A rare case of Listeria monocytogenes causing mycotic aneurysm of the common femoral artery: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Mycotic aneurysms are an uncommon occurrence, withStaphylococcus and Salmonella species found to be the causative pathogen in up to 95% of cases. We believe this is the first described case of a common femoral artery mycotic aneurysm due to Listeria monocytogenes. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 66-year-old male presented with a two-month history of an increasing painful mass in his left groin, on the background of immunosuppression treatment for ankylosing spondylitis. He was afebrile on assessment, with a normal white cell count. Contrast enhanced CT scan showed a common femoral artery aneurysm, with no infective features. His aneurysm was excised and repaired with a Dacron tube graft. L. monocytogenes was cultured from the aneurysm tissue, and he was commenced on appropriate antibiotic treatment. The prosthetic graft was also replaced with a venous bypass of the aneurysm. DISCUSSION: L. monocytogenes is a rare cause of mycotic aneurysm with less than 40 cases reported in the literature. Immunosuppression is a recognised risk factor for Listerial infections. Immunocompromised patients may not display typical clinical or biochemical features associated with a mycotic aneurysm. Prosthetic graft infections are associated with significant mortality, with excision of the prosthetic material and venous reconstruction associated with good outcomes for eradicating infection. CONCLUSION: This report highlights the importance of obtaining intraoperative tissue samples for microbiological and histopathological assessment in immunocompromised patients. This is important for the detection of rare organisms such as L.monocytogenes, requiring targeted antibiotic therapy. Inappropriate treatment of Listerial infections can result in serious invasive illness.

A novel endovascular technique for exclusion of inner curve aortic arch aneurysm.

We present a case of a 78-year-old gentleman who was found to have a large saccular aneurysm of the inner aortic arch after complaining of change in the character of his voice. This lesion was successfully excluded using purely fenestrated endovascular techniques without compromising the origins of supra-aortic vessels. A novel technique with modification of fenestrated design was used to ensure accurate placement of the custom-made endograft. This technique has not been published before.

A review of the management by hysterectomy of 25 cases of gestational trophoblastic tumours from March 1993 to January 2006.

We reviewed 25 cases of gestational trophoblastic tumours referred for surgical management from Charing Cross Hospital (the London centre for gestational trophoblastic disease [GTD]) over a 13-year period. The operation performed was total abdominal hysterectomy, with lymph node sampling in 9/25 (36%) women and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy in 11/25 (44%) women. Radical hysterectomy and unilateral parametrectomy was required in 3/25 (12%) women. Three of 25 (12%) women failed to survive, i.e. the overall rate of survival was 88%. Management by hysterectomy of primary drug-resistant and relapse cases of GTD is a useful and safe adjunct to chemotherapy.

Endovascular graft limb occlusion after an anterior resection for rectal cancer: report of a case.

An endovascular aneurysm repair has become an important therapeutic option for the management of patients with aortic aneurysms. Early advantages of the endovascular technique have been well documented. Patients with aortic aneurysms undergoing these procedures are usually elderly, which increases the likelihood of comorbidities. With the increased use of vascular devices, potential complications such as graft limb occlusion need to be widely understood, so they can be recognized and treated early. We recently treated an 85-year-old man with acute endovascular graft limb occlusion after an elective anterior resection for rectal cancer, and we discuss some factors that may have contributed to this complication.

Uterine arteriovenous malformation: fertility-sparing surgery using unilateral ligation of uterine artery and ovarian ligament.

Arteriovenous malformations (AVM) are rarely found in the uterus and are usually acquired. The method of treatment is determined by symptoms, desire for future fertility, extent, and location of the malformation. Selective ligation of the vessels supplying the malformation is an effective treatment option when conservative methods have failed and uterine preservation is of primary concern. Measurement of uterine O(2) saturation and perfusion index has been shown to be effective in the intraoperative assessment of uterine viability, pre- and postligation of pelvic vasculature. We present the case of a 32-year-old woman with a postmolar uterine AVM treated surgically with unilateral uterine artery and ovarian ligament ligation.

Calciphylaxis: emerging concept in vascular patients.

