Lumbar artery pseudoaneurysm in a patient with inferior vena cava filter and history of strenuous physical exercise.

Lumbar artery pseudoaneurysms (LAPs) are a rare complication of inferior vena cava (IVC) filters. The few reports in the literature describe treatment of patients presenting with ruptured LAPs. This case report describes the successful management of a symptomatic LAP because of an IVC filter, which initially presented as a retroperitoneal hematoma resulting from lumbar artery laceration by a filter strut. We hypothesize that the strenuous abdominal exercises performed by the patient may have facilitated IVC penetration by the filter, leading to development of a retroperitoneal hematoma and subsequent LAP. This case suggests that patients with IVC filters should avoid strenuous exercise and underscores the importance of timely retrieval of nonpermanent IVC filters.

Carotid artery velocity characteristics after carotid artery angioplasty and stenting.

OBJECTIVE: Correlation of carotid duplex ultrasound (DUS) flow velocities with carotid artery stenosis before and after carotid endarterectomy is well established. With the evolution of catheter-based techniques, carotid stenosis increasingly is being treated with angioplasty and stenting (CAS). CAS changes the physical properties of the arterial wall, which may alter blood flow velocities compared with the nonstented carotid. Opinions differ about whether DUS is a reliable tool to assess technical outcome and recurrent stenosis after CAS. This study correlated carotid DUS flow velocity findings with carotid arteriography after CAS. METHODS: Data from 77 pairs of carotid arteriograms with corresponding DUS after CAS in 68 patients were reviewed. Preintervention and postintervention DUS and carotid arteriogram data were evaluated for each patient. Peak systolic velocities (PSV), end-diastolic velocities (EDV), and internal carotid artery/common carotid artery ratios (ICA/CCA) were correlated with the post-CAS arteriogram. RESULTS: The mean preintervention PSV was 390 +/- 110 cm/s (range, 216 to 691 cm/s), and the average EDV was 134 +/- 51 cm/s (range, 35 to 314 cm/s). Postintervention DUS was obtained a mean of 5 days after CAS (range, 1 to 30 days). Sixty (81%) post-CAS arteriograms were normal, and each corresponded to a normal postintervention DUS (PSV range, 30 to 118 cm/s; EDV range, 18 to 60 cm/s). In 14 arteries (19%), completion arteriograms revealed residual stenoses of 20% to 40% in 13, and 50% in one. The mean PSV was 175 cm/s (range, 137 to 195 cm/s), and the mean EDV was 44 cm/s (range, 20 to 62 cm/s). All velocities exceeded the threshold of a 50% stenosis by DUS criteria for a nonstented carotid artery. In three arteries (2 patients), high-grade recurrent stenoses detected by DUS developed that required reintervention during follow-up. This high-grade restenosis was confirmed by arteriography in each patient, providing an additional three correlations. CONCLUSIONS: Normal DUS imaging reliably identifies arteriographically normal carotid arteries after CAS. Carotid velocities are disproportionately elevated with mild and moderate degrees of stenoses, and velocity criteria for quantitating stenoses in these patients require modification. However, DUS appropriately identifies severe recurrent stenoses after CAS.

Factors related to short length of stay after carotid endarterectomy.

