Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 11, 2025
Occlusion of the Great and Small Saphenous Vein Using Copolymeric Glue Based on N-Butyl Cyanoacrylate and Methacryloxy Sulfolane
Published on: December 9, 2022
Glue Penetration Index Score for Use during Glue Prostate Artery Embolization
Conrad von Stempel1,2, Ganesh Vigneswaran3, Mark Little4,5
1Department of Imaging, UCLH, London, UK.
Purpose:
To describe and test a scoring system for grading embolic penetration in prostate artery embolization (PAE).
Materials And Methods:
Multicenter retrospective study of 62 patients undergoing glue-PAE (n-butyl cyanoacrylate methacryloxysulfolane and ethiodized oil). Baseline angiograms and post-embolization radiographs were assessed by four consultant interventional radiologists on two occasions 6 weeks apart, grading depth and density of embolic, according to the described Glue Penetration Index Score (GPIS) and extended GPIS (eGPIS). GPIS (0-3) and eGPIS (0-3.5) scores of each hemigland were summed and whole-gland scores reported. Inter- and intra-observer variability were quantified. Clinical outcomes were assessed at 3 months.
Results:
Mean reduction in IPSS was 12.9 ± 8.2. Mean whole-gland GPIS was 4.1 ± 1.0 (16.1% ≤ 3; 83.9% > 3). Inter-observer agreement was moderate for GPIS (Fleiss' κ = 0.50, p < 0.0001) and fair for eGPIS (κ = 0.37, p < 0.0001). GPIS scores showed no significant intra-observer variability on repeat scoring (Cochran's Q, p = 0.39), whereas eGPIS did (p = 0.02). Only baseline IPSS correlated with 3-month clinical outcomes.
Conclusion:
GPIS is a repeatable and reproducible score which may assist standardization of the description of extent of glue penetration during PAE in future studies.
