In Japan, adrenal venous sampling is widely performed in many institutions by interventional radiologists. However, the current status of adrenal venous sampling is unclear because this procedure was not covered by health insurance, and this procedure was not registered before 2012. Therefore we distributed a questionnaire about this procedure among the 224 training institutions qualified by the Japanese Society of Interventional Radiology at the end of 2012. Responses were obtained from 83 institutions. The majority of institutions performed fewer than 20 cases of adrenal venous sampling per year. The details of specific methodologies for adrenal venous sampling, including adrenal corticotrophic hormone stimulation, collaboration with an internal medicine doctor, as well as use of introducers, catheters, and micro-catheters, varied within each institution. However, the success rates of adrenal venous sampling were 97% on the right side, 100% on the left side, and 96% on both sides. Most angiographers thought venous sampling of the right adrenal gland was more difficult than sampling of the left. The examination time for sampling ranged from 60 to 120 minutes.
The questionnaire revealed the present status of adrenal venous sampling in Japan. The details of this technique in each institution varied, but the results were satisfactory in most cases.
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