Calciphylaxis is a small vessel vasculopathy with medial calcification associated with intimal proliferation, fibrosis and thrombosis. This study discusses the clinical features and treatment of calciphylaxis and assesses the prognosis of patients with calciphylaxis. All patients admitted to vascular or renal wards from January 2003 to December 2004 at Royal Perth Hospital, with diagnosis of calciphylaxis confirmed histologically were included in the study. Five patients were included in the study; four male and one female. Three patients had end stage renal failure on haemodialysis and two had normal renal function. All three patients with end-stage renal failure had secondary hyperparathyroidism associated with elevated parathormone and corrected ionised calcium. The two patients with normal renal function had normal calcium, phosphate, and parathormone levels. The diagnosis of calciphylaxis was confirmed in all patients. The wounds of four patients healed and one patient died 8 months after the diagnosis of calciphylaxis had been made. Calciphylaxis is a condition mostly present in patients with end-stage renal failure and can occur in patients with normal renal function. It usually carries a poor prognosis, but in this small series the outcome of patients was good with satisfactory healing of wounds.

Intravenous anti-D immunoglobulin in the treatment of resistant immune thrombocytopenic purpura in pregnancy.

A 35-week pregnant 38-year-old woman presented with isolated thrombocytopenia (platelet count 4 x 10(9)/l). Investigations confirmed immune thrombocytopenic purpura, and she received treatment with prednisolone and intravenous immunoglobulins with no increment in the platelet count. At 37 and 38 weeks of the pregnancy, she received two doses of WinRho (anti-D immunoglobulin) at 50 microg/kg. Five days later, with a platelet count of 46 x 10(9)/l, she had an uncomplicated normal vaginal delivery. WinRho is a useful adjunct to other first-line treatment modalities for immune thrombocytopenia in pregnancy.

Chronic pelvic pain: a rare complication following a large-loop excision of the transformation zone.

This is the unique report of a patient with deep-seated, left-sided pelvic pain following a large-loop excision of the transformation zone (LLETZ) for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia III. She transpired to have a definite diagnosis of pelvic varicosities which were only on the left side. Our surmise was that the varicosities had risen on the back of an arteriovenous malformation following her LLETZ performed by a colleague. The first attempted treatment was radiologic embolization. When this failed, she had a formal surgical procedure, and the left unilateral varicosities were ligated. Her pain ceased entirely thereafter, and she remained pain free at her 1-year review.

Ischemic steal syndrome: a case series and review of current management.

BACKGROUND: Currently over 5000 patients are receiving hemodialysis in Australia, which is an increase by approximately 7% each year. Distal ischemia secondary to the steal syndrome (ISS) is an uncommon but recognized complication. Several methods are now available to manage this problem including ligation, banding, and distal revascularization with interval ligation (DRIL). The aim of this report is to review the experience of the authors on this complication and its management at Royal Perth Hospital. METHODS: The Vascular Physiology Laboratory Database was used to identify those patients referred for investigation of ISS. Data were collected retrospectively from these patients' files concerning their demographics, graft particulars, and type of interventional procedure. Patients were then recalled to assess long-term patency and current venous access and for postoperative vascular studies. RESULTS: Eighteen people were identified with ischemic symptoms. The mean age was 66 (range, 44 to 82). Fourteen (77.8%) were men, and 15 (83.3%) were diabetic. Renal failure was secondary to diabetes in 8 patients, hypertension in 3, and a combination of both in 7 patients. Intervention was via the DRIL procedure in 12, ligation in 5, and banding in 1. One patient underwent angioplasty of the ulnar artery before DRIL. At follow-up (between 1 and 12 months), all DRIL bypass were patents. The 5 ligated patients all improved, and the patient who underwent banding thrombosed their graft. CONCLUSION: The DRIL procedure should be considered the standard operation to manage ISS in that it manages the ischemia while maintaining the functional fistula. It is, however, still necessary to ligate some fistulae and seek alternative access. There are still no preoperative indicators as to who will suffer ISS.

Metastatic Hurthle cell carcinoma in the abdomen masquerading as a primary ovarian tumor: a case report.

Hurthle cell carcinoma, a variant of follicular carcinoma of the thyroid, has been regarded as an aggressive type of differentiated thyroid cancer. It is diagnosed histologically and regarded as a carcinoma by the presence of vascular invasion or capsular invasion. In this case report, a patient with a history of thyroid Hurthle cell carcinoma presented with what seemingly appeared to be a pelvic mass of gynecological origin, with a raised risk-of-malignancy index of 567. She underwent a laparotomy which revealed the presence of multiple masses in the form of nodules and lumps attached to her small bowel, sigmoid colon, omentum, and infracolic region, without the involvement of her pelvic organs or para-aortic lymph nodes. At frozen section, the masses were reported to be high-grade metastatic tumor, possibly a melanoma, unlikely to be a female genital tract tumor. These masses were resected along with a 15-cm section of small bowel and analyzed. They were diagnosed to be secondary lesions of Hurthle cell carcinoma of the thyroid. Hurthle cell carcinoma of the thyroid has not been known to be associated with the elevation of CA125 nor has it been known to metastasize to the small bowel and sigmoid colon.

