Surgical treatment of chronic mesenteric arterial insufficiency.

The treatment of 41 patients with chronic mesenteric insufficiency is reviewed: 20 men and 21 women with a mean age of 59 years were treated and observed for an average of 42 months. Thirty-one patients had symptoms of intestinal angina whereas 10 patients underwent prophylactic revascularization during other aortic operations. All but one patient had revascularization of the superior mesenteric artery, alone or in combination with another revascularization. Various surgical techniques were used, including retrograde bypass in 24 patients, antegrade bypass in 11 patients, and endarterectomy in the remaining six patients. Seven patients had acute abdominal symptoms and required emergency operation while in the hospital awaiting elective revascularization. There were two deaths in the perioperative period (4.9%), both caused by bowel necrosis. Six patients are known to have had late revascularization failure, resulting in recurrent symptoms in three patients and two subsequent deaths. All patients who remained asymptomatic after late graft failure had undergone multiple vessel revascularization; no patient revascularized prophylactically had symptoms of intestinal angina during the follow-up period. Early mesenteric revascularization is a safe and effective method of relieving the symptoms of chronic visceral ischemia and may prevent the development of fatal bowel necrosis.

Infected aortobifemoral prosthesis--a dreaded complication.

From 1980 to 1985 13 patients were identified with infected aortofemoral grafts. Potential predisposing factors identified included a history of multiple femoral arterial procedures (10 patients; 77%) as well as perioperative infections occurring at the time of a prior femoral operation (five patients; 38%). Patients presented with suppurative groin infections (11) or ruptured pseudoaneurysms (2). Two who had previously undergone bilateral amputations were managed by removal of their aortic grafts without revascularization. Eleven other patients were managed by excision of the entire prosthesis (6 aortic grafts), partial graft excision (five graft limbs) or local treatment alone (three graft limbs). Revascularization through uninfected tissue planes was performed on 14 limbs with salvage of 11 (limb salvage 79%); whereas three limbs not revascularized required major amputation (limb salvage 0%). Despite an aggressive surgical approach five patients (38%) required a major amputation and there were three deaths (23% mortality). Once the diagnosis of an infected graft is made, early graft excision and prompt revascularization are encouraged.

Carotid endarterectomy to correct asymptomatic carotid stenosis: ten years later.

The ideal management of the patient with an asymptomatic stenosis of the extracranial internal carotid artery remains controversial. The purpose of this article was to evaluate the effects of prophylactic carotid endarterectomy (CE) done to treat asymptomatic carotid stenosis (greater than 50% diameter reduction by angiography) 10 years later. In 1976, 42 prophylactic CEs were performed. There were no postoperative deaths or strokes. During 10-year follow-up two strokes occurred in the operated hemisphere; one stroke was fatal and was due to an intracranial hemorrhage, whereas the other stroke was thromboembolic in origin. Two other patients suffered strokes in the contralateral hemisphere and seven patients had transient ischemic attacks in the contralateral hemisphere, which necessitated CE. The survival rate at the end of the study period by life-table analysis was 57% (mean 8.7 years). Sixteen late deaths occurred, with coronary artery-related disease the most common cause of death. This review with actual 10-year follow-up demonstrated that prophylactic CE may be performed with minimal risk, that late stroke in the operated hemisphere was negligible, and that long-term survival was similar to that of a comparable age-matched population, possibly because late deaths attributed to stroke were reduced. On the basis of long-term follow-up, CE to treat asymptomatic high-grade carotid stenoses appears to be indicated in appropriate patients.

Femoral anastomotic aneurysms: a continuing challenge.

