Cryoablation of osteoid osteomas:Is it a valid treatment option?

BACKGROUND Osteoid osteoma is a benign bone tumor with characteristic clinical symptomatology.The selected method for its treatment is percutaneous radiofrequency ablation.However,percutaneous cryoablation is an alternative method with certain advantages.AIM To evaluate percutaneous computed tomography(CT)-guided cryoablation for the treatment of osteoid osteoma in young patients and adults.METHODS A total of 25 patients were treated with percutaneous CT-guided cryoablation for osteoid osteomas between October 2020 and March 2023 at a single institution.All patients were above 14-years-old(mean age,24-years-old),and all procedures were performed under local anesthesia.Of the 25 patients,8 were female and 17 were male.Tumor sites included the femur(n=9),medial malleolus(n=4),sacral ala(n=4),facets(n=4),humerus(n=3),and tibia(n=1).One cryoprobe was used in each procedure and,when possible,the lesion was covered by the ice-ball using an extraosseous position without penetrating the nidus.All necessary thermal protective techniques were used depending on the anatomical structure at risk.RESULTS All patients treated had complete response(100%clinical success rate)starting on the day of the procedure.Technical success was achieved in all cases.Visual analog scale(VAS)scores at 1 year were 0,compared to a mean VAS score of 8.5±1(SD)before the procedure.No recurrences were reported at the 1-year follow-up and no complications were observed.In 11/25 cases,an extraosseous position of the cryoprobe was used with less procedural time achieving technical and clinical success and no complications with less patient discomfort.All patients were discharged from the hospital on the same day as the procedure.CONCLUSION Cryoablation of osteoid osteomas is an efficacious and safe procedure with durable clinical results.Its greatest advantage is that the procedure can be performed under local anesthesia using an extraosseous position of the cryoprobe when possible.

Emperor’s syndrome in the COVID-19 era:Time for patient-centered nephrology?

The coronavirus disease-19(COVID-19)pandemic has been a wake-up call in which has forced us to react worldwide.Health policies and practices have attracted particular attention in terms of human and financial cost.Before COVID-19,chronic kidney disease was already considered a risk multiplier in patients with diabetes and hypertension,the two now being the major risk factors for COVID-19 infection and adverse outcome.In contrast to the urgent need for action,the nephrology field is considered to be in a state of stagnation regarding the management of chronic kidney disease patients who still experience unacceptably high morbidity and mortality.Ironically and paradoxically in a field lacking robust clinical trials,clinical practice is driven by guidelines-based medicine on weak evidence.The Emperor’s syndrome,referring to Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale,has been described in medicine as voluntary blindness to an obvious truth,being a weak evidence-based therapeutic intervention or weak health care.A promising positive example of improving heart and kidney outcomes is the emerging treatment with sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors.COVID-19 could boost actions for patient-centered care as a positive shift in nephrology care.

Translational research and innovation in modern transplant practice:Paradigms from Greece and around the world

The continuous clinical and technological advances,together with the social,health and economic challenges that the global population faces,have created an environment where the evolution of the field of transplantation is essentially necessary.The goal of this special issue is to provide a picture of the current status of transplantation in Greece as well as in many other countries in Europe and around the world.Authors from Greece and several other countries provide us with valuable insight into their respective areas of transplant expertise,with a main focus on the field of translational research and innovation.The papers that are part of this Special Issue“Translational Research and Innovation and the current status of Transplantation in Greece”have presented innovative and meaningful approaches in modern transplant research and practice.They provide us with a clear overview of the current landscape in transplantation,including liver transplantation in the context of a major pandemic,the evolution of living donor kidney transplantation or the evolution of the effect of hepatitis C virus infection in transplantation,while at the same time explore more recent challenges,such as the issue of frailty in the transplant candidate and the changes brought by newer treatments,such as immunotherapy,in transplant oncology.Additionally,they offer us a glimpse of the effect that technological innovations,such as virtual reality,can have on transplantation,both in terms of clinical and educational aspects.Just as critical is the fact that this Special Issue emphasizes the multidisciplinary,collaborative efforts currently taking place that link transplant research and innovation with other cutting-edge disciplines such as bioengineering,advanced information technology and artificial intelligence.In this Special Issue,in addition to the clinical and research evolution of the field of transplantation,we are witnessing the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in medicine.