Long-term outcomes after endovascular aortic treatment in patients with thoracic aortic diseases.

Background: Endovascular treatments for thoracic aortic diseases have been adopted rapidly, and long-term studies are relevant for durability evaluation. Objective: To evaluate the long-term results of a prospective observational study of endovascular treatment in patients with thoracic aortic diseases who underwent percutaneous implantation of self-expandable endoprostheses. Methods: Procedural success was defined as the absence of endoleak into the aneurysm or dissection-induced false lumen, no migration, and no conversion to open surgery. Intraoperative, postoperative, and late postoperative outcomes were evaluated in terms of complications, mortality, and evolution of the endoprosthesis over a follow-up of up to 179 months (median: 46 months). Results: A total of 150 endoprostheses were implanted in 112 patients. Primary success was observed in 100 (82.14%) patients. Immediate mortality occurred in 7 patients (6.25%). Late mortality occurred in 31 patients (27.68%), 10 (8.93%) of whom died from cardiovascular causes, 12 (10.71%) from non-cardiovascular causes, and 2 (1.78%) from natural causes, while 7 (6.25%) had no diagnosis for cause of death. Types I, II, and IV endoleaks occurred during hospitalization in 4 (3.57%), 5 (4.46%), and 3 (2.68%) patients, respectively. Late types I and IV endoleaks occurred in 5 (4.46%) and 3 (2.68%) patients respectively. Twenty-two patients (19.64%) had clinical complications in the immediate postoperative period. Actuarial survival free from death from cardiovascular causes was 79.3% (95% confidence interval, 67.0-91.7%) at 132 months. Conclusions: The low levels of intraoperative and postoperative complications demonstrate that endovascular treatment is safe and effective. The high rate of late survival for these critically ill patients indicates that the endovascular technique is beneficial for treatment of thoracic aortic diseases in terms of long-term outcomes.

Contexto: Os tratamentos endovasculares para doenças da aorta torácica têm sido adotados rapidamente e estudos de longo prazo são relevantes para avaliação de durabilidade. Objetivo: Avaliar através de estudo observacional e prospectivo, os resultados a longo prazo do tratamento endovascular em pacientes com doenças da aorta torácica submetidos a implante percutâneo de endoprótese autoexpansível. Métodos: O sucesso do procedimento foi definido como ausência de vazamento interno para o aneurisma ou falso lúmen induzido por dissecção, ausência de migração e sem necessidade de conversão para cirurgia aberta. Os resultados intraoperatórios, pós-operatórios e tardios foram avaliados quanto a complicações, mortalidade e evolução da endoprótese em um seguimento de até 179 meses (mediana de 46 meses). Resultados: Um total de 150 endopróteses foram implantadas em 112 pacientes. Sucesso primário foi observado em 100 (82,14%) pacientes. Mortalidade imediata ocorreu em sete pacientes (6,25%). A mortalidade tardia ocorreu em 31 pacientes (27,68%), dos quais 10 (8,93%) morreram por causas cardiovasculares; 12 (10,71%), por causas não cardiovasculares; dois (1,78%), por causas naturais e sete (6,25%) não tiveram a causa da morte diagnosticada. Vazamentos tipo I, II e IV ocorreram durante a internação em quatro (3,57%), cinco (4,46%) e três (2,68%) pacientes, respectivamente. Vazamentos tardios tipo I e IV ocorreram em cinco (4,46%) e três (2,68%) pacientes, respectivamente. Complicações clínicas no pós-operatório imediato foram observadas em 19,64% dos pacientes. A sobrevida atuarial por causas cardiovasculares foi de 79,3% em 132 meses. Conclusões: Os baixos índices de complicações intra e pós-operatórias demonstram que o tratamento endovascular é seguro e eficaz. A alta taxa de sobrevida em 132 meses em pacientes críticos indica que a técnica é benéfica para o tratamento de doenças da aorta torácica em resultados a longo prazo.

Late Diagnosis of Anomalous Aortic Origin of a Coronary Artery from the Inappropriate Sinus of Valsalva during Investigation of Chest Pain.

In this work are reported two cases of anomalous aortic origin of a coronary artery (AAOCA), with the left main coronary artery (LMCA) arising at the right sinus of Valsalva in a 77-year-old woman and in a 79-year-old man submitted to angiography after positive ischemic tests. The origin of the LMCA or the left descendant artery (LDA) from the right sinus of Valsalva has a prevalence of 0.2%, the origin of the circumflex artery (CXA) from the right sinus 0.5%, and the origin of the right coronary artery (RCA) from the left sinus of Valsalva has a prevalence of 0.3%. It is the subgroup of the coronary anomalies that has the greatest potential for clinical repercussions, especially the sudden cardiac death (SCD). We discuss the diagnostic methods and treatment options for this kind of coronary anomaly in symptomatic cases.

Masticatory deficiency as a risk factor for cognitive dysfunction.

Several studies have demonstrated that chewing helps to maintain cognitive functions in brain regions including the hippocampus, a central nervous system (CNS) region vital for memory and learning. Epidemiological studies suggest that masticatory deficiency is associated with development of dementia, which is related to spatial memory deficits especially in older animals. The purpose of this paper is to review recent work on the effects of masticatory impairment on cognitive functions both in experimental animals and humans. We show that several mechanisms may be involved in the cognitive deficits associated with masticatory deficiency. The epidemiological data suggest a positive correlation between masticatory deficit and Alzheimer's disease. It may be concluded that chewing has important implications for the mechanisms underlying certain cognitive abilities.

Sensitivity, specificity and predictive values of linear and nonlinear indices of heart rate variability in stable angina patients.

BACKGROUND: Decreased heart rate variability (HRV) is related to higher morbidity and mortality. In this study we evaluated the linear and nonlinear indices of the HRV in stable angina patients submitted to coronary angiography. METHODS: We studied 77 unselected patients for elective coronary angiography, which were divided into two groups: coronary artery disease (CAD) and non-CAD groups. For analysis of HRV indices, HRV was recorded beat by beat with the volunteers in the supine position for 40 minutes. We analyzed the linear indices in the time (SDNN [standard deviation of normal to normal], NN50 [total number of adjacent RR intervals with a difference of duration greater than 50ms] and RMSSD [root-mean square of differences]) and frequency domains ultra-low frequency (ULF) ≤ 0,003 Hz, very low frequency (VLF) 0,003 - 0,04 Hz, low frequency (LF) (0.04-0.15 Hz), and high frequency (HF) (0.15-0.40 Hz) as well as the ratio between LF and HF components (LF/HF). In relation to the nonlinear indices we evaluated SD1, SD2, SD1/SD2, approximate entropy (-ApEn), α1, α2, Lyapunov Exponent, Hurst Exponent, autocorrelation and dimension correlation. The definition of the cutoff point of the variables for predictive tests was obtained by the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve (ROC). The area under the ROC curve was calculated by the extended trapezoidal rule, assuming as relevant areas under the curve ≥ 0.650. RESULTS: Coronary arterial disease patients presented reduced values of SDNN, RMSSD, NN50, HF, SD1, SD2 and -ApEn. HF ≤ 66 ms2, RMSSD ≤ 23.9 ms, ApEn ≤-0.296 and NN50 ≤ 16 presented the best discriminatory power for the presence of significant coronary obstruction. CONCLUSION: We suggest the use of Heart Rate Variability Analysis in linear and nonlinear domains, for prognostic purposes in patients with stable angina pectoris, in view of their overall impairment.