The role of TEVAR in the management of a recurrent aorto-gastric fistula.

An aorto-gastric fistula is a catastrophic and rare cause of an upper gastrointestinal bleed. The diagnosis requires a high index of suspicion and expedient management as any delay in each of these component, will be to the detriment of the patient. We report a case of a patient with two episodes of this rare event, with haemodynamic compromise, 15 years after having had a trans-hiatal oesophagectomy for an adenocarcinoma of the oesophagus who presented on both occasions. He had thoracic endo-vascular aortic repair (TEVAR) on both presentations and survived. This case exemplifies the fact that while TEVAR is a good bridging therapy for the management of an aorto-enteric fistula. It however should not be considered as the definitive management for patients who are operable or patients who do not have prohibitive surgical risk.

Delayed hepato-spleno-renal bypass for renal salvage following malposition of an infrarenal aortic stent-graft.

PURPOSE: To report a salvage maneuver for accidental coverage of both renal arteries during endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) of an infrarenal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and survey our surgical colleagues in the UK for their use of this bypass procedure. METHODS: A 74-year-old woman who had an EVAR complicated by renal failure secondary to malposition of the stent-graft underwent successful delayed renal revascularization with hepatorenal and splenorenal bypasses. This case prompted a literature review and preparation of an online 6-part questionnaire regarding the incidence and management of renal impairment following EVAR. The survey invitation was sent to all listed members of the Vascular Society of Great Britain and Ireland. RESULTS: Responses from 68 (10.5%) of the 650 vascular surgeons invited to participate in the survey were analyzed. The combined experience of those who completed the survey was >1500 EVAR procedures per annum. Forty percent (27/68) of the respondents had experienced a case of bilateral renal artery occlusion during EVAR. Two thirds (67%, 18/27) of these surgeons stated a preference for revascularizing the kidneys endovascularly, 7 surgeons would convert to open repair, 1 surgeon favored iliorenal bypass, and another suggested splenorenal bypass. Following intervention, 15 (56%) of 27 surgeons achieved revascularization that resulted in a return to baseline serum creatinine, 7 (26%) achieved partial recovery of the patient's serum creatinine, 3 (11%) had a patient on permanent dialysis, and 2 (7%) had patients who died (after open repair and endovascular procedure, respectively). CONCLUSION: Bilateral renal artery occlusion caused by malposition of a stent-graft is probably underreported. If revascularization of the kidneys by endovascular techniques fails, there is no consensus as to the optimal approach. Delayed revascularization should be considered if the kidneys show concentration of imaging contrast. Hepato-spleno-renal bypass, which has not heretofore been indicated for renal salvage post EVAR, can provide a good functional result in this situation.

Pain following 980-nm endovenous laser ablation and segmental radiofrequency ablation for varicose veins: a prospective observational study.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate postoperative pain following endovenous laser ablation (EVLA) and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and identify risk factors for increased pain. METHODS: Patients undergoing either segmental RFA (VNUS Closure Fast, VNUS Medical Technologies, San Jose, California) or EVLA (980 nm) for varicose veins completed a preoperative disease-specific quality-of-life questionnaire (Aberdeen Varicose Vein Questionnaire [AVVQ]) and a diary card recording postoperative pain, return to normal activities, and return to work. Median 3- and 10-day pain scores were calculated. RESULTS: In all, 81 patients returned diary cards (RFA = 45, EVLA = 36). Patients receiving RFA reported less postoperative pain than those receiving EVLA at 3 days (14.5 vs 25.8 mm, P = .053, Mann-Whitney U test) and 10 days (13 vs 23.3 mm, P = .014, Mann-Whitney U test) and returned to work earlier than those receiving EVLA (median 5 vs 9 days, P = .022). CONCLUSIONS: Patients treated with segmental RFA had less postoperative pain and returned to work quicker than those treated with EVLA.

Supervised exercise for intermittent claudication - an under-utilised tool.

