Endovascular Treatment of a Popliteal Artery Aneurysm Via Transpedal Approach: A Case Report.

Popliteal artery aneurysm (PAA) has been increasingly treated with endovascular intervention in recent years. However, whether transpedal access can be utilized to treat PAA has not been widely reported. We report a case of successful treatment of a PAA with a covered stent via retrograde transpedal approach in an 80-year male with prohibitive surgical risk who initially failed antegrade approach. This case demonstrates the feasibility of treating PAA via a retrograde transpedal access in selected patients.

Transradial Endovascular Intervention: Results From the Radial accEss for nAvigation to Your CHosen Lesion for Peripheral Vascular Intervention (REACH PVI) Study.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: The transradial approach has been proposed as an alternative to traditional transfemoral access for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes in several catheterization procedures. Historically, extended length devices for lower limb endovascular interventions have been limited. The aim of this study was to investigate the acute clinical outcomes of orbital atherectomy (OA) via transradial access (TRA) for the treatment of lower extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD). METHODS/MATERIALS: REACH PVI was a multicenter, prospective, observational study (NCT03943160) including subjects with PAD and target lesion morphology appropriate for OA. All patients were followed post-procedure through the first standard of care follow-up visit. RESULTS: A total of 50 patients were enrolled. In most cases the indication for intervention was disabling claudication (74.0%). Overall, 50 target lesions were treated, 92.0% of lesions were femoropopliteal and 8.0% were infrapopliteal. The average lesion length was 98.3 ± 87.5 mm and 78.0% of the lesions were severely calcified. Balloon angioplasty was performed in 98.0% of target lesions, while a stent was deployed in 16.0%. Treatment success was 98.0%; in only one case the result was sub-optimal (>30% stenosis with stent placement) and a significant dissection was reported. No serious distal embolization, serious thrombus formation or serious acute vessel closure were observed intra- or post-procedurally. CONCLUSIONS: Transradial OA followed by percutaneous transluminal angioplasty for lower extremity PAD is feasible and demonstrates a favorable safety profile. Extended length devices such as the Extended Length Orbital Atherectomy System could further facilitate transradial endovascular procedures by increasing its spectrum of application.

Transpedal approach for femoral-popliteal chronic total occlusions using the outback® elite re-entry device.

BACKGROUND: Transpedal access is increasingly utilized for the treatment of peripheral artery disease (PAD). Femoral-popliteal artery chronic total occlusions (CTOs) are some of the most difficult lesion subsets that sometimes require the use of re-entry support devices during percutaneous intervention. Limited data is available on the use of re-entry devices when treating femoral-popliteal CTOs via transpedal access. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility of using the Outback® Elite re-entry device for the treatment of femoral-popliteal CTOs via the transpedal approach in an outpatient based lab setting. METHODS: Seventeen patients presented with femoral-popliteal CTOs in which treatment required the use of the Outback® Elite re-entry device. All procedures were performed in a single outpatient based lab. Patients were followed at 1 week and 1 month post-procedure, with lower extremity arterial duplex ultrasound assessment during the 1 month follow-up. RESULTS: The average patient age was 78 years-old, with 71% being males. Most patients presented with Rutherford class IV symptoms. Procedural success was achieved in all patients with no requirement to convert to femoral artery access in any of the cases. No immediate post-procedural complications nor at any time during follow-up were observed. Ultrasonography at 1 month follow-up showed patent intervention sites and access site vessels in all patients. CONCLUSION: The use of the Outback® Elite re-entry device for the treatment of femoral-popliteal CTOs via transpedal access is a feasible option and may have potential benefits by avoiding risks associated with traditional femoral artery access.

Platelet regulation of myeloid suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 accelerates atherosclerosis.

