[Diagnostic image (73). A man with atypical back and abdominal symptoms. Inflammation of abdominal aortic aneurysm]. / Diagnose in beeld (73). Een man met vage rug- en buikklachten. Inflammatoir aneurysma aortae abdominalis.

In a 66-year-old man a typical inflammatory abdominal aortic aneurysm was diagnosed.

[Bilateral traumatic dissection of the carotid artery]. / Die doppelseitige traumatische Dissektion der Halsschlagader.

Bilateral carotid artery dissection is a rare and unusual complication of blunt cervicofacial trauma. The diagnosis of a carotid injury is rarely suspected in trauma patients with neurological deficits. Neurological symptoms may develop in a delayed fashion. Angiography should be considered in trauma patients with hemiplegia and a normal mental status and in patients with blunt cervical trauma with an abnormal neurological examination. Initial heparinisation can prevent arterial thrombosis and neurological deterioration.

Lumbar sympathectomy in critical limb ischaemia: surgical, chemical or not at all?

The value of surgical and chemical lumbar sympathectomy was studied in patients with critical lower-limb ischaemia without the option of vascular reconstruction. Clinical success rates, defined as improvement of ischaemia stage, and limb salvage rates were recorded for 76 limbs of 70 consecutive patients. Chemical lumbar sympathectomy patients were older and had more concomitant diseases than surgical lumbar sympathectomy patients. The short-term (6-week) success rate in 36 cases treated with surgical lumbar sympathectomy (44%) was better than in 40 cases treated with chemical lumbar sympathectomy (18%) (P = 0.01). The long-term (1-year) success rate was 47% for surgical lumbar sympathectomy and 45% for chemical lumbar sympathectomy (P = NS). The 1-year limb salvage rates were 61% for surgical lumbar sympathectomy and 58% for chemical lumbar sympathectomy (P = NS). Complications were minor in both groups. Lumbar sympathectomy still has a limited role in the treatment of critical limb ischaemia in patients without the option of vascular reconstruction. Both surgical and chemical lumbar sympathectomy can be performed with very little morbidity and may provide a benefit over the natural course of the arterial insufficiency.

[Two cold legs]. / Twee koude benen.

Bilateral acute lower limb ischaemia is rare. Usually the diagnosis is based on clinical findings. In four patients, three women aged 51, 48, and 72 and a man aged 64 years, bilateral acute ischaemia of the lower limbs was diagnosed, due to different causes: arterial cardiac myxoma embolism, arterial thrombosis probably due to paraneoplastic coagulopathy, aortic dissection, and arterial thrombosis due to cardiac insufficiency, respectively. The management of these conditions includes restoring the circulation as soon as possible. Reperfusion can be achieved by thromboembolectomy or thrombolysis. In patients with underlying atherosclerosis angiography is useful, but time loss must be avoided. The outcome in patients with bilateral ischaemia of the lower limbs depends on the preoperative ischaemia time and the cardiac situation. The mortality varies between 20 and 50%.

Doppler spectrum analysis versus direct femoral artery pressure measurement for rapid assessment of aortoiliac obstruction.

Adequate patient selection is required to limit the clinical workload and improve the cost-effectiveness of noninvasive hemodynamic evaluation of the aortoiliac system. In a prospective blinded fashion the traditional invasive technique of direct femoral artery pressure measurements and the computerized Doppler spectrum analysis of blood flow velocities in the common femoral artery were studied. Both tests for rapid assessment of aortoiliac obstruction were compared with duplex ultrasonographic imaging, using a peak systolic velocity ratio of 2.5 to demonstrate stenoses of 50% or more. In a series of 17 consecutive patients (34 aortoiliac segments) with suspected aortoiliac obstructive disease, a good level of agreement (kappa = 0.6) was found for both methods when compared with duplex scanning. Analysis of deviations from the duplex registrations indicated an overestimation of the pathologic cases using femoral artery pressure measurements and an underestimation using Doppler spectrum analysis of blood flow velocities in the common femoral artery. Both methods were well tolerated, but femoral artery pressure measurements had a higher technical failure rate. Because of its noninvasive character and its feasibility the Doppler technique is preferred for the selection of patients for more extensive duplex sonographic investigation.

Fate of renal allografts connected to vascular prostheses.