INTRODUCTION: The use of supervised exercise in the management of intermittent claudication is well supported by level I evidence upon which are based grade A recommendations by the TASC II Inter-Society Consensus for the Management of Peripheral Arterial Disease and the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN). These include that supervised exercise should be made available as part of the initial treatment for all peripheral arteriopaths. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A questionnaire, comprising 10 questions, was drawn up to address the issues pertinent to supervised exercise in intermittent claudication. This was distributed by post, along with a pre-stamped return envelope, to all ordinary members of the Vascular Society of Great Britain and Ireland (VSGBI). All returned and received questionnaires had their responses entered onto a pre-prepared spreadsheet. RESULTS: Of the 186 questionnaires posted to UK resident surgeons, 84 were returned. This equates to a response rate of 45%. Of the responders, only 24% had access to supervised exercise. There was a large spread in the proportion of eligible patients which were referred to a programme, with only 14% of VSGBI members recommending 100% of eligible patients. Rates of non-compliance varied greatly. Contra-indications to supervised exercise included cardiac (27%), and vascular, musculoskeletal, geographic, and respiratory (8% each). Most supervised exercise sessions (85%) were 1 h in duration. The majority (65%) of programmes comprised one session per week. With regards the duration of programme, 55% were 3 months. Almost all classes were led by either a physiotherapist (41%) or a nurse (48%). In centres where no supervised exercise programme was available, verbal advice was given by 63%, with 34% offering leaflets. A supervised exercise set up has not been achieved due to lack of resource in 72%. CONCLUSIONS: These results are contrary to the recommendations offered by the TASC II Inter-Society Consensus and SIGN, in particular in terms of availability and referral to supervised exercise, as well as frequency of the classes where programmes were in place. The offer of information either verbally or via leaflet is commended; however, this has been shown as inferior to supervised exercise. Quoting resource as the reason for non-implementation goes against the published quality-of-life and pharmaco-economic data, which promote supervised exercise as both functionally and financially effective. This work highlights the importance of translating the results of research into evidence-based clinical practice.

Symptomatic late recanalization of an occluded internal carotid artery: a case report and review of the literature.

The natural history of patients with carotid artery occlusion is poorly understood, and patients are usually offered conservative treatment as the difficulty and risks of surgical intervention are thought to outweigh the natural history of the condition. The case of a 71-year-old male patient with symptomatic internal carotid artery stenosis in a previously occluded vessel is presented. This case suggests that symptomatic recanalization of an occluded carotid artery may occur and long-term duplex surveillance may be a justifiable strategy in this patient group.

Relationship between vessel size and vascular access patency based on preoperatively ultrasound Doppler.

Vascular access is a critical issue in the management of patients with end-stage renal failure and is the leading cause of hospitalization in this group of patients. The object of this study was to find out whether it would be possible to predict vascular access patency rates based on preoperative Doppler assessment of vessel size. Furthermore, this study sought to define the relationship between access flow rate and access patency. This was a prospective cohort conducted at St. Mary Hospital, London, between 2002 and 2005, where a group of 83 patients who underwent venous and arterial Doppler prior to creation of arteriovenous access underwent regular postoperative assessment at 3-month intervals of their access using flow rate and usability of the access as outcome measures. The collected data showed a positive correlation between vein size and access patency rate. Preoperative vein diameters of 1.5-3.9 mm showed a patency rate of 71.08% at follow-up at 13.8 months (range, 12-42 months). Although large-sized vessels are correlated with long-term patency, smaller vein diameters (1.5-2 mm) were found to have an acceptable patency rate at 20% over 12 months. Furthermore, data indicated a positive correlation between access flow rate and access patency, with flow rates of above 700 ml/min being associated with a patency rate of 70% at 12-month follow-up.

Management of popliteal artery aneurysms.

BACKGROUND: Popliteal artery aneurysms (PAA) are the most common peripheral aneurysm and are recognized as 'the silent killer of the leg circulation'. The timing and type of interventions used in their treatment is still controversial. This review examines the published data on the natural history, epidemiology, clinical presentation and management options available. The aim of this study is to try and reach a consensus with regards to the best management of PAA. METHOD: A systematic review of data in the English published works since 1980. RESULTS: The authors include 53 studies containing 2854 patients with 4291 PAA. Most published data involves retrospective studies and personal experience, with one multicentre study. No randomized controlled studies exist regarding the management of PAA. CONCLUSIONS: 1. Although most PAA are of atherosclerotic origin in old patients, trauma, infection and family history are the main causes in young patients. 2. Great vigilance is needed for diagnosis as only approximately five patients are seen each year by a major vascular centre. There is no place for screening programmes to detect PAA. 3. Approximately 45% of patients are asymptomatic at the time of initial diagnosis. Aortic aneurysms are found in 40% and bilateral PAA in 50% of patients. More than 95% of patients are men with a mean age of 65 years and 45% have hypertension. 4. Surgical reconstruction is recommended for all symptomatic and asymptomatic aneurysms larger than 2 cm. Five-year graft patency rates after surgical repair range from 30 to 97%, with 5-year limb salvage ranging from 70 to 98%. Patient survival rates at 5 and 10 years are 75 and 46%, respectively. 5. If carried out carefully, intra-arterial thrombolysis can safely prepare patients presenting with acute ischaemia from occluded PAA, for surgical revascularization to restore distal run-off. 6. Endovascular repair of a PAA is a feasible option, although little evidence is yet available. 7. Lifelong, careful patient surveillance is essential to detect and treat new aneurysms at other sites.