Pave and Pop: A novel addition to the endovascular treatment of hemodialysis access aneurysms.

BACKGROUND: Hemodialysis access sites can be complicated by both true and false aneurysms with significant potential morbidity. Aneurysms have traditionally been treated by a variety of surgical methods. Less commonly, endovascular treatment with stent graft placement has been used as an alternative to open surgery. METHODS: Four patients with symptomatic aneurysmal disease in the hemodialysis access site were treated. All patients had stent grafts (SGs) placed across the diseased segment. Once the diseased segment was excluded, blood was drained from the aneurysm with an 18 g needle. All patients were seen in clinic at 1- and 3-months post procedure. RESULTS: All patients were able to receive adequate hemodialysis post procedure. Two patients were cannulated via the SG after 1 month. No aneurysm refilling was seen. No SG infections or fractures were seen. CONCLUSION: A novel addition to the endovascular treatment of aneurysmal disease in hemodialysis patients is described, that both excludes the aneurysm and drains it, providing improvement in the aesthetic appearance of the access site.

In-thrombus thrombin secretion: a new diagnostic marker of atrial fibrillation in cryptogenic stroke.

BACKGROUND: Endovascularly retrieved clots are a potential resource for diagnosing stroke etiology, which may influence secondary prevention treatment. In this study we measured thrombin activity eluted by serially washing clots. METHODS: Clots were retrieved from 68 patients with acute ischemic stroke, freshly frozen and classified by standard criteria into proven atrial fibrillation (AF, 18 patients), atherosclerotic origin (AS, 15 patients), cryptogenic stroke (Cr, 17 patients) and other known causes (18 patients). Thawed clot samples were washed by transferring them into 1 mL buffer in seven hourly cycles and a fluorescent substrate assay was used to measure secreted thrombin activity. The clots were also examined histologically. Artificial fibrin and red blood cell-rich clots were similarly assayed for wash-eluted thrombin activity as an external control. RESULTS: Thrombin activity eluted from clots of AF origin decreased significantly with time in contrast to steady levels eluted from AS origin thrombi (P<0.0001 by repeated measures ANOVA). The Cr stroke group was indistinguishable from the AF group and differed statistically from the AS group (P=0.017 by repeated measures ANOVA). In artificial clots we found a biphasic activity pattern, with initially decreasing levels of eluted thrombin (AF pattern) and then, with continuing washes, steady eluted thrombin levels (AS pattern). CONCLUSIONS: An assay measuring the change in thrombin in clots retrieved during acute stroke endovascular thrombectomy procedures may serve as a diagnostic marker of the origin of the clot. The suggested mechanism for these differences may be the clot location before its retrieval, with high blood flow causing thrombin washout in atherosclerotic clots, in contrast to atrium appendage low blood flow retaining high thrombin levels.

Inguinal lymphadenopathy as a predicting factor for ipsilateral primary limb amputation after a successful endovascular treatment.

PURPOSE: To assess the correlation between inguinal lymph node characteristics and ipsilateral limb amputation rates in patients with ischemic foot ulcers after a successful endovascular treatment. METHOD: A retrospective review of patients who were endovascularly treated for ischemic foot ulcers between January 2015 and May 2017. Technical success was defined as arterial recanalization with stenosis less than 30 % and ankle brachial index improvement by > 0.2 after 24 h. Unilateral lymph node size, contrast enhancement, necrosis, and perinodular fat stranding were assessed on pre-procedural CTA. Primary endpoints were amputation and sepsis within 12 months following treatment. The relationship between lymph node characteristics and limb amputation and septic shock were examined. RESULTS: Endovascular treatment of 202 limbs in 202 patients (135 males; median age 72.8 years [42.2-93.7]) was technically successful. Forty-two (20.8 %) patients underwent amputation, six (3 %) patients had septic shock. There was a significant difference in lymph node sizes between the amputated and the non-amputated limbs (P = 0.000). Lymph node characteristics (size, enhancement, necrosis, and perinodular fat stranding) were significantly related to amputation (P < 0.001). Patients with perinodular fat stranding or increased node size were 5.940 and 1.109 times more likely to undergo limb amputation, respectively. Lymph node characteristics were also significantly related to septic shock (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Certain lymph node characteristics are associated with amputation in patients with ischemic foot ulcers, after a technically successful endovascular treatment of the limb. Large lymph node size and perinodular fat stranding are predictive of limb amputation.