Outcomes of Preferential Early Carotid Endarterectomy following Recent Stroke.

BACKGROUND: With the risk of recurrent ischemic stroke being highest in the first week following transient ischemic attack or stroke, the current guidelines of "early" endarterectomy within 2 weeks still leave potential vulnerability for patients with a significant bifurcation lesion and a new stroke. The intent of this analysis is to determine the safety of carotid endarterectomy even earlier than the current guidelines, based on a single surgeon experience of more than 12 years. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Although there has been a progressive movement toward earlier intervention following acute ischemic stroke in the presence of a culprit bifurcation lesion, most of the recommendations still are for performance of endarterectomy within two weeks following the event. This compression is welcome but given that the risk of recurrent stroke is highest within the first week following stroke, there is a reason to evaluate an earlier time frame for carotid endarterectomy (CEA). METHODS: A retrospective review of all CEA performed by a single surgeon over a 12-year period was performed. Patient demographics, Modified Rankin score (mRS) whenever documented, degree of internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis, and preoperative neurologic symptoms were recorded. The 30-day outcomes including stroke, transient ischemic attack, death, and other major complications were tabulated. RESULTS: A total of 444 patients (mean age 74 ± 10.1) underwent a total of 465 CEAs. Two hundred and twenty-eight (49%) CEAs were for a symptomatic disease: of these, 194 had a documented stroke. One hundred and eighty-one stroke patients (93%) underwent CEA within 72 hr and the remaining 13 patients within 5 days. Of the stroke cohort, for whom the mRS was available, the mean preCEA mRS was 3.4. One patient in the stroke cohort had a postoperative stroke (0.5%, 1/194). In the total CEA cohort, there were 3 total postoperative strokes (0.6%, 3/465). There was one death in the total cohort (0.2%). The mean operative time was 45 min ± 4 min. CONCLUSIONS: Early CEA for recurrent stroke prevention can be performed safely, at an earlier time frame than current recommendations. Given the safety of early CEA and the risk of recurrent stroke, CEA for stroke is best done early with no additional increase in morbidity or mortality.

iCAST Balloon-Expandable Covered Stent for Iliac Artery Lesions: 3-Year Results from the iCARUS Multicenter Study.

PURPOSE: To evaluate safety and effectiveness of the iCAST Covered Stent for treatment of iliac artery atherosclerotic lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The iCARUS trial (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00593385) was a single-arm, prospective, multicenter study that enrolled 152 per protocol subjects at 25 sites in the United States and Germany. Subjects with multiple lesions and/or stents were eligible. The primary endpoint was the composite rate of death within 30 days, target lesion revascularization (TLR) within 9 months, or restenosis at 9 months after procedure. Secondary endpoints included major adverse vascular events (MAVEs), primary patency, freedom from TLR, and clinical success. RESULTS: Device and acute procedural success were achieved in 98.7% and 92.7% of cases, respectively. MAVE rate was 4.6% at 30 days. The 9-month primary composite endpoint rate was 8.1% (10/123), which was below the performance goal of 16.57%. Nine-month primary patency, defined as continuous flow without revascularization, bypass, or target limb amputation, was 96.4%. Freedom from TLR at 9 months and 3 years was 97.2% and 86.6%, respectively. Early clinical success was seen in 88.7% of subjects at 30 days with sustained clinical benefit in 72.4% of subjects at 3 years. CONCLUSIONS: The iCARUS study demonstrated that the iCAST Covered Stent was safe and effective for treatment of atherosclerotic iliac artery lesions with sustained clinical benefit out to 3 years.

Staged Definitive Repair after Carotid Blowout: A Case Report.

Carotid blowout syndrome is a highly morbid complication of head and neck cancer. We present the case of a 51-year-old woman with common carotid artery blowout, initially temporized with an endovascular stent graft and ultimately reconstructed using autologous superficial femoral artery. The patient recovered without sequelae and continues to be asymptomatic at 1 year. We present the modern hybrid management of this complex case.

Successful Reconstruction of Asymptomatic Bilateral External Carotid Artery Aneurysms.

True aneurysms of the external carotid artery (ECA) are extremely rare with an unknown incidence and natural history. We present the successful operative management of an asymptomatic 65-year-old man found to have bilateral internal carotid artery stenosis and bilateral ECA aneurysms. His bilateral carotid arteries were reconstructed with bifurcated interposition grafts in a staged fashion. The patient recovered without sequelae and continues to be asymptomatic 1 year after reconstruction. We present the operative management of this rare case.

Racial disparities in outcomes of endovascular procedures for peripheral arterial disease: an evaluation of California hospitals, 2005-2009.

