Retrospective Case Control Matched Comparison of the Antegrade Versus Retrograde Strategy After Antegrade Recanalisation Failure in Complex de novo Femoropopliteal Occlusive Lesions.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate dissection severity, need for bailout stenting and limb outcomes in patients undergoing antegrade vs. retrograde revascularisation. METHODS: Consecutive patients who underwent either antegrade or retrograde revascularisation after failed antegrade recanalisation of long femoropopliteal chronic total occlusion (CTO) due to symptomatic peripheral artery disease between January 2017 and June 2022 were studied. Retrospective case control matching was used to adjust for lesion length and calcification using the peripheral artery calcification scoring system (PACSS). Procedural outcomes included severity of dissection (Type A to F dissections, numerically graded on a scale from 0 - 6 with increasing severity) after angioplasty and number and location of stents needed to be implanted during the index procedure. Additionally, clinically driven target lesion revascularisation (CD-TLR) and major (above ankle) amputation rates were assessed during follow up. RESULTS: A total of 180 patients were analysed who underwent antegrade (n = 90) or retrograde after failed antegrade (n = 90) recanalisation. The median patient age was 76.0 (interquartile range [IQR] 67.0, 82.0) years and 76 (42.2%) were female. Moreover, 78 patients (43.3%) had intermittent claudication, whereas 102 (56.7%) had chronic limb threatening ischaemia (CLTI). The mean lesion length was 30.0 (IQR 24.0, 36.0) cm with moderate to severe (3.0 [IQR 2.0, 4.0]) lesion calcification. Dissection severity after angioplasty was higher in the antegrade than retrograde after failed antegrade recanalisation group (4.0 [IQR 3.0, 4.0] vs. 3.0 [IQR 2.0, 4.0]; p < .001). Additionally, the number of stents in all segments and the rate of bailout stenting in popliteal segments was significantly higher with the antegrade strategy (2.0 [IQR 1.0, 3.0] vs. 1.0 [IQR 0, 2.0], p < .010; and 37% vs. 14%, p < .001). During a median follow up of 1.48 (IQR 0.63, 3.09) years, CD-TLR rates (p = .90) and amputation rates in patients with CLTI (p = .15) were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: In complex femoropopliteal CTOs, retrograde after failed antegrade recanalisation, is safe for endovascular revascularisation, which in experienced hands may result in less severe dissections and lower rates of stent placement. However, considering the relatively short follow up, CD-TLR and amputation rates were not statistically different between the two approaches. [German Clinical Trials Register: DRKS00015277.].

Gastrobronchial fistula after toothbrush ingestion.

Gastrobronchial fistulous communications are uncommon complications of disease processes with only 36 previously reported cases. Described as complication of a number of conditions, such as previous gastroesophageal surgery, subphrenic abscess, and gastric ulcers (Jha P, Deiraniya A, Keeling-Robert C, et al. Gastrobronchial fistula--a recent series. Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Sur 2003;2:6-8), we report a case of fistulization caused by ingestion of a foreign body. A patient with mental retardation, admitted for the treatment of osteomyelitis, presented during hospitalization symptoms of high fever, vomiting, and respiratory distress. Endoscopy showed the presence of a gastrobronchial fistula, which developed after ingestion of a toothbrush. The toothbrush was extracted endoscopically, and the fistula was subsequently closed by surgery. The patient recovered completely. We report the first case of a gastrobronchial fistula as a complication of foreign body ingestion.