Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome as a rare cause of acute bilateral limb and renal ischemia.

Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHS) is a rare and potentially fatal condition, particularly when it is associated with arterial thromboembolic events. We present a case of acute ischemia of both lower limbs and left kidney due to OHS. The clinical presentation included voluminous ascites, pleural effusion, and significant ovarian enlargement. Subsequently, bilateral severe acute limb ischemia and left kidney segmental infarction were established. Surgical thromboembolectomy and muscle débridement of the lower limbs were necessary, and the patient recovered with partial limitations. A high index of suspicion and timely treatment are essential to minimize consequences of arterial thrombosis associated with OHS.

[Hybrid repair of the aortic arch. Santa Marta Hospital initial experience]. / Reparação híbrida do arco aórtico: experiência inicial do Hospital de Santa Marta.

OBJECTIVES: To retrospectively review the hybrid treatment of the aortic arch with supra-aortic debranching and endo- vascular stent-graft repair in a single institution. METHODS: From 2007 to 2010, all patients submitted to aortic debranching procedures were entered into a prospective database analysis. For the present study, only patients with sealing zones 0 and 1, according to the Ishimaru classification, were included. Procedure-related morbimortality was analysed for the open and endovascular procedures. RESULTS: During the study period, we electively performed 6 total aortic debranching and 4 partial aortic debranching procedures in 10 patients. According to the etiology the indications were: 6 aortic arch aneurysms, 2 post-dissection aneurysms, 1 false aneurysm and 1 type I endoleak following TEVAR. The proximal sealing zone was Ishimaru zone 0 in six patients and zone 1 in four patients. The TEVAR procedure was delayed in all patients with a completion success of 80% (1 patient died from ruptured aortic aneurysm; 1 patient denied the second procedure and was lost to follow-up). The 30d mortality rate was 10% (patient mentioned above). The main morbidity was: 1 axillar venous thrombosis, 1 case of subclinical myocardial infarction, 1 case of terminal renal insufficiency and 1 case of prolonged ventilation. No permanent cerebral or peripheral neurologic deficit was noted. CONCLUSIONS: The hybrid repair of the aortic arch is a feasible and reproducible procedure, and our results are similar to the previously published series. Medium and long-term results are necessary to confirm whether the technique can be regarded as a safe alternative to open surgery in high-risk patients.

Celiac artery aneurysms.

Celiac artery aneurysms are extremely rare vascular lesions that are frequently asymptomatic. When present, clinical manifestations are often vague and unspecific. The most serious complication of celiac artery aneurysms is rupture with a mortality rate up to 100%. Elective surgical repair, with a mortality rate of 5%, is recommended except when operative risks contraindicate abdominal surgery. The authors present three clinical cases of celiac artery aneurysms treated by open surgery and discuss the surgical options adopted.

[Carotid body tumors. A 10-years experience in the management of the disease]. / Tumores do corpo carotídeo. Experiência de um Serviço no diagnóstico e tratamento nos últimos 10 anos.

INTRODUCTION: Carotid body tumours (CBT) are neoplasms that develop from paragangionic cells of this structure. They are rare, with an estimated incidence of 1:30000 and can be associated with other neuro-endocrine neoplasia. The authors report their experience in the management of the disease, in the last 10 years. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Eight patients (with eight tumours) were treated, all submitted to tumour resection. 75% were female and the mean age was 56 years. We report a 12,5% incidence of neurological sequelae from surgery, and no mortality. In the follow-up (which varied between 1 and 10 years), no local or contralateral recurrence or metastasis were registered. Also, we did not found family cases of this disease. CONCLUSIONS: The authors noticed an unusually high proportion of female patients. The tumour resection was curative in all patients, with a rate of neurological complications inferior to that reported in other published series. These neurological sequelae were reported in patients with large tumours, thus reinforcing the outmost importance of an early diagnosis. Pre-operative selective embolization of these tumours can be helpful in the resection of large tumours, allowing a potential reduction in neurological complications.

[Visceral artery aneurysms: alternative therapeutic approach]. / Aneurismas das artérias viscerais: alternativa terapêutica.

The authors report two cases in which stent grafts were used to treat visceral artery aneurysms. Case number 1 was a 42-year old woman with a history of renal colic who was found to have a right renal artery aneurysm. Two 6-mm x 20-mm Wallgraft endoprosthesis (Boston Scientific, Watertown, Mass) were placed across the aneurysm neck. Case number 2 was a 72 year-old woman with a past medical history significant for hepatic angioma and hypothyroidism. She was found to have a superior mesenteric artery aneurysm that was treated with a 6-mm x 17-mm Jostent stent graft (Jomed, GmbH, Ra). In both cases the aneurysm was completely excluded and distal end-organ flow preserved. Stent graft placement is a safe and effective treatment for visceral artery aneurysms. If this approach proves durable and reproducible, it can become the method of choice for the management of visceral artery aneurysms in selected patients.