Selective vessel ligation in the pelvis: an invaluable tool in certain surgical procedures.

While developing the technique of abdominal radical trachelectomy for conservative cervical cancer management, the vascular supply of the uterus was thoroughly examined. The question of how many vessels the uterus requires to ensure its viability arose. Following an abdominal radical trachelectomy for stage IB cervical carcinoma, blood supply of the body of the uterus is successfully maintained by only the two infundibulopelvic vessels (n= 34). Pregnancy has resulted following this technique (n= 2). Selective ligation of the pelvic vasculature has been utilized in the abdominal radical trachelectomy procedure. The objectives of this study were to investigate the vasculature of the infundibulopelvic and broad ligaments, to assess the contribution of the ovarian and uterine vessels to overall uterine perfusion, and to consider the clinical applications of selective pelvic vessel ligation. Ten fresh dissections of the infundibulopelvic vessels, broad ligaments of benign total abdominal hysterectomy, and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy specimens were performed. Perfusion index (PI) and oxygen saturation (O(2)Sat) measurements using a modified probe were taken at specified intervals at the uterine cornu during ten routine benign abdominal hysterectomies to assess the contribution of the ovarian and uterine vessels to overall uterine perfusion and the concepts studied were utilized in certain gynecological procedures. The ovarian/infundibulopelvic vessels course medially through the broad ligament toward the uterine cornu and consistently give off a branch to the ovary on its lateral border. In addition, further vessels were noted to run laterally from the uterine cornu along the ovarian ligament to the medial aspect of the ovary. PI and O(2)Sat measurements imply that the uterine and ovarian vessels contribute almost equally to uterine perfusion. Clinical application by selective ligation of the pelvic vasculature has been utilized in certain gynecological procedures often prone to torrential life-threatening uterine hemorrhage. Selective temporary ligation of the uterine and ovarian vessels has proven useful in the surgical management of chemoresistant gestational trophoblastic disease, in the Strassman procedure, fertility-sparing surgery in ruptured cornual ectopic pregnancies, and unrelenting postpartum hemorrhage. Of the six supplying vessels (ovarian, uterine, and vaginal) to the uterus only two (ovarian or uterine or a combination thereof) are required for uterine viability.

A novel approach in the management of a recurrent adenomatoid tumor of the uterus utilizing a Strassman technique.

Adenomatoid tumors of the uterus are uncommon benign lesions derived from mesothelium, with a prevalence of 1.2% in one study of 1 000 unselected hysterectomy specimens. They are usually small and near the serosal surface; however, they may be large and diffuse (giant adenomatoid tumors). They coexist with leiomyomas in 60% of cases. A 33-year-old nulliparous woman was referred for severe menorrhagia and dysmenorrhea, thought to be due to a submucosal fibroid on ultrasound. This transpired to be an adenomatoid tumor, and she underwent three transcervical resections of the tumor (TCRT) over a period of 12 months for tumor recurrence and failure of symptom resolution. The last TCRT was performed with ultrasound guidance and laparoscopic visualization of the uterus to the resection point of blanching of the serosal surface. She failed to respond to a GnRH analogue throughout. A specialist opinion on the suitability of vascular embolization of the tumor judged that it would be ineffective for this lesion. She then underwent a Strassman procedure and removal of the adenomatoid tumor. This involved dissection of ureters and pelvic vasculature, selective temporary ligation of uterine arteries, hemisection of the uterus, and excision of the tumor with frozen sections to ensure clear tumor margins and resuturing of the uterine halves. Temporary vascular occlusion of the uterine arteries and ovarian vessels allowed a Strassman procedure, which resulted in successful resection of a recurrent giant adenomatoid tumor of the uterus, with fertility preservation in a young nulliparous woman. Two and a half years on there is no evidence of tumor recurrence.

Von Willebrand disease associated with superficial temporal artery pseudoaneurysm.

We report on two patients with von Willebrand disease (vWD) that presented with superficial temporal artery pseudoaneurysms following minor blunt trauma. We discuss the possible pathophysiological link between vWD and blood vessel abnormalities. The cases highlight the importance of considering the diagnosis of vWD in patients presenting with pseudoaneurysm.

A review of the current treatment of renal artery stenosis.

