Open and endovascular repair of juxtarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms: a systematic review.

This systematic review focuses on the 30-day mortality associated with open surgery and fenestrated endografts for short-necked (<15 mm) juxtarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms. A search for studies published in English and indexed in the PubMed and Medline electronic databases from 2002 to 2012 was performed, using "juxtarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm" and "treatment" as the main keywords. Among the 110 potentially relevant studies that were initially identified, eight were in accordance with the inclusion criteria in the analysis. Similar outcomes for open and endovascular repair were observed for 30-day mortality. No differences were observed regarding the secondary outcomes (duration of surgery, hospital stay, postoperative renal dysfunction and late mortality), except that the late mortality rate was significantly higher for the patients treated with open repair after a median follow-up of 24 months. Fenestrated endografting is a viable alternative to conventional surgery in juxtarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms with a proximal neck <15 mm.

Open and endovascular repair of juxtarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms: a systematic review

This systematic review focuses on the 30-day mortality associated with open surgery and fenestrated endografts for short-necked (<15 mm) juxtarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms. A search for studies published in English and indexed in the PubMed and Medline electronic databases from 2002 to 2012 was performed, using “juxtarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm” and “treatment” as the main keywords. Among the 110 potentially relevant studies that were initially identified, eight were in accordance with the inclusion criteria in the analysis. Similar outcomes for open and endovascular repair were observed for 30-day mortality. No differences were observed regarding the secondary outcomes (duration of surgery, hospital stay, postoperative renal dysfunction and late mortality), except that the late mortality rate was significantly higher for the patients treated with open repair after a median follow-up of 24 months. Fenestrated endografting is a viable alternative to conventional surgery in juxtarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms with a proximal neck <15 mm.

Endovascular repair of thoracoabdominal aneurysms: results of the first 48 cases.

BACKGROUND: In 2006, we began our experience with a novel technology for fully endovascular thoracoabdominal aneurysm repair, based on a custom-made, branched stent graft design. After 48 cases, we have learned and achieved substantial progress both in technical and in clinical skills. This paper describes the partial results of this ongoing experience. METHODS: Patients in this series were selected for the presence of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms, with or without dissection, which was present in one patient. The observation of extensive anatomical variations in several patients prompted changes in many of the basic stent graft configurations, which are also described. RESULTS: Between August 2006 and June 2012, 48 patients were treated consecutively with custom-made branch stent grafts. The five patients with the longest follow-up available so far are at 71, 65, 60, 54 and 51 months post-procedure. The operative mortality rate, defined as death during or within a month of surgical hospitalization, was 21% (10 patients); each case is described herein. During postoperative follow up, nine patients died from causes not directly related to aneurysmal disease, at 3, 18, 20, 22, 24, 24, 37, 44 and 46 months. The main causes of death were myocardial infarction (four cases), cancer (two cases), gastrointestinal hemorrhage (one case), ischemic stroke (one case), and sepsis (one case). Permanent paraplegia occurred in one patient. CONCLUSIONS: It is still too soon to compare the results of endovascular repair of thoracoabdominal aneurysms with those of open surgical series. Despite the active and rapid progress currently observed for the endovascular method, it is still far from reaching its state-of-the-art plateau or becoming a gold standard. Further technological and technical advances in endovascular stent grafting seem to have a clear potential to provide very satisfactory operative outcomes for thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms.

Thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm: a totally endovascular approach with a branched stent-graft.

This video depicts a step-by-step description of a totally endovascular approach to treat a patient with thoracoabdominal aneurysm, using a branched stent-graft system. We compare the pre and post-operative computerized tomography and show 3D illustrations and real-life images of the technique.

Technical aspects and midterm patency of iliac branched devices.

