The Effects of Low Concentrations of Pravastatin on Placental Cells.

Pravastatin is a promising medication to treat preeclampsia. However, the appropriate dose of pravastatin for managing preeclampsia has not been established. In this in vitro study, we examined the effects of low concentrations of pravastatin (0.01 to 10 µM) under hypoxic conditions on two types of placental cells and found that pravastatin decreased sFlt-1 levels up to 34% in cytotrophoblast cells isolated from human term placentas. Furthermore, we showed that sFlt-1 levels in HTR-8/SVneo cells, a cell line derived from first trimester trophoblast cells, decreased after exposure to very low concentrations of pravastatin (0.01, 0.1 µM). We also examined the effects of pravastatin on uterine spiral artery remodeling-related events and showed in wound healing and tube formation assays that low concentrations of pravastatin upregulated cell migration and invasion in HTR-8/SVneo cells. These results demonstrated that a low dose of pravastatin has in vitro effects that suggest a potential for anti-preeclamptic effects in vivo.

Early aortic endograft failure in the presence of periaortic lymphadenopathy with neurofibromatosis (von Recklinghausen's disease).

A 78-year-old man with a history of neurofibromatosis was transferred to our hospital for treatment of an abdominal aortic aneurysm. T The patient was treated by stent graft implantation and was discharged from the hospital without complications. After discharge, the patient reported repeated episodes of abdominal pain. Computed tomography performed 3 months postoperatively showed localized lymphadenopathy along the graft with extravasation of contrast, suggesting the diagnosis of rupture of the aortic aneurysm. Emergent laparotomy was performed, which showed penetration of the graft through the aortic wall due to deformation of the aorta caused by lymphadenopathy. The lymphadenopathy resolved after removal of the graft. This is the first reported case of stent graft failure due to aortic deformation associated with neurofibromatosis.

Surgical treatment for thoracic aneurysms: comparison of stent grafting and open surgery.

OBJECTIVES: Early and mid-term results of stent graft (SG) treatment for thoracic aortic aneurysms (thoracic endovascular aneurysm repair: TEVAR) were retrospectively compared with open surgical treatment. METHODS: The records of 213 patients in whom single thoracic aortic aneurysm repairs had been performed in our department from January 2006 through August 31, 2009 were reviewed. Acute aortic dissection was excluded. Each case was reviewed for indications for TEVAR from an anatomical standpoint. Among 62 cases in which TEVAR was indicated, 30 (SG group) were treated by TEVAR and 32, by open surgery (OP group). Early and mid-term results were analyzed retrospectively in both groups. RESULTS: There were no operative deaths in either group. The SG group demonstrated significantly less operative bleeding, a shorter operative time, and shorter postoperative hospital stay compared with the OP group. There were 3 deaths in the SG group and 4 in the OP group, which occurred within an average of 656.4 days during the follow up period. The 3 year actuarial survival rate was 88.7% in the SG group and 87.1% in the OP group, and there were no significant differences between the groups. CONCLUSION: Although early and mid-term results of TEVAR and open surgery were similar, TEVAR is generally less invasive and may be preferable for high-risk patients, compared with open surgical repair. (English Translation of Jpn J Vasc Surg 2010; 19: 51-56.).

Successful treatment of an abdominal aortic aneurysm by endovascular graft placement through a previously placed prosthetic graft: Report of a case.

A 77-year-old man with an infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm was referred with a complex medical history including pancreatitis, chronic renal failure, atrial fibrillation, and a cerebral infarction. He also had a history of atherosclerosis obliterans, treated with a vascular bypass using an 8-mm prosthetic graft 9 years previously. His complicated anatomy, including a small access route and a large common iliac artery, suggested usage of Powerlink, a bifurcated stent graft through the previously placed graft, as an access route. The patient was discharged from the hospital with a type III endoleak, which was completely resolved 5 months after discharge.

A fenestrated stent graft for endovascular repair of an ascending aortic pseudoaneurysm.

Endovascular stent grafting is a novel therapeutic technique for repairing aortic aneurysms, and is especially useful for descending aortic aneurysm and aneurysm at the distal arch. However, no effective endovascular approach for the ascending aorta has been reported a remaining site for endovascular repair because of the anatomical restrictions and the presence of vital branches to the head and arms that are present in this region. This report describes an endovascular stent graft repair of a pseudoaneurysm at the ascending aorta using a fenestrated stent graft. The fenestrated stent graft is easy to use and less invasive for the endovascular repair of the ascending aorta.

Reconstruction of the portal vein and the splenic vein in pancreaticoduodenectomy for pancreatic cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: We reconstructed the splenic vein besides the portal vein and/or the superior mesenteric vein after resection of the superior mesenteric-portal vein confluence during pancreaticoduodenectomy for carcinoma of the pancreas and the outcome was retrospectively assessed. METHODOLOGY: Twenty-five patients were classified into three groups. Group O, the splenic vein was left intact (n = 11), Group I, the splenic vein was anastomosed to another vein (n = 6), and Group II, the splenic vein was reconstructed to another vein through autovein graft interposition (n = 8). RESULTS: The patency rate of the superior mesenteric-portal vein anastomosis was 100% in 24 patients evaluated. The blood flow from the splenic vein to the portal vein or another vein was witnessed in 10 patients in Group O, in 3 patients in Group I, and in 7 patients in Group II. CONCLUSIONS: The splenic vein could be reconstructed with high postoperative patency rate, especially in those patients, whose splenic vein was reconstructed using autovein interposition graft.