PURPOSE: Atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis (ARAS) is associated with morbidity and mortality consequent to progressive ischemic renal failure and the cardiovascular consequences of hypertension. There is considerable uncertainty concerning the optimal management of patients with this condition. This review considers the aetiological factors and the physiologic consequences of ARAS and compares the results of clinical studies of medical and endovascular therapies on blood pressure control and preservation of renal function. RESULTS: Although, in patients with fibromuscular disease the results of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) are clearly superior to medical therapy and surgery, in asymptomatic patients with ARAS the antihypertensive benefits and preservation of renal function of endovascular, surgical and medical therapies appear similar. In selected symptomatic patients interventions may, however, be life-saving. Surgery is generally reserved for arterial occlusions with preserved renal parenchyma and function. CONCLUSIONS: The results of larger, multicentre, randomised, controlled trials are required to clearly clarify the role of interventional therapy in asymptomatic patients.

Thrombin injection for repair of pseudoaneurysms: a case for caution.

Treatment of pseudoaneurysms by the injection of thrombin have been reported in the literature with a success rate approaching 100%. Complications have been reported with its use. We report a case where thrombin was used to thrombose a superficial temporal artery pseudoaneurysm leading to the development of seizure and ischaemia of the scalp. We advise that thrombin should be not be used to thrombose pseudoaneurysms of arteries supplying critical areas.

Systemic to portal shunting following vena cava obstruction: Computed tomography and venographic appearances.

Obstruction of the inferior or superior vena cava normally leads to the formation of a well-described and consistent pattern of collateral venous pathways. We present the angiographic and CT features of the unusual development of systemic to portal venous shunting in two cases with central vein obstruction.

Use of the percutaneous vascular surgery device for closure of femoral access sites during endovascular aneurysm repair: lessons from our experience.

OBJECTIVES: to evaluate the results of our early experience with a percutaneous closure device for aortic aneurysm repair and to identify device related and patient related factors leading to procedure failure. METHODS: eighty-two percutaneous closures in forty-four patients was performed using the 10F Prostar XL Percutaneous Vascular Surgery device during the repair of 1 iliac, 1 thoracic and 42 abdominal aortic aneurysms. RESULTS: successful closure was achieved in 70 access sites (85%) with 12 sites requiring conversion to an open groin incision. The reasons for failure include difficult device introduction due to a tortuous iliac, deflection of needles due to previous scar, femoral artery occlusion and failure of the device to close the arteriotomy. There was one intraoperative death from retroperitoneal haemorrhage and another patient developed a pseudoaneurysm at the cannulation site. CONCLUSIONS: use of the percutaneous closure device requires very careful patient selection. Preoperative radiological assessment of the ilio-femoral vessels is vital to assess for cacification and tortuosity. High device failure rates can be expected from obese patients and those with scarred groins. When difficulty is encountered during the procedure, there should be a low threshold for conversion to an open groin incision. The device and the method of introduction can be further improved to address some of these issues.

An epidemiological view of vascular trauma in Western Australia: a 5-year study.

BACKGROUND: Although Australia encounters vascular injury less frequently than countries such as the USA, the predominance of blunt trauma with associated complex injuries continues to pose problems for clinicians. The present paper reviews Royal Perth Hospital's experience of vascular trauma epidemiology. METHODS: All individuals who presented to the Royal Perth Hospital (RPH) with a vascular injury between August 1994 and January 2000 were identified from a prospective trauma database. Injuries were classified using the Abbreviated Injury Score (AIS 90 code). The five major vascular injury groups as defined by AIS 90 (neck, thorax, abdomen, upper limb and lower limb) were analysed in turn to determine which injuries were most frequent, what the common causes were, effects of alcohol and drugs, common associated injuries, investigations performed, mortality, proportion of rural vascular trauma with transfer details and lengths of hospital stay. RESULTS: During the study period, 153 patients (1% of total trauma workload) sustained 175 vascular injuries. The commonest causes of injury for each group were stabbing (neck and lower limb), motor vehicle accident (thorax and abdomen) and work machinery (upper limb). Mortality was highest for thoracic injury (14/32; 44%) followed by abdominal injury (10/29; 34%). The ratio of blunt to penetrating vascular trauma is high and is increasing, as is the ratio of truncal to extremity vascular trauma. The most common artery-vein combination injury was to the femoral vessels. CONCLUSIONS: The injury patterns emerging from the present study will hopefully help all medical personnel to recognize the potential for vascular injury in a trauma setting.