OBJECTIVE: This study presents technical aspects and initial results with iliac bifurcated devices (IBDs). METHODS: Since 2006, 47 IBDs were scheduled for 37 patients who were followed up between 2 and 31 months. Iliac aneurysms were unilateral in 27 patients and bilateral in 10. Two patients with bilateral common iliac artery aneurysms (CIAAs) did not have a simultaneous aortic aneurysm. Two patients underwent combined thoracoabdominal aneurysm treatment with branched stent grafts, and one underwent combined juxtarenal aneurysm repair with a fenestrated device. The helical iliac side branch device was used in 11 CIAA (23.4%), and the Zenith bifurcated iliac side branch device was used in the remaining 36 (76.6%). RESULTS: The technical success rate was 97.3% within the 47 intended-to-treat CIAAs (failure to introduce the delivery system in one case, converted to femorofemoral bypass). During follow-up, five (10.6%) hypogastric branch occlusions occurred in five patients. Two patients with bilateral repair had unilateral internal iliac artery side branch occlusions without ischemic symptoms. In contrast, of the three patients with unilateral side branch occlusion and simultaneous contralateral internal iliac artery occlusion (2 chronic and 1 coil embolization), persistent buttock claudication and sexual dysfunction developed in one. The secondary patency, including one redo case, was 87.3% at 22 months (standard error <10%). CONCLUSIONS: The use of branched stent grafts is a feasible procedure, including for patients with bilateral iliac aneurysmal disease or concomitant juxtarenal or thoracoabdominal aortic disease.

The arch and beyond: bare stents in the ascending aorta.

PURPOSE: To describe the management of complications from an unsuccessful hybrid repair of an aortic arch aneurysm. CASE REPORT: A 63-year-old man with acute type B dissection and retrograde dissection into the aortic arch underwent emergent hybrid repair, with partial debranching (ascending aorta to left carotid artery bypass) and proximal stent-graft deployment. At 3 months, computed tomography (CT) showed stent-graft migration, causing a large type I endoleak; flow through the patent left subclavian artery (LSA) caused a large type II endoleak. At a second operation, a bilateral subclavian-to-carotid transposition was performed; the LSA was ligated and a Zenith TX2 thoracic endograft was deployed to seal the leak. Recurrent type I endoleak a year later prompted the final endovascular solution: total supra-aortic vessel debranching, proximal stent-graft deployment, and the unprecedented use of bare Z stents in the ascending aorta. CT at 18 months confirmed stable stent-graft position and no endoleak. CONCLUSION: Based on this initial experience, bare Z stents can be used to enhance proximal aortic stent-graft fixation and accommodation within the aortic arch.

How to occlude a side branch on a branched stent-graft during an endovascular thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair.

PURPOSE: To present a means of occluding an unneeded side branch during deployment of custom-made branched stent-grafts for thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm (TAAA) repair. TECHNIQUE: When a side branch on a customized TAAA branched stent-graft is not needed, an oversized Amplatzer Vascular Plug II can be deployed inside the side branch after the other visceral artery branches have been deployed. The plug's distal disk is placed into the side branch from the aortic lumen, as though it were a bottle cap. Pulling the device backward deploys the remainder of the body inside the 18-mm-long side branch. The result is immediate and satisfactory. CONCLUSION: This technique should be known to any team performing TAAA repair with branched stent-grafts. It may also serve as a means of fitting a stent-graft to a different patient in an emergency setting, as in the case illustrated here.

Branched devices for thoracoabdominal aneurysm repair: Early experience.

OBJECTIVE: This study reports the initial clinical results and experience with the planning of branched stent grafts in high-risk patients with thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAAs). METHODS: High-risk patients with TAAAs were considered for this study. Based on evaluation with computed tomography angiography (CTA), 21 custom-made branched stent grafts were designed for the selected patients. Two patients had associated bilateral aneurysms of the common iliac arteries, so an iliac branched device was also used. RESULTS: Between August 2006 and April 2008, 23 patients (10 women, 13 men) were selected to undergo endovascular TAAA repair. Mean age was 72 years old. Two patients were excluded after 1-mm-slice CTA analysis. Eleven patients have underdone TAAA repair so far. The mean follow-up period at present is 8 months (range, 18 days-21 months). Overall technical success was accomplished in all 11 patients. Two renal artery branches occluded. Operative times varied from 3 to 8 hours. Mean contrast volume was 193 mL (range, 48-420 mL). Eight patients required a stay of