BACKGROUND: Racial/ethnic disparities in treatment outcomes of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) are well documented. Compared with non-Hispanic (NH) whites, blacks and Hispanics are more likely to undergo amputation and less likely to undergo bypass surgery for limb salvage. Endovascular procedures are being increasingly performed as first line of therapy for PAD. In this study, we examined the outcomes of endovascular PAD treatments based on race/ethnicity in a contemporary large population-based study. METHODS: We used Patient Discharge Data from California's Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development to identify all patients over the age of 35 who underwent a lower extremity arterial intervention from 2005 to 2009. A look-back period of 5 years was used to exclude all patients with prior lower extremity arterial revascularization procedures or major amputation. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to compare amputation-free survival and time to death within 365 days. Logistic regression was used for comparison of 1-month myocardial infarction, 1-month major amputation, 1-month all-cause mortality, 12-month major amputation, 12-month reintervention, and 12-month all-cause mortality rates among NH white, black, and Hispanic patients. These analyses were adjusted for age, gender, insurance status, severity of PAD, comorbidities, history of coronary artery angioplasty or bypass surgery, or history of carotid endarterectomy. RESULTS: Between 2005 and 2009, a total of 41,507 individuals underwent PAD interventions, 25,635 (61.7%) of whom underwent endovascular procedures. There were 17,433 (68%) NH whites, 4,417 (17.2%) Hispanics, 1,979 (7.7%) blacks, 1,163 (4.5%) Asian/Native Hawaiians, and 643 (2.5%) others in this group. There was a statistically significant difference in the amputation-free survival within 365 days among the NH white, Hispanic, and black groups (P < 0.0001); the hazard ratio for amputation within 365 days was 1.69 in Hispanics (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.51-1.90, P < 0.0001) and 1.68 in blacks (95% CI 1.44-1.96, P < 0.001) compared with NH whites following endovascular procedures after adjusting for age, gender, insurance status, comorbidities, severity of PAD, history of coronary artery angioplasty or bypass surgery, or history of carotid endarterectomy. After adjusting for the aforementioned confounders, the first reintervention within 12 months was also significantly associated with race/ethnicity (P = 0.002). Odds ratio for reintervention was 1.17 in blacks (95% CI 1.06-1.30, P = 0.002) and 1.084 in Hispanics (95% CI 1.00-1.16, P = 0.04) compared with NH whites. CONCLUSIONS: In this contemporary large population-based study, we demonstrated that even among matched cohorts Hispanics and blacks have worse amputation-free survival than NH whites following endovascular therapy. Our study also found that Hispanics and blacks are more likely to undergo lower extremity arterial reinterventions than NH whites. Further research is crucial in understanding if higher reintervention rates in Hispanics and blacks are because of more severe disease and/or poor access to proper follow-up care and optimal medical management.

Optical molecular imaging detects changes in extracellular pH with the development of head and neck cancer.

Noninvasive localized measurement of extracellular pH in cancer tissues can have a significant impact on the management of cancer. Despite its significance, there are limited approaches for rapid and noninvasive measurement of local pH in a clinical environment. In this study, we demonstrate the potential of noninvasive topical delivery of Alexa-647 labeled pHLIP (pH responsive peptide conjugated with Alexa Fluor(®) 647) to image changes in extracellular pH associated with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma using widefield and high resolution imaging. We report a series of preclinical analyses to evaluate the optical contrast achieved after topical delivery of Alexa-647 labeled pHLIP in intact fresh human tissue specimens using widefield and high-resolution fluorescence imaging. Using topical delivery, Alexa-647 labeled pHLIP can be rapidly delivered throughout the epithelium of intact tissues with a depth exceeding 700 µm. Following labeling with Alexa-647 labeled pHLIP, the mean fluorescent contrast increased four to eight fold higher in clinically abnormal tissues as compared to paired clinically normal biopsies. Furthermore, the imaging approach showed significant differences in fluorescence contrast between the cancer and the normal biopsies across diverse patients and different anatomical sites (unpaired comparison). The fluorescence contrast differences between clinically abnormal and normal tissues were in agreement with the pathologic evaluation. Topical application of fluorescently labeled pHLIP can detect and differentiate normal from cancerous tissues using both widefield and high resolution imaging. This technology will provide an effective tool to assess tumor margins during surgery and improve detection and prognosis of head and neck cancer.

Use of open and endovascular surgical techniques to manage vascular injuries in the trauma setting: A review of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma PROspective Observational Vascular Injury Trial registry.

