Current Strategies of Surface Modifications to Polyurethane Biomaterials for Vascular Grafts.

As the number of patients suffering from cardiovascular diseases and peripheral vascular diseases rises, the constraints of autologous transplantation remain unavoidable. As a result, artificial vascular grafts must be developed. Adhesion of proteins, platelets and bacteria on implants can result in stenosis, thrombus formation, and postoperative infection, which can be fatal for an implantation. Polyurethane, as a commonly used biomaterial, has been modified in various ways to deal with the adhesions of proteins, platelets, and bacteria and to stimulate endothelium adhesion. In this review, we briefly summarize the mechanisms behind adhesions, overview the current strategies of surface modifications of polyurethane biomaterials used in vascular grafts, and highlight the challenges that need to be addressed in future studies, aiming to gain a more profound understanding of how to develop artificial polyurethane vascular grafts with an enhanced implantation success rate and reduced side effect.

[Influencing Factors of Diabetes Mellitus on Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Diameter and Biochemical Parameters].

Objective To investigate the effect of diabetes mellitus and hypoglycemic treatment on the diameter and biochemical parameters of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA).Methods A case-control study was conducted to retrospectively analyze the clinical data of AAA patients in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from 2015 to 2021.The AAA patients were classified into a group with diabetes mellitus (n=53) and a group without diabetes mellitus (n=104),and the biochemical parameters and aneurysm diameter were compared between the two groups.According to the aneurysm diameter,they were further classified into a small and medium abdominal aortic aneurysm group (SMAAA group,n=85) and a large abdominal aortic aneurysm group (LAAA group,n=72),and the biochemical parameters between the two groups were compared.Results Among the 157 cases with AAA,the incidence of hypertension in the group without diabetes mellitus was higher than that in the group with diabetes mellitus (χ2=8.147,P=0.004).The aneurysm diameter,homocysteine,and D-dimer in the group with diabetes mellitus were lower than those in the group without diabetes mellitus (t=-3.148,P=0.002;U=-1.503,P=0.013;U=-3.002,P=0.003).The aneurysm diameter and D-dimer in the SMAAA group were lower than those in the LAAA group (t=-14.406,P<0.001;U=-0.388,P<0.001).Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that diabetes mellitus (OR=0.477,95%CI=0.238-0.955,P=0.037) and hypoglycemic treatment (OR=0.477,95%CI=0.238-0.955,P=0.037) did not increase the risk of AAA enlargement.Conclusion Diabetes mellitus and hypoglycemic therapy may affect the growth rate of AAA by lowering D-dimer and inflammatory indexes.

[Clinical Analysis of the Treatment of Iliac Limb Occlusion Following Endovascular Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair].

Objective To explore the cause and the treatment strategies of iliac limb occlusion after endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair(EVAR). Methods The patients receiving EVAR in PUMC Hospital from January 2015 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed.Sixteen(2.7%)cases of iliac limb occlusion were identified,among which 6,9,and 1 cases underwent surgical bypass,endovascular or hybrid procedure,and conservative treatment,respectively. Results Fifteen cases were successfully treated.During the 10.6-month follow-up,2 cases receiving hybrid treatment underwent femoral-femoral bypass due to re-occlusion of the iliac limb. Conclusions Iliac limb occlusion mostly occurs in the acute phase after EVAR,and endovascular or hybrid treatment can be the first choice for iliac limb occlusion.It is suggested to focus on the risk factors for prevention.

[Treatment of Concomitant Intra-abdominal Malignancy and Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm].

Objective To explore the outcomes in patients who receive the endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair(EVAR)and have concomitant intra-abdominal malignancy.Methods Between January 2014 and December 2019,all the patients who underwent surgery for malignancy and/or EVAR were retrospectively reviewed.Results Twenty-eight abdominal aortic aneurysm(AAA)patients with concomitant intra-abdominal malignancy were included.The patients were treated by two-stage operation and the priority was given for EVAR in 21 patients.There was no perioperative death or major complications.In the follow-up,one patient developed graft thrombosis and one had type Ⅱ endoleak.There was no AAA-associated death.Conclusions It is preferred that EVAR should come first followed by operation for malignancy.Details of treatment strategy still need further investigation.

