Massive Hemorrhage From Multiple Hepatic Artery Aneurysms.

A 66-year-old man, with an abnormal porta hepatis, consistent with tumor or inflammation, developed massive bleeding from one of numerous hepatic artery aneurysms, and coil embolization achieved control of bleeding. He died of subsequent multisystem organ failure, and the most likely diagnosis was either polyarteritis nodosa or segmental arterial mediolysis. Although the dual hepatic blood supply allows a degree of arterial embolization, this case demonstrates the risks associated with large territory hepatic arterial embolization in the presence of hemodynamic instability. We discuss the management issues related to massive hepatic bleeding when no surgical approach is possible.

Extravascular Revascularization of a Chronic Total Occlusion Using the Dual Bull's-Eye Technique.

PURPOSE: To describe the dual bull's-eye technique to achieve successful extravascular revascularization of an occlusion after vessel perforation when the antegrade and retrograde catheters are too far apart for salvage with a reentry catheter. TECHNIQUE: The dual bull's-eye technique, which is an adaptation of the "gun-sight" method for transjugular portosystemic shunt procedures, is demonstrated in a popliteal artery occlusion in which multiple recanalization attempts have produced vessel perforation. Via antegrade femoral and retrograde anterior tibial artery accesses, 10-mm Amplatz GooseNeck snares were advanced in plane from each access to rendezvous in the popliteal fossa to obtain through-and-through wire access. A 15-cm Chiba needle was advanced percutaneously in plane through both snares, and a hydrophilic guidewire was maneuvered across an extravascular tract parallel to the popliteal artery. The tract was carefully predilated, and a 5×100-mm Viabahn stent-graft was deployed across the extravascular tract. CONCLUSION: Owing to potential complications (limited patency, injury to adjacent structures) and only single-case use, this new technique should be considered a bailout strategy exclusively employed for limb salvage when traditional methods have failed and there are no viable surgical options.

In vivo construction of a multilayer bare-metal stent for the treatment of an aortic mycotic pseudoaneurysm.

Although not currently available in the United States, multilayer stents have been used successfully to treat a variety of aneurysms. These stents promote laminar flow and depressurize the aneurysmal portion of the vessel, while preserving side branch vessel flow. A conceivable benefit of the multilayer stent is in the treatment of infected pseudoaneurysms, given the absence of a fabric covering, a potential nidus for colonization. Here we present the case of a 64-year-old woman with symptomatic, enlarging infrarenal mycotic pseudoaneurysms who was successfully treated with an in vivo multilayer stent created by the layering of three concentric bare-metal Wallstents (Boston Scientific, Natick, Mass).

Adrenal vein sampling.

Adrenal vein sampling is the gold standard for localizing aldosterone-secreting adenomas and for distinguishing adenomas from bilateral adrenal hyperplasia in patients with primary hyperaldosteronism. The importance of this distinction cannot be overstated because the former is curable surgically, whereas the latter is managed medically. Primary hyperaldosteronism has historically been underdiagnosed as a cause of hypertension, but recent reports highlight its ubiquitous nature with a prevalence of 5%-10% in screened hypertensive patients. Of such patients, up to 62.5% have a potentially curable adenoma as the underlying etiology. Adrenal vein sampling is a safe, highly effective procedure that is shown to alter the clinical management in 35.7% of primary hyperaldosteronism patients who would have otherwise been treated improperly based on the results of CT or other modalities. Although adrenal vein sampling is hindered by the inherent difficulty of catheterizing the right adrenal vein, technical success is reported as high as 97% in experienced hands. In this article, we review aldosterone physiology and the clinical workup of primary aldosteronism as well as the anatomic, technical, and analytical factors to be considered with adrenal vein sampling.