BACKGROUND: Vascular trauma data have been submitted to the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma PROspective Observational Vascular Injury Trial (PROOVIT) database since 2013. We present data to describe current use of endovascular surgery in vascular trauma. METHODS: Registry data from March 2013 to December 2016 were reviewed. All trauma patients who had an injury to a named artery, except the forearm and lower leg, were included. Arteries were grouped into anatomic regions and by compressible and noncompressible region for analysis. This review focused on patients with noncompressible transection, partial transection, or flow-limiting defect injuries. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to assess the relationships between study variables. RESULTS: One thousand one hundred forty-three patients from 22 institutions were included. Median age was 32 years (interquartile range, 23-48) and 76% (n = 871) were male. Mechanisms of injury were 49% (n = 561) blunt, 41% (n = 464) penetrating, and 1.8% (n = 21) of mixed aetiology. Gunshot wounds accounted for 73% (n = 341) of all penetrating injuries. Endovascular techniques were used least often in limb trauma and most commonly in patients with blunt injuries to more than one region. Penetrating wounds to any region were preferentially treated with open surgery (74%, n = 341/459). The most common indication for endovascular treatment was blunt noncompressible torso injuries. These patients had higher Injury Severity Scores and longer associated hospital stays, but required less packed red blood cells, and had lower in hospital mortality than those treated with open surgery. On multivariate analysis, admission low hemoglobin concentration and abdominal injury were independent predictors of mortality. CONCLUSION: Our review of PROOVIT registry data demonstrates a high utilization of endovascular therapy among severely injured blunt trauma patients primarily with noncompressible torso hemorrhage. This is associated with a decreased need for blood transfusion and improved survival despite longer length of stay. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic/care management, level III.

Systemic anticoagulation in the setting of vascular extremity trauma.

INTRODUCTION: There is conflicting data regarding if patients with vascular extremity trauma who undergo surgical treatment need to be systematically anticoagulated. We hypothesized that intraoperative systemic anticoagulation (ISA) decreased the risk of repair thrombosis or limb amputation after traumatic vascular injury of the extremities. METHODS: We analyzed a composite risk of repair thrombosis and/or limb amputation (RTLA) between patients who did and did not undergo ISA during arterial injury repair. Patient data was collected in the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma PROspective Vascular Injury Treatment (PROOVIT) registry. This registry contains demographic, diagnostic, treatment, and outcome data. RESULTS: Between February 2013 and August 2015, 193 patients with upper or lower extremity arterial injuries who underwent open operative repair were entered into the PROOVIT registry. The majority were male (87%) with a mean age of 32.6 years (range 4-91) and 74% injured by penetrating mechanism. 63% of the injuries were described as arterial transection and 37% had concomitant venous injury. 62% of patients underwent ISA. RTLA occurred in 22 patients (11%) overall, with no significant difference in these outcomes between patients who received ISA and those that did not (10% vs. 14%, p=0.6). There was, however, significantly higher total blood product use noted among patients treated with ISA versus those that did not receive ISA (median 3 units vs. 1 unit, p=0.002). Patients treated with ISA also stayed longer in the ICU (median 3days vs. 1day, p=0.001) and hospital (median 9.5days vs. 6days, p=0.01). DISCUSSION: In this multicenter prospective cohort, intraoperative systemic anticoagulation was not associated with a difference in rate of repair thrombosis or limb loss; but was associated with an increase in blood product requirements and prolonged hospital stay. Our data suggest there is no significant difference in outcome to support use of ISA for repair of traumatic arterial injuries.

The mangled extremity score and amputation: Time for a revision.

BACKGROUND: The Mangled Extremity Severity Score (MESS) was developed 25 years ago in an attempt to use the extent of skeletal and soft tissue injury, limb ischemia, shock, and age to predict the need for amputation after extremity injury. Subsequently, there have been mixed reviews as to the use of this score. We hypothesized that the MESS, when applied to a data set collected prospectively in modern times, would not correlate with the need for amputation. METHODS: We applied the MESS to patient data collected in the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma PROspective Vascular Injury Treatment registry. This registry contains prospectively collected demographic, diagnostic, treatment, and outcome data. RESULTS: Between 2013 and 2015, 230 patients with lower extremity arterial injuries were entered into the PROspective Vascular Injury Treatment registry. Most were male with a mean age of 34 years (range, 4-92 years) and a blunt mechanism of injury at a rate of 47.4%. A MESS of 8 or greater was associated with a longer stay in the hospital (median, 22.5 (15, 29) vs 12 (6, 21); p = 0.006) and intensive care unit (median, 6 (2, 13) vs 3 (1, 6); p = 0.03). Of the patients' limbs, 81.3% were ultimately salvaged (median MESS, 4 (3, 5)), and 18.7% required primary or secondary amputation (median MESS, 6 (4, 8); p < 0.001). However, after controlling for confounding variables including mechanism of injury, degree of arterial injury, injury severity score, arterial location, and concomitant injuries, the MESS between salvaged and amputated limbs was no longer significantly different. Importantly, a MESS of 8 predicted in-hospital amputation in only 43.2% of patients. CONCLUSION: Therapeutic advances in the treatment of vascular, orthopedic, neurologic, and soft tissue injuries have reduced the diagnostic accuracy of the MESS in predicting the need for amputation. There remains a significant need to examine additional predictors of amputation following severe extremity injury. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prospective, prognostic study, level III.

