Mechanical thrombectomy in patients with deep venous thrombosis.

PURPOSE: To report our experience with mechanical thrombectomy in proximal deep vein thrombosis (DVT). METHODS: Eighteen patients with a mean (+/- SD) age of 37.6 +/- 16.1 years who presented with DVT in the iliac and femoral vein (n = 3), inferior vena cava (n = 5), or inferior vena cava and iliac vein (n = 10), were treated with the Amplatz Thrombectomy Device after insertion of a temporary caval filter. RESULTS: Successful recanalization was achieved in 15 of 18 patients (83%). Overall, the percentage of thrombus removed was 66 +/- 29%: 73 +/- 30% at caval level and 55 +/- 36% at iliofemoral level. Complementary interventions (seven patients) were balloon angioplasty (n = 2), angioplasty and stenting (n = 2), thrombo-aspiration alone (n = 1), thrombo-aspiration, balloon angioplasty, and permanent filter (n = 1), and permanent filter alone (n = 1). There was one in-hospital death. Follow-up was obtained at a mean of 29.6 months; three patients had died (two cancers, one myocardial infarction); 10 had no or minimal sequelae; one had post-phlebitic limb. CONCLUSION: Mechanical thrombectomy is a potential therapeutic option in patients presenting with proximal DVT.

Free-floating thrombi in the right heart: diagnosis, management, and prognostic indexes in 38 consecutive patients.

BACKGROUND: Floating right heart thrombi (FRHTS) are a rare phenomenon, encountered almost exclusively in patients with suspected or proven pulmonary embolism and diagnosed by transthoracic echocardiography. Their management remains controversial. METHODS AND RESULTS: We report on a series of 38 consecutive patients encountered over the past 12 years. Thirty-two patients were in NYHA class IV, 20 in cardiogenic shock. Echocardiography usually demonstrated signs of cor pulmonale: right ventricular overload (91.7% of the population), paradoxical interventricular septal motion (75%), and pulmonary hypertension (86. 1%). The thrombus was typically wormlike (36 of 38 patients). It extended from the left atrium through a patent foramen ovale in 4 patients. Pulmonary embolism was confirmed in all but 1. Mortality was high (17 of 38 patients) irrespective of the therapeutic option chosen: surgery (8 of 17), thrombolytics (2 of 9), heparin (5 of 8), or interventional percutaneous techniques (2 of 4). The in-hospital mortality rate was significantly linked with the occurrence of cardiac arrest. Conversely, the outcome after discharge was usually good, because 18 of 21 patients were still alive 47.2 months later (range, 1 to 70 months). CONCLUSIONS: Severe pulmonary embolism was the rule in our series of FRHTS (mortality rate, 44.7%). The choice of therapy had no effect on mortality. Emergency surgery is usually advocated. However, thrombolysis is a faster, readily available treatment and seems promising either as the only treatment or as a bridge to surgery. In patients with contraindications to surgery or lytic therapy, interventional techniques may be proposed.

[Pheochromocytoma simulating myocardial infarct. Apropos of a case]. / Phéochromocytome simulant un infarctus du myocarde. A propos d'un cas.

The authors report the case of a pheochromocytoma in a 67 year old man in whom the initial clinical presentation suggested myocardial infarction. Pheochromocytoma is usually an adrenal tumour with a very variable clinical symptomatology. It is very rare for cardiac disease to be a presenting symptom. The diagnosis was suggested by major blood pressure abnormalities occurring after starting medical treatment for infarction. Pheochromocytomas may cause serious cardiovascular disorders. The diagnosis must be suspected in the presence of atypical signs, an essential requirement to reduce the mortality of the disease.

Right atrial thrombi: percutaneous mechanical thrombectomy.

The current therapeutic options for right atrial thrombi-surgical embolectomy and thrombolysis-are associated with high mortality and such patients often have contraindications to these therapeutic options. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of endovascular right atrial embolectomy. Two patients with contraindications to thrombolysis and surgery were treated by a femoral approach. A catheter was placed in the right atrium, under fluoroscopic control, and a basket device was used to trap the thrombus. The location and extent of the thrombus was established before the procedure by transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) and the procedure was performed with TEE and fluoroscopy. Thrombi were withdrawn in the basket into the inferior vena cava (IVC) and a filter was inserted by a jugular approach and positioned in the IVC, just above the thrombi. The basket was removed leaving the thrombus below the filter. One patient died immediately after the procedure. In conclusion, endovascular extraction of right atrial thrombi may represent a potential therapeutic alternative, particularly in patients with contraindications to thrombolysis and surgery.

[Mobile thrombi of the right heart in pulmonary embolism]. / Thrombus mobiles des cavités droites dans l'embolie pulmonaire.

Systematic transthoracic echocardiography in all cases of pulmonary embolism may demonstrate right heart thrombi. The results of this monocentric series of 28 consecutive cases observed between 1987 and 1996 were analysed. Twenty-four patients were in NYHA Class IV: thirteen were in cardiogenic shock. Echocardiographic signs of acute cor pulmonale were usually observed: 96.3% of patients had right ventricular dilatation, 85.2% paradoxical interventricular septal motion, 88.9% pulmonary hypertension. The thrombus was typical serpentine (27/28 cases) arising from the lower limb veins. Passage into the left heart chambers through a patent foramen ovale was observed in 3 cases. Pulmonary embolism was confirmed in all cases. This is an extreme therapeutic emergency and 13 patients (46.4%) died despite treatment: surgery (7/16), thrombolysis (2/5), heparin (3/4) or interventional radiology (1/3). After the acute phase, the prognosis was generally good, as demonstrated by the 100% survival rate at 28.6 +/- 25 months. This study confirms the gravity of mobile right heart thrombi in pulmonary embolism. The diagnosis is echocardiographic. No significant difference in mortality was observed between the different therapeutic approaches used in this series. The echocardiographic finding of these thrombi is a traditional indication for emergency surgical embolectomy. Thrombolysis is rapid and readily available and seems to provide promising results alone or before surgery. In patients with contraindications to thrombolysis, interventional radiology or simple heparin therapy may be proposed.

[Fissuration of thoracic aneurysm in Horton disease, favourable course after surgery]. / Fissuration d'un anévrysme thoracique au cours d'une maladie de Horton, évolution favorable après chirurgie.

The authors report another case of rupture of the thoracic aorta in Giant Cell arteritis. The progressive nature of the rupture enabled life-saving aortic replacement with a vascular prosthesis. Only one previous report of this type of operation was found in a search of the literature. The prevalence of aortitis in Giant Cell arteritis would appear to be underestimated after autopsy studies. It affects the thoracic aorta mainly in the ascending segment but sometimes involves the whole aorta. It may remain asymptomatic or be complicated by arterial occlusion, aortic regurgitation, aneurysm, dissection or rupture. Effective steroid therapy could prevent these complications.

[Acute rheumatoid aortic insufficiency treated by valve replacement. Apropos of a case]. / Insuffisance aortique aiguë rhumatoïde traitée par un remplacement valvulaire. A propos d'un cas.

Rheumatoid valvular heart disease and aortic valve replacement for a rheumatoid lesion have been previously reported in the literature. The authors report the first case of emergency surgery for acute aortic regurgitation due to necrosis and rupture of a rheumatoid granuloma: the anatomopathological lesions observed were patholognomic.