New ongoing and published assessments by AVALIA-T in April-May 2023

In Spain, the Galician Agency for Health Technology Assessment (AVALIA-T) plays a relevant role in supporting primary studies and systematic reviews on health technologies at the national level. In the period of April-May 2023, the AVALIA-T initiated the following five health technology assessments:

• Utility of liquid biopsy in the management of colorectal cancer in I-IV stages;
• Safety of using non-resorbable polymer clips in living-donor laparoscopic nephrectomy;
• Cryopreservation and ovarian tissue auto transplantation for fertility preservation in patients with oncology or non-oncology processes;
• Evaluation of the lung cancer screening program;
• Systematic review of the effectiveness and safety of phalloplasty as masculinizing genital surgery.

The following two assessments were released:

• Stereotactic virtual navigation system (VNS) for percutaneous puncture and tumor ablation with the following key conclusions provided:
  • Studies of low quality and at high risk of bias on the effectiveness of VNS-guided thermoablation have only been identified for liver tumors, so the results should be interpreted with caution;
  • The evidence reviewed suggests that there is no difference in efficacy compared to those not using the VNSs; the safety of the studied system is similar to thermal ablations performed without VNSs, although they could improve the radiation dose per procedure received by patients;
  • The use of VNSs has an impact on the healthcare system as it requires an investment into purchasing, equipment rental, or transfer due to the cost of consumables, as well as the cost of the learning curve for professionals;
    • Link
• Invasive telemonitoring of pulmonary pressure in patients with heart failure with the following key conclusion provided:
  • It was concluded that pulmonary pressure remote monitoring systems appeared to be safe and reduced the frequency of hospitalizations. There is limited evidence on the quality of life of patients with remote monitoring devices and the level of acceptability/satisfaction of both patients and professionals in charge of their clinical management
    • Link

Initiated assessments are available in Spanish here.

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