

Utilizing three-dimensional computer graphics for anomalous drainage of the inferior vena cava

Utilizing three-dimensional computer graphics for anomalous drainage of the inferior vena cava

Changes in portal pulsatility index induced by a fluid challenge in patients with haemodynamic instability and systemic venous congestion: a prospective cohort study

BackgroundIt is uncertain whether fluid administration can improve patients with systemic venous congestion and haemodynamic instability. This study aimed to describe the changes in systemic venous congestion and peripheral perfusion parameters induced by a fluid challenge in these patients, and to analyse the influence of the fluid responsiveness status on these changes.MethodsThe study is a single-centre prospective cohort study of 36 critically ill ICU patients with haemodynamic instability and a maximum vena cava diameter ≥ 20 mm. Changes in cardiac index during a fluid challenge (4 mL/kg of lactated Ringer’s solution during 5 min) assessed by pulse contour analysis, central venous pressure, ultrasound systemic congestion parameters (portal venous flow pulsatility index, supra hepatic and intrarenal venous Doppler), and peripheral perfusion parameters (capillary refill time and peripheral perfusion index) were assessed in the overall population. All these data were compared between patients presenting a cardiac index increase > 10% during the fluid challenge (fluid responders) and the others (fluid non-responders).ResultsTwenty-eight (78%) patients were admitted for postoperative care following cardiac surgery; their mean ± SD left ventricular ejection fraction was 42 ± 9% and right ventricular dysfunction was found in at least 61% of the patients. The mean ± SD SOFA score was 9 ± 3. Thirteen (36%) patients were fluid responders. The fluid challenge administration induced a significant increase in portal pulsatility index, VExUS score, and central venous pressure without significant difference of these changes between fluid responders and non-responders. No significant change in perfusion parameters was observed.ConclusionFluid administration in patients with haemodynamic instability and systemic venous congestion worsens venous congestion regardless of the fluid responsiveness status, without improving perfusion parameters.

The Inter-Laennec Approach for Liver Tumors in Contact with Hepatic Veins in Laparoscopic Liver Resection.

Patients with liver tumors that are in contact with the major hepatic veins may require hepatic vein resection to achieve an adequate surgical margin; however, the potential for venous congestion and impaired remnant liver function must be considered. We introduce the anatomy of the hepatic vein related to Laennec's capsule as well as the surgical techniques to overcome these limitations in the laparoscopic approach.1,2 PATIENTS AND METHODS: A patient with hepatocellular carcinoma underwent resection of the paracaval portion of the caudate lobe. A 4.5-cm tumor was located on the hepatic hilum, compressing the middle and right hepatic veins (MHV and RHV). The Laennec's capsule around the hepatic veins consists of cardiac and hepatic layers. In the inter-Laennec approach, the hepatic veins and inferior vena cava were continuously exposed from the root side, during entry into the space between the hepatic and cardiac Laennec's capsules.3,4 Hence, the cardiac Laennec's capsule was preserved on the venous side, and the strength of the hepatic vein walls was maintained without exposing the tumor. Parenchymal transection was performed while preserving the MHV and RHV. The operative time was 331 min, with minimal estimated blood loss. The patient was discharged on postoperative day 6 without complications. A pathological examination revealed the presence of focal capsular invasion; however, the surgical margin was maintained by leaving the hepatic Laennec's capsule on the tumor side. Understanding the structure of the Laennec's capsule can contribute to the establishment of safe and feasible liver resection techniques.

