Latin America Research Output Within the Top 5 Vascular Surgery Journals.

BACKGROUND: Dedicated studies on patient outcomes are crucial to the development of effective policies aimed at prevention and management of vascular diseases. This study aims to determine the scientific productivity of Latin American countries through a bibliometric analysis of top 5 vascular journals. METHODS: The 5 dedicated vascular journals indexed in the "surgery" category were selected for analysis. These were the European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery (EJVES), the Journal of Vascular Surgery (JVS), the Journal of Endovascular Therapy (JEVT), the Journal of Vascular Surgery: Venous and Lymphatic Disorders (JVS-VL) and the Annals of Vascular Surgery (AVS). Databases were queried with the combination of each journal's name + each of the 21 Latin American countries. All possible combinations were searched. Inclusion criteria were articles affiliated with a university, medical center, or hospital from any Latin American country. RESULTS: A total of 501 articles were retrieved, 104 (20.7%) were published between 2000 and 2011, and 397 (79.2%) between 2012 and 2022. The journal with the most publications was AVS with 221 (43.9%), followed by JVS with 135 (26.9%), EJVES with 60 (11.9%), JEVT with 49 (9.9%), and JVS-VL with 36 (7.1%). Brazil had the highest volume of publications at 346 (69.0%), followed by Argentina at 54 (10.7%), Chile at 35 (6.9%), and Mexico at 32 (6.3%). JVS had a higher median citation when compared with AVS, JVS-VL, and JEVT, 18 vs. 5, 5.5, and 7, respectively (P = <0.001). Furthermore, JVS had a greater median citation than EJVES, at 18 vs. 12.5, respectively (P = 0.005). Median citation per year from 2000 to 2011 was 1.59 (range: 0-45), and 1.50 (range: 0-114.5) from 2012 to 2022 (P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Latin America's research output within the vascular surgery field has increased over the years. Efforts must be made to increase research output in this region and translate findings into effective interventions for these populations.

EVAR in Patients With Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm and Horseshoe Kidney: A Systematic Review.

PURPOSE: A systematic review of all patients that have been reported in the literature with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) concomitant with horseshoe kidney (HSK) treated electively by endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) is presented. A new grouping system for describing HSK vasculature is implemented. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We searched for published manuscripts using the Medical Subject Headings terms "abdominal aortic aneurysm," "AAA," "EVAR," "endovascular aneurysm repair," and "horseshoe kidney" in PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, and National Center for Biotechnology Information databases. Inclusion criteria include all published material of patients with AAA with HSK treated electively by an endovascular approach. We excluded patients who were treated by a hybrid or open repair or patients with ruptured AAA. Statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS Statistics version 25 (IBM Corp, Armonk, New York) software. RESULTS: A total of 50 patients from 30 studies were included for analysis. Males made up 88% (n=44) of the population. The median age for this cohort was 70 years (range: 47-86 years). Median aneurysmal diameter was 6.0 cm (range: 4.0-10.3 cm). The median operative time for endovascular repair was 84 minutes (range: 40-332 minutes). The most common graft used was Zenith, used in 40% (n=20) of the cases, followed by Endurant in 14% (n=7). The overall complication rate was 14% (n=7). The median follow-up was 19 months (range: 1-108 months). While comorbidities did not appear to impact outcomes significantly, median operative times for smokers were higher than those in nonsmokers, 84 versus 118 minutes, respectively (p=0.048). Univariate linear regression modeling of aneurysmal size with age, operative time, and length of stay revealed a significant coefficient association between aneurysmal size and operative times. After adjusting for comorbidities and aneurysmal size, prior history of chronic kidney disease significantly increased odds for renal infarction. CONCLUSION: This review presents the most complete data set possible of patients with concomitant HSK and AAA treated by an endovascular approach. Furthermore, the A + B + C classification for grouping the HSK vasculature is implemented. This systematic review suggests EVAR to be an excellent option with low complication rates for the treatment of AAA in patients with HSK.

Esophageal Duplication Cysts in 97 Adult Patients: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Esophageal duplication cysts are a rare congenital cystic malformation from faulty intrauterine recanalization of the esophagus during the 4-8th weeks of development. They account for 20% of all gastrointestinal duplication cysts and commonly involve the distal esophagus. Presenting symptoms may be related to size and location. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Following the PRISMA guidelines, a systematic review was performed by searching published literature in various databases. Data from 97 reported case reports were pooled to present a descriptive and statistical analysis. RESULTS: Patient population was composed of 51(52.5%) males and 46 (47.5%) females, and mean ages was 42.3 years (18-77). Distal cysts were the most prevalent. Seventy-nine (81.4%) patients were symptomatic; common symptoms included dysphagia, chest pain, cough and weight loss. Fifteen (15.5%) patients were treated conservatively and 75 (84.5%) by surgical treatment, among them thoracotomy in 30 (30.9%) patients and VATS in 17 (17.5%) patients. Mean length of hospital stay was 8.6 days (range: 1-26 days). One fatality was registered. Location, unlike size, was not found to influence presenting symptoms or treatment employed. Frequency of conservative treatment was not significantly different between symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. Open approaches were associated with longer stays than their minimally invasive counterparts. CONCLUSION: Esophageal duplication cysts remain rare in adults and are frequently located in the distal esophagus. Larger cysts are more likely to cause symptoms. Various surgical techniques may successfully be employed in the treatment of this pathology. Minimally invasive procedures have a shorter hospital stay.