Outpatient single-session yttrium-90 glass microsphere radioembolization.

PURPOSE

To investigate the feasibility of yttrium-90 ((90)Y) glass microsphere radioembolization (including angiography, lung shunt assessment, and treatment) as a single-session, outpatient procedure.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Between January 2008 and June 2013, 14 patients underwent outpatient, single-session radioembolization with (90)Y glass microspheres. As part of the routine diagnostic work-up, all patients underwent either computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging of the liver with three-dimensional analysis and had laboratory results forwarded to our center for confirmation of candidacy before treatment. On treatment day, all patients underwent planning mesenteric angiography with flat panel cone-beam CT imaging. Patients were administered 33-85 MBq of technetium-99m macroaggregated albumin ((99m)Tc-MAA) via a microcatheter positioned in a hepatic artery supplying the tumor of interest. Planar scintigraphy was initiated within 2 hours after the administration of (99m)Tc-MAA and lung shunt fraction was determined. Final dosimetry calculations were performed while the patient was being transferred back from nuclear medicine to interventional radiology.

RESULTS

All patients successfully underwent planning angiography with administration of (99m)Tc-MAA and (90)Y radioembolization as a single-session treatment. There were no reportable or recordable medical events; treatment was carried out to the desired dose in all cases. The mean total procedure time was 2.70 hours ± 0.72 (range, 1.63-3.97 h).

CONCLUSIONS

This study reports a novel proof of concept for performing radioembolization in a single-session setting. By using the described method, time between initial clinical assessments and radioembolization treatment is decreased, and costs are minimized.