OBJECTIVE: The outcome of renal transplantation with an arterial anastomosis to a vascular prosthesis in the aortofemoral tract is evaluated. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All 7 Dutch transplant centers were invited to review their experience. Among a total of 5791 cadaveric renal transplantations performed between 1978 and 1994, 13 cases (0.2%) in 3 different centres were identified. In 6 cases the vascular reconstruction and transplant operation were performed simultaneously, and in 7 cases separately, with a mean interval of 3.5 yr. The indications for vascular reconstruction were aneurysmal disease in 4 and obstructive disease in 9 cases. RESULTS: The early vascular complications of these procedures were hemorrhage in 4 and renal vein thrombosis in 1 and led to graft loss in 3 cases. The perioperative mortality was 2/13 (15%). The graft and patient survival were 68 and 83% respectively after 1 yr and 17 and 37% after 5 yr. Late mortality was mainly due to cardiovascular disease. CONCLUSIONS: Renal transplantation with an arterial anastomosis to a vascular prosthesis in the aortofemoral tract is a hazardous procedure with relatively poor short- and long-term results. These observations should be considered in the choice of renal replacement therapy in this special patient population.

Relevance of bacterial cultures of abdominal aortic aneurysm contents.

BACKGROUND: To establish further insight into the relevance of intraoperative bacterial cultures of abdominal aortic aneurysm contents a study was performed of the rate of occurrence of prosthetic graft infection after aneurysm repair. METHODS: Bacterial cultures were obtained from 216 patients, who were followed up for more than 3.5 years after operation and studied retrospectively in a single center analysis. RESULTS: Thrombus cultures yielded bacteria in 55 of 216 (25.5%) cases, including 11 of 44 (25%) cases with ruptured aneurysms. Prosthetic infections (4 of 216; 1.9%) occurred more frequently (p < 0.02) in patients with positive thrombus cultures (3 of 55; 5.5%) than in patients with negative cultures (1 of 161; 0.6%). In two patients the species isolated from the thrombus was also cultured from the vascular prosthesis, although in one graft infection other organisms were also isolated. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of bacteria in the intraluminal thrombus does not appear to be an important factor in the development of graft infection after primary elective and urgent abdominal aortic aneurysm repair. Therefore routine intraoperative cultures are unnecessary unless clinical signs of infective aortitis are present.

Increased incidence of renal allograft thrombosis after continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis.

Allograft thrombosis occurred in 44 cases (4.8%) among 915 consecutive cadaveric renal transplantations performed in a single center over a 13-year period. Multiple logistic regression analysis of risk factors revealed that continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) was the only independent variable associated with renal allograft thrombosis. When CAPD was used for prior renal replacement therapy graft thrombosis occurred in 7.3% (22/303), whereas hemodialysis was associated with 3.6% (22/612) of graft thromboses (p < 0.02). No differences in transplant characteristics, including hemodynamics, hematological parameters, immunosuppressive therapy, graft anatomy and preservation, were observed between the cases with graft thrombosis and a matched control group (n = 88). CAPD treatment appears to be a risk factor in the development of renal allograft thrombosis that requires further perioperative coagulation studies in order to design an effective prophylaxis.

Vascular malformations: a review of 10 years' management in a university hospital.

In order to gain insight into the management of patients with vascular malformations (VM) in the University Hospital Nijmegen in the past 10 years, 151 cases managed by different specialists were reviewed. To avoid the usual confusion in terminology, all recorded diagnoses were reclassified according to the biological classification of Mulliken. The sex distribution was equal; 79% of the malformations were diagnosed at birth or in the 1st year of life. The median time between presentation and consultation was 3 years. Sixty-two lymphatic, 26 venous, 24 capillary, 1 arterial, and 38 combined malformations (8 arteriovenous, 30 others) were found. The head and neck region was most frequently involved, followed by the lower and upper limbs and trunk. The pediatric surgeon was the most frequently consulted specialist. Confusing, mutually incompatible terminology and a wide variety of different diagnostic techniques and treatments had been used by the different specialists. To improve the management of patients with vascular malformations, the use of a uniform classification, an increase in basic investigations, and the development and evaluation of protocols for diagnosis and treatment by multidisciplinary teams are necessary.

Changing pattern of portasystemic shunt surgery.

