Delayed Stanford Type A Aortic Dissection After Endovascular Repair of Abdominal Aortic and Common Iliac Artery Aneurysms Resulting in Stent Graft Collapse: A Case Report.

We discuss a rare case of Stanford type A aortic dissection (TAAD) occurring several months after endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) of the abdominal aortic and the common iliac artery (CIA) aneurysms. The patient underwent urgent surgery for TAAD treatment but died on the table due to intractable bleeding. We conclude that TAAD was likely unrelated to the initial EVAR procedure but rather to atherosclerosis, hypertension, and prior aortic valve replacement. Only a few cases in the literature report TAAD and total collapse of the abdominal aortic stent graft.

Endovascular Aortic Repair After Abdominal Aortic Injury in a Patient With an Aberrant Renal Artery.

Abdominal aortic injury (AAI) due to blunt trauma is rare and is often complicated by thrombosis within the true and false lumens and sometimes aortic rupture. No standard guidelines for treatment are available. We present the case of a 44-year-old female patient with posttraumatic dissection of the abdominal aorta, which was referred to our institution for endovascular aortic repair (EVAR). The patient was referred to our institution after emergency surgery following blunt abdominal trauma due to a car accident. Initial computed tomography (CT), performed at the referring hospital, showed multiple bone injuries with pneumothorax, liver and spleen lacerations, and rupture of the anterior abdominal wall with mesenteric injury and active intraperitoneal extravasation of contrast media from visceral arteries. Initial CT also showed dissection of the distal part of the abdominal aorta. Due to hemodynamic instability, emergency surgery was performed for intraperitoneal injuries. Control computed tomography angiography (CTA) after surgery confirmed a dissection of the distal part of the abdominal aorta at the level of the bifurcation protruding into the right common iliac artery with partial thrombosis of the right iliac artery and no active extravasation of the contrast media at the level of the aorta. An aberrant left renal artery was also identified. A hemodynamically stable patient was transferred to our institution for emergency EVAR which was performed without intraprocedural complications. Control CTA after EVAR showed a good result of the procedure with minimal type 2 endoleak and no extravasation. EVAR can also be used to treat AAI without active extravasation to prevent future total rupture of the aortic wall.

Superficial Femoral Artery Pseudoaneurysm and Arterial Wall Destruction After Drug-Coated Balloon Treatment.

Drug-coated balloon angioplasty may present an efficient alternative to traditional balloon angioplasty and stenting, which suffer from high rates of restenosis and increased risk of stent fractures in the anatomically unfavorable regions, such as the superficial femoral artery in the adductor canal. Although pseudoaneurysms are the most common vascular access site complications, they are considerably rarer at the site of the endovascular treatment. They can be caused by several mechanisms, including stent fractures, usage of oversized balloons, high-pressure inflations, and infections. In addition, paclitaxel, the drug released from drug-coated balloons, may also play a significant role in the formation and exacerbation of pseudoaneurysms. The exact pathophysiology remains unclear, but it may be due to a combination of paclitaxel's suppression of neointimal healing and immune response, cytotoxic properties, and hypersensitivity-related inflammation.

MicroRNA-142-3p improves vascular relaxation in uremia.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is strongly associated with a high burden of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Therefore, we aimed to characterize the putative role of microRNAs (miR)s in uremic vascular remodelling and endothelial dysfunction. METHODS: We investigated the expression pattern of miRs in two independent end-stage renal disease (ESRD) cohorts and in the animal model of uremic DBA/2 mice via quantitative RT-PCR. Moreover, DBA/2 mice were treated with intravenous injections of synthetic miR-142-3p mimic and were analysed for functional and morphological vascular changes by mass spectrometry and wire myography. RESULTS: The expression pattern of miRs was regulated in ESRD patients and was reversible after kidney transplantation. Out of tested miRs, only blood miR-142-3p was negatively associated with carotid-femoral pulse-wave velocity in CKD 5D patients. We validated these findings in a murine uremic model and found similar suppression of miR-142-3p as well as decreased acetylcholine-mediated vascular relaxation of the aorta. Therefore, we designed experiments to restore bioavailability of aortic miR-142-3p in vivo via intravenous injection of synthetic miR-142-3p mimic. This intervention restored acetylcholine-mediated vascular relaxation. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, we provide compelling evidence, both in humans and in mice, that miR-142-3p constitutes a potential pharmacological agent to prevent endothelial dysfunction and increased arterial stiffness in ESRD.

