Research
A culture of research: Highlighting landmark IR trials and registries
O
ne of SIR and SIR Foundation’s key missions is to further evidence-based care by providing opportunities,
structure and support for critical IR research. Over the years, IR investigators have led multiple research breakthroughs and landmark studies. To celebrate 50 years of SIR, we revisited a handful of recent studies and heard from their primary investigators.
The FIBROID registry Purpose: To investigate the change in symptom severity and health-related quality of life among patients treated with uterine artery embolization for leiomyomata.
Established in 1999, the Fibroid Registry for Outcomes Data (FIBROID), was the foundation of establishing uterine artery
embolization (UAE) as a safe, effective and viable treatment for fibroids. Over 3 years, the multicenter study reported outcomes for over 2,000 patients, leading to the widespread adoption of UAE as a viable non-surgical alternative to hysterectomy.
Today, Scott C. Goodwin, MD, FSIR, believes that awareness regarding the value of UAE is at 100% within the IR community, in thanks to the FIBROID registry and multiple subsequent studies. However, there are still many patients who do not know about embolization.
“We have 100% knowledge of the efficacy, but we have not yet made enough progress in patient education,” Dr. Goodwin said. “Unless patients are told by their OB/GYN or their primary care physician, they don’t know it even exists. So, the challenge is not just understanding the treatment— it’s getting the word out.”
Online exclusive
Dr. Goodwin shares more about the development of the FIBROID registry and the future of UAE research at
irq.sirweb.org.
READ MORE Spies JB, et al. The FIBROID Registry: Symptom and Quality-of-Life Status 1 Year After Therapy. Obstet Gynecol. 2005;106(6):1309-1318.
Uterine Fibroid Symptom Health-Related Quality of Life Questionnaire (UFS-QOL) Purpose: To create and validate a questionnaire for assessing symptom severity and symptom impact on health-related quality of life for women with leiomyomata.
1991 VIR fellowships
ACGME approves accreditation of Vascular and Interventional Radiology (VIR) subspecialty training programs. The society moves into its own independent office in Fairfax, VA, this same year.
James B. Spies, MD, FSIR, performs an early uterine fibroid embolization.
The UFS-QOL is a tool specifically designed to assess the symptoms associated with uterine fibroid tumors. The development of this questionnaire was supported by grants from SIR Foundation and the RAND Corporation. The questionnaire utilizes self-reporting to measure patient symptoms before and after treatment, as well as gathering more subjective experience information such as mood levels. Physicians can then utilize the results to determine the severity of the patient’s condition and inform treatment decisions.
Since the development of the UFS-QOL, SIR Foundation has partnered with the nonprofit patient advocacy group MAPI Research Trust to distribute this tool.
READ MORE Spies JB, et al. The UFS- QOL, a new disease-specific symptom and health-related quality of life questionnaire for leiomyomata. Obstet Gynecol. 2002 Feb;99(2):290-300.
The ATTRACT trial Purpose: To compare the outcomes of patients with deep vein thrombosis when receiving anticoagulation or anticoagulation plus pharmacomechanical catheter-directed thrombolysis (PCDT).
The Acute Venous Thrombosis: Thrombus Removal with Adjunctive Catheter-Directed Thrombolysis (ATTRACT) trial was a large, clinical trial that randomized treatment of over 690 DVT patients. Lead by national principal investigator Suresh Vedantham, MD, FSIR, the ATTRACT trial was sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood
1991–1992 Payment advances, AMA seat
Significant SCVIR lobbying efforts lead to a total revision of IR coding, allowing IRs to code procedures using a combination of surgical procedure and Supervision & Interpretation codes. SCVIR earns a seat in the American Medical Association’s House of Delegates. Learn more about the history of IR CPT codes on pg. 26
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