Mycotic arterial aneurysm secondary to BCG intravesical instillation: A review.

OBJECTIVE: Mycotic aortic aneurysm is a rare and life-threatening pathology. The first case of mycotic aneurysm induced by immunotherapy with bacille Calmette-Guérin for malignancy was published in 1988. The main objective of this review is to characterize this rare pathology. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Since then, 60 cases of arterial aneurysm following intra vesical BCG instillation have been described in the literature. All cases have been included, and characteristics have been collected retrospectively, with simple statistical analyses of the cases. RESULTS: We present a brief review from 1988 to 2022 enhancing the contemporary understanding of this arterial infection. Mycotic aneurysm secondary to BCG instillation has a poor prognosis, up to 50% complication and 15% mortality at 1 month, whether managed by open repair or endovascular means. CONCLUSION: BCG mycotic aneurysm is an extremely serious condition, the diagnosis of which must be considered at an early stage in order to adapt diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

[Retrospective analysis of vascular complications in renal allograft after five years: single center study]. / Analyse monocentrique et rétrospective des complications vasculaires de la transplantation rénale sur cinq années.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to evaluate frequency and management of vascular complications in renal allograft. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed retrospective analysis of patients who underwent renal allograft from 2001 to 2006 at our university hospital center. In order to access peri- and postoperative vascular complications, data were also obtained from donors and receivers, as well as organ procurement and renal transplant procedure. RESULTS: One hundred and seventy-nine files were analyzed with a median follow-up of 40 months, mean age of donors was 40.4+/-11.2 years and 46.01+/-10.6 years for receivers. Seventy-two allograft patients had at least one vascular complication, with 32 cases of renal arterial stenosis, 28 cases of hematoma with surgical exploration required in seven cases, four cases of arterial thrombosis, two cases of venous thrombosis and one arterial dissection. Our series underlines that tobacco abuse in donors is a risk factor for vascular complication (p=0.043), as well as glomerular nephropathy (p=0.0185), coagulopathy (p=0.0165) and hemodialysis (p=0.02) are risk factors for receivers. Multiple arteries in renal allograft (p=0.03) and calcification on aortic patch (p=0.0274) would present a greater risk of postoperative complications. Our results demonstrate that the following parameters i.e., postoperative transfusion (p=0.011), heparin therapy (p=0.0085), immunosuppression (p=0.0478), and peri-operative aminovasopressive drugs (p=0.086) could also be implicated in vascular complication occurrence. CONCLUSION: A careful selection of donors remains a major factor for renal allograft quality, however arterial evaluation and coagulopathy detection in receivers must also be performed prior to transplantation procedure. A multidisciplinary approach (nephrologist, urologist, anesthesist) will optimize vascular ischemia delay and also reduce early and late vascular complications, which could have possible consequences on renal allograft and patient survival.

A case of a 15-year evolution of a coral reef aortic lesion.

We are reporting here the 15-year history of a patient affected by a chronic and evolutive coral reef aorta successfully treated by repeated revascularization.

[Infectious or inflammatory aortitis? One case report]. / Aortite infectieuse ou inflammatoire ? A propos d'un cas.

INTRODUCTION: The infectious or inflammatory nature of an aortitis is difficult to assert because the microbiological results are often negative. The development of an aneurysm under treatment is rare, but requires a change in the therapeutic strategy and the etiologic diagnosis needs to be discussed again. EXEGESIS: We report the case of a 69-year-old woman treated by corticotherapy for an aortitis thought to be inflammatory, who required emergency surgery when a dissected aneurysm appeared. The peroperative samples were positive to Streptococcus pneumoniae using polymerase chain reaction and allowed a change of the diagnosis. The patient evolved favorably under antibiotic therapy. CONCLUSION: The decision to treat an aortitis by corticotherapy must be made with caution even if the microbiological tests are negative.

[Interest of D-lactate as a colic hypoperfusion marker during aortic abdominal aneurysm surgery]. / Intérêt du D-lactate comme marqueur de l'hypoperfusion colique lors de la chirurgie des anévrismes de l'aorte abdominale.