Endovascular Treatment of Haemodialysis Arteriovenous Fistula with Drug-Coated Balloon Angioplasty: A Single-Centre Study.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) on haemodialysis fistulas utilising drug-coated balloons with plain balloon vessel preparation (DCB). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the study group, 31 patients (16 men; mean age 62.8 ± 17.2 years) with failing arteriovenous fistulas were treated, with DCB, and compared with a control group (31 patients; 15 men; mean age 67.0 ± 8.44 years), in which only plain balloon PTA was performed. All stenoses were dilated with regular PTA balloons. After achieving haemodynamic success (< 30% residual stenosis), drug-coated balloons were used for drug administration in the study group. The follow-up intervals were 6, 12 and 24 months. Target lesion primary patency, primary assisted patency and secondary patency were compared. The statistical significance was set at 0.05. RESULTS: Target lesion primary patency was compared in both groups and was significantly higher in the study group (DCB) at 6 months (90.3 vs. 61.3%; p = 0.016), 12 months (77.4 vs. 29%; p = 0.0004) as well as 24 months (45.2 vs. 16.1%; p = 0.026). Kaplan-Meier survival curves also showed a significant difference for target lesion primary patency (534.2 vs. 315.7 days; p = 0.0004). There were no significant differences in target lesion primary assisted patency and in secondary patency. However, only 38.7% of patients in the study group were treated twice or more versus 80.6% in the control group (p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: DCB increases target lesion primary patency during the first 24 months and decreases the rate of reinterventions.

Radiographic assessment of vascular calcification, aortic pulse wave velocity, ankle-brachial index and fibroblast growth factor-23 in chronic hemodialysis patients.

Vascular calcification is a frequent complication of chronic kidney disease and end stage renal disease. In both the general population and patients with end stage renal disease, vascular calcification is related to arterial stiffness and is a predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Various diagnostic methods are currently used to assess vascular calcification. There is a preference for simple, reliable methods that can be used in daily practice. Therefore, several imaging and laboratory methods are investigated. Twenty-eight patients with mean age of 62 years on chronic hemodialysis were enrolled in the study. The mean duration of hemodialysis treatment was 70 months (range 3 to 350 months). Vascular calcification was assessed with coronary computed tomography and lateral lumbar, pelvic and hand radiographs. Vascular stiffness was evaluated using aortic pulse wave velocity and ankle-brachial index measurements, and finally serum levels of fibroblast growth factor-23 were followed. A statistically significant correlation was demonstrated between all the following parameters: coronary artery calcification score, aortic pulse wave velocity, abdominal aortic calcification score, simple vascular calcification scores in pelvis and hand. A statistically significant correlation of ankle-brachial index >1.3 to coronary artery calcification score was found. There was no correlation between the previous parameters and fibroblast growth factor-23. The results of our study indicate that simple imaging methods could provide confident vascular damage assessment and therefore potentially guide therapy adjustments. An association between fibroblast growth factor-23 and the other diagnostic modalities in our study was not found.

Treatment of primary infected juxtarenal aortic aneurysm with the multilayer stent.

PURPOSE: To report the use of multilayer uncovered stent to treat primary infected juxtarenal aortic aneurysm. CASE REPORT: A 50-year-old man was admitted to hospital for rapid onset of intractable abdominal pain and high fever. Computed tomographic scan showed 2 juxtarenal saccular aneurysms of abdominal aorta with morphologic and clinical changes compatible with infectious etiology. Patient was treated with multilayer flow-modulating stent. Follow-up imaging showed persistent aneurysm exclusion and continuous aneurysm shrinkage of the sac until complete regression to a normal aortic configuration was seen at 1 year. During follow-up (24 months), patient continued to do well, and there was no recurrence of infection. CONCLUSION: Multilayer stent appeared to be an acceptable treatment option for primary infected juxtarenal aortic aneurysms. Aneurysmal sac completely disappeared and visceral branches remained patent at 2-year follow-up. However, longer follow-up is necessary to evaluate the long-term patency of involved visceral arteries.

The measurement of stenosis of the internal carotid artery: comparison of doppler ultrasound, digital subtraction angiography and the 3D CT volume rendering technique.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the variability of measurement of stenosis of the internal carotid artery (ICA) using Doppler ultrasound, digital subtraction angiography (DSA) and the three-dimensional volume rendering technique (3D CT) in the high-grade stenosis band (70-100%). DESIGN: A prospective study of preoperative findings in 64 patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Doppler ICA stenosis was assessed according to combined Doppler acoustic standard criteria (CDASC) and peak systolic velocity (PSV). DSA and 3D CT stenosis were measured using the NASCET method. The results were compared using kappa statistics and Pearson's correlation coefficient. RESULTS: Agreement on the degree of ICA stenosis was statistically very good for DSA and 3D CT (kappa = 0.81, CI 0.69-0.93): Pearson's correlation coefficient was 0.88 (CI 0.76-0.90). The comparison of Doppler ultrasound with DSA showed good agreement (kappa 0.70, CI 0.58-0.82): Pearson's correlation coefficient was 0.61 (CI 0.43-0.74). The disagreement rate on occlusion was 3% between DSA and 3D CT and was rather high (10.9%) between Doppler ultrasound and DSA. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical decision to operate on an ICA stenosis will be strongly influenced by the diagnostic method used. DSA and 3D CT correlate well, whereas Doppler ultrasound tends to differ at the high end of the high-grade stenosis band (90% occlusion), underestimating (compared with DSA) the degree of stenosis.