Abstract 148: Balloon‐assisted Retrograde Cerebral Venography in Cerebral Venous Interventions: A Novel Avenue for Diagnostic Venous Imaging

Introduction Angiographic imaging of cerebral venous system is derived from the delayed phase of a cerebral arteriogram. The venous phase of arteriogram provides washed out images, quality of which is determined by the direction of dominant venous outflow, iodinated contrast ratio and flat panel imaging resolution*. Direct venous injections are limited in visualization due to injections against the direction of blood flow. We identified a method of cerebral phlebography under temporary venous balloon occlusion of jugular vein or venous sinus to obtain high resolution 2D and 3D images for diagnosis and treatment of cerebral venous pathology. We propose the addition and use of large diameter compliant balloon guide catheters in the workflow of cerebral venous imaging to optimize filling of cerebral venous system and significantly improve venous imaging. Methods A case series of 15 patients who underwent Intracranial Venous Interventions were collected from the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. All patients underwent 2 and 3‐dimensional retrograde phlebography assisted by temporary inflation of balloon guide catheter. Results 9 females and 6 males received venous access predominantly located in right cubital fossa in the cephalic or basilic vein using an 8 and 9 french sheaths. The balloon guide catheters employed included Walrus Balloon Guide 8F (Q’apel medical) 8 cases, Dr Banner Balloon Guide ( EO solutions corp) 5 cases, Bobby Balloon guide (microvention)1 case, Emboguard Balloon Guide ( Cerenovus) 1 case. Utilization of balloon catheters resulted in minimal increase in average procedure time with improved filling and depiction of venous vessels, and no complications. Conclusion Balloon assisted retrograde phlebography using compliant balloon guide catheters is an effective way to image cerebral veins while decreasing the difficulty associated with working against the flow of venous blood.