Endovascular Treatment of a Chronically Thrombosed Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm: Technical Considerations.

BACKGROUND: Chronic thrombosis of an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a rare entity and the ideal management is debatable. METHODS AND RESULTS: A 74-year-old man presented with an enlarging chronically thrombosed AAA and incapacitating bilateral claudication, worse on the left side. We opted for an endovascular approach. Under local anesthesia and via a left axillary and left femoral cutdown, an aorto-uni-iliac stent graft (Endurant, Medtronic) was implanted down the left common iliac artery. A femorofemoral crossover bypass was not necessary because the right leg circulation was considered adequate on completion of the endovascular procedure. He had an uneventful recovery. His left leg symptoms were completely resolved and he was able to walk with only moderate right leg claudication after 300-400m. CONCLUSIONS: Endovascular treatment of a chronically thrombosed AAA can be performed under local anesthesia and is a safe alternative to open surgery in high-risk patients. The long-term results need further investigation.

Penetrating Atherosclerotic Ulcers of the Abdominal Aorta: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Penetrating atherosclerotic ulcers (PAUs) of the aorta are defined as atherosclerotic lesions with aortic intima and media ulceration, which may lead to a complete rupture of the adventitial wall. The present article aimed to report an unusual case of a surgically treated patient with abdominal aorta PAU with an illustration of the key features and to review and analyze the existing literature data. PAUs typically develop in elderly and hypertensive patients and in patients with advanced atherosclerosis. Although originally described for the descending thoracic aorta, a similar clinicopathological entity also occurs in the abdominal aorta. Patients with symptoms of a PAU should be treated immediately if they are fit for surgery. Exceptive observation by imaging modalities is necessary in patients with asymptomatic small (<2 cm) PAU, with or without focal dissection.

Eversion endarterectomy under full prasugrel treatment.

The third-generation thienopyridine prasugrel has much stronger antiplatelet effect compared to other current antiplatelet inhibitors and exhibits practically zero resistance in healthy people. Prasugrel is used as a pre- and post-treatment in percutaneous coronary or neurovascular interventions with parallel aspirin regime. However, as there is a higher reported bleeding with intraluminal interventions and meticulous technique is recommended, there is nearly non-existent international experience of open surgery under full prasugrel treatment. We present, herein, a case of open carotid endarterectomy with the eversion technique in an asymptomatic patient with carotid stenosis, who was receiving dual antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and prasugrel, due to a previous insertion of two newer drug-eluting stents at the left anterior descending artery and the right coronary artery. The resistance test to prasugrel showed complete inhibition of platelet function. Open surgery was performed under continuation of prasugrel treatment and interruption of aspirin for 3 days before surgery. No perioperative and postoperative neurologic or cardiologic event occurred. No bleeding at the cervical or cerebral area was noted.

Delayed Sigmoid Ischemic Rupture Following Open Repair Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm.

Colon ischemia following aortic reconstruction is a severe complication with an incidence of 1% to 2% of the operated patients; this infrequent complication will be lethal for nearly half of these patients. Commonly, colon ischemia may be an intraoperative observation or an early postoperative finding. However, in the case presented here, sigmoid rupture and small and large intestine communication was revealed 3 months following repair of the abdominal aorta. A 71-year-old man, following open repair of an abdominal aortic aneurysm, went home on the fifth postoperative day. Four months later, he was admitted to the emergency department of our hospital, because of fever, diarrhea, and abdominal pain for about 5 days. After conservative treatment and improvement in symptoms, the patient was released only to return to hospital with the same symptoms after a month. On this second admission, the symptoms were initially mild and the patient seemed to improve, but suddenly he deteriorated and an exploratory laparotomy was conducted, which revealed a left colon ischemia and a communication between the sigmoid and the small intestine. A left hemicolectomy was performed, along with a temporary colostomy (Hartmann diversion). The patient, 2 years after the initial aortic repair and 10 months following the complete restoration of the large intestine continuity, is well with no further manifestations.

Outcome after Endovascular Repair of Subacute Type B Aortic Dissection: A Combined Series from Two Greek Centers.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to document the outcome following endovascular treatment of subacute type B aortic dissection (AD). METHODS: Between October 2000 and June 2014, 40 patients (33 men, mean age 65 [range 35-87] years) with type B AD underwent thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) during the subacute phase (defined as 15-90 days from the onset of symptoms). Indications for intervention were acute aortic enlargement, resistant hypertension, and/or intractable pain. The primary outcome was survival. Secondary outcome measures included reinterventions and aortic remodeling (i.e., the fate of the false lumen [FL] post-TEVAR, which was classified as complete, partial, or no thrombosis of the FL). RESULTS: The intraprocedural technical success was 95% (2 proximal endoleaks). Three patients died within 30 days (7.5%), all 3 from dissection-related causes (retrograde type A AD in 2, ruptured thoracic aorta in 1). Another 11 deaths occurred during follow-up (median 64 months, range 1-167), 3 of which were dissection-related. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year Kaplan-Meier survival probability was 87.5%, 79%, and 71.5%, respectively. With regard to the aortic remodeling, there was complete FL thrombosis in 10 (25%) patients, partial thrombosis in 22 (55%), and patent FL with no thrombosis in 8 (20%) patients. There was no statistically significant association between FL status and survival, or between FL status and initial extent of dissection. However, there was a statistically significant association between FL status and reinterventions, the latter being more frequent in patients with no FL thrombosis. CONCLUSIONS: TEVAR for subacute type B AD appears to be associated with acceptable perioperative and long-term results. In contrast to previous reports, there is still a risk for postoperative retrograde type A AD even when patients are treated in the subacute phase when the aorta is less fragile. Aortic remodeling occurs in the majority of patients, but requires frequent aortic reinterventions, an observation that underlines the need for life-long surveillance.

Dorsalis Pedis Artery Aneurysm: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Aneurysms of the foot arteries are rare. A case of a true dorsalis pedis artery aneurysm in a 69-year-old man, with no history of local trauma or injury on his foot, is presented. Clinical examination and ultrasonic imaging confirmed the aneurysm. Dorsalis pedis artery aneurysm was resected and an end-to-end anastomosis was performed, without complications. Arterial duplex scan findings, operative procedure, and literature review are presented and discussed.