Fine needle assisted puncture positioning technique for CT-guided percutaneous interventions

Area of Science:

• Interventional Radiology
• Medical Imaging
• Surgical Techniques

Background:

• CT-guided percutaneous interventions are crucial for treating various conditions.
• Challenging target locations often necessitate advanced techniques to ensure accuracy and safety.
• Conventional methods may involve multiple repositioning attempts, increasing procedure time and potential complications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility and safety of a fine-needle-assisted, two-step puncture technique.
• To compare the accuracy and efficiency of this new technique against conventional approaches in CT-guided procedures.
• To assess the impact on repositioning attempts and puncture duration.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective study involving 40 patients with challenging target locations for CT-guided procedures.
• The fine-needle-assisted group used an initial fine needle for guidance before introducing the secondary intervention needle.
• The conventional group involved direct, stepwise needle insertion. Key metrics included repositioning attempts, puncture time, success rates, and complications.

Main Results:

• The fine-needle-assisted technique demonstrated successful initial needle placement in all cases.
• This method resulted in significantly fewer repositioning attempts (0.9 vs. 2.2) and shorter puncture times (12.05 vs. 14.95 minutes) compared to the conventional approach.
• No major complications were observed in either group, indicating a favorable safety profile.

Conclusions:

• The fine-needle-assisted puncture technique is a safe, feasible, and effective method.
• It significantly improves precision in CT-guided percutaneous procedures at challenging locations.
• This technique offers a superior alternative to conventional approaches for complex interventional radiology cases.