Alternativa técnica no tratamento endovascular dos aneurismas da artéria poplítea / A technical alternative for the endovascular treatment of popliteal artery aneurysms

O aneurisma de artéria poplítea é relativamente raro, porém representa cerca de 85 por cento de todos os aneurismas arteriais periféricos. Apresenta-se geralmente com um quadro de complicação isquêmica e elevado risco de perda do membro acometido. Em função disso, preconiza-se seu tratamento eletivo, atualmente realizado com resultados satisfatórios pela técnica endovascular. Relatamos nossa experiência com a utilização do stent de nitinol auto-expansível revestido com PTFEe - Fluency (Bard, Alemanha), reforçado internamente com o stent de nitinol auto-expansível Zilver (Cook, EUA) no tratamento de um aneurisma de artéria poplítea.

Popliteal artery aneurysm is relatively rare, but represents around 85 percent of all peripheral arterial aneurysms. It is usually presented with ischemic complication and high risk of limb loss. For that reason, its elective treatment is indicated and currently carried through with satisfactory results using endovascular techniques. We describe our experience with the use of an ePTFE-covered nitinol self-expandable stent graft - Fluency (Bard, Germany), reinforced internally with the nitinol self-expandable Zilver stent (Cook, USA) for the treatment of a popliteal artery aneurism.

Dor pélvica crônica: o papel da síndrome do quebra-nozes / Chronic pelvic pain: the role of the nutcracker syndrome

A dor pélvica crônica é um problema subdiagnosticado e relativamente comum nas mulheres. Alguns autores evidenciaram prevalência de até 15 por cento entre mulheres de 18 a 50 anos, com repercussões sobre a qualidade de vida e sobre a economia. Dentre as causas de dor pélvica crônica, destaca-se a síndrome de congestão venosa pélvica, com quadro clínico caracterizado por diversos graus de dor, disúria, hematúria, dismenorréia, dispareunia e congestão vulvar, que pode ser acompanhado de varizes vulvares, descrito em 1949 por Taylor. Relatamos o caso de uma paciente portadora de dor pélvica crônica, na qual se diagnosticou o pinçamento da veia renal esquerda entre a aorta e a artéria mesentérica superior, com conseqüente quadro de hipertensão do plexo gonadal esquerdo, varizes pélvicas e sintomas de congestão pélvica. O tratamento realizado constou de embolização das varizes pélvicas, por método minimamente invasivo endovascular, com sucesso técnico e resolução dos sintomas em menos de 24 h.

Chronic pelvic pain is a problem at the same time common and underdiagnosed in women. Some literature reports show an incidence of up to 15 percent in women aged between 18-50 years, with impact over quality of life and economy. Among the causes of chronic pelvic pain, pelvic congestion syndrome stands out, characterized by pain, dysuria, hematuria, dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia and vulvar congestion, often accompanied by vulvar varices, described in 1949 by Taylor. We herein report a case of a patient with chronic pelvic pain in whom we diagnosed a nutcracker syndrome, characterized by stenosis of the left renal vein between the superior mesenteric artery and the aorta, with consequent status of left gonadal plexus hypertension, pelvic varices and symptoms of pelvic congestion. The treatment was varicose pelvic veins embolization, through a minimally invasive endovascular approach, with immediate technical and clinical success in less than 24 hours.

Novas tecnologias, novas complicações: complicações após uso de novos dispositivos de selamento e de trombectomia arterial / New technologies, new complications: complications after use of new arterial closure and thrombectomy devices / New technologies, new complications: complications after use of new arterial closure and thrombectomy devices

Relatamos aqui um caso singular de complicação isquêmica, e também traumática, referente ao uso de dois novos dispositivos para utilização endovascular, ambos no mesmo paciente. Um é um dispositivo hemostático para selamento de punção (Angio-Seal®; - St. Jude Medical) e o outro, um cateter para trombectomia rotacional aspirativa percutânea (Rotarex®; - Straub Medical). Discutimos a indicação destes dispositivos em pacientes gravemente enfermos, com quadro de instabilidade hemodinâmica ou em estado de hipercoagulabilidade, associado à doença aterosclerótica femoral, por seu elevado potencial de complicações.

