Feasibility of Intravascular Lithotripsy for the Treatment of Calcified Supra-Aortic Vessels: A Case Report and Literature Review.

PURPOSE: To report a case of coronary-subclavian steal syndrome (CSSS) due to a history of a left internal mammary artery (LIMA) to left anterior descending (LAD) artery coronary bypass (CABG) and a heavily calcified ostial left subclavian artery (LSA) occlusion, that was treated with intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) technique and to summarize the current trends of IVL treatment for supra-aortic vessels. CASE REPORT: A 64-year-old woman with progressive intermittent angina pectoris and a history of LIMA to LAD bypass underwent coronary angiography which demonstrated complete ostial occlusion of the LSA. Via brachial access, the patient underwent Shockwave IVL balloon treatment of the LSA and stent-graft implantation. At 9 months follow-up, the patient showed symptoms resolution, and duplex ultrasound (DUS) demonstrated a patent LSA. CONCLUSIONS: The Shockwave IVL system was demonstrated to be a feasible treatment and justified for selective cases of highly calcified lesions in supra-aortic vessels. The present case report and the literature review, in a total of 47 patients resulted in a high technical procedural success rate, with a low rate of complications. Future studies with larger cohorts are warranted to confirm these findings and standardize this technology in this particular vascular field. CLINICAL IMPACT: The present study exemplifies a case of recanalization of the left subclavian artery in a patient with coronary-subclavian steal syndrome with a heavily calcified ostial lesion treated with intravascular lithotripsy (IVL). In this paper, for the first time, a review of the contemporary literature on the use of IVL in supra-aortic vessels is reported, elucidating the feasibility of this technique in this vascular territory. Despite the heterogeneous features of the reported cases and the lack of a standardized protocol for the use of IVL in the management of highly calcified lesions of supra-aortic vessels, it was demonstrated to be a feasible technique, with a high technical success rate, being an advantageous tool for heavily calcified supra-aortic lesions.

An out of the box treatment for an infected pseudoaneurysm: Deep to superficial femoral artery transposition.

An infected pseudoaneurysm is a condition that has become more common in recent years, with the proliferation of endovascular intervention and the use of intravenous drugs. If left untreated, an infected pseudoaneurysm can progress to rupture, which can lead to life-threatening hemorrhage. No clear consensus has been reached among vascular surgeons regarding the management of infected pseudoaneurysms, and the literature describes a wide range of treatment techniques. In the present report, we describe an "out of the box" approach to infected pseudoaneurysms: a superficial femoral artery to deep femoral artery transposition, as an alternative to ligation with or without bypass reconstruction. We also describe our experience with six patients who underwent this procedure with 100% technical success and limb salvage rates. Although we implemented this technique for cases of infected pseudoaneurysms, we believe it can also be applied to other cases of femoral pseudoaneurysms when angioplasty or graft reconstruction is not feasible. However, further research with larger cohorts is warranted.

Suitability of current off-the-shelf devices for endovascular TAAA repair: a systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of the present study is to perform a systematic review of published papers regarding the suitability of the current off-the-shelf (OTS) devices for endovascular thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm (TAAA) repair. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: A systematic review of the MEDLINE database via PubMed was performed in March 2023. All studies reporting the outcomes of the three currently available OTS stent-grafts: the Zenith t-Branch (Cook Medical, Bloomington, IN, USA), the Gore Excluder thoracoabdominal branch endoprosthesis (TAMBE; W.L. Gore & Associates, Flagstaff, AZ, USA) and the E-nside Multibranch Stent-Graft System (Artivion, Kennesaw, GA, USA), were retrieved and further analyzed. The main endpoints were technical success, reintervention rate, and primary branch patency. Theoretical feasibility studies of these OTS devices were also included and separately analyzed. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: A total of 19 studies were published between 2014 and 2023. Thirteen clinical studies and six theoretical feasibility studies were included. Eleven studies reported the clinical outcomes of the t-Branch stent-graft, one detailed the observational results of the use of the E-nside endoprosthesis, and one described the TAMBE stent-graft results. The following data primarily involve the t-Branch device outcomes. A total of 1131 patients that underwent aneurysm repair using an OTS stent-graft were identified. Among those, 1002, 116 and 13 patients received a t-Branch, E-nside, and TAMBE stent-grafts, respectively. A total of 767 (67.8%) were men, with a mean age of 71.6±7.4 years old, and a mean Body Mass Index (BMI) of 26.3±3.8 kg/m2. Technical success ranged from 64% to 100%. A total of 4172 target visceral vessels (TVV) were planned for bridging, with a success rate ranging from 92 to 100%. The total of early and late reinterventions reported were 64 and 48, respectively, mainly due to endoleaks and visceral branch occlusions. Among the theoretical feasibility studies, six described the feasibility of the t-Branch device in a total of 661 patients, two described the E-nside and the TAMBE devices feasibility comprising 351 patients for each stent-graft. The overall feasibility of the t-Branch device varied from 39% to 88%, the E-nside from 43% to 75%, and the TAMBE stent-graft ranged from 33% to 94%. CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review demonstrated a good suitability for the use of OTS endografts for the treatment of TAAA.