Endovascular Repair of Complex Aortoiliac Aneurysm with the Sandwich Technique in Sixteen Patients.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficiency of the sandwich technique in endovascular repair of complex aortoiliac aneurysm. METHODS: Sixteen patients (mean age 69.6 years, ranging from 58 to 78 years) with complex aortoiliac aneurysm were studied retrospectively from October 2013 to September 2017 in two vascular centers of teaching hospitals. Computed tomography angiography (CTA) was performed to make individual therapy. They were all performed endovascular repair with sandwich technique, including one with the sandwich, chimney, and fenestrated techniques during the same procedure. All patients were followed up at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, and yearly thereafter with X-ray, ultrasound, and/or CTA. RESULTS: The initial technical success was 81.25%, and the assisted technical success was 100%. At final angiography, little flow of a type I and a type III endoleak was found in two patients with observation. Two type II endoleaks were also detected. During the perioperative period, two patients suffered myocardial infarction. One pulmonary infection and one urinary infection happened. No death or cerebrovascular events occurred. During the follow-up (mean 18 months, ranging from 2 to 45 months), three stent occlusions were detected. One case got reintervened for his external iliac artery stent thrombosis in the first month postoperatively. The other two were under observation. A readmission happened to one man for his right brachial artery pseudoaneurysm in the third month postoperatively. One patient died of nonaneurysmal related reason in the eighth month. No aneurysmal related death, rupture, or new endoleak was found. No paralysis, claudication, or bowel ischemia was complained of. The primary patency of the preserved branches were 94.7%, 92.0%, 92.0%, 92.0%, 92.0% separately in first, sixth, 12th, 24th, and 36th month. CONCLUSIONS: For patients who are not candidates for open surgery or conventional endovascular repair with complex aortoiliac aneurysm, the sandwich technique is a feasible alternative to management.

[Leiomyosarcoma of the Great Saphenous Vein:Report of One Case and Meta-analysis].

Leiomyosarcoma(LMS)of the great saphenous vein(GSV)is a rare condition that is often misdiagnosed due to the lack of typical clinical manifestations.This article reported a GSV-LMS case diagnosed and treated in Peking Union Medical College Hospital.Meta-analysis of the current case and 41 cases derived from CNKI,WANFANG DATA,and MEDLINE database was also conducted,which revealed that the male to female ratio of GSV-LMS was 11:10;the median age of disease onset was 59.5 years;the most commonly affected region was thigh.Due to lack of specific clinical features,42.9% of GSV-LMS patients were misdiagnosed at presentation.Radical resection is the most effective therapy,and the indications,effectiveness and protocols of adjuvant radiochemotherapy remain unclear.The 3-and 5-year overall survival rate was 86.1% and 77.5%,respectively.Recurrence and metastasis occurred in 31.0% of patients after surgery.

Renal Function Preservation in Surgical Resection of Primary Inferior Vena Cava Leiomyosarcoma Involving the Renal Veins.

OBJECTIVE: This retrospective study aimed to show the practice of preserving renal function during curative resection of inferior vena cava leiomyosarcoma (IVCL) involving the renal veins at a single institution over a 7 year period. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From February 2009 to February 2017, 10 patients (6 women; median age 49 years) with IVCL involving the renal veins were treated surgically at Peking Union Medical College Hospital. En bloc resections were performed in all patients, and the renal outflows were preserved in eight patients using a new method: venoplasty of the renal ostia (VRO). Data regarding patient details, pre-operative preparation, surgical procedures, post-operative recovery, and follow-up results were obtained and reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: Computed tomography and intra-operative examinations revealed that renal vein confluences were involved but not invaded in all cases except Patient 4. All patients underwent curative en bloc tumour excision; a right nephrectomy was performed in only one patient (Patient 4) whose tumour invaded the right renal vein. The mean operation time was 358 min and the mean blood loss 1935 mL. At a median follow-up of 54.5 months, the 5 year local recurrence, distant metastasis, overall survival, and disease-free survival rates were 20%, 10%, 68.6%, and 38.1%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Venoplasty of the renal ostia is an effective method of preserving the renal veins and reconstructing renal outflow.

A Literature Review of Antithrombotic Therapy for Patients of Venous Thromboembolic Events with Comorbidity of Coronary Heart Disease.

Patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE) and concurrent coronary heart disease (CHD) are not rare in clinic. The main challenge in the treatment for these patients is that the antithrombotic therapies for VTE and CHD are different from each other, but the combination of the two therapeutic strategies would increase the risk of bleeding. There is a need to optimize the antithrombotic therapeutic scheme on the basis of individual conditional, in order to balance the therapeutic effects and the bleeding risk. This article discussed the appropriate antithrombotic therapy when balancing the effectiveness and the risk in different circumstance of concurrence of VTE and CHD, such as combining anticoagulation therapy, dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT), triple antithrombotic therapy (TAT), thrombolytic therapy and extending therapy, in order to provide safe, standard and effective therapeutic schemes for the clinical management of these patients. In the meantime, this article also provides perspectives regarding the application of novel non-vitamin K anticoagulants (NOACs) and the assessment tools of bleeding risk.

Effect of Adequate Anticoagulantion Therapy on the Outcome of Spontaneous Isolated Dissection of Superior Mesenteric Artery.

Objective To investigate the optimal treatment strategy of spontaneous isolated dissection of superior mesenteric artery (SIDSMA) and the effect of anticoagulation therapy on the prognosis of SIDSMA. Methods The clinical data of 29 patients presented with acute or subacute mesenteric ischemia (a history of less than 14 days) due to SIDSMA admitted to the Department of Vascular Surgery of Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 1st 2003 to December 31th 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. Results In this study,28 cases were male and the remaining one was female,with an average age of (49.1±7.6) years. The emergency endovascular treatment were performed on 4 cases with severe mesenteric intestinal ischemia,and the symptoms were relieved postoperatively. The remaining 25 cases were treated with conservative treatment. Among 13 cases who were received adequate anticoagulantion therapy,symptoms were relieved or disappeared in 9 cases (69.2%),whereas conservative treatment was ineffective in 4 cases (30.8%),for whom surgical intervention were performed. Among 12 cases who received conservative treatment without sufficient anticoagulation,the abdominal pain was relieved in only 2 cases (16.7%) and the remaining 10 cases (83.3%) were converted to surgical intervention. The success rate of conservative treatment for patients with adequate anticoagulant therapy was significantly higher than that of patients who had not received adequate anticoagulant therapy (P=0.015). Conclusions Adequate anticoagulation therapy has good therapeutic effect in most SIDSMA cases with acute or subacute mesenteric ischemia. For patients with severe mesenteric ischemia or those fail to respond to initial conservative treatment,endovascular treatment may be a more reasonable option.

[Interval-spaced Sessions of Partial Splenic Artery Embolization in Juvenile Patients with Hypersplenism].

Objective To determine whether interval-spaced sessions of partial splenic artery embolization(PSE) is a safe and effective alternative treatment for hypersplenism in juvenile patients. Methods Eight patients(3 males and 5 females) were included in this retrospective study.All patients were diagnosed as hypersplenism and underwent PSE in 2-3 sessions separated by 1-2 month intervals.Immediate,short,and long term follow-up were done.The effectiveness of the treatment was evaluated.Results No major postoperative complication was noted.No patient developed septic shock,splenic abscess,or spleen rupture.Postoperative pain and fever were common and manageable;only two patients developed loculated pleural effusions,which were well alleviated after conservative treatment.All patients showed significant increase in thrombocytes and white blood cells count after the first session of embolization.The cell counts became remarkable after the last session and remained at normal levels during the follow-up period.Conclusions PSE using 2-3 interval-spaced sessions can effectively decrease spleen size and reverse hypersplenism in juvenile patients.Also,it may reduce the postoperative complications commonly seen in traditional PSE.

[Clinical analysis of two carotid endarterectomy procedures in treating carotid artery stenosis].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the effectiveness and costs of the eversion carotid endarterectomy (eCEA) and the carotid endarterectomy with patch angioplasty (pCEA) in treating carotid artery stenosis. METHODS: Patients with carotid artery stenosis who underwent the carotid endarterectomy in the vascular surgery department of Peking Union Medical College Hospital from October 2009 to October 2012 were enrolled in this study. According to the two different surgical procedures, the patients were divided into eCEA group and pCEA group. RESULTS: The two groups were not significantly different in terms of gender ,age ,risk factors, stenosis degree of carotid artery, and the ratio of bilateral lesions (all P>0.05).The ratio of shunt and antibiotics application, operative time, hospitalization cost, and length of hospital stay in the eCEA group were significantly lower than those in pCEA group (P<0.05).The therapeutic effectiveness, complications, surgery-related death, restenosis, and ipsilateral stroke were not significantly different between these two groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Both surgical procedures are safe and effective in treating the carotid artery stenosis;however, eCEA has lower cost when compared with pCEA and therefore can be used as the first choice.

Chronic abdominal aortic occlusive disease related to antiphospholipid syndrome: a rare presentation.

