Standardized Technique for Prostatic Artery Embolization: A Delphi Consensus Study on Optimized Methods and Emerging...

Area of Science:

• Interventional Radiology
• Urology
• Medical Consensus Studies

Background:

• Prostatic artery embolization (PAE) effectively manages lower urinary tract symptoms in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia.
• PAE is technically demanding, requiring standardized procedures for optimal patient outcomes.
• Patient-specific anatomy and operator factors present challenges to complete procedural standardization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish a consensus on evidence-based technical recommendations for performing PAE.
• To provide a structured framework for optimizing PAE outcomes.
• To address key procedural domains in PAE.

Main Methods:

• A Delphi methodology was employed, involving 14 international experts.
• The study focused on six critical procedural domains of PAE.
• Recommendations were developed based on expert opinion and current literature.

Main Results:

• The consensus provides a structured framework for PAE procedures.
• Key areas covered include preprocedural imaging, antibiotic prophylaxis, arterial access, prostatic artery identification and cannulation, embolization techniques and materials, and non-target embolization prevention.
• Emerging techniques like liquid embolic agents and coil-out methods are also discussed.

Conclusions:

• The panel identified the most effective technical methods for PAE, acknowledging procedural variations.
• Further large-scale studies are recommended to validate or refine these consensus recommendations.