Coeliac Incorporation Strategy Impacts Visceral Branch Vessel Stability in Fenestrated Endovascular Aneurysm Repair.

OBJECTIVE: During fenestrated endovascular repair (FEVAR), mesenteric vessels may be incorporated with a scallop or fenestration. The benefits/harms of techniques to incorporate the coeliac axis (CA) have not been assessed for their impact on procedural complexity vs. peri-operative and longer term outcomes; this assessment may instruct a balanced operative strategy for the CA and complex FEVAR, minimising adverse intra- or peri-operative events, and maximising durability. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study. Patients undergoing fenestrated or scalloped CA incorporation during FEVAR for a juxtarenal/pararenal/suprarenal aortic aneurysm (January 2015 - December 2019) were reviewed (n = 159) for demographics, intra-procedural/peri-operative outcomes, and re-interventions to five years. Mean follow up for all groups was 3.28 years. The primary outcome of CA instability (occlusion/stenosis/endoleak/re-intervention) was assessed. CA specific re-intervention, re-intervention free survival, and all cause mortality were assessed against incorporation strategy. Secondarily, the harm of CA stenting, comprising intra-operative harms and peri-operative adverse outcomes was interrogated. RESULTS: The CA was incorporated with a stented fenestration (n = 74), an unstented fenestration (n = 59), and a minority with scallop (n = 26). There were no between group differences in operative indication, or anatomical aneurysm/CA features. Fenestrated stented and unstented patients had longer aortic coverage but the same primary technical success. At follow up, three CA endoleaks occurred in stented fenestrated patients, although scallop patients more often had type 3 endoleaks at the SMA and renal fenestrations (23%). Elevated CA instability in fenestrated unstented patients was driven by CA occlusion (16.9%), but not associated with CA re-intervention, worse re-intervention free survival, or all cause mortality. Regression analysis for visceral branch instability revealed predictors of CA non-stenting and diminished aortic coverage. CONCLUSION: In the present authors' experience, the practice of not stenting a CA fenestration does not pose peri-operative or long term clinical harm. At follow up, not stenting the CA is associated with CA instability; however, both fenestration groups are preferable to a shorter (scalloped) endograft as increasing aortic coverage reduces non-CA branch vessel instability.

Sex Differences in Outcomes Following Ruptured Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair.

Importance: Sex differences in aortic surgery outcomes are commonly reported. However, data on ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (rAAA) repair outcomes in women vs men are limited. Objective: To assess differences in perioperative and long-term mortality following rAAA repair in women vs men. Design, Setting, and Participants: A multicenter, retrospective cohort study was conducted using the Vascular Quality Initiative database, which prospectively captures information on patients who undergo vascular surgery across 796 academic and community hospitals in North America. All patients who underwent endovascular or open rAAA repair between January 1, 2003, and December 31, 2019, were included. Outcomes were assessed up to January 1, 2020. Exposures: Patient sex. Main Outcomes and Measures: Demographic, clinical, and procedural characteristics were recorded, and differences between women vs men were assessed using independent t test and χ2 test. The primary outcomes were in-hospital and 8-year mortality. Associations between sex and outcomes were analyzed using univariable and multivariable logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. Results: A total of 1160 (21.9%) women and 4148 (78.1%) men underwent rAAA repair during the study period. There was a similar proportion of endovascular repairs in women and men (654 [56.4%] vs 2386 [57.5%]). Women were older (mean [SD] age, 75.8 [9.3] vs 71.7 [9.6] years), more likely to have chronic kidney disease (718 [61.9%] vs 2184 [52.7%]), and presented with ruptured aneurysms of smaller diameters (mean [SD] 68 [18.2] vs 78 [30.2] mm). In-hospital mortality was higher in women (34.4% vs 26.6%; odds ratio, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.25-1.66), which persisted after adjusting for demographic, clinical, and procedural characteristics (adjusted odds ratio, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.12-1.66; P = .002). Eight-year survival was lower in women (36.7% vs 49.5%; hazard ratio, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.04-1.50; P = .02), which persisted when stratified by endovascular and open repair. This survival difference existed in both the US and Canada. Variables associated with long-term mortality in women included older age and chronic kidney disease. Conclusions and Relevance: Women who underwent rAAA repair had higher perioperative and 8-year mortality rates following both endovascular and open repair compared with men. Older age and higher rates of chronic kidney disease in women were associated with higher mortality rates. These findings suggest that future studies should assess the reasons for these disparities and whether opportunities exist to improve AAA care for women.

An observational assessment of aortic deformation during infrarenal and complex endovascular aortic aneurysm repair.

