<b>Purpose</b><br/>This study aimed to evaluate the clinical efficacy and patency of stents placed for symptomatic iliac vein or IVC obstruction caused by malignant tumors. Material and Methods: A total of 34 consecutive patients with malignant iliac vein or IVC obstruction underwent stent placement. We reviewed their electronic medical records, pre- and post-procedural CT scans, and angiograms retrospectively, and evaluated technical success, clinical success, and patient-based and vessel-based reocclusion rates confirmed by follow-up cross-sectional images. The reocclusion rate difference between IVC and iliac stents was also assessed. <br/><b>Results</b><br/>All patients complained of leg and/or trunk edema. The stents were placed in the following locations: IVC (n = 9); iliac veins (n = 19); and both IVC and iliac veins (n = 6). Technical success rate was 100% and the clinical success rate was 87.5% during hospitalization. Cross-sectional area of the affected thigh was significantly decreased after stent placement (mean 11.7%, p = 0.003). The median follow-up period was 65 days (Q1–Q3, 28.5–227.3; IQR, 198.8). The patient-based reocclusion rate was 42.8%. The vessel- based reocclusion rates for IVC (12.5%) tended to be lower than those of iliac veins (45.0%), though the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.194). <br/><b>Conclusion</b><br/>Stent insertion for iliac vein or IVC obstruction secondary to malignancy is technically feasible and can help to improve patients’ symptoms. IVC stents tend to achieve a higher rate of patency than iliac vein stents.

Complex hepatic cystic lesions with inconclusive imaging pose a recurring diagnostic problem: cyst-fluid cytology and conventional core-needle biopsy seldom capture the epithelial lining needed for a histological diagnosis, and current guidelines advise against simple cyst aspiration. We describe a sheath-assisted percutaneous forceps biopsy technique for direct cyst-wall sampling under ultrasound guidance, illustrated in two male patients (76 and 48 years). After Seldinger placement of an 8-Fr sheath into the cyst, rat-tooth forceps obtained direct biopsies of the wall epithelium, and the tract was embolized with Gelfoam. Technical success was achieved in both cases; histology showed columnar biliary epithelium consistent with mucinous cystic neoplasm, whereas fluid cytology was non-diagnostic. No complications occurred. This technique offers a feasible means of obtaining a histological diagnosis in complex hepatic cystic lesions when conventional methods are inconclusive.

<b>Purpose</b><br/>Tumor location influences the effectiveness and safety of RFA. This study evaluated RFA outcomes as first-line therapy for HCC <3 cm, focusing on tumor location impact. <br/><b>Materials and Methods</b><br/>In this retrospective cohort study, 281 patients with newly diagnosed HCC <3 cm in up to three lesions treated with RFA between 2003 and 2019 were analyzed. The tumor location was categorized as superficial (outer third), mid-portion (middle third), or deep (near vena cava), using an imaginary line from the liver surface to the vena cava. Perivascular tumors were defined as those abutting portal or hepatic veins. Recurrence-free survival (RFS) among location groups was compared with risk factors analyzed via Cox regression. <br/><b>Results</b><br/>Patients (mean age, 61.1 ± 11.1 years) were predominantly male (73.3%), hepatitis B virus surface antigen–positive (66.2%), and of Child-Pugh class A (97.5%). Deep tumors had shorter RFS than superficial/mid-portion tumors (HR, 1.87; 95% CI, 1.20 to 2.93; p = 0.005), as did perivascular versus non-perivascular tumors (HR, 1.87; 95% CI, 1.16 to 3.00; p = 0.008). Group C (deep + perivascular, n = 10) had shorter RFS than group A (no risk factors: HR, 3.12; 95% CI, 1.50 to 6.45; p = 0.002) and group B (one risk factor: HR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.05 to 2.40; p = 0.028). Multivariable analysis identified tumor depth, perivascular location, size >2 cm, creatinine, and prothrombin time as independent predictors of shorter RFS. <br/><b>Conclusion</b><br/>Tumor depth and proximity to vasculature independently predict RFS in small HCCs treated with RFA, highlighting the role of tumor location in determining patient prognosis.