Novel technique: staged hybrid surgical and endovascular treatment of acute Type A aortic dissections with aortic arch involvement.

AIM: The standard approach for treating acute Type A aortic dissections (TAD) is replacement of the ascending aorta utilizing hypothermic circulatory arrest (HCA), which is associated with significant morbidity and frequently leaves a residual aortic arch dissection. We describe a staged surgical and endovascular technique of ascending aorta replacement and simultaneous aorto-innominate artery bypass without HCA, followed 4 weeks later by carotid-carotid bypass and endovascular exclusion of the remaining arch dissection with a thoracic endograft. METHODS: From December 2004 to December 2005, 5 consecutive patients (mean age 58 +/- 6.9 years) with TADs underwent the staged procedure. All patients underwent replacement of the ascending aorta and aorto-innominate bypass. Two patients subsequently underwent the second endovascular stage. In one patient the aortic false lumen completely thrombosed following the first surgical stage and two patients are currently awaiting the endovascular stage. RESULTS: There were no major adverse events (death, cerebrovascular accident or paraplegia) following the first surgical stage. One patient suffered a transient minor stroke. The 2 patients who underwent the second endovascular stage showed no immediate adverse events. Postoperative CT scans have demonstrated that the false channel was excluded from the aortic arch down to the distal end of the endograft in the descending aorta in each case, but became patent further downstream. CONCLUSIONS: This procedure appears safe and feasible. It may allow for a more definitive treatment of TADs than the standard surgical approach. It can be adapted by low volume centers, surgeons untrained in aortic arch repair, and in high risk patients.

Combined minimaly invasive surgery for coronary bypass and abdominal aortic occlusion.

Association of extracorporal assisted coronary bypass with peripheral vascular surgery is already commonplace in the therapeutic arsenal. This case report presents a combined cardiac and vascular surgery in a high risk patient, with unstable angina following myocardial infarction and critical ischemia of a single lower limb. Synchronous minimally invasive direct coronary bypass graft and extra-anatomic aorto-profundal bypass in one single sitting were performed. The procedure was successful at 6 months follow up. We believe that this type of synchronous procedure, minimising surgical aggression, could be effective in selected high risk patients.

Long-term results with the Palmaz stent in the superficial femoral artery.

PURPOSE: Femoral stenting has demonstrated inconsistent and often disappointing long-term results. To compare out experience, we retrospectively analyzed a series of patients who had Palmaz balloon-expandable stents placed exclusively for superficial femoral artery (SFA) lesions. METHODS: From January 1990 to November 1993, 39 patients were evaluated for claudication (79%) or critical ischemia in 42 limbs. The culprit lesions were confined to the SFA: 24 (57%) occlusions and 18 (43%) stenoses, including 3 restenotic lesions. Stenting was elective in 12 (29%) cases: the 3 restenoses and 9 chronic, calcified occlusions. The remaining stents were applied for postangioplasty residual stenosis or angioscopic findings of thrombogenic luminal irregularities. A total of 55 prostheses were successfully implanted. All patients were maintained on ticlopidine and followed by routine duplex scanning. Follow-up angiography was performed in 28 (72%) patients between 4 and 45 months. RESULTS: In the postprocedural period, two acute thromboses (4.8%) occurred within 48 hours in patients who had long occlusions and poor runoff; no other major complications were encountered, for a clinical success rate of 95%. Follow-up evaluation ranged from 4 months to 4 years with a mean of 25 months. The restenosis rate was 19% (34% in occlusions; 10% in stenotic lesions, p = NS). At 24 months, cumulative primary patency was 77% and secondary patency 89%. CONCLUSIONS: Palmaz stents performed will in the SFA, demonstrating a low acute thrombosis rate and good long-term patency. The incidence of restenosis is likely to be greater in occlusions than in stenoses.

Restenosis after delayed coronary angioplasty of the culprit vessel in patients with a recent myocardial infarction treated by thrombolysis.

BACKGROUND: Clinical follow-up after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) of an infarct-related lesion has demonstrated a low incidence of recurrent symptoms and repeated revascularization. In the absence of systematic angiographic follow-up, this low rate of clinical restenosis may reflect either a truly lower incidence of anatomic restenosis or the lack of recurrent symptoms in patients with extensive infarction in the territory of the restenotic vessel. METHODS AND RESULTS: We studied 300 consecutive patients who, after a thrombolysis for myocardial infarction, underwent delayed (10.5 +/- 6 days after the myocardial infarction) PTCA of the infarct-related lesion. Procedural success was obtained in 253 patients (84%), and angiographic follow-up was performed in 205 of this group (81%) at a mean of 7.3 +/- 1.9 months. Restenosis (defined as the recurrence of > 50% stenosis) was present in 105 patients (51%). Only 34 of the 105 patients (32%) with angiographic restenosis were symptomatic; the other 68% had clinically silent restenosis. Of these 105 patients, 27 (13% of the total population undergoing follow-up angiography) had reocclusion at the dilated site at follow-up. The severity of the stenosis at follow-up and the late loss in minimal lumen diameter followed a nearly Gaussian distribution if the lesions that were totally occluded at follow-up were excluded. By multivariate analysis, two independent predictors of reocclusion were identified: a small reference diameter (P < .0005) and the presence of collateral vessels before the procedure (P < .01). Only one factor was associated with restenosis in the 178 patients who did not have reocclusion at follow-up; a Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction grade < or = 2 before the procedure (P < .0001). At follow-up, there was a significantly (P < .01) higher ejection fraction in patients without restenosis (56.1 +/- 13.4%) and in patients with restenosis without total occlusion (56.0 +/- 13.8%) than in patients with reocclusion (46.4 +/- 13.0%). CONCLUSIONS: Despite a satisfactory clinical outcome, delayed PTCA of an infarct-related lesion is associated with a high rate of angiographic recurrence. Two distinct mechanisms account for recurrent stenosis: progressive luminal renarrowing as documented after angioplasty of stable lesions and reocclusion of the infarct-related lesion. Only reocclusion is associated with a deterioration in left ventricular function at follow-up.

[Permanent junctional reciprocating tachycardia in children and adolescents. Efficacy of medical treatment]. / Les tachycardies jonctionnelles permanentes par rythme réciproque chez l'enfant et l'adolescent. Efficacité du traitement médicamenteux.

Between 1969 and 1991, 11 patients were followed up for permanent junctional reciprocating tachycardia. The average age at diagnosis was 2 years and 4 months (1 day to 14 years). The tachycardia was diagnosed at routine examination in 5 cases and following an episode of cardiac failure in the other 6. Digitalis was prescribed in all patients with 4 good results, 5 average and 2 poor results. One patient, who remained in mild cardiac failure with digitalis therapy, died suddenly at the age of 9 years. In more recent cases, amiodarone was used from the onset or secondarily with good results in all patients. In 2 patients, in whom amiodarone was withdrawn after 3 months and 3 years' treatment, there was a recurrence of the tachycardia. No side effects of amiodarone therapy were observed in this series. Three patients were prescribed flecainide with 1 good and 2 average results. Propranolol, used in 2 cases, was associated with 1 average and 1 poor result. Disopyramide and Verapamil were ineffective. These results suggest that amiodarone is the drug to choose in permanent junctional reciprocating tachycardia but it must be given long term. The persistence of cardiac failure, poor control of the tachycardia or secondary effects of drug therapy should lead to consideration of non-medical management of the tachycardia.