Endovascular treatment of popliteal artery aneurysms: preliminary results.

PURPOSE: Popliteal artery aneurysms (PAAs) are a rare condition with an incidence <0.1%. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of endovascular treatment of PAA with a covered stent-graft. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January 2009 and July 2010, ten patients (nine men and one woman, mean age 69 ± 12 years) with PAA were treated by endovascular placement of a heparin-coated stent-graft. All procedures were evaluated in terms of technical success, patency at 1, 6 and 12 months as assessed by colour Doppler ultrasound, complications, procedure duration and length of postoperative hospital stay. RESULTS: We obtained 100% technical success, with no peri- or postprocedural complications. Average duration of the procedure was 40 min, and mean hospital stay was 3 days. Primary and secondary patency rates at 1, 6 and 12 months were 100% and 100%, 90% and 100%, and 90% and 100%, respectively. Only one case of endoleak occurred. DISCUSSION: In keeping with the literature, our study demonstrates the effectiveness of endovascular repair of PAA, with short- and mid-term patency rates comparable to those of open surgery. Larger series and longer follow-up periods are needed to confirm these preliminary results.

Long-term efficacy of endovascular treatment of isolated iliac artery aneurysms.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of endovascular treatment of isolated iliac artery aneurysms (IIAA) and compare our data with those reported in the literature. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From May 2005 to December 2010, 32 patients (31 men and one woman; mean age 73±12 years) with a total of 40 IIAAs underwent endovascular treatment at our institute. We evaluated technical success, long-term patency, early and late complications and overall mortality. RESULTS: At a median follow-up of 36 months, we achieved a technical success of 100%, a primary patency of 95% and a secondary patency of 100%, with complete exclusion of the aneurysm in 84.6% of cases. In 12.8% of cases, there was a reduction in aneurysm sac volume, with an incidence of type II endoleak of 12.8%. Overall survival at 1, 2, 3, and 6 years was 96.8%, 84.2%, 66.6% and 64%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our study documents the effectiveness of endovascular treatment of iliac aneurysms, which has become the first-choice treatment at our institute. This finding is consistent with the most recent literature and confirms the safety and long-term patency of stent-graft placement.

Endovascular treatment of transplanted renal artery stenosis with PTA/stenting.

PURPOSE: We evaluated the effectiveness of endovascular treatment with percutaneous transluminal balloon angioplasty (PTA)/stenting of transplanted renal artery stenosis (TRAS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January 2005 and December 2010, 17 patients (4 women, 13 men; mean age 60.9 years) with TRAS underwent PTA/stenting. The parameters analysed were: technical success, pre- and post-treatment serum creatinine (SCr) and blood pressure (BP), average number of antihypertensive drugs administered before and after treatment and vessel patency on colour Doppler ultrasound (CDUS) at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months and once a year thereafter. RESULTS: Technical success was 100%. During a mean follow-up of 28.3±18.7 months, there was a statistically significant reduction in SCr and BP values. In 18 % of cases, moderate (<60%) restenosis was observed on CDUS without renal failure and not requiring new treatment. There was a reduction in antihypertensive drugs from an average of 3.5±0.5 to 1.5±0.5. CONCLUSIONS: Consistent with the literature data, our experience shows that endovascular treatment with PTA/stenting is a safe and effective option for managing TRAS and can thus be considered the method of choice.

[The d.p.r. 37/97 and the thermal comfort of the surgeons according to the new version of UNI EN ISO 7730]. / Il d.p.r. 37/97 e il benessere termico dello staff operatorio alla luce della nuova versione dello standard UNI-EN-ISO 7730.

The Italian law, through a specific government decree (d.p.r. 37/97), recommends the minimal technological, structural and organising requirements that surgery rooms of public hospitals must assure. Nevertheless, thermal comfort is usually evaluated by the indices PMV and PPD (Fanger's indices). Microclimatic data, acquired inside 80 surgery rooms over 20 public hospitals located in South of Italy, have been reviewed taking into account the new version of the international standard UNI EN ISO 7730. This version enables to classify the workers in three categories, A, B and C each one related to a different value of the acceptable number of dissatisfied people PPD. Considering the particular task which surgeons and nurses are involved in, a percentage of dissatisfied < 6% appears more realistic and conservative respect to the 10% prescribed in the old version of the standard. So the calculations show that, in this case, less than 17% of the staff would considered the thermal conditions as comfortable. Furthermore, the range of the microclimatic parameters, as established by the low, is not sufficient to assure thermal comfort using the PMV or PPD.

Long-term follow-up of women with amenorrhea-galactorrhea treated with bromocriptine.

The present study is aimed at investigating whether long-term use of bromocriptine on patients affected by amenorrhea and galactorrhea may improve the clinical picture after discontinuation of treatment. For this reason 26 patients with amenorrhea and galactorrhea have been studied. Sixteen had high PRL values and 10 were normoprolactinemic. The normoprolactinemic patients underwent a TRH test. All the patients underwent computed skull axial tomography (CT scan) and were treated with bromocriptine, at a daily dosage variable from 2.5 to 10 mg for an average period of 26 months. After discontinuation of treatment, follow-up was carried-out for 20 months. Eighty-seven percent of the patients affected by amenorrhea, galactorrhea and hyperprolactinemia had regular menses, in 75 of the patients galactorrhea completely disappeared. Of the ten patients with normoprolactinemic amenorrhea and galactorrhea, only those who positively responded to the TRH test had regular menstruation and showed disappearance of galactorrhea. Upon discontinuation of treatment amenorrhea recurred in 68% of the cases whereas galactorrhea recurred in 80%. CT scans revealed disappearance of 3 microadenomas and reduction in size of the macroadenoma. Long-term use of bromocriptine represents the first choice treatment for the syndrome of galactorrhea-amenorrhea. In case of relapse, treatment must be continued for an undefined period of time.