Long-Term Outcomes of Simple Endovascular Aneurysm Repair Based on the Initial Aortic Diameter.

PURPOSE: We aimed to investigate the effects of initial abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) diameter on aneurysmal sac expansion/shrinkage, endoleaks, and reintervention postelective simple endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR). METHODS: Overall, 228 patients monitored for >1 year after EVAR were analyzed. Male and female participants with initial AAA diameters <55 mm and <50 mm, respectively, composed the small group (group S), while those with initial AAA diameters ≥55 mm (men) and ≥50 mm (women) composed the large group (group L). Aneurysmal sac expansion of 10 mm and/or reintervention during follow-up (composite event) and its related factors were evaluated. RESULTS: The 5-year freedom from composite event rate was significantly higher in group S (92.4 ± 2.8%) than that in group L (79.1 ± 4.9%; P <0.01). Multivariate analysis revealed AAA diameters before EVAR in group S (hazard ratio, 0.38; 95% confidence interval, 0.18-0.81; P = 0.01) and type II endoleak (T2EL) at discharge (hazard ratio, 2.83; 95% confidence interval, 1.29-6.20; P <0.01) as factors associated with the composite event. The freedom from composite event rate decreased to 51 ± 13% at 5 years in group L with T2EL. CONCLUSIONS: Group S had high freedom from composite event rate; in group L, the rate decreased to 51% at 5 years with T2EL at discharge.

Randomized Controlled Trial of Oral Tranexamic Acid Intervention for the Prevention of Type II Endoleak after Endovascular Abdominal Aneurysm Repair.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate tranexamic acid (TA) for the prevention of type II endoleak (EL2) at a high level of evidence by a randomized controlled trial. METHODS: Patients who underwent endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) between May 2017 and January 2020 were included. Patients in the TA group were given 750 mg of TA daily for a month after EVAR. The incidence of EL2, blood coagulation/fibrinolytic ability, and changes in aneurysm diameter were compared between two groups. RESULT: On the 7th day after EVAR, EL2 was found in 14 patients (34.1%) in the TA group and in 7 patients (15.9%) in the non-TA group. It was also found in 12 patients (29.3%) in the TA group and 6 patients (13.6%) in the non-TA group at 1 month after EVAR. There was no significant difference in the incidence of EL2 between the two groups (p = 0.051, 0.08). Blood tests revealed that fibrin degradation product and D-dimer were significantly suppressed in the TA group, there was no significant difference in the change of diameter regardless of the TA intake. CONCLUSION: This study proved anti-fibrinolytic effect of the TA, but it alone had not enough power to decrease EL2 after EVAR.

The PETTICOAT-Snowshoe Technique Prevents Distal Stent Graft-Induced New Entry in Patients with Aortic Dissection.

PURPOSE: Distal stent graft-induced new entry (SINE) is a serious complication of thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) for Stanford type B aortic dissection (TBAD). The PETTICOAT-snowshoe technique was developed to prevent distal SINE for double-barrel TBAD. Initially, a proximal stent-graft (SG) is deployed, followed by the extension of a bare stent above the celiac artery and deployment of a second SG within the bare stent. This study examined whether the PETTICOAT-snowshoe technique prevents distal SINE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a single-center, retrospective study comparing 2 groups that underwent conventional standard TEVAR between January 2013 and September 2018 and TEVAR using the PETTICOAT-snowshoe technique after October 2018 for double-barrel TBAD. RESULTS: Twenty-seven patients (74% male) underwent standard TEVAR (group A), while another 27 (78% male) underwent the PETTICOAT-snowshoe technique (group B). TEVAR was performed in the chronic phase on 15 patients (55.6%) in group A and on 16 (59.2%) in group B. Aorta-related mortality occurred in 1 patient in group A (3.7%). Oversizing ratios at the distal edge of the SG diameter to the major axis of the true lumen were 25% ± 26% and 25% ± 21% in groups A and B, respectively. During the follow-up period, 5 patients (18.5%) in group A and none in group B (P = 0.02) developed distal SINE. 3 of 5 patients with distal SINE in group A were treated with additional TEVAR, one with thoracoabdominal aortic replacement, and one with conservative observation. The freedom from distal SINE rate was significantly higher in group B than in group A (P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: The PETTICOAT-snowshoe technique significantly prevented distal SINE during the mid-term period even with the same distal SG oversizing as conventional standard TEVAR.

A Case of Effective Balloon Fenestration for Localized Aortic Dissection Complicated with Acute Renal and Bilateral Limb Ischemia in a Thoracoabdominal Aortic Aneurysm.

An 85-year-old man visited our hospital with bilateral leg weakness. Blood tests revealed an abrupt deterioration of renal function. Computed tomography revealed a 53-mm aortic aneurysm at the level of the diaphragm with an aortic dissection after branching of the superior mesenteric artery. An emergency left axillary-left femoral artery bypass surgery was performed to secure blood flow to the kidneys and lower limbs. Five days later, a transcatheter balloon fenestration for the stenosis was performed, and the blood pressure of the infrarenal aorta was improved. Both the dorsal pedis and posterior tibial arteries became palpable, and renal function was improved.

Popliteal Artery Entrapment Syndrome in Siblings.