OBJECTIVE: Analysis of changes in the pattern of portasystemic shunt surgery. DESIGN: Single centre retrospective study. SETTING: University hospital, The Netherlands. PATIENTS: 74 patients receiving portasystemic shunts during a 15 year period, with complete follow up. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Severity of disease, type of operation, early mortality, long term survival and development of encephalopathy. RESULTS: The number of portasystemic shunts undertaken during the study period declined, with a rise in the proportion of emergency operations. Early mortality was 1/38 (3%) in patients with Child A disease, 2/27 (7%) in those with Child B, and 5/9 (56%) in those with Child C (p < 0.0005, chi square). Early mortality was highest (p = 0.004, Fisher's exact test) after emergency operations with 6/20 (30%), compared with 2/54 (4%) following elective shunt surgery. The 5-year cumulative survival was 77% in patients with Child A, 58% in patients with Child B, and 11% in patients with Child C disease (p < 0.001, log rank). Survival was significantly less in patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis (p < 0.05, log rank). Postoperative encephalopathy was treated clinically in 16/73 (22%) patients, and developed irrespective of the type of decompression. CONCLUSIONS: With the increasing importance of other treatments of portal hypertension and variceal haemorrhage the pattern of portasystemic shunt surgery has changed. Despite a steady decline in the number of elective decompressions, that of acute operations has been constant over the years. These procedures had a considerable early mortality. The severity of the liver disease was a strong determinant of long term survival, as was the presence of alcoholic liver cirrhosis. Postoperative encephalopathy was common and was independent of the shunt technique used. In elective cases portasystemic shunting techniques, that will not interfere with a subsequent hepatic transplantation, are preferred.

Arterial reconstruction for subclavian obstructive disease: a comparison of extrathoracic procedures.

OBJECTIVES: Comparison of the immediate and long-term results of three different extrathoracic arterial reconstruction procedures for subclavian obstructive disease. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of 51 extrathoracic subclavian artery reconstructions in 49 patients performed in a single centre over an 18-year period (mean follow-up 64 months, range 3-192). METHODS: Carotid-subclavian bypass (CSB, n = 21), subclavian-carotid transposition (SCT, n = 21) and subclavian-subclavian or axillo-axillary cross-over bypass (COB, n = 9) was performed. Upper extremity ischaemic complaints were present in 45/49 patients (92%) and vertebrobasilar insufficiency in 25/49 patients (51%). Symptom relief, improvement of haemodynamic parameters and graft patency were compared. RESULTS: Operation time was significantly shorter (p < 0.001, t-test) in SCT (80 +/- 5 min) compared to CSB (112 +/- 7 min) and COB (116 +/- 6 min). Symptom relief and improvement of haemodynamic parameters were similar for all groups. There were no differences in morbidity rate and there was no mortality. The cumulative patency of SCT was significantly better with 100% at 2, 5 and 10 years postoperatively compared to CSB (75.6%, 62.6% and 52.2%, respectively) (p < 0.005, log-rank test) and COB (76.5%, 63.7% and 63.7%, respectively) (p < 0.02, log-rank test). There was a tendency for a better patency in prosthetic grafts as compared to autologous vein grafts in CSB (NS, log-rank test). CONCLUSIONS: Satisfactory immediate and long-term results were obtained with all of the above techniques. When technically feasible, SCT is the procedure of choice for extrathoracic arterial reconstruction in subclavian obstructive disease.

Renal transplant thrombosis in children.

Data concerning 100 consecutive renal transplantations in children were analyzed to determine factors enhancing the risk of renal transplant thrombosis. The incidence of renal transplant thrombosis was high, at 12%. It is concluded that in addition to young age and low body weight of recipient and young age of the donor, also a high preoperative urine production contributes to the occurrence of thrombosis. Children with hypoplastic or dysplastic kidneys are at greater risk for thrombosis. Considering the influence of high urine production of the native kidneys, it may be possible to prevent thrombosis by albumin and ample fluid administration.

Successful renal autotransplantation for renal failure with prolonged oliguria in a Jehovah's Witness with fibromuscular dysplasia of the renal arteries.

A young female presented with hypertension and oliguric renal insufficiency caused by fibromuscular dysplasia of the renal arteries. There was a left kidney remnant and a normal-sized right kidney with a retrograde blood supply through capsular arteries. Reconstruction of the occluded right renal artery with autotransplantation of the kidney after 60 days of oliguric renal insufficiency was followed by complete functional repair. Erythropoietin treatment was a great help in the management of this patient who refused blood transfusions because she was a Jehovah's Witness.

Relaparotomies after ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm repair.

