Arterial spasm mimicking superficial femoral artery trauma. Case report.

The existence of traumatic arterial spasm in large arteries is questionable in current literature. We report a case of a 19-year old man with comminuted unstable femur fracture who presented with an ischemic foot. Localized arterial spasm was revealed in the middle portion of the superficial femoral artery triggered by the external pressure of a spicular bone segment was revealed by arteriography. Complete resolution of ischemic symptoms followed fracture reduction. Traumatic arterial spasm although rare does exist.

Infected ruptured popliteal artery aneurysm by Listeria monocytogenes. A case report and review of the literatures.

We describe a case of a voluminous infected aneurysm of the popliteal artery, with Listeria monocytogenes (LM) associated with rupture, in a 72-year old man. After radical resection of the aneurysm a reconstruction was not necessary, because of the sufficient blood supply, due to the pre-existent good development of collateral circulation. The patient was discharged on the 12th postoperative day with primary healing of the wound and viable leg. Adequate antibiotic treatment was continued for 4 weeks. In the following 18 months the serial clinical examinations, laboratory tests and ultrasound scans have shown no evidence of reinfection.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm in association with horseshoe kidney.

We report the preoperative diagnosis and surgical treatment of an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in association with a horseshoe kidney (HSK) in a 70-year-old man. Through a median laparotomy a vascular tube graft was successfully used for repair the AAA. The extensive parenchymal isthmus overlying the aneurysm remained intact.

Endovascular repair of a traumatic popliteal arteriovenous fistula.

We report a case of an arteriovenous fistula (AVF) following osteosynthetic treatment of a fracture of the lower limb 13 years ago. A stent-graft technique had been used to close a high flow traumatic AVF between the popliteal artery and the popliteal vein. The failure to properly evaluate traumatic AVF may sometimes lead to remarkable delay in diagnosis with devastating consequences including edema, ischaemia, ulceration and high output heart failure. Endovascular treatment of these lesions is promising but long-term follow-up will be required to determine the durable patency and the onset of potential complications.

The significance of medial sural artery integrity in popliteal artery trauma: a case report.

Two patients with popliteal artery trauma who underwent secondary amputations due to refractory calf sepsis despite a patent arterial repair are presented in this case report. The medial sural artery, the main arterial supply of the medial head of the gastrocnemius, was surgically severed in both patients owing to the use of a continuous medial incision from the supra level to infragenicular level. The compromised arterial supply of the medial head of the gastrocnemius muscle may have contributed to the devitalization of the muscle and the subsequent calf sepsis, and it is speculated that this was related to the unfavorable outcome.

Rupture of an aortic anastomotic aneurysm into a ureter.

A case of rupture of a false aneurysm of the distal aorta into the left ureter is reported. The patient presented with purulent hydronephrosis and hematuria. A left aorto-femoral graft had been inserted 3 years earlier, which became infected and was then removed. After 2 years a false distal aortic aneurysm developed, and in the last 6 months recurrent episodes of hematuria have occurred. An aorto-ureteric fistula was confirmed at surgery, and a left nephrostomy was performed with proximal and distal ligation of the ureter and then aneurysmectomy followed by aorto-bifemoral bypass.

Femoral-anterior tibial reconstructions using cuffed PTFE grafts: routing alternatives.

BACKGROUND: The anterior tibial is the less often used artery for distal anastomosis in infrapopliteal bypass with synthetic grafts; however, several investigators argue against even an attempt to use non-autologous material for such distal reconstructions. Only few studies report patency rates mixing-up popliteal below-knee and various crural bypasses. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Nineteen consecutive femoral-anterior tibial cuffed PTFE bypass grafts, either via the lateral (n = 15) or interosseous (n = 4) route, were inserted in a 10-years period. RESULTS: The 1-year and 2-year primary patency rate was 71% and 53%, respectively. It is noteworthy that in one patient a graft positioned via the lateral route remained patient for ten years. No complications were observed regarding the routing methods, whatever increased operating time was required in the interosseous route cases. The 3-year cumulative survival rate for this particular group of patients was 32%. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that femoral-anterior tibial bypasses using cuffed PTFE grafts via the lateral route result in an acceptable medium-term patency. As such patients have a limited life expectancy, these procedures should be performed when an autologous vein is not available, as opposed to primary amputation.

Early disruption of proximal anastomosis of a PTFE axillofemoral bypass graft.