In the past decade, expected in-hospital length of stay (LOS) after carotid endarterectomy (CEA) has decreased from 4 days to 1. Long LOS is associated with known complications and factors affecting severity of the patient's condition. Factors affecting an intermediate stay of 2 to 4 days need further clarification. The vascular registry at Jobst Vascular Center includes data on manifestation of disease; cardiovascular history; operation and discharge dates; surgeon; surgical details such as patching, shunting, and completion arteriography; and complications. Univariate chi-square and ANOVA and multivariate logistic regression were applied to analyze 635 CEAs performed in 1998, 1999, and 2000. Statistical significance was at a p value less than 0.05 (two-sided). Overall morbidity rate was 8.2% with three (0.5%) in-hospital neurologic complications and one death for a 0.16% mortality rate. Fifty-eight percent of the patients were discharged in 1 day. Patients staying 1 day were 3 years younger. Female gender and prior cerebrovascular accident were factors extending LOS to 2 and 3 days. History of angina, heart failure, valve disease, and vein patch or no patch contributed to LOS of 3 or 4 days. Completion arteriography had an association with LOS of 2 days. The relative percentage of patients with complications increased with LOS. No significant relationship was found for symptoms, smoking, myocardial infarction, atrial fibrillation, cardiac revascularization, or surgeon. Insulin-treated diabetes mellitus, cardiac risk factors, cerebrovascular accident, and vein patch or no patch correlated with prolonged hospitalization. Factors were identified that may alter a clinical pathway designed for discharge 1 day after CEA. Focused management of patients with cardiac and cerebrovascular accident history or requiring vein patch and a better understanding of CEA in women may further increase the percentage of patients discharged 1 day after CEA.

Bell-bottom aortoiliac endografts: an alternative that preserves pelvic blood flow.

OBJECTIVE: Dilated common iliac arteries that complicate aortic aneurysm stent grafting usually have been managed with endograft extension across the iliac artery bifurcation with internal iliac artery (IIA) occlusion. We studied 25 patients with significant common iliac artery (CIA) dilation treated with two methods: endograft extension across the iliac bifurcation or a new approach with a flared cuff within the CIA that preserves the IIA. METHODS: Of 86 patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) who underwent bifurcated endovascular stent grafting (ESG), 25 (29.1%) had at least one dilated CIA. Two treatment groups had different methods of management of iliac artery dilation. Group 1 underwent ESG with straight extension across the iliac bifurcation and IIA coil embolization before the ESG procedure (n = 2) or simultaneously with ESG (n = 8). Group 2 underwent ESG with flared distal cuff (AneuRx, Medtronic AVE, Santa Rosa, Calif) contained within the CIA, the so-called "bell-bottom" procedure, thus preserving the IIA (n = 15). Iliac artery dimensions, operating room time, fluoroscopy time, and postoperative complications were prospectively gathered. RESULTS: Two women and 23 men had mean diameters of AAA of 56.6 mm (range, 38 to 98 mm) and of CIA of 21.4 mm (range, 15 to 48 mm). The diameters of CIA treated with device extension into external iliac artery after IIA coil embolization in group 1 and with the bell-bottom procedure in group 2 were not different (mean CIA diameter, 19.9 mm; range, 15 to 26 mm; and mean, 19.1 mm; range, 15 to 24 mm; respectively). However, significantly lower operating room and catheter procedure times were found in group 2 compared with group 1 (137 versus 192 minutes; 58 versus 106 minutes; P =.02 and.02, respectively). No periprocedural type I endoleaks were found in either group. Nine patients in group 2 also had a second contralateral CIA aneurysm, and five patients (mean CIA diameter, 33.0 mm; range, 22 to 48 mm) underwent treatment with extension across the iliac artery bifurcation and IIA occlusion. Use of the bell-bottom procedure on the other side allowed preservation of one IIA. Four cases (mean diameter, 19.3 mm) also underwent contralateral bell-bottom procedure. Two of these group 2 patients had complications, with severe buttock claudication in one and distal embolism necessitating limb salvage bypass after preoperative coil embolization of the IIA in another. CONCLUSION: Significant CIA ectasia or small aneurysm is often associated with AAA. In such cases, the bell-bottom procedure that preserves IIA circulation is a new alternative to the common practice of placement of endograft extensions across the iliac artery bifurcation in patients with at least one CIA diameter of less than 26 mm. Additional benefits include reduced total procedure time. Early technical success appears to justify continued use. However, long-term evaluation is necessary to determine durability because the risk of rupture as the result of potential expansion of the excluded iliac artery or late failure is unknown.