Enhancing procedural decision making with cone beam CT in renal artery embolization

Abstract

Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) has proven to be a safe and effective adjunctive imaging tool for interventional radiology. Nevertheless, limited studies have examined the application of CBCT in renal artery embolization (RAE). The objective of this study is to evaluate the role of CBCT in intra-procedural decision-making for RAE. This multicenter retrospective study included 40 consecutive patients (age: 55.9 ± 16.5 years; male, 55%) who underwent CBCT during RAE from January 2019 to January 2023. The additional information provided by CBCT was classified into Category 1 (no additional information), Category 2 (more information without changing the treatment plan), and Category 3 (valuable information that led to a change in the treatment plan). CBCT did not add unique information for four patients (10%) classified as Category 1. CBCT clarified ambiguous angiographic findings and confirmed the existing treatment plan for 19 patients (47.5%) graded as Category 2; complex vascular anatomy was explained (n = 13), and a correlation between vascular territory and target lesion was established (n = 6). CBCT offered valuable information that was not visible on digital subtraction angiography and changed the treatment plan for 17 patients categorized as Category 3; a mismatch between the vascular territory and the target lesion led to the identification of alternative (n = 3) and additional feeders (n = 8); and the extent of embolization was reduced by using automatic feeder detection software (n = 6). CBCT is an efficient tool that aids in the decision-making process during the embolization procedure by providing supplementary imaging information. This additional information enables the confident identification of target vessels, facilitates superselective embolization, prevents non-target embolization, and helps locate missing feeders.