We describe a singular case of both ischemic and traumatic complication, referring to use of new devices used for endovascular approach, in the same patient. One is a hemostatic closure device (Angio-Seal®; - St. Jude Medical) and the other is a catheter for percutaneous rotational and aspiration thrombectomy (Rotarex®; - Straub Medical). We discuss indication to use these devices in severely ill patients, with hemodynamic instability, or in a state of hypercoagulability, associated with femoral atherosclerotic disease, due to its high potential of complications.

Hybrid repair of aortic arch aneurysms: a totally extrathoracic approach with branched endografts in two patients.

Of all of the aortic segments, the aortic arch is the last frontier for endovascular treatment. The main difficulty for arch repair is the lack of an appropriate proximal landing zone of at least 2 to 3 cm required for endograft sealing and anchoring to diminish the risk of endoleaks or migration. We used branched endografts to treat two cases of aortic aneurysms that required complete arch endografting, with successful aneurysm exclusion.

Recanalização da artéria femoral superficial com stents Zilver: técnica padronizada e análise retrospectiva de 3 anos / Superficial femoral artery recanalization with Zilver stents: standard technique and 3-year retrospective analysis

OBJETIVOS: Descrever a técnica de recanalização endovascular da artéria femoral superficial e fazer uma análise retrospectiva dos 3 primeiros anos da técnica. MÉTODOS: Análise retrospectiva dos pacientes tratados entre 2001 e 2004, visando obter as taxas de perviedade das recanalizações. A amostra considerada neste estudo consta de 79 artérias femorais superficiais recanalizadas em 61 pacientes, nos quais foram utilizados exclusivamente a técnica descrita e o mesmo modelo de stent de nitinol auto-expansível (Zilver, COOK). RESULTADOS: Dos 61 pacientes, 8 por cento possuíam isquemia crítica de membro inferior e 92 por cento apresentavam claudicação incapacitante refratária ao tratamento clínico. A melhora clínica foi observada e referida pelos pacientes numa relação direta à perviedade das recanalizações. A análise estatística demonstrou taxas acumuladas de perviedade primária assistida de 98, 91 e 84 por cento em 12, 24 e 37 meses, respectivamente. As taxas de perviedade, entendida como fluxo continuado nas recanalizações, foram de 96, 93 e 93 por cento em 12, 24 e 37 meses, respectivamente. CONCLUSÕES: Consideramos a técnica da recanalização da artéria femoral superficial um método ao mesmo tempo pouco invasivo, com reduzidas complicações e de consideráveis taxas de sucesso anatômico e perviedade, que, em conjunto, são capazes de proporcionar satisfação e qualidade de vida aos pacientes portadores de doença arterial obstrutiva periférica.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the endovascular recanalization technique of the superficial femoral artery and perform a 3-year retrospective analysis of the technique. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of the patients treated between 2001 and 2004, with the aim of obtaining the patency rates of the recanalizations. The sample consisted of 79 recanalized superficial femoral arteries in 61 patients, exclusively using the described technique and the same nitinol self-expanding stent model (Zilver, COOK). RESULTS: Of the 61 patients, 8 percent had critical lower limb ischemia and 92 percent had incapacitating claudication refractory to the clinical treatment. Clinical improvement was observed and reported by the patients in a direct correlation with the recanalization patency. The statistical analysis showed accumulated assisted primary patency rates of 98, 91 and 84 percent in 12, 24 and 37 months, respectively. The patency rates, considered as the continuous flow in the treated area, were 96, 93 and 93 percent in 12, 24 and 37 months, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We consider the recanalization technique of the superficial femoral artery a less invasive method, with few complications and considerable anatomic success and patency rates, which are able of promoting satisfaction and quality of life to patients with peripheral obstructive arterial disease.