Exertional disruption of axillary anastomosis is a well documented, although rare, complication of axillo-femoral grafts. Comprehension of causative mechanisms is of great importance, so that precautions can be taken against it. Here, a case of an early disruption of proximal anastomosis of an axillofemoral graft is reported. Use of crutches was incriminated as the responsible mechanism.

Removal of knotted intravascular devices. Case report and review of the literature.

OBJECTIVE: to review published reports on knotted intravascular devices/catheters. METHOD: report of two cases and systematic review of the literature. RESULTS: a total of 113 reported cases of knotted intravascular devices/catheters were located. Pulmonary artery catheters (Swan-Ganz) were responsible for more than two thirds of the total reported intravascular knots. In 62% (70/113) of the cases withdrawal of the knotted catheters was achieved successfully with different interventional radiological techniques, avoiding the need for surgical exploration. In 32% (36/113) of the patients surgical removal was favoured. Capture with one of the interventional techniques and pulling down the knot into an easily accessible vein to be removed through an open venotomy, was the most common surgical procedure. However, in five cases, an open cardiotomy was required. In seven cases the patient's condition was critical and precluded any surgical procedure, so the knotted catheter was left in situ. The mortality of this event was 8% (9/113). CONCLUSIONS: interventional radiological techniques have largely replaced open surgical removal. Knotted catheters may need to be surgically removed when (a) the knot is large in size with many loops, or (b) intracardiac fixing of the knot is encountered.

Paradoxical embolism. An old but, paradoxically, under-estimated problem.

The theoretical model of paradoxical embolism requires the presence of four parameters, namely, arterial embolism, venous thrombus, abnormal intracardiac communication and right-to-left shunt. Many aspects, however, of this well known entity are under consideration; diagnosis is often difficult to be established and the long term efficacy of preventive measures is undefined. We comment on a case report of recurrent paradoxical embolism with popliteal vein thrombosis and patent foramen ovale, and we briefly review the literature.

[Purulent arthritis of the knee joint and septic microembolism of the foot as postoperative complications of an infected femoral anastomosis aneurysm]. / Kniegelenkspyarthros und septische Mikroembolien am Fuss als postrekonstruktive Komplikation eines infizierten femoralen Anastomosenaneurysmas.

Septic peripheral embolism due to infective complication of vascular infrainguinal procedures has been occasionally reported. The combination, however, of purulent arthritis of the knee joint and septic microembolism of the foot, as consequence of an infected pseudoaneurysm, is a very rare entity. We report a case of an infected anastomotic femoral aneurysm, following an iliofemoral "in situ repair" which was complicated with purulent arthritis of the knee joint and multiple small necrotic lesions of the plantar surface of the foot. Treatment included removal of the infected graft, an extra-anatomic revascularization and arthrotomy with pus evacuation. The patient had an uneventful postoperative course and remained well at four-year follow-up, with a mild dysfunction in the knee joint flexion.

Late non-anastomotic false aneurysm formation in femoropopliteal polyethylene terephthalate grafts.

Despite the proven reliability of polyethylene terephthlate (PET) grafts, structural defects resulting in graft rupture and false aneurysm formation have been sporadically described. Two cases of late, non anastomotic, false aneurysms of PET femoropopliteal grafts, are reported. The diagnosis is readily apparent on clinical examination and imaging studies, which display an aneurysm along the course of the graft, remote from the anastomosis. The extent of the repair depends on the extent of the degenerative process.

Incidence and patterns of iatrogenic arterial injuries. A decade's experience.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the incidence and patterns of all iatrogenic arterial injuries (IAI) necessitating surgical repair in a ten-year period. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: Departments of Vascular Surgery a) Athens General Hospital "G. Gennimatas" and b) Red Cross Hospital of Athens, Greece. PATIENTS: Eighty-seven patients underwent surgical repair of an IAI, comprising 36% of the 237 patients treated surgically for various arterial injuries during the same period. RESULTS: Specific injury patterns were implicated in most cases. Cardiac catheterizations were the commonest cause of IAI (n=39). The second commonest source for IAI was the renal units' personnel accountable for 17 false aneurysms, which arose at arteriovenous grafts' puncture sites. Among the surgical specialties orthopaedic surgery was the most common source of IAI (n=13). A less common pattern of IAI was following radical operations for cancer (n=7). The mortality of the series was 4.6% (4/87) and the amputation rate 2.3% (2/87). No death or amputation was associated with IAI following cardiac catheterizations confirming that post-catheterization IAI have a benign prognosis. False aneurysm was the most frequent complication when the cardiac catheterization was via the femoral artery, when the catheterization was via the brachial artery the commonest complication was arterial thrombosis. The two amputations were due to delayed reconstruction of arterial injuries that were not recognised at first sight. CONCLUSION: Common patterns characterize most IAI. Understanding their exact causes is a first step towards prevention or timely repair if the latter is not feasible.