The methods used in management of 102 femoral anastomotic aneurysms (FAAs) were analyzed, and a case control study was performed in an effort to define potential etiologic factors. Most FAAs resulted from host vessel degeneration, although broken sutures, infection, and prosthetic graft dilatation contributed in some cases. Patients forming FAAs after aortofemoral bypass more often were hypertensive, had progression of distal disease, and showed diffuse atherosclerosis when compared with control patients. The use of braided synthetic sutures, woven Dacron grafts, and concomitant femoral endarterectomy correlated with FAA development, whereas diabetes mellitus, multiple femoral operations, local wound-healing problems, and occlusion of the superficial femoral artery did not correlate with the formation of FAAs. Ninety FAAs (88%) were treated surgically with an operative mortality rate of 3%. The most common surgical technique was aneurysmectomy with interposition prosthetic graft replacement. Durability of the repair was better if a simultaneous outflow procedure was performed and if the reconstruction was done before complications developed. Complicated FAAs are still responsible for significant morbidity and loss of life despite aggressive surgical management. Elective FAA repair is the preferred method of treatment.

Intra-arterial thrombolysis for acute limb ischemia: a three-year experience.

Peripheral arterial thromboembolism and thrombosis of arterial grafts continue to threaten viability of extremities. Percutaneous intra-arterial thrombolysis (IAT) and angiodilatation have afforded limb salvage in some of these patients. Proper patient selection appears to be the hallmark of success with IAT. During a recent three-year period, we used IAT in 32 extremities in 28 patients who had acute arterial insufficiency. Before IAT, 16 extremities were painful at rest, and 16 had incapacitating claudication. The overall success rate was 38%, but some degree of thrombolysis occurred in 88%. Limb salvage was achieved in 27 of 32 extremities (84%). Only five of 17 limbs (29%) with arterial graft thrombosis required no operation or an operation of lesser magnitude than predicted before IAT. Of six extremities with native arterial embolism, four (67%) were completely cleared with IAT. Major complications occurred in eight cases (25%), with two IAT-related deaths (6%). This study suggests that IAT is best reserved for individuals with acute limb ischemia caused by arterial embolus, those whose degree of ischemia would tolerate a 24-hour trial of IAT, and those whose femoral or tibial runoff is not likely to require remedial operation.

Massive intracerebral hemorrhage following carotid endarterectomy.

To our knowledge, a particularly lethal complication of carotid endarterectomy, intracerebral hemorrhage, has not been given due consideration in the literature concerning carotid surgery. In the Atlanta area, massive intracranial hemorrhage developed in ten patients following routine carotid endarterectomies performed during a recent ten-year period. All ten of the patients in this series died despite a variety of therapeutic interventions. Risk factors may include the following: extreme arterial stenosis with resultant postoperative hyperperfusion, involvement of multiple extracranial cerebral vessels, postoperative systemic hypertension, and administration of anticoagulant or antiplatelet medications. Unfortunately, identification of the subset of patients potentially at risk for this complication is difficult, and, to date, therapy has been generally ineffective.

Nonoperative management of selected popliteal aneurysms.

In the management of 95 popliteal aneurysms, surgical therapy was initially successful in 90% of operations, while major limb amputation was required in 6%. Durability of surgical reconstruction was improved if autogenous saphenous vein was used and if the reconstruction was performed before development of complications. Twenty asymptomatic popliteal aneurysms were repaired without loss of limb and with a five-year secondary cumulative patency rate of 93%. Among 26 small asymptomatic popliteal aneurysms managed without operation, complications developed in only two (8%) during the period of observation. Because of the demonstrated safety and efficacy of surgical treatment, repair of popliteal aneurysms is recommended in acceptable operative candidates. However, there exists a subgroup of asymptomatic higher-risk patients with small popliteal aneurysms in whom a conservative nonoperative approach is reasonably safe.

The natural history of carotid fibromuscular dysplasia.

