Hybrid treatment of aortic arch aneurysms.

AIM: Aim of this study was to retrospectively analyze the experience of a single center in the hybrid treatment of aortic arch aneurysms. METHODS: From January 2005 to August 2008 a hybrid treatment for complex aortic aneurysms (aortic arch, thoracoabdominal aorta or thoracic and abdominal segments at the same time) was performed in 34 patients. In 11 cases a hybrid exclusion of an aortic arch aneurysm was carried out. Perioperative results in terms of morbidity and mortality were assessed. Follow-up examination consisted of computed tomography scan and chest X-ray at discharge, 6 and 12 months, and yearly thereafter. Mid-term survival and graft-related complications were analyzed. RESULTS: All the patients were males with a mean age of 74 years, range 68-81. Intraoperative technical success was achieved in all the cases. At 30 days one patient died for an acute stroke. The overall 30-day mortality rate was 9.1%. One frenic nerve paralysis and one acute re-spiratory failure with pneumonia were observed with an overall 30-day major morbidity rate of 18.2%. During follow-up (mean duration 19.3 months, range 1-36) no death, reintervention, conversion, aneurysm-related complication or graft thrombosis were recorded. CONCLUSION: Hybrid approaches to the treatment of complex aortic lesions involving the arch can be successfully used. However, perioperative complications remain still not irrelevant and long-term efficacy has to be proved.

Bronchial artery embolization with detachable coils for the treatment of haemoptysis. Preliminary experience.

PURPOSE: This paper reports our early experience in the treatment of haemoptysis with embolization of the bronchial arteries using detachable coils. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten patients (mean age 45 years, range 23-83) with haemoptysis due to bronchoscopic biopsy of indeterminate lung nodules, lung cancer, tubercular bronchiectasis, cystic bronchiectasis or sarcoidosis underwent embolization of the bronchial arteries responsible for the bleeding using detachable coils. Patients were followed-up for a median of 14 months. RESULTS: In all patients the procedure halted the bronchial bleeding within 24 hours. Eight patients had no recurrence of haemoptysis. In one patient with lung cancer and another with sarcoidosis, haemoptysis recurred within 1-3 months due to recruitment of additional feeding arteries and to a missed large feeding artery originating from the subclavian artery, which required a new procedure. CONCLUSIONS: Use of detachable coils for embolization of bronchial arteries in patients with haemoptysis is advantageous since it eliminates the risk of migration typical of other embolic materials and enables rapid and permanent vessel occlusion.

Intramural hematoma of the aorta: diagnosis and treatment.

OBJECTIVE: Increasing use of modern high-resolution imaging techniques yields to describe very early stages of aortic pathology which, if left untreated, may lead to overt aortic dissection. One typical example is aortic intramural hematoma (IMH) with a limited number of cases described in the literature and uncertainties still existing about the most appropriate treatment. Purpose of our study is to report our experience in the evaluation and treatment of IMHs. METHODS: From 1991 to 1999 175 patients were conveyed to our centre for aortic dissection; in nine of them diagnosis of acute IMH was performed. RESULTS: Diagnosis was obtained by means of conventional CT scan of the chest. All the patients underwent surgery, one patient died (11%). At the follow-up (mean 31 months) eight patients were alive and well and did not require any other cardiac surgery. CONCLUSIONS: The possibility to progress to overt aortic dissection may explain the need to an early diagnosis in the treatment of acute IMHs. Immediate surgical treatment is, in our experience, the preferred therapeutic option.