OBJECTIVE: Chronic abdominal aortic occlusive disease (CAAOD) is an uncommon manifestation of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), impacting cardiovascular health and peripheral arterial circulation. We investigated CAAOD in antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL)-positive patients, aimed to offer comprehensive clinical and radiological insights. METHODS: aPL-positive patients with arterial thrombotic events were categorised into CAAOD and non-CAAOD. Extensive data, including clinical features, radiological images and outcomes, were analysed. RESULTS: This case-control study involved 114 patients who experienced arterial events from 2013 to 2021, revealing 12 patients with abdominal aortic stenosis or occlusion. The CAAOD group, predominantly young (36.67±11.83) males (75.00%), exhibited significantly higher rates of critical smoking habits (66.67% vs 25.49%, p=0.006) and hyperhomocysteinaemia (66.67% vs 31.37%, p=0.026). Radiological findings showed long-segment infrarenal aorta stenosis in CAAOD, occasionally involving renal and common iliac arteries. The lesions presented varying degrees of stenosis, including smooth lumen narrow and total vascular occlusion. Treatment modalities typically involved interventions or surgery, complementing anticoagulation therapy. CONCLUSION: The study shed light on the rare occurrence of CAAOD in APS, highlighting the roles of smoking and hyperhomocysteinaemia as notable risk factors. These findings emphasised the significance of early diagnosis and management of CAAOD.

[Clinical observation of neutralizing heparin with protamine in carotid endarterectomy].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of administrating protamine to reverse heparin on intraoperative hemostatic time, postoperative drainage and postoperative complications in carotid endarterectomy. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of 125 cases of carotid endarterectomy was undertaken at Department of Vascular Surgery, Peking Union Medical Hospital in 2012. They were divided into 2 groups: heparin (H group) and heparin + intra-operative administration of protamine (H+P group). Their medical history, preoperative clinical findings, intraoperative hemostatic time, postoperative drainage volume and complications were compared between two groups and statistically analyzed. RESULTS: Fifty cases received heparin alone and 75 cases had heparin reversal with protamine. Drainage volumes at Day 1 postoperation were less in H+P group than those in H group with statistically significant difference ((14 ± 13) vs (19 ± 12) ml, P = 0.038). And total postoperative drainage volumes were less in H+P group with statistical significant difference ((20 ± 17) vs (26 ± 15) ml, P = 0.035). Intraoperative hemostatic time was less in H+P group than that in H group with statistical significant difference ((30 ± 11) vs (36 ± 11) min, P = 0.030). There was no mortality. Only one case was re-operated for cervical hematoma. Cerebral ischemic symptoms of one patient in the H+P group became worse postoperatively and recovered after conservative medical treatment. CONCLUSIONS: During carotid endarterectomy, the application of protamine may significantly decrease intraoperative hemostatic time and postoperative wound drainage. And protamine has no effect of increasing the risks of perioperative stroke.

[Study on the method of nanometer-size zirconium dioxide enrichment separation and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry determination of trace barium(II) in water].

Monoclinic fusiform zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) nanoparticles were synthesized by hydrothermal method, a method was established based on monoclinic fusiform nanometer-sized ZrO2 enrichment separation, and trace barium in water was determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The detection limit for Ba(II) was 0.007 ng x mL(-1), and the relative standard deviation was 0.13% (n = 11). The optimal enrichment separation conditions of nanometer-sized ZrO2 for Ba(II) were studied in detail, it was found that the percentage of adsorbed Ba(II) was more than 99% under pH 10.0 and 2 mL 0.5 mol x L(-1) HCl was sufficient for elution of Ba(II) by more than 98%. The static adsorption capacity of ZrO2 to Ba(II) was 196.6 microg x g(-1) and enrichment factor was 250. Properties of nanometer-sized ZrO2 were discussed through regeneration experiment and effects of co-existing ions and contrast experiment to ordinary ZrO2, adsorption properties of nanometer-sized ZrO2 were applied to real samples in the analysis of Ba(II) and the determination was carried out by ICP-MS with satisfactory results.

