Factors affecting outcome of open and hybrid reconstructions for nonmalignant obstruction of iliofemoral veins and inferior vena cava.

OBJECTIVES: To identify factors affecting long-term outcome after open surgical reconstructions (OSR) and hybrid reconstructions (HR) for chronic venous obstructions. METHODS: Retrospective review of clinical data of 60 patients with 64 OSR or HR for chronic obstruction of iliofemoral (IF) veins or inferior vena cava (IVC) between January 1985 and September 2009. Primary end points were patency and clinical outcome. RESULTS: Sixty patients (26 men, mean age 43 years, range 16-81) underwent 64 procedures. Ninety-four percent had leg swelling, 90% had venous claudication, and 31% had active or healed ulcers (CEAP classes: C3 = 30, C4 = 12, C5 = 8, C6 = 12). Fifty-two OSRs included 29 femorofemoral (Palma vein: 25, polytetrafluoroethylene [PTFE]: 4), 17 femoroiliac-inferior vena cava (IVC) (vein: 3, PTFE: 14) and six complex bypasses. Twelve patients had HR, which included endophlebectomy, patch angioplasty, and stenting. Early graft occlusion occurred after 17% of OSR and 33% HR. Discharge patency was 96% after OSR, 92% after HR. No mortality or pulmonary embolism occurred. Five-year primary and secondary patency was 42% (95% confidence interval [CI] 29%-55%) and 59% (CI 43%-72%), respectively. For Palma vein grafts it was 70% and 78%, for femoroiliac and ilio-infrahepatic IVC bypasses it was 63% and 86%, and for femoro-infrahepatic IVC bypasses it was 31% and 57%, respectively. Complex OSRs and hybrid procedures had 28% and 30% 2-year secondary patency, respectively. The only factor that significantly affected graft patency in multivariate analysis was May-Thurner syndrome with associated chronic venous thrombosis. For HR, stenting into the common femoral vein patch vs iliac stents only significantly increased patency. At last follow-up, 60% of the patients had no venous claudication and no or minimal swelling. All ulcers with patent grafts healed but 50% of these recurred. CONCLUSIONS: Both OSR and HR are viable options if endovascular procedures fail or are not feasible. Palma vein bypass and femoroiliac or iliocaval PTFE bypasses have excellent outcomes with good symptomatic relief.

Cystic pancreatic neoplasms: an emerging problem.

Widespread usage of advanced abdominal imaging has resulted in an increased finding of cystic lesions in the pancreas in asymptomatic patients. Greater than 90% of cystic pancreatic lesions are of inflammatory origin, the well-known pancreatic pseudocysts. The critical issue confronting specialists is differentiating inflammatory lesions from neoplastic lesions.

Increased shear stress with upregulation of VEGF-A and its receptors and MMP-2, MMP-9, and TIMP-1 in venous stenosis of hemodialysis grafts.

Venous injury and subsequent venous stenosis formation are responsible for hemodialysis graft failure. Our hypothesis is that these pathological changes are in part related to changes in wall shear stress (WSS) that results in the activation of matrix regulatory proteins causing subsequent venous stenosis formation. In the present study, we examined the serial changes in WSS, blood flow, and luminal vessel area that occur subsequent to the placement of a hemodialysis graft in a porcine model of chronic renal insufficiency. We then determined the corresponding histological, morphometric, and kinetic changes of several matrix regulatory proteins including VEGF-A, its receptors, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2, MMP-9, tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1, and TIMP-2. WSS was estimated by obtaining blood flow and luminal vessel area by performing phase-contrast MRI with magnetic resonance angiography in 21 animals at 1 day after graft placement and prior to death on day 3 (n = 7), day 7 (n = 7), and day 14 (n = 7). At all time points, the mean WSS at the vein-to-graft anastomosis was significantly higher than that at the control vein (P < 0.05). WSS had a bimodal distribution with peaks on days 1 and 7 followed by a significant reduction in WSS by day 14 (P < 0.05 compared with day 7) and a decrease in luminal vessel area compared with control vessels. By day 3, there was a significant increase in VEGF-A and pro-MMP-9 followed by, on day 7, increased pro-MMP-2, active MMP-2, and VEGF receptor (VEGFR)-2 (P < 0.05) and, by day 14, increased VEGFR-1 and TIMP-1 (P < 0.05) at the vein-to-graft anastomosis compared with control vessels. Over time, the neointima thickened and was composed primarily of alpha-smooth muscle actin-positive cells with increased cellular proliferation. Our data suggest that hemodialysis graft placement leads to early increases in WSS, VEGF-A, and pro-MMP-9 followed by subsequent increases in pro-MMP-2, active MMP-2, VEGFR-1, VEGFR-2, and TIMP-1, which may contribute to the development of venous stenosis.

Pancreatic resection for metastatic renal cell carcinoma to the pancreas.

Although extremely rare, for most primary malignancies, the presence of metastases to the pancreas is a harbinger of diffuse systemic involvement. Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC) of the kidney differs in that respect. Metastatic deposits tend to be isolated and diffuse systemic involvement may be absent. An Institutional Review Board-approved retrospective review of three cases of histologically confirmed RCC metastases to the pancreas was performed. We present their preoperative workup, surgical treatment, histopathological findings, and postoperative course. Three patients, all women, underwent distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy. Mean time period between nephrectomy and findings of pancreatic metastasis was 11.6 years. One patient had a major complication with a pancreatic fistula. Two patients have developed extrapancreatic recurrences. Resection of RCC metastases to the pancreas may offer a survival advantage in a select group of patients. Development of metastatic deposits after a prolonged disease-free period may actually be a negative prognostic indicator, implying a rapid and uncontrollable change in tumor biology.

Management of esophageal carcinoma.

Esophageal cancer is a devastating disease and among the most lethal malignancies worldwide. Despite advances in chemotherapy and radiation techniques, tumor stage at the time of presentation is the most important predictor of patient survival. Surgical resection offers the only curative treatment currently employed and transhiatal, transthoracic and en bloc esophagectomy are all standard surgical procedures used in the treatment of this disease. The Surgical Oncology Service of the West Virginia University Hospital favors the transhiatal approach since it offers lower morbidity and mortality without compromising survival when compared with transthoracic and en bloc esophagectomies.

Overuse-related vascular injury of the hand--hypothenar hammer syndrome: a case report.

Although rare, vascular insufficiency is a well-recognized cause of hand pain, making a significant impact in the athletic and labor industry. Surgically correctable lesions are important to recognize since definitive treatment may alter the course of the disease and affect outcomes. Hypothenar hammer syndrome (HHS) results from anatomic predisposition and exposure to acute and chronic stress. Arteriography is the gold standard of diagnosis and severe symptomatic cases are treated with surgical resection and re-establishment of blood flow. We report such a case of HHS, its clinical course and management.