[The potential application of a three-dimensional visualization technique in adrenal vein sampling]

Area of Science:

• Endocrinology
• Radiology
• Surgical Innovation

Background:

• Adrenal vein sampling (AVS) is crucial for diagnosing primary aldosteronism (PA).
• Accurate catheter placement is essential for successful AVS.
• Traditional AVS techniques can be challenging, particularly for the right adrenal vein.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of three-dimensional (3D) visualization in enhancing AVS procedures.
• To compare AVS outcomes with and without 3D CT data processing.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 76 PA patients undergoing AVS.
• Comparison between 46 patients with 3D visualization and 30 patients without.
• Assessment of catheter placement, AVS success rates, blood collection time, contrast dosage, and complications.

Main Results:

• 3D visualization significantly increased the success rate of right AVS (43% to 78%) and overall adrenal vein blood collection (53% to 83%).
• The technique reduced contrast agent dosage and blood sampling time for the right adrenal vein.
• Left adrenal vein catheterization and success rates showed minor improvements with 3D visualization, with no significant difference in time or contrast dosage.

Conclusions:

• 3D visualization processing of CT data before AVS enhances success rates, particularly for the right adrenal vein.
• This technique offers potential clinical benefits by reducing contrast agent use and procedure time.
• 3D visualization represents a valuable advancement for improving AVS procedures and patient outcomes.