OBJECTIVE: Real-time aortic deformation during endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR) has not been reported. Successful EVAR relies on predicting intraoperative aortic-endograft deformation from preoperative imaging. Correct prediction is essential, because malalignment of endografts decreases patient survival. We describe intraoperative aortic deformation during infrarenal EVAR and complex fenestrated/branched EVAR (F/BEVAR), relating deformation to preoperative anatomy and follow-up outcomes. METHODS: A multicenter, retrospective cohort of aortic aneurysm patients undergoing operation between January 2019 and February 2021, substratified by repair, infrarenal EVAR (n = 50), F/BEVAR (n = 80), and iliac branch graft with F/B/EVAR (IBG + F/B/EVAR; n = 27), were compared using software-based nonrigid two- and three-dimensional aortic deformational intraoperative assessment (CYDAR). Preoperative computed tomography reconstructions of aortic and iliac tortuosities were assessed against intraoperative deformation, the primary outcome, and related to perioperative and follow-up adverse outcomes. RESULTS: All treatment groups had low preoperative visceral aortic tortuosity; the EVAR group had higher iliac tortuosity (1.43 ± 0.05; P = .018). Intraoperative aortic visceral deformation was consistently cranial and anterior; IBG + F/B/EVAR patients had the largest magnitude deformation (superior mesenteric artery, EVAR 5.1 ± 0.9 mm; F/BEVAR 4.4 ± 0.4 mm; IBG 8.3 ± 1.2 mm; P = .004). Celiac artery, superior mesenteric artery, and bilateral renal artery deformations were correlated (R = 0.923-0.983). Iliac deformation was variable in magnitude and direction. Preoperative tortuosity was not correlated with the magnitude of intraoperative deformation nor was deformation magnitude related to endograft instability during follow-up, including endoleak development, reinterventions, or visceral vessel complications. CONCLUSIONS: The aorta deforms consistently during EVAR at the visceral aortic segment but unpredictably at the iliac bifurcation. Aortoiliac deformation is unrelated to adverse perioperative outcomes, branch instability, or reinterventions during short-term follow-up.

Survival and durability after endovascular aneurysm repair reflect era-related surgical judgement.

OBJECTIVE: Abdominal aortic aneurysm management guidelines from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence in 2020, based heavily on randomized controlled trials in an early era of infrarenal endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR), suggested that the long-term outcomes after EVAR jeopardize its use in elective abdominal aortic aneurysm repair. We hypothesized that, in a rapidly evolving surgical field, the era of aneurysm repair may have a significant influence on long-term patient outcomes. METHODS: Using a single-center retrospective cohort design, we identified two EVAR cohorts, the early cohort (n = 166) who underwent EVAR from 2008 to 2010, and a contemporary late cohort (n = 129) from 2015 to 2017. We assessed patient preoperative demographics and era of repair against the primary outcomes of reinterventions, reintervention-free survival, and mortality, addressing their relationships to anatomic selection criteria, graft durability, endoleak, and aneurysm diameter to 5 years after the procedure. RESULTS: Early cohort patients had decreased reintervention-free survival (early 80.1% vs late 93.3%) and decreased overall survival (early 71.3% vs late 81%) at 3 years and throughout follow-up. The preoperative anatomy judged suitable for EVAR in early cohort patients was more variable than for late cohort patients, including 104% larger proximal and 106% larger distal landing zone diameters, with a mean 11.6-mm shorter length infrarenal aortic and 13.3-mm shorter length iliac sealing zones in the early group. Early cohort patients had more complications during follow-up, including graft kinking and endoleaks, and 24.4% of early vs 8.5% of late patients underwent one or more reinterventions. CONCLUSIONS: Although technical skill in EVAR implantation may not evolve significantly after a threshold of cases, surgical judgement, relating to anatomic selection and device sizing, requires feedback from long-term sequalae and significantly impacted EVAR outcomes by era. EVAR patients from an early repair era had significantly worse outcomes, with more complications, reinterventions, and a decrease in survival.

Era of endovascular aortic aneurysm repair is linked to preoperative anatomic severity and perioperative patient outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: Varying opinions on optimal elective and emergent surgical management of infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms are expressed by the most recent Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS), European Society for Vascular Surgery, vs UK National Institutes for Health and Care Excellence guidelines. The UK National Institutes for Health and Care Excellence guidelines propose that open surgical repair serve as the default treatment for infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm. The rationale for this approach relied on data from the early era of endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) and are in contrast to the more balanced approaches of the SVS and European Society for Vascular Surgery. We hypothesize that significant differences in patient selection, management, and postoperative outcome are related to the era in which treatment was undertaken, contextualizing the outcomes reported in early-era EVAR randomized controlled trials. METHODS: Retrospectively, two cohorts representing all EVAR patients from "early" (n = 167; 2008-2010) and "late" (n = 129; 2015-2017) periods at a single treating institution were assembled. Primary outcomes of era-related changes in preoperative demographics, anatomy, and intraoperative events were assessed; anatomy was compared using the SVS anatomic severity grading system. These era-related differences were then placed in the context of early perioperative outcomes and at follow-up to 1 year. RESULTS: Choice of surgical strategy differed by era, despite the same patient preoperative comorbidities between EVAR groups. Preoperative anatomic severity was significantly worse in the early cohort (P < .001), with adverse proximal and distal seal zone features (P < .001). Technical success was 16.2% higher in the late cohort, with significantly fewer type 1A/B endoleaks perioperatively (P < .001). In-hospital complications, driven by higher acute kidney injury and surgical site complications in the early cohort, resulted in a 16.5% difference between cohorts (P < .05). At 1 year of follow-up, outcome differences persisted; late-era patients had fewer 1A endoleaks, fewer graft complications, and better reintervention-free survival. CONCLUSIONS: From a granular dataset of EVAR patients, we found an impact of EVAR repair era on early clinical outcomes; late cohort infrarenal EVAR patients had less severe preoperative anatomy and improved perioperative and follow-up outcomes to 1 year, suggesting that the results of early EVAR randomized controlled trials may no longer be generalizable to modern practice.

