Skill Proficiency, Efficacy, and Safety of the Transradial Approach in Transarterial Treatments for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Introduction Abdominal angiography procedures such as transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) are essential for hepatocellular carcinoma treatment. One method commonly used is transfemoral access (TFA). However, issues associated with this method, which include postoperative compression of the puncture site and long periods of bed rest, can affect patient satisfaction. Thus, transradial access (TRA), a minimally invasive treatment method that improves treatment quality, was developed for TACE. This retrospective, multicenter study aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of abdominal angiography using the radial artery approach. Methods In total, 1,601 patients underwent abdominal angiography using TRA and received treatment (radial access for visceral intervention (RAVI)) at 14 institutions in Japan. The treatment time, procedure completion rate, patient satisfaction, and complications were investigated. Results The success rate of RAVI was 99.4%, and the complication rate was 1.2%. Approximately 98.2% of the patients requested the radial artery approach again. There were no significant differences in the success rate of RAVI and the incidence of complications based on the operator's years of experience or the patient's age. Some patients developed minor complications such as puncture site bleeding, hematoma, vascular pain, and vasospasm. Further, serious complications (cerebral infarction (n = 1), cerebellar infarction (n = 1), and aortic dissection (n = 1)) were observed. Conclusion Similar to the conventional TFA, RAVI helped in facilitating peritoneal angiography safely. In abdominal angiography, this method can reduce patient burden and can be widely used in the future from the perspective of clinical benefit.