Although graduated internal dilatation has proved to be an effective, safe, and durable operation for the treatment of symptomatic patients with fibromuscular dysplasia of the extracranial internal carotid artery, the role of surgical treatment in this entity remains unclear because the natural history is not well defined. Forty-nine patients, aged 29 to 82 years (mean, 58.5 years), with angiographically proven fibromuscular dysplasia of 88 internal carotid arteries have been evaluated since 1969. Twenty patients showed symptoms of focal cerebral or retinal ischemia, 10 patients had nonlateralizing neurologic symptoms, three patients sustained intracerebral hemorrhage, five patients complained of nonischemic symptoms, and 11 patients were asymptomatic. The three patients with intracranial hemorrhage and one person who suffered a massive stroke after angiography died within weeks of admission; no surgical therapy was performed. Initial management of the other patients included four internal carotid endarterectomies in four patients for associated atherosclerosis, one with simultaneous graduated internal dilatation; seven graduated internal dilatations in five patients; and one extracranial-to-intracranial bypass in a patient with occlusion occurring after graduated internal dilatation. Seventy-three nondilated arteries in 42 patients have been followed for up to 16 years (mean, 6.8 years). During this time only three patients have undergone surgical therapy; one carotid endarterectomy was done for an asymptomatic atherosclerotic lesion and two graduated internal dilatations in patients with nonfocal ischemia. Through follow-up of all 49 patients, none has had a new neurologic deficit. Fourteen patients who initially presented with focal ischemia were not treated surgically and all but one are now asymptomatic.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Concomitant renal revascularization in patients undergoing aortic surgery.

Sixty-three patients who underwent renal revascularization at the time of aortic surgery were retrospectively reviewed. These patients had significant renal artery stenosis in addition to either severe aortoiliac occlusive disease or aortic aneurysmal disease. Fifty-eight patients were hypertensive, whereas five patients were normotensive and these renal lesions were treated prophylactically. The operative mortality rate was 3%. Despite lack of selectivity in these patients with diffuse atherosclerosis, 60% (35 of 58) of the patients with hypertension could be classified as either "cured" or "improved." Patients with bilateral renal artery involvement and moderate azotemia were noted to improve with respect to renal function postoperatively. No patient has required chronic dialysis at a mean follow-up period of 22.6 months. Simultaneous aortic and renal artery surgery may be performed with low morbidity and mortality rates and produce a gratifying improvement in hypertension. Renal functional improvement and perhaps preservation of renal mass may be anticipated in selected patients.

Does contralateral carotid occlusion influence neurologic fate of carotid endarterectomy?

Divergent opinions regarding operative risks and late prognosis of patients undergoing endarterectomy for carotid stenosis with contralateral carotid occlusion have prompted a review of the experience at Emory University Hospital from Jan. 1, 1978, through Dec. 31, 1982. Fifty-four patients (37 men, 17 women; mean age 63 years) who underwent carotid endarterectomy (CEA) with contralateral carotid occlusion (group I) were compared with 410 demographically similar patients without contralateral carotid occlusion (group II) who underwent 503 CEAs during the same interval. CEA indications in group I were the following and were proportionately similar to those of group II: hemispheric transient ischemic attacks, 22 patients; asymptomatic stenosis, 12 patients; nonhemispheric symptoms, 11 patients; previous cerebral infarction, eight patients; and vascular tinnitus, one patient. General anesthesia, routine intraluminal shunting, systemic heparinization, and arteriotomy closure without patch were routinely employed in both groups. Three patients in group I suffered permanent neurologic deficits after operation (5.6%) and two had transient postoperative deficits with complete recovery. Ten patients (2.0%) in group II suffered permanent neurologic deficits and 10 patients experienced transient neurologic events after operation. Neither the transient nor the permanent neurologic deficit rates were statistically different (p greater than 0.05; Fisher exact test) in the two groups. Operative mortality rates for group I and group II were 0% and 0.8%, respectively, and were not significantly different (p greater than 0.10; Fisher exact test). Late postoperative ischemic brain infarctions occurred in two patients in group I (3.8%) and in 13 patients (3.6%) in group II (p greater than 0.10; Fisher exact test). Kaplan-Meier survival analyses were virtually identical in both groups, with the majority of deaths caused by cardiac occlusion may undergo CEA with morbidity and mortality rates similar to those without contralateral occlusions. Contralateral carotid occlusion does not necessarily portend an unfavorable early or late prognosis after CEA.