Women undergoing endovascular thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair differ significantly from their male counterparts preoperatively and postoperatively.

OBJECTIVE: A rational approach to the management of aortic aneurysm disease relies on weighing the risk of aneurysm rupture against the complications and durability of operative repair. In men, seminal studies of infrarenal aortic aneurysm disease and its endovascular management can provide a reasoned argument for the timing and modality of surgery, which is then extrapolated to the management of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAAs). In contrast, there is less appreciation for the natural history of TAAA disease in women and its response to therapy. METHODS: We used a retrospective cohort design of women, all men, and matched men, fit for complex endovascular thoracoabdominal aneurysm repair at two large aortic centers. We controlled for preoperative anatomic and comorbidity differences, and assessed technical success, postoperative renal dysfunction, spinal ischemia, and early mortality. Women and matched men were reassessed at follow-up for long-term durability and survival. RESULTS: Assessing women and all men undergoing complex endovascular aortic reconstruction, we demonstrate that these groups are dissimilar before the intervention with respect to comorbidities, aneurysm extent, and aneurysm size; women have a higher proportion of proximal Crawford extent 1, 2, and 3 aneurysms. Matching men and women for demographic and anatomic differences, we find persistent elevated perioperative mortality in women (16%) undergoing endovascular thoracoabdominal aneurysm repair compared with matched men (6%); however, at the 3-year follow-up, both groups have the same survival. Furthermore, women demonstrate more favorable anatomic responses to aneurysm exclusion, with good durability and greater aneurysm sac regression at follow-up, compared with matched men. CONCLUSIONS: Women and unmatched men with TAAA disease differ preoperatively with respect to aneurysm extent and comorbidities. Controlling for these differences, after complex endovascular aneurysm repair, there is increased early mortality in women compared with matched men. These observations argue for a careful risk stratification of women undergoing endovascular thoracoabdominal aneurysm treatment, balanced with women's good long-term survival and durability of endovascular aneurysm repair.

Olfactory ensheathing cells promote corticospinal axonal outgrowth by a L1 CAM-dependent mechanism.

Olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) support the ability of the olfactory neuraxis to continually retarget within the mature central nervous system. This has led many groups to transplant OECS into the lesioned rodent spinal cord (SCd) in vivo, with variable degrees of anatomical, physiological, and behavioral success. Some of the most conflicting results in OEC transplantation have come from the corticospinal tract (CST) which has shown a relatively poor regeneration response. Although spinal neurite sprouting occurs in response to OECs in vivo and in vitro, we do not know if OECs possess the molecular machinery to stimulate outgrowth of functionally important motor tracts like the CST. Here, we assay cultured postnatal day 8 mouse CST neurons expressing yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) for their ability to extend axons and dendrites in response to different glia, and show that CST axons elongate in response to proteins in OEC plasma membrane (PM). In contrast, CST dendritic branching preferentially occurs in response to factors secreted by both OECs and astrocytes. We identify the L1-neural cell adhesion molecule (L1-NCAM) as a major component of OEC-induced corticospinal axon elongation, and have determined that OEC PM factors (including L1), can stimulate CST outgrowth even when inhibition is induced by myelin associated glycoprotein. Together, these results suggest that in the right context, OEC-derived PM factors could enhance CST axonal regeneration, and potentially contribute to approaches to ameliorate recovery from SCd injury.

Endoscopic management of inverted papillomas: long-term results--the St. Paul's Sinus Centre experience.

OBJECTIVES: To demonstrate that computer-assisted endoscopic management of inverted papillomas yields excellent long-term results in terms of preventing recurrence and minimizing significant morbidity and mortality. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of patients who are being followed up for tumour recurrence or have undergone tumour removal between 2000 and 2008. All cases were undertaken using the GE Instatrak 3500+ navigation system. RESULTS: Inverted papillomas are the most common tumour managed endoscopically (57% of all sinonasal tumours) with 76 patients seen over the last 8 years. Approximately 50% of these cases had undergone previous surgery in another centre where the tumour was either not recognized or the resection was incomplete. Twentynine percent of these patients had a recurrence but only three required a revision procedure using an open approach; otherwise recurrences were successfully managed endoscopically. Endoscopic recurrence during the first half was 32% (versus 14% for open procedures), dropping to a recurrence rate of 11% in the latter period. CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic management of inverted papillomas allows good control of the disease and avoids unnecessary morbidity associated with open procedures. Although there is a higher initial recurrence rate, these recurrences can be successfully managed endoscopically, and computer navigation can be a useful adjunct in achieving this.