Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for Patients With Pulmonary Embolism Undergoing Thrombolysis.

Patients with massive pulmonary embolism undergoing catheter-directed therapy are at high risk for cardiopulmonary arrest in the periprocedural period due to severe right ventricular dysfunction. We report the outcomes of 3 patients with massive pulmonary embolism treated successfully with catheter-directed thrombolytic therapy and venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

A hybrid repair of a superior mesenteric artery pseudoaneurysm using open mesenteric bypass and endovascular exclusion.

Superior mesenteric artery (SMA) aneurysms and pseudoaneurysms are uncommonly encountered in vascular surgery practice, but they typically require repair. Historically, they have been repaired with open aneurysmorrhaphy, bypass and exclusion, or simple ligation. More recently, endovascular repair with coil embolization and stent graft exclusion have been advocated. We present a repair of an SMA pseudoaneurysm via a hybrid approach with common hepatic artery to SMA bypass, exclusion of the pseudoaneurysm with ligation of the SMA proximal to the bypass, plug occlusion of the proximal SMA, and coil embolization of the pseudoaneurysm.

Treatment of an ilioenteric fistula with an Amplatzer Vascular Plug.

Arterioenteric fistulae often present a diagnostic and therapeutic dilemma for physicians. Traditional therapy consists of open repair, which is often poorly tolerated by patients. As a consequence, endovascular repair, consisting primarily of stent graft exclusion, has been attempted by some as a less invasive approach. We report a patient with an ilioenteric fistula in which hemorrhage was successfully treated with an Amplatzer Vascular Plug (AGA Medical Corporation, Plymouth, Minn).

Endovascular treatment of an aberrant right subclavian artery aneurysm with use of the Zenith iliac plug.

Aberrant right subclavian artery aneurysms are rare but demonstrate a propensity toward rupture; thus, early elective repair is mandated. Novel endovascular modalities are available to offer less-invasive treatment for a patient population with increasing comorbidities. We report a case of a 65-year-old woman with an aberrant right subclavian artery aneurysm causing dysphagia lusoria. The aneurysm was excluded proximally at Kommerell's diverticulum with a Zenith iliac plug and excluded distally by surgical ligation combined with a right carotid-subclavian artery bypass to preserve extremity perfusion.

Randomized comparison of percutaneous Viabahn stent grafts vs prosthetic femoral-popliteal bypass in the treatment of superficial femoral arterial occlusive disease.

OBJECTIVE: This randomized prospective study was designed to compare the effectiveness of treating superficial femoral artery occlusive disease percutaneously with expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE)/nitinol self-expanding stent grafts vs surgical femoral-to-above knee (AK) popliteal artery bypass with synthetic graft material. METHODS: From March 2004 to May 2005, 100 limbs in 86 patients with femoral-popliteal arterial occlusive disease were identified. Patients had symptoms ranging from claudication to rest pain, with or without tissue loss, and were prospectively randomized for treatment into one of two groups. The limbs were treated percutaneously with angioplasty and one or more self-expanding stent grafts (n = 50) or surgically with femoral-to-AK popliteal artery bypass using synthetic Dacron or ePTFE grafts (n = 50). The mean +/- SD total length of artery stented was 25.6 +/- 15 cm. Follow-up evaluation with ankle-brachial indices and color flow duplex sonography imaging were performed at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after treatment. RESULTS: Patients were monitored for a median of 18 months. No statistical difference was found in the primary patency (P = .895) or secondary patency (P = .861) between the two treatment groups. Primary patency at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months of follow-up was 84%, 82%, 75.6%, and 73.5% for the stent graft group and 90%, 81.8%, 79.7%, and 74.2% for the femoral-popliteal surgical group. Thirteen patients in the stent graft group had 14 reinterventions, and 12 reinterventions occurred in the surgical group. This resulted in secondary patency rates of 83.9% for the stent graft group and 83.7% for the surgical group at the 12-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Management of femoral-popliteal arterial occlusive disease using percutaneous treatment with a stent graft is comparable with surgical revascularization with conventional femoral-to-AK popliteal artery bypass using synthetic material up to 12 months. Longer-term follow-up would be helpful in determining ongoing efficacy.