Aneurysms of the internal iliac artery.

Twenty-one patients with aneurysms of the internal iliac artery were identified over a 14-year period. Group A included those patients who had aneurysms associated with aortoiliac artery aneurysms and group B were those who had isolated internal iliac aneurysms. The natural course of these aneurysms is one of progressive expansion and rupture. A pulsatile pelvic mass, often associated with compression symptoms of the neurologic, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, and peripheral venous structures, is often present. Aortography, computerized tomographic scanning, and abdominal ultrasonography are the most useful diagnostic procedures. Proximal ligation and endoaneurysmorrhaphy make up the most appropriate surgical treatment. A case report is presented of a patient who underwent successful elective embolization as an alternative method of management.

Reoperative abdominal arterial surgery--a ten-year experience.

The safety and durability of elective reconstructive procedures of the abdominal aorta and its major branches are universally accepted; however, late complications continue to threaten limbs and lives of a minority of patients. The strategy of managing such revascularization failures has received inadequate attention. Between February 1971 and July 1981, 76 patients underwent 83 remedial, transabdominal revascularization procedures because of failed reconstructions. Group I consisted of 34 patients with occlusive complications (0% remedial operative mortality rate); group II, 21 patients with prosthetic sepsis including graft-enteric fistula (14% operative mortality); group III, 11 patients with aneurysmal degeneration (36% operative mortality); and group IV, 10 patients with visceral ischemia (0% operative mortality). The remedial operative mortality rate for the combined groups was 7.9%. Limb preservation was the rule in group I (91%); however, 29% of limbs at risk in group II ultimately required major amputation (15% early, 14% late). All patients in group II without an established graft-enteric fistula were saved; however, three of ten with active hemorrhage died of the sequelae of hypovolemic shock. Progressive arteriosclerotic morbidity and massive intraoperative bleeding accounted for the high mortality rate in group III. Favorable results were obtained in reoperation for recurrent visceral ischemia (renal ischemia in five, mesenteric ischemia in five). On the basis of this experience, an aggressive surgical approach seems justified. First, complete bifemoral revascularization performed at the time of original operation should reduce the need for reoperation. Second, elective, transabdominal remedial arterial surgery can be done with acceptable morbidity and mortality rates. Third, graft-enteric erosions and periprosthetic sepsis must be treated aggressively to avoid life-threatening sepsis and hemorrhage. Finally, anatomic revascularization can be performed successfully after a suitable period following removal of an infected retroperitoneal prosthesis.

Management of postendarterectomy neurologic deficits.

A series of 1,023 carotid endarterectomies were done between 1969 and 1980, with 31 patients (3.1%) having postendarterectomy neurologic deficits. Death ensued in seven patients (0.7%), and permanent neurologic deficits occurred in five patients (0.5%). Analysis of causes indicated that microemboli and thrombosis at the operative site are most frequent. When thrombosis is recognized early, this condition can be corrected by prompt reoperation. An algorithm can be used for guidance in management. Preventive measures include preoperative neurologic and cardiovascular stability that is maintained through the recovery period, meticulous operative dissection, and use of a temporary intraluminal shunt.

Aortovenous fistulas due to ruptured infrarenal aortic aneurysms: experience with six cases.

A review of patients undergoing aortic aneurysmectomy between 1970 and 1979 at the Emory University Hospital and the Atlanta Veterans Administration Medical Center disclosed six patients with aortovenous fistulas. Four fistulas were aorta to vena cava; one, aorta to left renal vein; and one, aorta to left iliac vein. Four of the arteriovenous fistulas were identified preoperatively. In another patient the symptoms and signs were masked by concomitant retroperitoneal rupture of the aneurysm. The final patient was asymptomatic preoperatively, but had an occluded fistula discovered at operation when laminated thrombus was removed from the wall of the aneurysm. One patient died while being prepared for operation; five were operated upon and survived. Successful management of this problem is contingent upon preoperative recognition, careful manipulation of the aneurysm with endoaneurysmal closure of the fistula, and judicious perioperative fluid management.

