Abstract
Purpose To investigate the effect of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on interventional radiology
(IR) in Germany in 2020 and 2021.
Materials und Methods This retrospective study is based on the nationwide interventional radiology procedures
documented in the quality register of the German Society for Interventional Radiology
and Minimally Invasive Therapy (DeGIR-QS-Register). The nationwide volume of interventions
in the pandemic years 2020 and 2021 was compared with the pre-pandemic period (Poisson-test,
Mann-Whitney test). The aggregated data were additionally evaluated by intervention
type with differentiated consideration of the temporal epidemiological infection occurrence.
Results During the two pandemic years 2020 and 2021, the number of interventional procedures
increased by appr. 4 % compared to the same period of the previous year (n = 190 454
and 189 447 vs. n = 183 123, respectively, p < 0.001). Only the first pandemic wave
in spring 2020 (weeks 12–16) showed a significant temporary drop in the number of
interventional procedures by 26 % (n = 4799, p < 0.05). This primarily involved interventions
that were not immediately medically urgent, such as pain treatments or elective arterial
revascularization. In contrast, interventions in the field of interventional oncology,
such as port catheter implantations and local tumor ablations, remained unaffected.
The decline of the first wave of infection was accompanied by a rapid recovery and
a significant, partly compensatory, 14 % increase in procedure numbers in the second
half of 2020 compared to the same period of the previous year (n = 77 151 vs. 67 852,
p < 0.001). Subsequent pandemic waves had no effect on intervention numbers.
Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic in Germany led to a significant short-term decrease in interventional
radiology procedures in the initial phase. A compensatory increase in the number of
procedures was observed in the subsequent period. This reflects the adaptability and
robustness of IR and the high demand for minimally invasive radiological procedures
in medical care.
Key points:
-
The study shows the nationwide pandemic-related effects on interventional radiology
in Germany.
-
In quantitative terms, the ongoing pandemic caused a significant, temporary decline
in intervention cases only in the initial phase.
-
Subsequent waves of infections had no effect on the scope of services provided by
interventional radiology.
-
Short-term deficits, especially in elective interventions, could be partially compensated.
Citation Format
Key words
SARS-CoV-2 - Interventional Radiology - Germany - COVID-19