Popliteal artery entrapment syndrome (PAES) is a rare disease. We treated siblings with this disease. An 18-year-old male consulted our hospital for intermittent claudication of the left lower limb. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography led to a diagnosis of type II PAES. After transection of the medial head of the gastrocnemius muscle, popliteal artery bypass was performed. His younger brother (6 years younger) was also diagnosed with type II PAES, and similar surgery was performed at the age of 19. These cases suggested the involvement of genetic factors in PAES in addition to embryological factors.

Percutaneous Retrieval of a Misinserted Pigtail Catheter Straightener during Infra-Renal Abdominal Aortic Stenting: A Case Report.

Percutaneous retrieval of an intravascular foreign body is a minimally invasive technique. Using cone-beam computed tomography and the lateral grasp technique, we successfully retrieved a pigtail catheter straightener that had been misinserted into the right common iliac artery. Some examples of catheter straightener retrieval have been reported; however, it is important to take care not to accidentally insert a catheter straightener into a vessel via an angiographic sheath.

Total endoscopic repair of unroofed coronary sinus syndrome via right mini-thoracotomy.

Unroofed coronary sinus syndrome (URCS) is a rare congenital cardiac anomaly. Recently, cardiac surgery using a minimally invasive approach has become the preferred treatment, affording better cosmetic results and a more rapid post-operative recovery than the traditional method. We report the case of a 54-year-old male in whom partial URCS was treated via a totally endoscopic repair technique featuring right mini-thoracotomy.

Interrupted commissural band annuloplasty prevents mitral stenosis.

BACKGROUND: Mitral annuloplasty is an important component of the treatment of degenerative mitral valve disease. However, postoperative echocardiography reveals elevated mitral gradients in some patients. We developed a technique that we termed interrupted commissural band annuloplasty (iCBA), which does not shorten either the anterior or posterior annulus and is not associated with the development of a mitral gradient. We compared the echocardiographic characteristics of patients treated using this method versus Cosgrove ring (COS) placement, both at rest and during exercise. METHODS: ICBA features placement of three sutures in the commissures using two bands and shortens the commissural annular length by 60 %. We used this method to treat 63 patients and placed Cosgrove bands in 58. Of all patients, 48 who underwent iCBA and 34 with COSs passed the exercise echocardiographic test. RESULTS: The maximal transmitral pressures at rest in the iCBA and Cosgrove groups were 8.04 ± 0.74 and 11.30 ± 0.88 mmHg (P = 0.0029), respectively, and the mean transmitral pressures at rest were 2.46 ± 0.74 and 3.61 ± 0.32 mmHg (P = 0.0037), respectively. The maximal transmitral pressures during exercise were 11.79 ± 0.97 and 18.37 ± 1.16 mmHg (P < 0.0001), and the mean transmitral pressures during exercise were 4.95 ± 0.45 and 7.76 ± 0.53 mmHg (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: ICBA prevents postoperative mitral stenosis both at rest and importantly during exercise.

An improved isolation technique for shaggy brachiocephalic artery and aortic arch replacement.

A mobile plaque in the ascending and transverse aorta increases the risk of cerebral infarction during treatment of an arch aneurysm. A previous report described an isolation technique for replacing the ascending and transverse aorta with a mobile atheroma by selective hypothermic antegrade cerebral perfusion (Shiiya et al., Ann Thorac Surg 72:1401-1402, 2001). Here, we present an improved isolation technique for more severe conditions, such as shaggy aorta and shaggy brachiocephalic artery, in two patients. First, we anastomosed both axillae arteries with grafts and placed drainage cannulae in the superior and inferior venae cavae prior to filling the cardio-pulmonary bypass system with blood. Next, we cannulated the right common carotid artery and selective cerebral perfusion was started prior to cannulation and perfusion of the left common carotid artery. Systemic perfusion was then initiated through the axillae grafts. Both patients who underwent this procedure recovered without neurologic complications.

Controversy in mitral valve repair, resection or chordal replacement?

Mitral valve plasty has superseded valve replacement as the standard technique for treating degenerative mitral valve prolapse. Quadrangular resection is considered the gold standard for posterior leaflet prolapse. Chordal replacement was first developed to treat the anterior leaflet and subsequently became widely used for the posterior leaflet, after which a new version of posterior leaflet resection was developed that did not involve local annular plication. In the era of the mini-thoracotomy, the premeasured loop technique is simple to adopt and is as durable as quadrangular resection. However, there is controversy surrounding whether resection or chordal replacement is the optimal technique. The resection technique is curative because it removes the main pathologic lesion. The disadvantage of the resection is that it can be complicated and often requires advanced surgical skills. In contrast, chordal replacement is not pathologically curative because it leaves behind a redundant leaflet. However, the long-term results appear to be equivalent in many reports. Functionally, chordal replacement retains greater posterior leaflet motion with a lower trans-mitral pressure gradient than quadrangular resection. Moreover, chordal replacement is simple and yields uniform results. The optimal technique depends on whether the anterior leaflet or posterior leaflet is involved, the Barlow or non-Barlow disease state, and whether a mini-thoracotomy or standard sternotomy approach is used. For mitral valve repair, the most superior and reliable technique for the posterior leaflet is resection using the newer resection technique with a sternotomy approach, which requires a skilled surgeon.