Endotension: What do we know and not know about this enigmatic complication of endovascular aneurysm repair.

As the use of endovascular approaches to treat aneurysm repair continues to increase, more and more patients have been identified with endoleaks. Five types of endoleaks have been defined. Endotension, or type V endoleak, remains controversial owing to its variable definition across studies and the range of proposed treatments. Thus, we performed a review of the reported studies to summarize the diagnosis and treatment of this rare complication after endovascular aneurysm repair to determine what we do and do not know about this rare form of endoleak. The presence of an endoleak places patients at an increased risk of aneurysm sac enlargement and potential rupture. Although additional research is essential and yet difficult to perform, we sought to provide a guide for the management of this perplexing endoleak known as endotension.

Endovascular Repair of Splenic Vein Aneurysm with Balloon Expandable Stent Placement.

Given the rarity of splenic vein aneurysms, it is no surprise that there are little data to help guide clinicians regarding indications and techniques for repair. Traditionally associated with hepatobiliary pathology including portal hypertension and pancreatitis, management typically involved open splenectomy. We describe the case of a patient with an incidentally found enlarging splenic vein aneurysm in the absence of significant past medical history. The patient underwent successful repair of the aneurysm utilizing a transhepatic endovascular approach with a balloon expandable stent. We offer this as minimally invasive solution allowing splenic salvage.

Case Report: An Innovative Endovascular Technique for Repair of Descending Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm following an Open Coarctation Repair.

It was once postulated that open surgical repair of coarctation of the aorta during childhood patients was cured. However, long-term follow-up has been significant for late problems such as an aneurysm. The incidence of such aneurysm after open surgical coarctation repair is 11-24%. If such an aneurysm is left untreated, patients are at a high risk of morbidity and mortality. Prior to the endovascular era, patients would require a redo open repair which in itself is a highly morbid operation. Currently, thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) has been reported as a feasible and safe alternative to open surgical reprocedures in this context. However, TEVAR might be challenging due to the proximity of the pathology to supraaortic vessels and the ongoing presence of the coarctation. We are reporting a unique case of a 48-year-old male undergoing TEVAR due to aortic aneurysm after previous surgical coarctation treatment and successful closure of the coarctation with a vascular plug device.

A novel surgical approach to symptomatic left renal vein aneurysm.

Visceral venous aneurysms are uncommon and renal vein aneurysms are among the rarest in this subset. Renal vein aneurysms are frequently asymptomatic, but patients may present with flank pain or hematuria. Complications of untreated visceral venous aneurysms include thrombus formation and, very rarely, rupture. Treatment of renal vein aneurysms ranges from watchful waiting to surgical repair. We describe a patient with renal vein aneurysm presenting with recurrent pulmonary embolus with no other identifiable source. Furthermore, we propose a novel surgical treatment with complete resection of the aneurysm and reconstruction of venous return by transposing the inferior mesenteric vein to the remaining left renal vein.

Case Report: A Durable Open Repair of a Rare Profunda Aneurysm.

Profunda femoris artery aneurysms (PFAAs) are rare and difficult to diagnose in the early stages of development due to location and encasement in the deep thigh musculature. We report the case of a 74-year-old male who was discovered to have a right PFAA during evaluation for progressively worsening short distance claudication. He had undergone an angioplasty of the left iliofemoral system several months ago with no improvement of his symptoms. The PFAA was diagnosed through computed tomography angiography and repaired via syndactylization of profunda femoris branches and interposition grafting with a polytetrafluoroethylene stretch graft. The imaging features are described in the article. Although PFAAs are rare clinical presentations, their development should be considered, in particular when symptoms such as progressive or unchanging claudication are present in a patient following an angioplasty of the affected iliofemoral system.

Isolated lower extremity vasculitis leading to progressive critical limb ischemia.

Giant cell arteritis is a large- and medium-vessel vasculitis that has been described as a systemic disease process with disseminated vessel involvement. Advances in vascular imaging techniques have demonstrated that involvement of the large vessels of the upper and lower limbs may be more prevalent than was once thought, although the clinical implications of this are unknown. Isolated lower extremity claudication without systemic or classic cranial symptoms, especially as a primary manifestation of giant cell arteritis, is rare. We present the case of a patient with isolated bilateral limb claudication that rapidly progressed to critical limb ischemia requiring urgent surgical intervention after steroid therapy. Our patient has consented to the publication of this report.

Congenital agenesis of inferior vena cava: a rare cause of unprovoked deep venous thrombosis.