Concomitant carotid and coronary artery reconstruction.

Data are presented on 68 patients who underwent concomitant carotid endarterectomy (CE) and coronary artery bypass surgery (CAB) at Emory University Hospital from January 1974 to February 1981. This group is then compared with a randomly selected, matched population without known carotid disease who underwent CAB alone. Asymptomatic bruit was the reason for investigation in 40 patients (59%); another 23 patients (34%) experienced transient cerebral ischemic attacks (TIAs); and five patients (7%) had TIA and prior stroke. Carotid stenoses (>75% luminal narrowing) were demonstrated as follows: isolated left, 24 patients; isolated right, 27 patients; and bilateral lesions, 16 patients. One patient had innominate artery stenosis. Associated total occlusion of one or both vertebral arteries was demonstrated in six patients. Ninety-seven per cent of patients had disabling angina pectoris prior to operation; the angina was unstable in 57%, 15% had congestive heart failure, and 54% had had at least one prior myocardial infarction (MI). Single-vessel coronary disease was present in 12.5% of patients, double in 37.5%, triple in 41.1%, and left main stenosis in 9%; 43% of patients had abnormal ventricular contractility. CE was performed on 67 patients (36 left and 31 right); aortocarotid bypass was performed on one. The CE procedures were performed immediately prior to the sternotomy for CAB under the same anesthesia. CAB consisted of single bypass in eight patients (11.8%); double in 16 patients (23.5%); triple in 22 patients (32.4%); and quadruple or more in 22 patients (32.4%) (mean = 2.9 grafts per patient). There was no hospital mortality. Perioperative MI occurred in 2.0% and stroke with residual deficit in 1.3%. Cumulative survival is 98.5% at two years. Sixty-three patients (92%) reported improvement or elimination of anginal symptoms after operation. Rehospitalization for stroke was necessary in 3.7% patients. Postoperative activity levels are; self-care only, 3.9%; normal daily activity only, 17.6%; moderate exercise capability, 45%; and vigorous exercise capability, 33%. Comparison was made with a group of 84 randomly selected patients who underwent CAB alone during the same time interval. Data revealed no significant difference between the groups regarding sex, angina subset, ventricular function, coronary anatomy, vessels grafted, perioperative stroke or MI, mortality, or postoperative activity capability. Older age (59.8 vs. 55.6, p < 0.01) and less complete coronary revascularization possible (66 vs. 84%, p < 0.05) in the CECAB group were the only significant differences. Carotid stenosis co-existing in patients requiring CAB should be concomitantly corrected with the same risk and results expected from CAB alone.

Ruptured hepatic artery aneurysm with hepatic artery-to-portal vein fistula. Preservation of portal flow by autogenous vein reconstruction.

Hepatic artery aneurysms are uncommon lesions that have varied clinical presentations. Rupture into the portal vein has occasionally been reported, as has associated gastrointestinal bleeding. A case is described in which an unusually large hepatic artery aneurysm ruptured into the portal vein, destroying a major portion of its wall. Reconstruction was accomplished successfully by use of an autogenous saphenous vein patch with preservation of hepatopetal portal flow.

Abdominal aortic surgery and horseshoe kidney.

Seventy cases, including the six reported here, of aortic operations in patients with horseshoe kidney were reviewed. Anomalous renal arteries were encountered in 42 (60%) of these patients. We concluded that accurate preoperative diagnosis and angiographic delineation of aberrant renal arteries facilitate preservation of renal blood supply. When accessory or anomalous arteries cannot be preserved in situ, they should be reimplanted into the aortic prosthesis. Symphysiotomy may improve operative exposure and when necessary is a safe maneuver.