[Surgical treatment of spontaneous isolated middle aortic dissection].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the diagnosis and treatment of spontaneous isolated middle aortic dissection (SIMAD). METHODS: The clinical data of 7 SIMAD patients admitted into our hospital between January 2007 and June 2011 were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: There were 3 males and 4 females with an average age of 53 years old. Five patients had an acute onset. According to the original tear location and flow of celiac artery, 6 patients received endovascular repair and another patient underwent abdominal aorta-bilateral-femoral artery bypass with artificial graft. All cases were successfully treated. Six patients recovered well from the procedures. One patient suffered acute coronary artery syndrome at Day 2 after endovascular treatment. After transferral into cardiology unit, emergency percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty was performed with a satisfactory outcome. The postoperative examinations of CTA (computed tomography angiography) of all patients demonstrated that the false lumen of dissection was basically thrombolized without endoleak or stent migration. CONCLUSION: Vascular surgeons should pay more attention to SIMAD with the potentials of rupture and aneurysm. Endovascular graft exclusion may be a first-line therapy as long as the anatomical conditions allow. However, longer follow-up and further evaluations should be performed to determine the long-term benefits.

[Investigation of endovascular aneurysm repair of complex abdominal aortic aneurysm in high-risk patients].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the results of a variety of alternative endovascular techniques applied to patients with complicated abdominal aortic aneurysm complex abdominal aortic aneurysm (cAAA) and unsuitable for open surgery. METHODS: From January 2001 to December 2010, charts of all patients having an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) were reviewed. Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) was done in 138 patients, in which 9 patients were defined as cAAA such as juxta-renal AAA, short or angulated AAA neck, AAA with bilateral iliac artery aneurysms. There were 8 male and 1 female patients, aged from 26 to 87 years with a mean of 67 years. All these patients at high risk for open surgery were offered a modified EVAR technique including fenestrated technique, scallop technique, chimney technique, balloon assisted U-turn stenting and reverse-U stent-graft in 2, 5, 1 and 1 patients respectively. RESULTS: All techniques were successful and without severe postoperative complications. An intraoperative endoleak was found in 4 patients and was corrected immediately. One patient with type I and III endoleaks underwent dilatation with a compliant balloon. Two patients with type I endoleak underwent coil embolization (1 patient) and bare stent (1 patient). During follow-up, one patient with a type II endoleak who demonstrated no increase in sac diameter during follow-up was observed. Mean follow-up was 25.9 months (ranging from 4 to 79 months). No rupture occurred and 8 aneurysms shrink significantly. In 7 patients, critical vessels (renal and mesenteric arteries) were protected during the initial procedure and remained patent except in one patient who was performed reverse "U" stent graft with thrombosis in hypogastric artery. CONCLUSION: High-risk patients with cAAA inappropriate for traditional EVAR can be successfully treated by using simple ancillary endovascular techniques with acceptable short or mid-term results.

[Endovascular repair of descending aortic pseudoaneurysms].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluated the feasibility, efficacy, and outcome of endovascular repair for descending aortic pseudoaneurysms. METHODS: From April 2007 to November 2010, 20 patients of descending aortic pseudoaneurysm were treated. There were 18 male and 2 female, aged from 28 to 82 years with a mean of (58 ± 16) years. In this group, 4 patients were diagnosed as Behçet's syndrome, 6 patients as mycotic pseudoaneurysms with positive blood culture, 6 patients as suspected mycotic pseudoaneurysms, 1 patient with iatrogenic pseudoaneurysm and 1 patient with chronic grain-mononuclear cell leukemia, the other 3 patients with unknown reasons. The 88.5% of aortic pseudoaneurysms were located at abdominal aorta. Fifteen patients underwent endovascular therapy and 2 patients were treated by traditional open surgery. The other 3 patients underwent conservative treatments. The data of treatments and follow-up in the 15 patients who received endovascular repairs were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: Endovascular therapy was performed successfully on the 15 patients, and the technique successful rate was 15/15. Total 15 stents were transluminal placed including 6 bifurcate stent-grafts, 6 abdominal straight stent-grafts, 2 thoracic straight stent-grafts and 1 abdominal bare stent. One patient was treated by stent assisted embolization. Perioperative mortality rate was 0. Only 2 primary type IV endoleaks were found. Fourteen patients were successfully followed up. During a mean follow-up of 538 days, 8 (57.1%) patients were uneventful. Six (42.9%) patients were complicated by aneurysm related events, including 4 (28.6%) aneurysm-related deaths, 1 (7.14%) with delayed endoleak and 1 (7.14%) with recurrent pseudoaneurysm which was retreated by another stent-graft. CONCLUSIONS: Endovascular therapy for descending aortic pseudoaneurysms is a feasible and mini-invasive option with high technique success rate and low perioperative mortality rate. However, risk of recurrence and rupture to death of pseudoaneurysm remains high during follow-up. Treating the underlying reasons and intensively follow-up may be good for improving the prognosis of descending aortic pseudoaneurysms treated by endovascular therapy.

