Infrarenal versus Suprarenal Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms: Comparison of Associated Aneurysms and Renal Artery Stenosis.

BACKGROUND: The aim of our study is to assess the prevalence of concomitant arterial abnormalities (true aneurysms of iliac, common femoral, renal, visceral arteries and stenoses of iliac and renal arteries) in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm, and to evaluate whether the type of the aneurysm (suprarenal versus solely infrarenal) is associated with this prevalence. METHODS: In this retrospective cross-sectional study, we assessed computed tomography angiography scans of 933 patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm, including thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms type II-IV, with no history of abdominal aortic surgery. We compared 2 groups of patients: group 1 (n = 859) with solely infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm and group 2 (n = 74) with the suprarenal aneurysm component. Patients with history of aortic dissection or thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms type I and V were excluded from the study. All computed tomography angiography scans were visually assessed by 2 independent experienced physicians. RESULTS: Study group comprised 933 patients with the median age of 73.0 years, 83.8% of whom were male. We observed higher prevalence of common iliac artery aneurysms (44.6% vs. 30.6%, P = 0.013), internal iliac artery aneurysms (28.4% vs. 18.0%, P = 0.03), common femoral artery aneurysms (13.5% vs. 4.4%, P < 0.001), visceral artery aneurysms (5.4% vs. 1.2%, P = 0.019), renal artery stenosis (20.3% vs. 5.2%, P < 0.001), renal atrophy (6.7% vs. 1.1%, P = 0.004), and severe chronic kidney disease (14.1% vs. 1.8%, P < 0.001) in group 2 compared to group 1. There were no significant differences in the prevalence of iliac arterial stenoses between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm, concomitant aneurysms and renal artery stenosis are more common in patients with suprarenal component when compared to those with solely infrarenal presentation.

Incidence and predictors of myocardial and kidney injury following endovascular aortic repair: a retrospective cohort study.

PURPOSE: We performed a retrospective cohort study in patients who underwent endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) to determine the incidence and predictors of myocardial injury and acute kidney injury (AKI). METHODS: We included 267 consecutive patients who underwent EVAR at two tertiary centres in Canada and Poland. The primary outcome was myocardial injury during hospital stay after EVAR defined as a troponin elevation (ultra-sensitivity troponin I Vidas ≥ 19 ng·L-1, non-high-sensitivity troponin I Vidas ≥ 0.01 µg·L-1, high-sensitivity troponin T ≥ 20 ng·L-1, non-high-sensitivity troponin T ≥ 0.03 ng·mL-1). The secondary outcome was AKI defined using the stage 1 of the Acute Kidney Injury Network criteria. RESULTS: Myocardial injury occurred in 78/267 patients (29%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 24.1 to 34.9) and with AKI occurring in 25/267 (9.4%; 95% CI, 6.4 to 13.5). In a multivariable analysis, the following variables were associated with an increased risk of myocardial injury: age (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.65 per ten-year increase; 95% CI, 1.09 to 2.49), Revised Cardiac Risk Index score ≥3 (aOR, 2.85; 95% CI, 1.26 to 6.41), The American Society of Anesthesiology physical status score 4 (aOR, 2.24; 95% CI, 1.12 to 4.47), duration of surgery (aOR, 1.27 per each hour; 95% CI, 1.00 to 1.61), and perioperative drop in hemoglobin (aOR, 3.35 per 10 g·dL-1 decrease; 95% CI, 1.00 to 11.3). Predictors of AKI were duration of surgery (aOR, 1.72 per hour; 95% CI, 1.36 to 2.17), a preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of 30-59 mL·min-1 (aOR, 3.82; 95% CI, 1.42 to 10.3), and an eGFR < 30 mL·min-1 (aOR, 37.0; 95% CI, 7.1 to 193.8). CONCLUSION: Myocardial injury and AKI are frequent during hospital stay after EVAR and warrant further investigation in prospective studies.

High compliance to ERAS protocol does not improve overall survival in patients treated for resectable advanced gastric cancer.

INTRODUCTION: The ERAS (Enhanced Recovery after Surgery) protocol revolutionized perioperative care for gastrointestinal surgical procedures. However, little is known about the association between adherence to the ERAS protocol in gastric cancer surgery and the oncological outcome. AIM: To explore the relation between adherence to the ERAS protocol and the oncological outcome in gastric cancer patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of a prospectively collected database of patients treated for gastric cancer between 2013 and 2016. All patients were treated perioperatively with a 14-item ERAS protocol. Every patient underwent regular follow-up every 3 months for 3 years after surgery. 80% compliance to the ERAS protocol was the goal during perioperative care. Based on the level of compliance, patients were divided into group 1 and group 2 (compliance of ≥ 80% and < 80%, respectively). RESULTS: Compliance to the ERAS protocol was not a risk factor for diminished overall survival - probability of 3-year survival was 63% in group 1 and 56% in group 2 (p = 0.75). The proportional Cox model revealed that only stage III gastric cancer was a risk factor of poor prognosis in patients operated on for gastric cancer (HR = 7.89, 95% CI: 2.96-20.89; p = 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: High adherence to the ERAS protocol did not improve overall survival in our 3-year observation. Only the stage of the disease, according to the AJCC classification, was identified as a risk factor for poor prognosis.

Cerebral Aneurysms: Are They Associated with Anatomic Variations of Carotid and Main Cerebral Arteries?

OBJECTIVE: Vascular anatomic variations are very common in the population, but their coexistence with life-threating vascular malformations remains unclear. The objective of the study was to assess the correlation between the presence of anatomic variants of both carotid and main cerebral arteries and the occurrence of cerebral aneurysms. METHODS: We analyzed examinations of 194 patients who underwent computed tomography angiography of the head and neck between September of 2016 and November of 2017. The assessed parameters were: the variation of the common carotid arteries origin, hypoplasia or duplication of any of the main cerebral arteries, carotid artery kinking, and the presence of cerebral aneurysms. RESULTS: We found 5.7% of patients had a cerebral aneurysm. Hypoplasia of at least 1 main cerebral artery occurred in 34.5% of patients, with the most frequent being the vertebral artery (21.6%). Duplication of at least 1 main cerebral artery was detected in 2.6%. Cerebral aneurysms occurred more often together with hypoplasia (P = 0.041; OR = 3.175) or duplication (P < 0.001; OR = 18.500) of at least 1 main cerebral artery. In 7.2% of cases, the origin of common carotid arteries created a true bovine arch, and in 4.1% the so-called bovine arch. Patients with alternative variants of aortic arch branching were more likely to have cerebral aneurysms (P = 0.002; OR = 5.903). We found 27.3% of patients had internal carotid arteries affected by kinking. Carotid kinking did not predispose the patient to the formation of a cerebral aneurysm (P = 0.378). CONCLUSIONS: There is an evident correspondence between the presence of vascular anatomic variants (abnormal origin of the carotid arteries, hypoplasia, or duplication of the main cerebral artery) and the occurrence of cerebral aneurysms.