18F-FDG PET/CT for predicting inferior vena cava wall invasion in patients of renal cell carcinoma with the presence of inferior vena cava tumor thrombus

IntroductionPreoperative evaluation of inferior vena cava (IVC) wall invasion is very important to improve outcomes of patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC), and may allow surgical urologists to treat the IVC more effectively. The objective of this study was to evaluate preoperative 18F-FDG PET/CT in patients with RCC and IVC tumor thrombus (IVCTT) for the diagnosis of IVC wall invasion.MethodsThis retrospective case-control study evaluated 68 patients with RCC with level I-IV tumor thrombus. According to the histopathologic examination result, the patients were divided into IVC wall invasion group and non-invasion group. The 18F-FDG PET/CT features between two groups were analyzed. Furthermore, a logistic regression model was used to determine if there was an association between PET/CT features and IVC wall invasion.ResultsSixty-eight patients were evaluated, and 55.9% (38/68) had IVC wall invasion. Compared with non-invasion group, invasion group had higher SUVmax of RCC, higher SURmax (tumor to tumor thrombus ratio, Tu/Th), higher IVCTT coronal diameter, and longer IVCTT craniocaudal extent (all p < 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that SURmax (Tu/Th) (OR 8.760 [95%CI, 1.019–75.310]; p = 0.048) and the maximum coronal diameter of IVCTT (OR 1.143 [95%CI, 1.029–1.269]; p = 0.028) were predictors of IVC wall invasion. A model combining SURmax (Tu/Th) and the maximum coronal diameter of IVCTT achieved an AUC of 0.855 (95%CI, 0.757–0.954). The specificity and sensitivity for assessing IVC wall invasion was 92.1% and 76.7%, respectively.ConclusionsIncreases in SURmax (Tu/Th) and the maximum coronal diameter of IVCTT are associated with a higher probability of IVC wall invasion. Preoperative 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging may be used to assess IVC wall invasion.

Active Machine Learning for Pre-procedural Prediction of Time-Varying Boundary Condition After Fontan Procedure Using Generative Adversarial Networks.

The Fontan procedure is the definitive palliation for pediatric patients born with single ventricles. Surgical planning for the Fontan procedure has emerged as a promising vehicle toward optimizing outcomes, where pre-operative measurements are used prospectively as post-operative boundary conditions for simulation. Nevertheless, actual post-operative measurements can be very different from pre-operative states, which raises questions for the accuracy of surgical planning. The goal of this study is to apply machine leaning techniques to describing pre-operative and post-operative vena caval flow conditions in Fontan patients in order to develop predictions of post-operative boundary conditions to be used in surgical planning. Based on a virtual cohort synthesized by lumped-parameter models, we proposed a novel diversity-aware generative adversarial active learning framework to successfully train predictive deep neural networks on very limited amount of cases that are generally faced by cardiovascular studies. Results of 14 groups of experiments uniquely combining different data query strategies, metrics, and data augmentation options with generative adversarial networks demonstrated that the highest overall prediction accuracy and coefficient of determination were exhibited by the proposed method. This framework serves as a first step toward deep learning for cardiovascular flow prediction/regression with reduced labeling requirements and augmented learning space.

Enhancing Surgical Guidance: Deep Learning-Based Liver Vessel Segmentation in Real-Time Ultrasound Video Frames.

In the field of surgical medicine, the planning and execution of liver resection procedures present formidable challenges, primarily attributable to the intricate and highly individualized nature of liver vascular anatomy. In the current surgical milieu, intraoperative ultrasonography (IOUS) has become indispensable; however, traditional 2D ultrasound imaging's interpretability is hindered by noise and speckle artifacts. Accurate identification of critical structures for preservation during hepatectomy requires advanced surgical skills. An AI-based model that can help detect and recognize vessels including the inferior vena cava (IVC); the right (RHV), middle (MHV), and left (LVH) hepatic veins; the portal vein (PV) and its major first and second order branches the left portal vein (LPV), right portal vein (RPV), and right anterior (RAPV) and posterior (RPPV) portal veins, for real-time IOUS navigation can be of immense value in liver surgery. This research aims to advance the capabilities of IOUS-guided interventions by applying an innovative AI-based approach named the "2D-weigthed U-Net model" for the segmentation of multiple blood vessels in real-time IOUS video frames. Our proposed deep learning (DL) model achieved a mean Dice score of 0.92 for IVC, 0.90 for RHV, 0.89 for MHV, 0.86 for LHV, 0.95 for PV, 0.93 for LPV, 0.84 for RPV, 0.85 for RAPV, and 0.96 for RPPV. In the future, this research will be extended for real-time multi-label segmentation of extended vasculature in the liver, followed by the translation of our model into the surgical suite.