The Associations of Serum IL-37 With the Severity and Prognosis in Patients With Community-Acquired Pneumonia: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: Recent evidences suggested that IL-37 may participate in the pathophysiology of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Nevertheless, its exact biological role was unknown. The objective of this study was to determine the associations of serum IL-37 with the severity and prognosis in CAP patients based on a retrospective cohort study. Methods: The whole of 120 healthy subjects and 240 CAP patients were summoned. Peripheral blood was collected and IL-37 was detected using ELISA. Results: Serum IL-37 was obviously decreased in CAP patients on admission. In addition, serum IL-37 was gradually decreased in parallel with CAP severity scores. Correlative analysis revealed that serum IL-37 was negatively associated with CAP severity scores and inflammatory cytokines. Further logistical regression found that reduction of serum IL-37 augmented the severity of CAP patients. Moreover, the follow-up research was performed in CAP patients. Serum lower IL-37 on admission prolonged the hospital stay in CAP patients. Serum IL-37 combination with PSI and CURB-65 had a stronger predictive capacity for death than IL-37 and CAP severity score alone in CAP patients. Conclusion: There are remarkably negative correlations between serum IL-37 with the severity and prognosis in CAP patients. Serum IL-37 on admission prolongs the hospital stay, demonstrating that IL-37 may involve in the process of CAP. Serum IL-37 may be regarded as a biomarker for diagnosis and prognosis for CAP patients.

[Diagnosis and treatment of acute coronary syndromes after carotid endarterectomy].

OBJECTIVE: To summarize the incidence, diagnosis and treatment of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) after carotid endarterectomy (CEA). METHODS: From 2003 to 2009, 159 CEA were performed in 143 cases with severe atherosclerotic carotid artery stenosis. The clinical datas of ACS after CEA were collected. RESULTS: The average age was 66.2 +/- 9.0 years old, varying from 40 to 86. There were 5 cases (3.1%) suffered from 30-day perioperative stroke/death totally, of which 4 cases (3.6%) in the symptomatic carotid stenosis group and 1 case (2.1%) in the asymptomatic group. 13 cases (8.2%) were diagnosed as ACS after CEA, 12 of them recovered after medicine, but one case aggravated even after the conservative treatment. Percutaneous coronary angioplasty and stenting was performed then. All cases were cured without death. Diabetes mellitus (RR = 7.727, P = 0.001), smoking (RR = 8.138, P = 0.020) and cardiac infarction history (RR = 8.138, P = 0.020) are significant risk factors for ACS after CEA. CONCLUSIONS: ACS is an important non-neurological complication after CEA. Diabetes mellitus, smoking and cardiac infarction history are significant risk factors for ACS after CEA. Early diagnosis and appropriate medical intervention for ACS can improve the safety of CEA.

[A clinical study of infrapopliteal balloon angioplasty for patients with critical lower limb ischemia].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of infrapopliteal angioplasty as the first-choice procedure in patients with critical lower limb ischemia. METHODS: From December 2005 to May 2009, infrapopliteal angioplasty was considered as the first-choice method in consecutive patients with infrapopliteal occlusive disease hospitalized for critical ischemia. Fifty-four patients (61 limbs) with a mean age of 66 years old (37 male and 17 female) underwent infrapopliteal balloon angioplasty. The preoperative ankle branchial index (ABI) was 0.43 + or - 0.27. RESULTS: Iliofemoral artery revascularization (stenting in 28 limbs and bypass in 5 limbs) were successful. Infrapopliteal balloon dilation was success in 57 limbs, the technical success rate was 93.4%. The major complications were calf hematoma in 3 cases (4.9%), and below-the-knee amputation in 2 cases (3.3%). Postoperative ABI increased to 0.86 + or - 0.21(P < 0.01). Mean follow-up time was (16 + or - 11) months. The primary patency rate was 61.1%, restenosis rate was 38.9% (21 of 54 limbs), and surgical intervention were performed for 10 limbs, the secondary patency rates was 75.9%. Major amputation in 3 limbs during follow-up period, the limb salvage rate was 91.8%. CONCLUSION: Infrapopliteal balloon angioplasty as the first-choice method is feasible, safe and effective for limb salvage in patients with critical lower limb ischemia.