OBJECTIVE: D-lactate is the dextrogyre form of the lactate usually measured in intensive care. Its bacterial origin should make it a marker of translocation during gut ischemia. The aim was to test D-lactate as a postoperative marker of colic hypoperfusion measured during aortic surgery. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective observational cohort study. PATIENTS AND MEASUREMENTS: Patients operated for abdominal aortic aneurysm. Two groups were stratified on inferior mesenteric arterial residual pressure (IMArP) measured during the surgery: Colic hypoperfusion during surgery (CHs) group: patients with an IMArP < 40 mmHg. CONTROL GROUP: patients with an IMArP > or = 40 mmHg. Baseline data such as age, duration of aortic clamping and severity score (IGS II) were collected. The D-lactate was measured in postoperative at admission time in ICU and then daily. D-lactate(max) defined the maximum value of D-lactate for one patient. MAIN RESULTS: Twenty-nine patients were included, 23 in the control group and 6 in the CHs group. Groups were comparable at baseline. D-lactate(max) was significantly higher in the CHs group (median: 0.13 mmol/l; min-max: 0.03-0.9 mmol/l) than in the control group (0.03; 0-0.26 mmol/l, p=0.007). CONCLUSION: D-lactate could be postoperative marker of colic hypoperfusion measured during surgery for abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Effect of converting enzyme inhibition on allograft-induced arterial wall injury and response.

Converting enzyme inhibition (CEI) can prevent myointimal proliferation after arterial wall balloon injury. Because intimal proliferation is the main long-term complication of chronic vascular rejection, we tested the effect of CEI (perindopril, 1 mg/kg twice a day) on arterial rejection-induced intimal proliferation, using a model of aortic allograft in normotensive Wistar-Kyoto and spontaneously hypertensive rats. Eight-week-old rats were grafted and studied 2 months later. The structural parameters of the transplanted aortic wall were measured by morphometric analysis of specifically stained, formol-fixed sections. CEI did not prevent adventitial inflammatory infiltration but significantly increased the number of living cells and prevented the partial destruction of elastic laminae in the media, thereby increasing medial thickness to close to that of sham-operated controls. CEI significantly decreased intimal thickness and intimal collagen density, without changing the absolute number of intimal smooth muscle cells. The intimal thickness and the intimal collagen density were significantly correlated with the effect of CEI on blood pressure. CEI partially prevented the consequences of immune injury to the media within the arterial wall, probably by suppressing the proinflammatory activity of angiotensin II. It also decreased the recipient arterial wall response by acting more on the trophicity of intimal cells and on their ability to produce collagen rather than by directly inhibiting smooth muscle cell proliferation in our model of arterial allograft.

Effect of perindopril on the immune arterial wall remodeling in the rat model of arterial graft rejection.

A model of arterial graft arteriosclerosis is described in which arterial wall immune injury was induced by grafting segments of abdominal aorta between two histologically incompatible strains of rats. The effect of hypertension and its treatment with the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor perindopril was tested using inbred spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and their normotensive controls (Wistar-Kyoto [WKY]). Each of the grafted hypertensive and normotensive rats was randomly allocated to placebo treatment (10 SHR, 10 WKY) and perindopril treatment (2 mg/kg/day) (10 SHR, 10 WKY). The immune injury and the arterial wall response were quantified morphometrically 2 months after the grafting using specific stains for collagen, elastin, and nuclei. Hypertension was associated with a significant increase in intimal thickness. Treatment with perindopril greatly reduced intimal proliferation, decreasing the intimal thickness and the collagen content within the intimal layer. In contrast, hypertension and ACE inhibition had little effect on the arterial wall injury. We conclude that hypertension and its treatment with perindopril significantly affect graft arteriosclerosis. These effects seem to be independent of their effects on arterial wall injury, but not independent of blood pressure.

Sequential immunological targeting of chronic experimental arterial allograft.