Arterial thoracic outlet syndrome: rare and triggering.

Arterial thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) is the least common type of TOS. Patient's symptoms, clinical examination and duplex ultrasonography usually suffice in deciding patient's management. Our proposed treatment strategies are based on the Scher classification. The choice of the procedure and approach should depend on surgeon's experience and need for arterial reconstruction.

Arterial thoracic outlet syndrome: rare and triggering.

Arterial thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) is the least common type of TOS. Patient's symptoms, clinical examination and duplex ultrasonography usually suffice in deciding patient's management. Our proposed treatment strategies are based on the Scher classification. The choice of the procedure and approach should depend on surgeon's experience and need for arterial reconstruction.

Widefield optical imaging of changes in uptake of glucose and tissue extracellular pH in head and neck cancer.

The overall objective of this study was to develop an optical imaging approach to simultaneously measure altered cell metabolism and changes in tissue extracellular pH with the progression of cancer using clinically isolated biopsies. In this study, 19 pairs of clinically normal and abnormal biopsies were obtained from consenting patients with head and neck cancer at University of California, Davis Medical Center. Fluorescence intensity of tissue biopsies before and after topical delivery of 2-NBDG (2-[N-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl)amino]-2-deoxy-D-glucose) and Alexa 647-pHLIP [pH (low) insertion peptide] was measured noninvasively by widefield imaging, and correlated with pathologic diagnosis. The results of widefield imaging of clinical biopsies demonstrated that 2-NBDG and pHLIP peptide can accurately distinguish the pathologically normal and abnormal biopsies. The results also demonstrated the potential of this approach to detect subepithelial lesions. Topical application of the contrast agents generated a significant increase in fluorescence contrast (3- to 4-fold) in the cancer biopsies as compared with the normal biopsies, irrespective of the patient and location of the biopsy within a head and neck cavity. This unpaired comparison across all the patients with cancer in this study highlights the specificity of the imaging approach. Furthermore, the results of this study indicated that changes in intracellular glucose metabolism and cancer acidosis are initiated in the early stages of cancer, and these changes are correlated with the progression of the disease. In conclusion, this novel optical molecular imaging approach to measure multiple biomarkers in cancer has a significant potential to be a useful tool for improving early detection and prognostic evaluation of oral neoplasia.

High-resolution optical molecular imaging of changes in choline metabolism in oral neoplasia.

This study was aimed at developing an optical molecular imaging approach to measure differences in uptake and intracellular retention of choline in clinically isolated tissue biopsies from head and neck cancer patients. An optically detectable analogue of choline (propargyl choline) was synthesized and evaluated in 2D and 3D models and clinically isolated paired biopsies (n = 22 biopsies). Fluorescence contrast between clinically abnormal and normal tissues based on uptake and intracellular retention of propargyl choline was measured and correlated with pathologic diagnosis. Results in 2D and 3D models demonstrated a rapid uptake of propargyl choline in cancer cells, uniform permeation in tissue models, and specific detection of intracellular entrapped propargyl choline using the click chemistry reaction with an azide-modified Alexa 488 dye. Fluorescence imaging measurements following topical delivery of propargyl choline in clinically isolated biopsies showed that the mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) of neoplastic tissues was four-fold to five-fold higher than the MFI of clinically and pathologically normal samples. This difference in fluorescence contrast was measured on the basis of comparison of paired biopsy sets isolated from individual patients as well as comparison of clinically abnormal and normal biopsies independent of anatomic locations in the head and neck cavity and across diverse patients. In conclusion, a novel imaging approach based on monoalkyne-modified choline was developed and validated using cell and tissue models. Results in clinically isolated tissue biopsies demonstrate a significant fluorescent contrast between neoplastic and normal tissues and illustrate high specificity of the optical imaging approach.