Utilization of integrated angiography-CT interventional radiology suites at a tertiary cancer center

BACKGROUND Integrated Angiography-Computed Tomography (ACT) suites were initially designed in the 1990's to perform complex procedures requiring high-resolution cross-sectional imaging and fluoroscopy. Since then, there have been technology developments and changes in patient management. The purpose of this study was to review the current usage patterns of a single center's integrated ACT suites. METHODS All procedures performed in 2017 in 3 ACT suites (InterACT Discovery RT, GE Healthcare) at a tertiary cancer center were reviewed retrospectively. Usage was classified as: Standard, in which the patient underwent a single procedure using either fluoroscopy, CT, or ultrasound (US); Combined, in which the patient underwent a single procedure utilizing both fluoroscopy and CT; or Staged, in which the patient underwent 2 separate but successive procedures using fluoroscopy and CT individually. The most frequently performed Combined and Staged procedures were further reviewed to determine how the different modalities were used. The duration of the most common Staged procedures was compared to analogous procedures' durations in single modality rooms over the period Jan 2016 to Sep 2019. RESULTS A total of 3591 procedures were performed on 2678 patients in the 3 ACT Suites. 80% of patients underwent a Standard procedure using fluoroscopy (38%), CT (32%) or US (10%) and accounted for 70% of the room occupation time. Fourteen and three percent of the patients underwent Combined or Staged procedures, occupying 19 and 5% of the room time, respectively. The remaining procedures were classified as both Combined and Staged, representing 3% of the patients and 6% of the room occupation time. The most common Combined procedures were drainages, hepatic arterial embolizations or radioembolizations, arterial, and biliary interventions. The most common Staged procedures were multiple drainages and hepatic arterial embolizations followed by biopsies or ablations. The room occupation time for liver tumor embolization and ablation was significantly shorter (p < 0.01) when performed in a Staged fashion versus the analogous procedures in single modality room. CONCLUSION An integrated ACT system provides the capability to perform complex Combined or Staged procedures as well as scheduling flexibility by allowing any type of case to be performed in the IR suite.