Arterial wall is the main site involved in the chronic rejection process. The rat aortic allograft model was used here to characterize and describe the sequential evolution of the different targets and effectors of arterial wall immunological injury and response during arterial allograft rejection. Rat abdominal aortae were isografted or allografted from Brown-Norway to Lewis rats. Endothelial and smooth muscle cell injury and humoral and cellular immunological effectors were characterized from 0 to 60 days after transplantation using a battery of specific antibodies. The intimal proliferative response was also characterized over this time. Isografted Brown-Norway aorta adventitia had very few cellular components, which suggests that donor adventitia would be poorly antigenic in allografts. In contrast, allograft adventitia was the site of a major inflammatory cell invasion in which the expression of an adhesion molecule by colonizing capillary endothelial cells could play a main role. This adventitial infiltration continued as long as medial smooth muscle persisted. The luminal endothelial cells disappeared early, probably associated with macrophage margination. In contrast, medial smooth muscle cell disappearance occurred later and was specifically targeted by immunoglobulins. Intimal proliferation was the most delayed phenomenon, involving both inflammatory cell infiltration at an early stage and later myofibroblastic proliferation, and could be related to the specific expression of growth factors in this layer. The rat aortic allograft model appeared useful for characterizing specific targets and effectors of chronic arterial graft rejection, demonstrating an early stage of endothelial injury and the presence of immunoglobulins involved in chronic medial smooth muscle cell injury.

Presensitization accelerates allograft arteriosclerosis.

Transplant arteriosclerosis is the major factor influencing allograft survival after the first year posttransplantation. The host's immunologic response is one of the principal effectors responsible for the constitution of this vascular wall lesion, but the effector pathway and the factors influencing the immune injury are not clear. In a rat abdominal aortic allograft model, we used a skin priming method to study the influence of sensitization on the occurrence of vascular wall lesions. Primed rats developed transplant arteriosclerosis lesions involving medial decellularization and intimal proliferation before the 21st day, whereas naive animals had the same lesions at 2 months posttransplantation. A significant difference between primed and naive rats was found for medial thickness (48.00 +/- 2.85 microm versus 79.34 +/- 2.55 microm, P<0.001) and smooth muscle cell content (160 +/- 28 cell/mm versus 466 +/- 19 cell/mm, P<0.001) at 21 days posttransplantation, and intimal hyperplasia was seen in primed animals at that time, whereas it was not observed in naive rats until the 60th day. The immune profile in naive and primed animals was different. The immune cells infiltrating the arterial wall in naive rats, were principally macrophages and CD8+ T-lymphocytes. No Ig or complement deposition was detected. IgG and complement activated fraction were present in the media of primed animals as early as the fifth day posttransplantation and CD4+ T lymphocytes were the dominant immune cell population. In conclusion, sensitization influences the immune mechanisms responsible for the development of transplant arteriosclerosis and alters the rate of its evolution.

Involvement of antibody-dependent apoptosis in graft rejection.

BACKGROUND: Both humoral factors and apoptosis have been recently suggested to play a role in chronic allograft rejection. However, a link between alloantibodies and grafted cell apoptosis has never been proposed. Using the aortic allograft model in the rat, we have previously demonstrated the presence of IgG associated with the disappearance of donor endothelial and medial smooth muscle cells. In the present study, we tested the interaction between recipient allosera, enriched with antibodies by presensitization, and primary culture of cardiovascular cells of donor origin. METHODS: For this purpose endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells, adventitial fibroblasts, and cardiac myocytes of donor origin were cultured. Binding of alloantisera to these cells was analyzed by flow cytometry. Apoptosis of donor cells was evaluated by Tdt-mediated d' UTP-FITC nick end labeling, 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole and DNA ladder techniques. The alloantisera were compared with anti-MHC class I monoclonal antibodies. Finally the colocalization of antibodies and apoptosis was investigated in vivo. RESULTS: In vitro, alloantisera bind to cardiovascular cells of donor origin. These cells expressed MHC class I but not MHC class II. There was a partial competition between anti-MHC I mouse monoclonal antibody and alloantisera mainly of the IgG isotype. Alloantisera bound to, but did not induce lysis of, donor RBC. Alloantisera induced apoptosis of donor cardiovascular cells as assessed by the typical morphological aspect of the donor cells after 24 hr of incubation. These data were confirmed by the Tdt-mediated d' UTP-FITC nick end labeling positivity of the cells and the fragmentation of the nucleus visualized by 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole and DNA ladder techniques. Similar apoptosis was induced by specific monoclonal antibodies directed against the MHC class I of donor cells. Primary culture of similar vascular cells of recipient origin was insensitive to alloantisera directed against donor alloantigens. Finally, in vivo, using allopresentization and aortic allografts, an association of alloantibody binding and endothelial cell apoptosis was observed at day 5, and a similar association with smooth muscle cell apoptosis on day 12 after grafting. CONCLUSION: These data demonstrate the role of humoral injury in chronic allograft rejection and suggest new therapeutical approaches focused on the induction of resistance to antibody-dependent apoptosis.