008. Massive Teratoma Attached to The Inferior Vena Cava and Abdominal Aorta in Pediatric Patient: A Case Report

Background: Massive teratomas are rare and complex tumors that can grow large and involve crucial structures, such as the inferior vena cava (IVC) and abdominal aorta. These tumors can be challenging to resect, especially in pediatric cases, due to their size and proximity to vital organs. Case: A 9-year-old boy was admitted with a history of an abdominal mass first detected at age 3. Over the years, the mass had progressively enlarged, initially the size of a grape and later the size of a tennis ball by age 6. Recent imaging, including CT scans, showed a retroperitoneal mass measuring approximately 20 x 10 cm with characteristics of a mature cystic teratoma. The mass was compressing surrounding structures, including the duodenum, pancreas, and left kidney, and was adherent to both the IVC and abdominal aorta. The surgical team performed a laparotomy with adhesiolysis, extensive tumor excision, and vascular repair. Vascular control was established, and the tumor was successfully removed, including sheared portions of the abdominal aorta, which required ligation and repair of the affected vessels. Conclusion: This case illustrates the complexity and challenges of managing massive retroperitoneal teratomas. Through a multidisciplinary approach, it was possible to achieve complete excision and ensure the patient’s recovery with no immediate complications.

Value of projectional imaging relative to cross-sectional imaging to assess catheter tip position in the superior vena cava: Evaluation of reader variability.

The assessment of correct positioning of central venous catheters (CVC) is of major concern to avoid complications.Vascular access associations have established the cavo-atrial junction (CAJ) as the most appropriate CVC tip location. Among the different chest X-ray (CXR) landmarks proposed for assessing tip position relative to the CAJ, only the pericardial reflection lies in the same plane as the vascular structures assessed. Although extensively used, CXR has been criticized for its difficulty in estimating catheter tip location.We aimed to evaluate the observer variability to determine tip positioning on CXR. CT imaging was used as a gold standard for tip identification. 107 CT scans of patients wearing port access catheter devices realized at the XXX University Hospital between January and December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Distance from tip to cavo-atrial junction (DCAJ) was measured on topogram projectional imaging (PJ) and axial cross-sectional imaging (CS) by 2 × 2 observers (within and between evaluations). Observational statistics were reported using a paired t-test, repeatability coefficients (RC), and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), and they were displayed comprehensively using Bland-Altman plots. All ICC were >0.9, indicating excellent reliability. The mean difference between observers comparing CS and PJ was 0.13 ± 0.80 cm (P = 0.10) with outer 95% confidence limits of 1.92 cm and -2.17 cm and an RC of 1.79 cm. CXR tip-position reading remains an accurate method for determining CVC localization. However, the assessment variability on CXR is plus or minus 2 cm and should be considered. Chest X-ray (CXR) for the assessment of tip position is subject to intra-individual and inter-individual variation. On CT, the variability is solely linked to determining the cavoatrial junction (CAJ) and represented about 1 cm. On CXR, there is a twofold challenge: the correct determination of the CAJ and the accurate identification of the catheter tip, leading to a greater variability of 2 cm.In clinical practice, while considering the 3 cm anatomical zone around the CAJ acceptable, operators should be aware of the 2 cm variability resulting from CXR assessment. To account for this variability and avoid the risk of positioning the tip beyond 3 cm from the CAJ (theoretically up to plus or minus 5 cm away from the CAJ), operators should reduce the CXR-based acceptable zone to 1 cm around the CAJ. This change may impact up to thirty percent of procedures.