Platelets are best known as mediators of hemostasis and thrombosis; however, their inflammatory effector properties are increasingly recognized. Atherosclerosis, a chronic vascular inflammatory disease, represents the interplay between lipid deposition in the artery wall and unresolved inflammation. Here, we reveal that platelets induce monocyte migration and recruitment into atherosclerotic plaques, resulting in plaque platelet-macrophage aggregates. In Ldlr -/- mice fed a Western diet, platelet depletion decreased plaque size and necrotic area and attenuated macrophage accumulation. Platelets drive atherogenesis by skewing plaque macrophages to an inflammatory phenotype, increasing myeloid suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3) expression and reducing the Socs1:Socs3 ratio. Platelet-induced Socs3 expression regulates plaque macrophage reprogramming by promoting inflammatory cytokine production (Il6, Il1b, and Tnfa) and impairing phagocytic capacity, dysfunctions that contribute to unresolved inflammation and sustained plaque growth. Translating our data to humans with cardiovascular disease, we found that women with, versus without, myocardial infarction have up-regulation of SOCS3, lower SOCS1:SOCS3, and increased monocyte-platelet aggregate. A second cohort of patients with lower extremity atherosclerosis demonstrated that SOCS3 and the SOCS1:SOCS3 ratio correlated with platelet activity and inflammation. Collectively, these data provide a causative link between platelet-mediated myeloid inflammation and dysfunction, SOCS3, and cardiovascular disease. Our findings define an atherogenic role of platelets and highlight how, in the absence of thrombosis, platelets contribute to inflammation.

Treatment of an external iliac artery chronic total occlusion using alternate access sites.

BACKGROUND: With the advent of endovascular techniques, alternate sites such as the pedal and radial arteries can now be accessed when treating peripheral arterial disease to reduce procedural complications, shorten recovery time, and improve patient comfort. However, a paucity of literature exists on the availability of support devices that can be utilized during challenging cases. CASE PRESENTATION: A 70 year-old female patient presented for evaluation of severe lifestyle-limiting left-sided claudication refractory to maximal medical therapy. Angiography revealed a chronic total occlusion of the left external iliac artery, which was treated successfully by percutaneous intervention via a primary transpedal approach and with the assistance of the Outback® Elite re-entry device. The patient was discharged 2 h after the procedure and reported significant symptom improvement at follow-up. CONCLUSION: This case highlights a newly adopted endovascular approach through an alternate access site and illustrates how the Outback® Elite device can be used as an adjunctive tool in the treatment of complex lower-extremity vascular lesions.

A comparison of acetabular impaction grafting and trabecular metal for revision arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: Acetabular defect reconstruction in revision hip arthroplasty may be achieved with acetabular impaction bone grafting (AIBG) or porous trabecular metal (TM) implantation. We sought to compare clinical and radiological outcomes of both methods at a single institution. METHODS: 36 patients that were revised using AIBG and 17 patients that were revised with TM were retrospectively reviewed from local joint registry data. 82% of the TM group and 64% of the AIBG group were ≥ Paprosky 2c. Rerevision was considered failure. Radiographs demonstrating 5 mm of migration of femoral head and 5° of acetabular component inclination change were considered loose. RESULTS: Age at surgery was earlier in the AIBG group (median 68 years vs. 74 years). Median follow-up was 5.9 years for AIBG and 5.4 years for TM. Harris Hip Scores improved significantly for both groups (mean improvement: 32 vs. 31). There were 4 failures (11%) in the AIBG group and none in the TM group. 3 of the 4 AIBG failures occurred following second-stage revision for prosthetic joint infection. 4 (11%) and 2 (12%) hip reconstructions demonstrated radiological evidence of loosening in AIBG and TM groups respectively. CONCLUSIONS: AIBG and TM acetabular defect reconstructions achieve good clinical outcome but there is greater success with TM in higher grades of acetabular deficiency regardless of prior infection.

A systematic review identifies valid comorbidity indices derived from administrative health data.

OBJECTIVES: To conduct a systematic review of studies reporting on the development or validation of comorbidity indices using administrative health data and compare their ability to predict outcomes related to comorbidity (ie, construct validity). STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: We conducted a comprehensive literature search of MEDLINE and EMBASE, until September 2012. After title and abstract screen, relevant articles were selected for review by two independent investigators. Predictive validity and model fit were measured using c-statistic for dichotomous outcomes and R(2) for continuous outcomes. RESULTS: Our review includes 76 articles. Two categories of comorbidity indices were identified: those identifying comorbidities based on diagnoses, using International Classification of Disease codes from hospitalization or outpatient data, and based on medications, using pharmacy data. The ability of indices studied to predict morbidity-related outcomes ranged from poor (C statistic ≤ 0.69) to excellent (C statistic >0.80) depending on the specific index, outcome measured, and study population. Diagnosis-based measures, particularly the Elixhauser Index and the Romano adaptation of the Charlson Index, resulted in higher ability to predict mortality outcomes. Medication-based indices, such as the Chronic Disease Score, demonstrated better performance for predicting health care utilization. CONCLUSION: A number of valid comorbidity indices derived from administrative data are available. Selection of an appropriate index should take into account the type of data available, study population, and specific outcome of interest.