Prophylactic Use of Uterine Artery Embolization to Decrease Bleeding in Laparoscopic Myomectomy: A Case Report

Uterine fibroids, or leiomyomas, are the most frequent benign tumors affecting the female reproductive system, particularly during the reproductive years. The case report that follows presents the diagnosis and treatment of uterine fibroids in a female patient. The 33-year-old female patient in this instance arrived at the tertiary rural hospital with an abnormally large, bloated belly. Upon examination and imaging, it was discovered that the patient had multiple fibroids growing inside her uterus. Here, we present a successful management of uterine leiomyoma with laparoscopic myomectomy where we performed uterine artery embolization before surgical management in order to minimize blood loss during surgery. The case highlights the significance of collaboration between gynecologists, surgeons, and interventional radiologists. Thanks to their combined expertise, the patient was given a variety of treatment options, such as minimally invasive treatments, surgical interventions, and medication therapy. Decision considerations included the consequences of fibroids and the patient's age and desire to preserve fertility. The effect of fibroids on her life expectancy is taken into account. This case emphasizes how important it is to embolize the uterine arteries before having a myomectomy to cure large uterine leiomyomas successfully.

Risk assessment in aortic aneurysm repair by medical specialists versus the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program risk calculator outcomes

Objective

The aim of this online clinical vignette-based survey study was to compare risk assessments by vascular surgeons, anaesthesiologists and interventional radiologists involved in treating patients with aortic aneurysms in the Netherlands with the NSQIP risk calculator outcomes.

Methods

Participants, recruited using purposive sampling, provided their estimation of the likelihood of postoperative complications and events following aortic surgery in five fictional cases. These cases were subsequently scored using the NSQIP calculator. The risk assessments were statistically analysed using the ANOVA and student t-test.

Results

All participating specialists i.e. twelve vascular surgeons, ten interventional radiologists and ten anaesthesiologists completed the survey. In the vast majority of outcomes and vignettes, no significant differences were found between various specialists, whereas significant differences were found between the NSQIP risk calculator outcomes and the combined risk assessments of the specialists. Overall, specialist risk assessments differ from the NSQIP, but neither particularly higher nor lower compared to the risk calculator.

Conclusions

Risk assessment by vascular surgeons, anaesthesiologists and interventional radiologists differs significantly with NSQIP risk calculator outcomes, within the framework of both endovascular and open aortic aneurysm repair. Based on these results, implementing the NSQIP risk calculator in preoperative workup could be of added value in both patient planning as well as adequately informing patients for obtaining consent.

Physician Specialty and Radiologist Characteristics Associated with Higher Medicare Patient Complexity

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES

Meaningfully measuring physician outcomes and resource utilization requires appropriate patient risk adjustment. We aimed to assess Medicare patient complexity by physician specialty and to further identify radiologist characteristics associated with higher patient complexity.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The average beneficiary Hierarchical Condition Category (HCC) risk scores (Medicare's preferred measure of clinical complexity) were identified for all physicians using 2014 Medicare claims data. HCC scores were compared among physician specialties and further stratified for radiologists based on a range of characteristics. Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed.

RESULTS

Of 549,194 physicians across 54 specialties, the mean HCC risk score was 1.62 ± 0.75. Of the 54 specialties, interventional radiology ranked 4th (2.60 ± 1.29), nuclear medicine ranked 16th (1.87 ± 0.45), and diagnostic radiology ranked 21st (1.75 ± 0.61). Among 31,175 radiologists, risk scores were higher (P < 0.001) for those with teaching (2.03 ± 0.74) vs nonteaching affiliations (1.72 ± 0.61), practice size ≥100 (1.94 ± 0.70) vs ≤9 (1.59 ± 0.79) members, urban (1.79 ± 0.69) vs rural (1.67 ± 0.59) practices, and subspecialized (1.85 ± 0.81) vs generalized (1.68 ± 0.42) practice patterns. Among noninterventional radiology subspecialties, patient complexity was highest for cardiothoracic (2.09 ± 0.57) and lowest for breast (1.08 ± 0.32) imagers. At multivariable analysis, a teaching affiliation was the strongest independent predictor of patient complexity for both interventional (β = +0.23, P = 0.005) and noninterventional radiologists (β = +0.21, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Radiologists on average serve more clinically complex Medicare patients than most physicians nationally. However, patient complexity varies considerably among radiologists and is particularly high for those with teaching affiliations and interventional radiologists. With patient complexity increasingly recognized as a central predictor of clinical outcomes and resource utilization, ongoing insights into complexity measures may assist radiologists navigating emerging risk-based payment models.