Congenital anomalies of the inferior vena cava (IVC), although rare, are a risk factor for lower limb deep venous thrombosis (DVT). A 19-year-old male presented with a left flank and groin pain caused by iliofemoral venous thrombosis. Vascular imaging by computed tomography (CT) scanning and venography demonstrated agenesis of the IVC. Catheter-directed thrombolysis via a popliteal vein was attempted but did not alter the patency of the common femoral vein outflow collaterals into the retroperitoneal azygous venous system. The patient was anticoagulated using systemic heparin infusion and clinical symptoms resolved within 5 days. He was transitioned to oral Coumadin anticoagulation, and follow-up venous duplex testing demonstrated no infrainguinal DVT and phasic venous flow with respiration in the femoral vein indicating patent collateral veins. Anomalies of the IVC are present in 0.3-0.5% of otherwise healthy individuals. Agenesis of the IVC has an incidence of 0.0005-1% in the general population but is found in almost 5% of patients <30 years of age with unprovoked lower limb DVT. In adults, IVC agenesis anomaly can cause diagnostic problems in the paravertebral area because of the tumor-like appearance of the azygous venous collaterals on noncontrast CT imaging. In young adults presenting with unprovoked lower limb DVT, the presence of an IVC anomaly should be considered and evaluated for by venous duplex testing and if necessary CT venography.

Minorities struggle to advance in academic medicine: A 12-y review of diversity at the highest levels of America's teaching institutions.

BACKGROUND: Blacks, Hispanics, and women are underrepresented in academic medicine. This study sought to identify recent trends in the academic appointments of underrepresented groups at all levels of academic medicine. METHODS: This was a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of the Association of American Medical Colleges' data on faculty at U.S. medical schools from 1997 to 2008. The distribution across race and gender at different academic ranks (instructor, assistant professor, associate professor, and full professor) and the leadership positions of chairperson and dean were calculated for each year of the study. RESULTS: Averaged over the 12-y study period, whites accounted for 84.76% of professors, 88.26% of chairpersons, and 91.28% of deans. Asians represented 6.66% of professors, 3.52% of chairpersons, and 0% of deans. Blacks represented 1.25% of professors, 2.69% of chairpersons, and 4.94% of deans. Hispanics represented 2.76% of professors, 3.37% of chairpersons, and 2.91% of deans. Women represented 14.7% of professors, 9.2% of chairpersons, and 9.3% of deans. Overall, there was a net positive increase in the percentage of minority academic physicians in this study period, but at the current rate, it would take nearly 1000y for the proportion of black physicians to catch up to the percentage of African Americans in the general population. Additionally, year-by-year analysis demonstrates that there was a reduction in the percentage of each minority group for the last 2y of this study, in 2007 and 2008. CONCLUSIONS: Minorities, including Asian Americans, and women remain grossly underrepresented in academic medicine. Blacks have shown the least progress during this 12-y period. The disparity is greatest at the highest levels (professor, chairperson, and dean) of our field. We must redouble our efforts to recruit, retain, and advance minorities in academic medicine.

Interpretation of intraoperative arterial duplex ultrasound testing.

Intraoperative assessment of arterial repairs can be performed using angiography or ultrasound techniques. Duplex ultrasound is an accurate technique to image and assess the hemodynamics of repaired arteries using color and pulsed Doppler velocity spectra recordings. Procedure-specific interpretation criteria should be used to determine the technical adequacy of carotid artery endarterectomy, renal/visceral arterial repairs, and infrainguinal limb arterial bypass. The interpretation pathway for intraoperative assessment is detailed, focusing on transducer selection, imaging technique, and velocity spectra criteria for residual stenosis.

Notch3 signaling promotes the development of pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Notch receptor signaling is implicated in controlling smooth muscle cell proliferation and in maintaining smooth muscle cells in an undifferentiated state. Pulmonary arterial hypertension is characterized by excessive vascular resistance, smooth muscle cell proliferation in small pulmonary arteries, leading to elevation of pulmonary vascular resistance, right ventricular failure and death. Here we show that human pulmonary hypertension is characterized by overexpression of NOTCH3 in small pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells and that the severity of disease in humans and rodents correlates with the amount of NOTCH3 protein in the lung. We further show that mice with homozygous deletion of Notch3 do not develop pulmonary hypertension in response to hypoxic stimulation and that pulmonary hypertension can be successfully treated in mice by administration of N-[N-(3,5-difluorophenacetyl)-L-alanyl]-S-phenylglycine t-butyl ester (DAPT), a gamma-secretase inhibitor that blocks activation of Notch3 in smooth muscle cells. We show a mechanistic link from NOTCH3 receptor signaling through the Hairy and enhancer of Split-5 (HES-5) protein to smooth muscle cell proliferation and a shift to an undifferentiated smooth muscle cell phenotype. These results suggest that the NOTCH3-HES-5 signaling pathway is crucial for the development of pulmonary arterial hypertension and provide a target pathway for therapeutic intervention.