A Coaxial Guide Wire-Catheter Technique to Facilitate Right Adrenal Vein Sampling: Evaluation in 76 Patients

A technique to facilitate blood sampling from the right adrenal vein is described. Between May 2012 and February 2015, 148 adrenal vein sampling (AVS) procedures were attempted. In 72 procedures, a simple 5-F end-hole catheter was employed. In 76, a coaxial guide wire technique was used when blood could not be aspirated, whereby a 0.018-inch guide wire was passed through the catheter and into a branch of the right adrenal vein and the sample was drawn around the wire by using a side-arm adaptor. Successful sampling was achieved in 71 of the 72 catheter-only procedures (98.6%) and in 75 of the 76 coaxial wire-assisted procedures (98.7%). This simple technique may eliminate the need for multiple catheter exchanges during AVS.