Common femoral adventitial cystic disease in a young female patient.

Adventitial cystic disease (ACD) is a rare condition that typically presents in young healthy men with symptoms of claudication. ACD is characterized by formation of a mucinous cyst within the adventitia of a blood vessel, usually in the popliteal artery, causing compression of the vessel's lumen and leading to reduced flow and symptoms of claudication. We have presented a rare case of ACD of the common femoral artery in a young female patient that was treated successfully with resection and femoral vein graft interposition reconstruction.

A novel endovascular treatment for transcatheter aortic valve embolization.

In the present report, we have described the case of an 82-year-old obese man who had required transcatheter aortic valve replacement to treat severe symptomatic aortic stenosis. During implantation, the balloon-mounted valve became dislodged and embolized to the ascending aorta. A second valve was successfully implanted after several failed attempts to reposition the first one into the aortic annulus. The dislodged valve became further embolized and landed in the distal descending aorta, partially obstructing the splanchnic, renal, and lower extremity blood flow. It was rotated with flexible forceps and permanently secured in the distal thoracic aorta using a thoracic endoprosthesis, rendering it harmless.

Long-term renin-angiotensin blocking therapy in hypertensive patients with normal aorta may attenuate the formation of abdominal aortic aneurysms.

Renin-angiotensin system (RAS) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). Angiotensin II type 1 receptor blocker (ARB), when given with angiotensin II prevents AAA formation in mice, but found ineffective in attenuating the progression of preexisting AAA. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of chronic RAS blockers on abdominal aortic diameter in hypertensive patients without known aortic aneurysm. Consecutive hypertensive outpatients (n = 122) were stratified according to antihypertensive therapy they received for 12 months or more, consisting of ARB (n = 45), angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (ACE-I; n = 45), or nonARB/nonACE-I (control therapy; n = 32). Abdominal ultrasonography was performed to measure maximal subrenal aortic diameter. Eighty-four patients were reexamined by ultrasonography 8 months later. The correlation between the different antihypertensive therapies and aortic diameter was examined. Aortic diameters were significantly smaller in ARB than in control patients in the baseline and follow-up measurements (P = .004; P = .0004, respectively). Risk factor adjusted covariance analysis showed significant differences between ARB or ACE-I treated groups and controls (P = .006 or P = .046, respectively). Ultrasound that was performed 8 months later showed smaller increases in mean aortic diameters of the ARB and ACE-I groups than in controls. Both ARB and ACE-I therapy attenuated expansion of nonaneurysmal abdominal aorta in humans. These results indicate that RAS blockade given before advancement of aortic medial remodeling may slow down the development of AAA.

Endovascular repair of complex aortic aneurysms.

BACKGROUND: Surgery for complex aortic aneurysms (thoracoabdominal, juxtarenal and pseudoaneurysms) is associated with a high morbidity and mortality rate. Branched and fenestrated stent grafts constitute a new technology intended as an alternative treatment for this disease. OBJECTIVES: To describe a single-center experience with fenestrated and branched endografts for the treatment of complex aortic aneurysms. METHODS: We reviewed all cases of complex aortic aneurysms treated with branched or fenestrated devices in our center. Data collected included device specifics, perioperative morbidity and mortality, re-intervention rates and mid-term results. RESULTS: Between 2007 and 2012 nine patients were treated with branched and fenestrated stent grafts. Mean age was 73 years. Mean aneurysm size was 63 mm. Perioperative mortality was 22% (2/9). During the follow-up, re-interventions were required in 3 patients (33%). Of 34 visceral artery branches 33 remained patent, resulting in a patency rate of 97%. Sac expansion was seen in a single patient due to a large endoleak. No late aneurysm-related deaths occurred. CONCLUSIONS: Branched and fenestrated stent grafts are feasible and relatively safe alternatives for the treatment of complex aortic aneurysms involving the visceral segment. Further research is needed to determine the long-term durability of this new technology.

The deep femoral artery, a readily available inflow vessel for lower limb revascularization: a single-center experience.