POSSUM and APACHE II scores do not predict the outcome of ruptured infrarenal aortic aneurysms.

Forty consecutive patients were admitted alive to the operating theater with ruptured infrarenal aoritc aneurysms in a 3-year period and were assessed preoperatively with two scoring systems: the POSSUM (physiological and operative severity score for the enumeration of mortality) and the APACHE II (acute physiologic and chronic health evaluation). The aim of the study was to investigate the capacity of the two scores to predict the patients' outcome. The operative mortality of the series was 55% (22/40). The average POSSUM score was 63.3 for survivors and 66.5 for the nonsurvivors (difference not statistically significant). APACHE II score averaged 11.3 in survivors and 14.5 in nonsurvivors (p = 0.02). APACHE II score 17 was the threshold value with the highest combined specificity and sensitivity; however, at this point the positive predictive value for a death was 92% and the negative predictive value was 63%. Interestingly, the only single factor in univariate analysis affecting mortality was the preoperative platelet count and is not taken into account in neither of the two scoring systems. POSSUM failed in predicting the outcome of ruptured infrarenal aortic aneurysms. APACHE II was a good predictor of outcome; however, its power to predict the outcome in any given individual patient was limited. As precise prediction is impossible, repair in every patient should not be denied.

Popliteal artery and trifurcation injuries: is it possible to predict the outcome?

The records of 18 consecutive patients with popliteal and/or trifurcation civilian arterial injuries, who underwent revascularisation procedures during a 5-year period, were retrospectively assessed. All patients were classified using four, previously described, severity scoring systems in an effort to investigate the accuracy of predicting the outcome of this type of injury. Classification of the severity of popliteal artery trauma would be useful (a) for setting objective criteria (if any) for primary amputation and (b) for retrospective assessment of the results in vascular audit. The amputation rate in this group was 28%. Limbs which could not be salvaged were all in the "trifurcation" group and in this subset of patients the amputation rate was 71% (5/7). The scoring index having the higher overall accuracy (94%) was the mangled extremity syndrome index (MESI) with a predictive value for amputation of 83%. The use of these indices as criteria for primary amputation needs further evaluation as no scoring system was specific enough to permit primary amputation on that basis alone. The predictive value for limb salvage was 100%, for all four scoring systems enabling their use in vascular trauma audit.

Iatrogenic arterial trauma associated with hip joint surgery: an overview.

Four cases of iatrogenic arterial injuries following hip surgery are reported. An overview of the literature revealed 122 additional cases. In 93 (74%) of these cases the arterial damage occurred following total hip replacement, 27 (21%) were related to hip fracture correction and six cases complicated other hip surgery procedures. Revisional hip surgery was found to be a definite risk factor. Injuries associated with hip replacement differ significantly in various characteristics of those associated with hip fracture correction. There was a 9% mortality and a 17% permanent disability rate in patients with arterial trauma following total hip replacement. In this group a significantly higher permanent disability rate was noticed in patients who first presented with ischaemia (p less than 0.05). No relationship between the location and mechanism of injury and the outcome was found. Mortality and permanent disability rates of 4% and 11%, respectively, were noticed in patients with injuries related to hip fracture correction.

Iatrogenic and noniatrogenic arterial trauma: a comparative study.

During a 6-year period 22 patients were operated on because of iatrogenic arterial trauma (group A) and 43 sustained noniatrogenic arterial injury (group B). The group A injuries were caused by various arterial catheterization procedures for angiography or cardiac investigation (55%) or surgical interventions (45%). Haemorrhage was more common in group B than in group A (p less than 0.001). The mortality rate did not differ significantly between the groups (14% vs. 9%). Permanent disability was more common in group B (p less than 0.05), due mainly to higher incidence of associated venous, neural, skeletal or visceral injuries. Bypass operations tended to be more often performed in group B than in group A, but the difference was not statistically significant. Retrospective assessment of the appropriateness of technique, made separately by two vascular surgeons, revealed instances of potentially avoidable iatrogenic arterial injury. The rising incidence of iatrogenic arterial trauma may therefore be considered 'reducible'.