SIR Foundation, Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology present awards

JVIR Editor's Award for Outstanding Clinical Research Paper notes Medicare savings when treatments performed by interventional radiologists; Outstanding Laboratory Investigation Article highlights emerging therapy for liver cancer

NEW ORLEANS, April 15, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology—the Society of Interventional Radiology's flagship publication—together with the SIR Foundation, presented the 2012 JVIR Editor's Award for Outstanding Clinical Research Paper to Abdul Mueed Zafar, M.D., and the Outstanding Laboratory Investigation to Young Il Kim, M.D. The awards were presented during SIR's38th Annual Scientific Meeting in New Orleans. The articles were selected after a careful review of all manuscripts published in 2012.

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Zafar, a research associate in diagnostic imaging, and his coauthors at Rhode Island Hospital, Brown University, Providence, conducted a systematic review of Medicare claims data from more than 14,000 individuals with peripheral arterial disease, or PAD, to explore connections between cost and provider care. The resulting paper, "Lower-extremity Endovascular Interventions for Medicare Beneficiaries: Comparative Effectiveness as a Function of Provider Specialty," noted that the adjusted average one-year procedure cost when minimally invasive treatments for PAD are performed by interventional radiologists  provide a savings to Medicare of approximately $1,000 per procedure. In such a large population, the authors said, treatments for PAD by interventional radiologists could potentially save taxpayers $230 million each year.

"This honor is well deserved. It's imperative that as responsible health care providers, we identify quality health care and cost savings for conditions such as PAD, a disease that affects millions of Americans," said Ziv J Haskal, M.D., FSIR, the journal's editor-in-chief. "This is the first—and largest—study of its kind. The investigators' meticulous review unveiled strong evidence that treatment by interventional radiologists in this population provides numerous benefits to the PAD patient. The data clearly shows higher costs when treatment is not performed by interventional radiologists," added Haskal, a professor of radiology and surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

"Intratumoral versus Intravenous Gene Therapy Using a Transcriptionally Targeted Viral Vector in an Orthotopic Hepatocellular Carcinoma Rat Model," a bellwether for treatment that could eventually find a place in clinical practice, received JVIR's 2012 Award for Outstanding Laboratory Investigation. Young Il Kim, M.D., a visiting scholar at Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, Calif., and co-authors, said Haskal, undertook an exploration of an emerging cancer treatment. "Gene therapy is an increasingly positive and exciting therapy in cancer treatment today," noted Haskal. "The study explored a more efficient method of targeting gene therapy in advanced liver cancer, often a difficult treatment situation because of advanced tumor stage and cirrhosis." Haskal praised the study's investigators for doing what interventional radiologists do best—seeking innovative solutions within the specialty's technology.

This year, JVIR premiers six additional Editor's Award Honorees for Excellence in published clinical and laboratory investigations: "Complications Following 573 Percutaneous Renal Radiofrequency and Cryoablation Procedures," Thomas D. Atwell, M.D., Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.; "Phase I/II Multicenter Study of Transarterial Chemoembolization with a Cisplatin Fine Powder and Porous Gelatin Particles for Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Japan Interventional Radiology in Oncology Study Group Study 0401, Keigo Osuga, M.D., department of diagnostic and interventional radiology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan; Utero-ovarian Anastomoses and Their Influence on Uterine Fibroid Embolization, Carlos Lanciego, M.D., Ph.D., Hospital Virgen de la Salud, Complejo Hospitalario de Toledo, Spain; Ethiodized Oil Uptake Does Not Predict Doxorubicin Drug Delivery After Chemoembolization in VX2 Liver Tumors, Ron C. Gaba, M.D., department of radiology, interventional radiology section, University of Illinois, Chicago; Multimodal Visibility of a Modified Polyzene-F–coated Spherical Embolic Agent for Liver Embolization: Feasibility Study in a Porcine Model, Ulrike Stampfl, M.D., EBIR, department of diagnostic and interventional radiology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Germany; Dodecafluoropentane Emulsion Decreases Infarct Volume in a Rabbit Ischemic Stroke Model, William C. Culp, M.D., FSIR, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Ark.

More information about the Society of Interventional Radiology and the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology can be found online at www.SIRweb.org and www.JVIR.org.

2012 JVIR Editor's Award for Outstanding Clinical Research Paper: "Lower-extremity Endovascular Interventions for Medicare Beneficiaries: Comparative Effectiveness as a Function of Provider Specialty

2012 JVIR Editor's Award for Outstanding Laboratory Paper: "Intratumoral Versus Intravenous Gene Therapy Using a Transcriptionally Targeted Viral Vector in an Orthotopic Hepatocellular Carcinoma Rat Model." Reporters can obtain all papers by contacting SIR's communications department.

About the Society of Interventional Radiology Foundation
SIR Foundation is a scientific foundation dedicated to fostering research and education in interventional radiology for the purposes of advancing scientific knowledge, increasing the number of skilled investigators in interventional radiology and developing innovative therapies that lead to improved patient care and quality of life. Visit www.SIRFoundation.org.

About the Society of Interventional Radiology 
Interventional radiologists are physicians who specialize in minimally invasive, targeted treatments. They offer the most in-depth knowledge of the least invasive treatments available coupled with diagnostic and clinical experience across all specialties. They use X-ray, MRI and other imaging to advance a catheter in the body, such as in an artery, to treat at the source of the disease internally. As the inventors of angioplasty and the catheter-delivered stent, which were first used in the legs to treat peripheral arterial disease, interventional radiologists pioneered minimally invasive modern medicine. Today, interventional oncology is a growing specialty area of interventional radiology. Interventional radiologists can deliver treatments for cancer directly to the tumor without significant side effects or damage to nearby normal tissue.

Many conditions that once required surgery can be treated less invasively by interventional radiologists. Interventional radiology treatments offer less risk, less pain and less recovery time compared to open surgery. This year, SIR celebrates 40 years of innovation and advances in interventional radiology. Visit www.SIRweb.org.

The Society of Interventional Radiology is holding its 38th Annual Scientific Meeting April 13-18 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. The theme of the meeting is 'IR Reaching Out,' adopted to illustrate the many ways the Annual Scientific Meeting provides valuable education to attendees with a broad range of diverse clinical interests and practice settings.

SOURCE Society of Interventional Radiology