The deep femoral artery (DFA) offers several advantages as an inflow vessel in lower-extremity bypasses. We report a single-center experience using the DFA as an inflow artery for lower-extremity revascularization. We reviewed all patients who underwent a lower-extremity bypass utilizing the DFA as the inflow vessel. Demographics, indications for surgery, indication for use of the DFA, type of conduits and target vessels were recorded. Follow-up data included resolution of symptoms, bypass graft patency, major amputations and survival. Over 2.5 years, 23 patients were treated with a DFA-inflow bypass. Eighteen (78%) suffered from wounds and five (22%) from rest pain. The proximal, middle and distal DFA was used in 8, 14 and 1 patients, respectively. Indications for using the DFA were limited vein conduit (16) and a hostile groin (5). All patients experienced initial resolution of their ischemic symptoms. The primary patency at two years was 93%. The survival rate was 83%. In conclusion, the DFA is an excellent and underutilized alternative inflow artery in patients requiring lower limb revascularization. It offers excellent patency rates and should be considered in patients with hostile groins or insufficient lengths of a vein conduit.

Aortic root surgery in Marfan syndrome.

BACKGROUND: As the shortcomings of the Bentall operation and its variants in the Marfan syndrome have become apparent, the recent cusp-sparing techniques (remodeling or reimplantation) bear promise of better mid-term and long-term outcomes. OBJECTIVE: To examine the results of aortic root surgery in patients with Marfan syndrome. METHODS: During the period March 1994 to September 2007, 220 patients underwent aortic valve-sparing surgery; 20 were Marfan patients (group 1) who were compared with another 20 Marfan patients undergoing composite aortic root replacement (group 2). Fourteen patients had aortic dissection and 26 had thoracic aortic aneurysm. There were 31 males and 9 females with a mean age of 37.9 +/- 13.8 years. In group 1, reimplantation was used in 13 patients, remodeling in 4, and aortic valve repair with sinotubular junction replacement in 3. In group 2, a mechanical valve conduit was used. Mean logistic Euroscore was 12.27 +/- 14.6% for the whole group, five of whom were emergent cases RESULTS: Group 2 had more previous cardiac procedures compared to group 1 (9 vs. 2, P = 0.03) and shorter cross-clamp time (122 +/- 27.1 vs. 153.9 +/- 23.7 minutes, P = 0.0004). Overall mortality was 10%. Early mortality was 10% in group 2 and 5% in group 1 (NS). Mean follow-up time was 25 months for group 2 and 53 months for group 1. Three patients were reoperated; all had undergone the remodeling. Five year freedom from reoperation and death was 86% and 90% in group 2 and 70% and 95% in group 1 (P = 0.6, P = 0.6), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Late survival of patients with Marfan syndrome was similar in both groups. Root reconstruction tends towards a higher incidence of late reoperations if the remodeling technique is used. We now prefer to use the reimplantation technique.

[Aortic valve sparing surgery].

BACKGROUND: Over the past 20 years, a series of procedures have been designed to reconstruct the aortic root of patients with aortic insufficiency, in whom the pathology and hence, the surgery, spares the valve leaflets. The objective of this current study was to evaluate our midterm results comparing the reimplantation technique with the remodeling technique in patients with aortic regurgitation due to aortic dissection, aortic root and ascending aortic aneurysms. PATIENTS AND METHODS: During the years 1993 and 2006 we operated on 209 patients with aortic regurgitation secondary to dilatation of the aortic root or ascending aorta with or without aortic dissection. Mean age was 59 years (range 21-81 years), 69% of the patients were males; 91 patients had chronic aneurysm, while 118 patients presented with acute dissection. Thirty-nine patients had Marfan syndrome or it's form fruste. Post-operative follow-up (FU) was 82% complete (172 patients) with mean follow-up time of 66 months, and completion of FU was continued. RESULTS: Thirty-nine patients underwent the reimplantation technique, 89 patients underwent the remodeling technique. Twenty-five patients underwent only replacement of the ascending aorta on the level of the STJ, 11 patients had replacement of the ascending aorta and one sinus. In 45 of the cases bio-glue was used in addition to replacing the ascending aorta. Overall, 30 days mortality was 5.7% (12 patients out of 209). There was no difference in mortality rates among the groups of patients who underwent reimplantation (chronic aneurysm vs Acute dissection), but significantly higher mortality rate was observed among patients who had aortic dissection and underwent the remodeling technique compared to the same group of patients who underwent reimplantation (6.7% vs 1.1%, P < 0.025). It was also found that Marfan patients who had aortic dissection had significantly higher mortality rate when undergoing the remodeling technique (7.6% Vs 0%, p < 0.01). Recurrence of AI more than 2+ occurred in 11 patients, ten from the remodeling and one from the reimplantation group (P = 0.17). Among Marfan patients, recurrence of AI more than 2+ occurred in two patients, both underwent remodeling and both had dissection of the ascending aorta involving the sinuses of Valsalva. Reoperation due to Severe AI was needed for 8 patients, all from the remodeling group and all were non-Marfans. CONCLUSIONS: In acute dissection reimplantation provides better haemostasis and there may be more stable repair, both in Marfan and non-Marfan patients. In Marfans it seems that the reimplantation technique provides better long-term results.