Consensus on Management of Deep Vein Thrombosis with Emphasis on NOACs (Non-Vitamin K Antagonist Oral Anticoagulants): Recommendations from Inter-Disciplinary Group of Indian Experts.

It is estimated that around 2.5 lac patients are identified as having an acute venous thrombo-embolic event in India annually. This includes patients with deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, and is estimated to result in more than 3.7 lacs deaths each year in European countries. The 'Consensus on Management of Deep Vein Thrombosis with Emphasis on NOACs (Non-Vitamin K Antagonist Oral Anticoagulants): Recommendations from Inter-Disciplinary Group of Indian Experts' position paper was developed to assist clinicians and institutions with an evidence-based approach to the diagnosis and treatment of acute deep vein thrombosis patients. Key to the evaluation of patients with suspected deep vein thrombosis is the use of the clinician's clinical evaluation with the help of pre-test probability tools as well as judicious use of objective diagnostic tests. Our hope is that we have supplemented clinicians' clinical acumen, and assisted them and their health systems in developing best practice approaches to this ever-interesting population of patients. The Deep Vein Thrombosis Consensus Working Group welcomes your inputs on how improvements might be made on this paper in the future.

Renal autotransplantation as savior in hybrid surgery for aortic aneurysm repair.

Renal autotransplantation is a safe and effective procedure to reconstruct the urinary tract. The current indications for autotransplantation include renal vascular disease, severe ureteral damage, tumours of the kidney and ureter, complex nephrolithiasis and retroperitoneal fibrosis. We report a rare case where we had to perform renal autotransplantation along with hybrid surgery for aortic aneurysm repair. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of its kind for this specific condition.

Non Surgical Management of Pseudoaneurysms.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of pseudoaneurysm has increased due to the large number of vascular procedures performed and the widespread use of anticoagulation therapy during procedures. Non-invasive methods for management of pseudoaneurysms comprise of ultrasound guided compression (USGC), thrombin therapy, arterial embolisation and endovascular stent graft insertion. We discuss our experience in the management of fourteen cases of pseudoaneurysms using non surgical techniques. METHODS: During a two year period, fourteen patients presenting with pseudoaneurysms of different regions were treated. RESULT: Of the fourteen patients, eleven were iatrogenic and three were attributable to trauma. There were six cases of pseudoaneurysms of the femoral artery following coronary angiography studies. One patient developed pseudoaneurysm of right popliteal artery after external fixation of fracture right tibia and fibula. Three cases of renal artery pseudoaneurysms occurred following percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL). The cases were evaluated using a varying combination of color doppler, multidetector computerised tomography (CT) and angiography. These cases were treated with ultrasound guided compression (USGC), stent graft and coil embolisation. The selection of method was based on the location and size of pseudoaneurysms besides the efficacy of the technique. USGC was performed in seven, of which six were in the femoral artery and one supraorbital. The technique was unsuccessful in three of the seven, wherein stent graft was deployed in the femoral artery. Coil embolisation was utilised in three cases of renal artery pseudoaneurysms following PCNL. CONCLUSION: Follow up with color doppler and CT angiography within a week, 6 and 12 months period showed successful regression of pseudoaneurysms in all cases.

Multidetector CT Evaluation in Arterial Stenting.

BACKGROUND: Multidetector CT (MDCT) represents breakthrough in CT technology, significantly improving CT Angiography applications. METHODS: Twenty one patients with aortoiliac & branch aneurysms or stenosis were evaluated by Digital Subtraction Angiography (DSA) and Multidetector CT (MDCT) before and after endovascular repair. RESULTS: There were eight cases of aortic & branch aneurysms and 13 with stenosis. Four cases had aortic aneurysms, while one case had left subclavian artery aneurysm, thoracic aneurysm, femoral and popliteal artery pseudoaneurysms. Of the 13 cases with stenotic lesions, iliac stenosis was seen in eight patients. The others included carotid, vertebral, aortic, renal and aortic bifurcation stenotic. MDCT offered accurate information on shape and size of aneurysm, shape and patency of graft, the presence or absence of perigraft thrombosis or endoleaks, while in stenotic lesions it provided useful information on shape of graft, its location, its patency and the presence and quantity of distal flow. CONCLUSION: MDCT was found to be a potentially useful modality during initial evaluation and follow up of patient undergoing endovascular repair.

Impact of Multidetector CT on 3D CT Angiography.

3D Computed Tomographic Angiography (CTA) is a noninvasive volumetric imaging technique increasingly used for evaluation of vascular system. The introduction of Multidetector CT (MDCT) has increased scanning speed, allowing shorter acquisition time, greater volume coverage and decreased contrast requirement while diminishing respiratory motion artifacts. Thin-slice collimation protocols are routinely used which generate isotropic 3D voxels that improve image quality. The ideal CTA study requires scanning at peak vascular enhancement for optimal opacification of arteries with separation of arteries and veins. MDCT has enabled complete lower extremity inflow and runoff studies with a single injection, as well as thin-section CTA covering the entirety of the Carotid arteries and Circle of Willis. Sixteen row MDCT has increased scanning speed further facilitating the development of novel applications such as coronary CTA. CTA when perfomed with MDCT offers a "one scan - many views" option useful in imaging vascular diseases. CTA has important advantages over conventional angiography, such as reduced risk, diminished time and better patient acceptance. With MDCT, 3D CTA is crossing vessel tortuosity and evaluation of vessel fragility.