CIRSE: Which articles did you personally find the most enlightening?
Garnon: I have to say that all authors did a very good job in providing the readers with sources on the latest advancements of IR in MSK diseases. Everything is definitely a must-read. I personally particularly enjoyed the articles on embolization, as embolization in this field of application is quite a new, fascinating, and promising use of the technique. It’s new to me personally! So much has still to be done to better understand how the technique works and how to optimize the current practice and develop optimal embolic agents.
CIRSE: What types of MSK articles to you hope to see submitted to CVIR in the future?
Garnon: This question builds upon the previous answer! We are definitely looking for pre-clinical and clinical papers on the different topics that are presented in the special issue. MSK is still a relatively new topic in IR, and despite the excitement around these techniques, we still lack high-quality evidence that would help us to spread these minimally invasive interventions among colleagues and patients. This is not always without controversies, as highlighted by the paper on vertebroplasty in this awesome – sorry, special – issue.
CIRSE: What have been the main advances in MSK interventions over the last few years and where are we today? What could motivate young IRs to specialise in MSK?
Garnon: There has been so many advances! Bone stabilization has changed the way we can restore movements and function for patients suffering from impending and pathological fractures. IR offers solutions that did not exist before! It’s the same case for benign bone tumours. If we can reduce the morbidity of surgery while achieving good clinical outcomes, it is all about patient benefit. After reading this issue, readers will realize that degenerative disease may also benefit from our treatments: platelet-rich plasma (PRP), ablation of nerves, and embolization are now potential solutions. But like for any other organ, we need to stratify and be able to propose a clear algorithm. Challenging and exciting! Different techniques, different indications, we couldn’t ask for a more motivating topic for young IRs!