The outcome of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm repair was reviewed in 83 consecutive patients with special emphasis on the influence of subsequent laparotomy. The overall 30-day mortality was 47%. Causes of death were exsanguination in six, cardiac failure in 15, uncontrolled hypotension in six, multiple organ failure (MOF) in nine, adult respiratory distress syndrome in one and sepsis in two patients. Thirty-three relaparotomies were performed in 21 patients after a mean interval of 10 days. Suspected intraabdominal haemorrhage was the indication in 15 and sepsis in 18 cases. The preoperative diagnosis proved to be correct in 12/15 (80%) and 11/18 (61%) instances, respectively. Negative explorations were mainly performed in patients with an established MOF syndrome. Relaparotomies were associated with a significantly (p < 0.05) increased mortality of 76%. The complications that give rise to the need for surgical reintervention are usually accompanied by a clinical deterioration of the patient and inevitably reduce the chances of survival. However, until a reliable predictor of mortality is developed, treatment should not be denied in individual cases.

Unilateral vascular reconstruction for iliac obstructive disease.

PURPOSE: Controversy exists regarding the extent of vascular reconstructive surgery in the presence of unilateral symptomatic iliac obstructive disease. This study reviews the results of unilateral iliac reconstruction, with special emphasis on the need for consecutive contralateral intervention. METHODS: The outcomes of 184 unilateral and 350 aortobilateral reconstructions for obstructive disease performed during the same period were retrospectively analyzed. Treatment allocation was based on hemodynamic parameters. Unilateral reconstruction was performed by a way of a retroperitoneal approach through a pararectal incision and bilateral reconstruction by way of a transperitoneal approach through a midline abdominal incision. RESULTS: Symptom relief, improvement of noninvasively measured parameters, and graft patency were similar after unilateral and bilateral reconstruction. Both groups had a 10-year primary patency rate greater than 80%. There were no differences in morbidity rate, although respiratory complications occurred more often after bilateral reconstruction. Mortality rates were 1.6% after unilateral reconstruction and 4.9% after bilateral reconstruction. Secondary contralateral reconstruction was performed in only 6% of the patients who underwent an initial unilateral operation. CONCLUSIONS: The unilateral vascular reconstruction for iliac obstructive disease is a well-tolerated procedure with an excellent long-term outcome. It is a valuable alternative to conventional aortobilateral reconstruction in carefully selected patients. Prophylactic reconstruction of an asymptomatic iliac stenosis without signs of significant hemodynamic impairment is most often not indicated.

Role of MR imaging in the preoperative evaluation of atherosclerotic abdominal aortic aneurysms.

A prospective study was performed on 69 patients with an atherosclerotic abdominal aortic aneurysm to assess the preoperative value of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging compared with that of angiography and ultrasound (US). The results of MR imaging, angiography, and US were separately interpreted by one observer independently, without knowledge of the results from the other imaging modalities. The individual radiologic report from each imaging modality was compared with surgical findings, which served as a standard of reference. Both T1-weighted spin-echo (1.5-T) and gradient-echo sequences with three-dimensional maximum intensity projections of the renal arteries were used. In the assessment of the extent of the aneurysm, MR and angiographic findings were equal. In 92% of the patients, MR imaging helped identify the correct number of renal arteries. MR imaging is better than angiography because it provides important additional information, it is an outpatient procedure, and the complications are few.

Iliac artery stenosis after kidney transplantation.

In human kidney transplantation hypertension and renal dysfunction are common complications. Diagnosis of vascular involvement may frequently be necessary. Although iliac artery stenosis is a rare complication after renal transplantation, it can be the cause of hypertension and renal dysfunction. Because colour duplex scanning is a repeatable non-invasive technique, it may provide a useful tool in establishing a diagnosis of iliac artery stenosis in patients with hypertension and/or renal dysfunction. We present four cases of iliac artery stenosis in kidney allograft recipients. Colour duplex scanning was used in these patients to detect and localize the stenosis. Quantitative analysis of Doppler spectra was used to compare the Doppler spectrum waveforms obtained from both femoral arteries and from the kidney allograft arteries of these patients with the normal range. This normal range was determined from Doppler spectra obtained in a control group of 21 kidney allograft recipients. Clinical data, arterial DSA, and the outcome of treatment were used to validate colour duplex findings in the patients with iliac artery stenosis. Quantitative analysis of Doppler spectra showed differences between the femoral artery on the affected side and the contralateral side outside the normal range. In three patients the iliac artery stenosis was located proximal from the anastomosis with the kidney allograft artery and in these three patients Doppler parameters obtained from the allograft artery were also outside the normal range. In one patient the stenosis was located distally from the anastomosis with the kidney allograft artery. In this case Doppler spectra from the kidney allograft artery were within the normal range.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)