Closure of carotid bifurcation endarterectomy using a polyurethane patch. A multicentre prospective study with 252 patients.

BACKGROUND: In order to evaluate the results of carotid endarterectomy with closure using a polyurethane patch, a multicentre prospective study of 252 patients (263 interventions) undergoing this operation was performed between November 1996 and August 2001. METHODS: One hundred and seventy-one men and 81 women with a mean age of 70 years were studied. Fifty-five percent of the patients had neurological symptoms. The degree of carotid stenosis evaluated using the European carotid surgery trialist's collaborative group (ECST) criteria was greater than or equal to 70% in 95% of cases. RESULTS: The combined mortality-morbidity operation rate (CMMR) was 2% (1 death from cerebrovascular haemorrhage on Day 3, 1 non-regressive cerebrovascular accident (CVA), 3 regressive CVAs). The patients had follow-up clinical examinations and Doppler ultrasound scans for 2 years. Fifteen patients died during follow-up, 8 of these patients died from heart-related causes and 2 patients died from CVA. Four patients presented with CVAs ipsilateral or contralateral to the endarterectomy. Two false aseptic aneurysms and 1 false septic aneurysm required further surgery. Three asymptomatic carotid occlusions occurred during follow-up. The rate of restenosis greater than 50% was 1.2% at 6 months, 2.3% at 1 year and 5.3% at 2 years. CONCLUSIONS: These results confirm the value of po-lyurethane patch closure of carotid endarterectomy.

[Treatment of prostheto-digestive using arterial allograft]. / Traitement des fistules prothéto-digestives par allogreffe artérielle.

From October 1988 to March 1995, we operated 22 patients for fistulization between the prosthesis and the digestive tract to remove the in situ allograft. The delay between the initial operation and treatment for fistulization was 7.3 +/- 4 years. In these patients who had undergone multiple operations (2.5 +/- 1.9 operations per patient), the infected prosthesis was made of Dacron in 21 cases and polytetrafluoroethylene in one. The procedure was planned beforehand in 21 cases who benefited from a complete preoperative work-up and was required in an emergency situation in 6 for digestive bleeding (5 cases) or an abscess of the Scarpa (1 case). Among the patients with an emergency operation, three of the procedures were conducted within a single operative time and three with two separate procedures. The allografts were aorto-aortic tubes (n = 3), aortobifemoral bypasses (n = 14), aorto-iliac bypasses (n = 4) and one aorto-femoral-iliac bypass. Organ revascularization was associated in 8 patients. Seven patients (32%) died post-operatively. Five of them had undergone an emergency procedure. An amputation was required in 2 patients, one at the time the allograft was implanted and the second due to ischaemia despite a permeable allograft. None of the patients had to be amputated due to failure of the allograft. Mean follow-up was 36.6 +/- 20 months. There were 4 deaths post-operatively due to digestive bleeding in 2. The aortic allograft was dilated in 4 patients without re-operation. Thrombosis of the allograft branch occurred in 4 patients, including 3 who had been re-operated successfully. Despite these still perfectable results, treatment of secondary digestive-prosthesis fistulae with an in situ allograft constitutes a real progress in terms of patient survival and preservation of the limb in high-risk patients.

[Inflammatory abdominal aortic aneurysm. Role of corticosteroid therapy]. / Anévrismes inflammatoires de l'aorte abdominale. Place de la corticothérapie.

For more than 20 years it has been generally acknowledged that operation for inflammatory abdominal aortic aneurysm (IAAA) using the common in-lay-graft procedure will induce the regression of peri-aortic fibrosis. However in prospective studies, after a 2 years follow-up, no regression appeared in approximated 8% of the cases (table I). Moreover in some IAAA a corticosteroid treatment (CS) was prescribed and it produced a regression of fibrosis and therefore facilitated the operation. Nevertheless the usefulness of the CS remains debated. We report 4 new cases of IAAA with CS. Based on our cases and an analysis of the literature we conclude that when there is no urgency to operate (diameter inferior to 50 mm) CS is the best option in IAAA with either severe inflammation or ureter involvement. Due to the regression of the fibrosis it can facilitate the surgical procedure. However it needs to be conducted with an adequate dose and duration. Finally the CS is the only possibility when the inflammation persist following the treatment of the IAAA.

[Long occlusion of the superficial femoral artery: revascularization by venous graft]. / Occlusion longue de l'artère fémorale supercielle: revascularisation par greffe veineuse.

In long occlusions of the superficial femoral artery, possibilities of revascularization depend on the patency of the above-knee popliteal artery. In case of occlusion of the above-knee popliteal artery, the distal anastomosis is to be performed at the below-knee level or more distally; in this situation, studies demonstrate a clearcut superiority of venous bypasses over prosthetic bypasses. Patency of the above-knee popliteal artery allows to perform a shorter bypass avoiding to cross the knee joint; given comparable results between venous and prosthetic above-knee bypasses in certain series, several authors advocated the preferential, if not systematic use of prosthetic materials at this level; this attitude having the advantage of preserving the saphenous vein for later coronary or distal grafting. A critical analysis of studies advocating this therapeutic option reveals that results of prosthetic and venous above-knee bypasses are equivalent in only very restrictive clinical situations (claudication, good runoff) and for follow up less than 3 years; beyond this follow up, the use of a prosthesis increases the number of secondary procedures necessary for maintaining or restoring patency and for this reason increases slightly the overall mortality owing to the operative mortality associated with each reoperation. Apart from rare cases represented by fragile and high-risk patients, whose lifespan is likely to be short and in whom a quicker operation is advisable, indications of the use of prosthetic grafts depend on the limits of the use of the saphenous vein generated by a poor quality or an insufficient diameter.

[Dissecting aneurysm of the external iliac artery. An unusual course of endofibrosis in an athlete]. / A nevrisme disséquant de l'artère iliaque externe. Une evolution inhabituelle de l'endofibrose du sportif.

A 42-year-old man was consulted because of a pain in his left leg. He was a highly trained biker since 20 years. The echo-Doppler and arteriography evidenced a stenosis, probably due to endofibrosis of the external iliac artery. In addition, it showed an aneurysm and an intimal dissection of this artery. The arteriography confirmed this diagnosis, and normal aspect of the other arteries. Neither conservative nor endovascular treatments were possible because of the anatomic lesions. We resected the external iliac artery and performed a by-pass with the great saphenous. The result at the 5th month was clinically good. The echo-Doppler control did not show any abnormality. The natural course of the endofibrosis of athletes is unknown, although stenosis, revealed by intermittent claudication is usually observed. Only a few cases of dissection and no aneurysmal degeneration have been described before.

[Coronary assessment and surgery for aortic aneurysm: a pragmatic attitude]. / Bilan coronarien et chirurgie pour anévrisme aortique: attitude pragmatique.

High prevalence of coronary artery disease in patients with AAA leads to a high rate of peri-operative cardiac complications. Coronary insufficiency is thus the cause of 40 to 60% of post-operative deaths after aortic surgery. Demonstration of coronary insufficiency depends on the clinical history, electrocardiographic evidence, non-invasive examinations and coronarography. Diagnosis is based on non-invasive tests, and of primary importance exercise tests, which have a high sensitivity. Specificity for predicting post-operative cardiac complications remains low but can be improved by combining with other tests (for example exercise test and Holter recording) or with other clinical parameters. Coronarography provides a precise map of the coronary status but gives little information on functional impairment of encountered lesions. Finally, besides the cost and a certain degree of morbidity, coronarography increases the number of indications for revascularizations with the inconvenience of its intrinsic mortality and also retards the operation increasing the risk of rupture. The evaluation of cardiac risk before surgery must be based on correct use of non-invasive tests, limiting coronarography to cases with frankly positive tests.

[Lumbar sympathectomy by retroperitoneal endoscopy: feasibility study]. / Sympathectomie lombaire par rétropéritoneoscopie: étude de faisabilité.

Endoscopic surgery has been used as a new procedure to simplify different surgical processes. The goal of this study was to evaluate the benefits of endoscopic retroperitoneal surgery for lumbar sympathectomies. Between February 93 and November 95 we performed 35 lumbar sympathectomies using this technique. All patients were arteritic. The results were as follows: for 25% of the patients, conversion classical open technique was required; 6% complications (septic); 3% of the patients died. In comparing the various techniques of sympathectomy and sympatholysis, it would appear that the endoscopic technique produces fewer complications. However we believe that a learning period is necessary before this technique can be fully mastered.

[Humoral effectors and cellular targets of chronic arterial wall allorejection]. / Effecteurs humoraux et cibles cellulaires de l'allo-rejet artériel chronique.

Contrasting with acute rejection, chronic rejection of arterial allograft don't involve leukocyte passengers from the graft to the host. Chronic rejection involves the proteins of the major histocompatibility complexes. Experimental studies in rats showed that the process evolved in three stages: a first stage of histo-incompatibility recognition mediated by the graft endothelium, a second stage of immune antibody-dependent injury of allogenic smooth muscle cells of the media associated with inflammatory infiltration of the adventitia, lastly a third stage of scarring process including intimal proliferation and adventitial fibrosis.

[Upper limb deep venous thrombosis]. / Les thromboses veineuses profondes des membres supérieurs.

Deep venous thrombosis of the upper limb has become recently more common because of the increasing use of central venous catheters. Diagnosis is sometimes difficult. Main causes are pacemaker and central venous catheter related thrombosis. The thoracic outlet syndrome is a rare cause and requires a multidisciplinary diagnostic and therapeutic approach. A systematic research of a thrombophilic disorder is not recommended because of the weak therapeutic impact. Duration of anticoagulation is similar to lower limb deep venous thrombosis despite a lower rate of recurrence. Therapeutic alternatives recently developed include thrombolysis, angioplasty and vein stenting. To date, no randomized controlled studies have evaluated the efficacy and safety of the various treatments that have been proposed for upper limb deep venous thrombosis.

[Infectious aortic aneurysms. A case series of 10 patients]. / Anévrismes infectieux de l'aorte. A propos d'une série de dix patients.

PURPOSE: Infectious aortic aneurysms are rare, being responsible of less than 3% of aortic aneurysms. In this study, we report the clinical characteristics and the outcome of patients presenting with infectious aortic aneurysms in an internal medicine unit. METHODS: Diagnosis of infection-related aortic aneurysm was obtained using: computed tomographic scan; and blood cultures, cultures and molecular biology testing of aortic wall and intra-aneurismal thrombus. RESULTS: The 10 consecutive patients included in this study consisted in eight men and two women with a mean age of 61.7 years. Patients presented with fever (n=9), asthenia (n=2), abdominal (n=4) or chest pain (n=1), lumbar pain (n=3). Computed tomographic scan showed aneurysm involving both thoracic and abdominal aorta (n=1), abdominal (n=8) or thoracic aorta (n=1). Isolated microorganisms were: positive Gram cocci (70%) and negative Gram bacilli (30%). All patients underwent both medical and surgical therapy. Outcome was favorable in nine patients; the remaining patient died from aneurismal aortic rupture. CONCLUSION: Clinical manifestations revealing infectious aortic aneurysms are variable, including aneurysm rupture as well as atypical abdominal pain with inflammatory syndrome. These latter presentations are more common in patients, who are hospitalized in internal medicine. Our study underlines that this clinical pattern should not be ignored, in order to avoid both diagnostic and therapeutic delay that could lead to life-threatening complications and poor prognosis.