Management of spontaneous isolated mesenteric artery dissection.

Spontaneous isolated mesenteric arterial dissection (SIMAD) is an uncommon subset of non-traumatic dissection of the mesenteric arteries without concurrent aortic dissection. Due to the widespread use of computer tomography angiography, SIMAD cases have been increasingly reported in the past 20 years. Common risk factors associated with SIMAD include male gender, age 50-60 years, hypertension and smoking. This review summarises the diagnostic pathway and management of SIMAD based on contemporary literature and proposes a treatment algorithm for SIMAD. The presentation of SIMAD can be divided into symptomatic and asymptomatic cases. Symptomatic patients should be carefully assessed to detect the development of complications, particularly bowel ischemia or vessel rupture. Although these complications are rare, they necessitate urgent surgical management. The vast majority of symptomatic SIMAD cases are uncomplicated and can be managed safely with conservative treatment that includes antihypertensive therapy, bowel rest, with or without antithrombotic therapy. For asymptomatic SIMAD cases, expectant management with outpatient surveillance imaging appears to be a safe strategy.

Systematic Review of Case Reports of Bacillus Calmette-Guerin Vascular Infections.

BACKGROUND: Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) is a live attenuated strain of Mycobacterium bovis that has been used as immunotherapy against several malignancies. In particular, intravesical instillation of BCG has become a well-accepted adjuvant treatment for bladder cancer. BCG vascular infections are a rare complication of BCG therapy. Many aspects of these infections, including the presentations, risk factors, and treatment strategies, are poorly understood. Through a systematic review of the existing literature, we aimed to identify potential associations between this condition and patient characteristics, presentations, its treatments, and outcomes. METHODS: We searched the PubMed, MEDLINE, and Embase databases for cases of BCG vascular infections from inception to June 2021. English-language reports of BCG vascular infections were included. RESULTS: A total of 74 cases of BCG vascular infections were included. Seventy-three (99%) cases were male patients, all of whom were exposed to BCG through bladder instillation. Fifty (68%) cases were diagnosed more than 12 months after exposure to BCG. Twenty-six (35%) cases presented with arterial rupture at the time of diagnosis. Concurrent BCG infections in nonvascular locations were present in 37 (50%) cases. The most common locations of BCG vascular infection were the abdominal aorta (57%), prosthetic grafts (15%), and thoracic aorta (12%). The most common treatment for BCG infection was open repair with synthetic graft in situ replacement for the abdominal aorta and endovascular repair for the thoracic aorta. The 30-day mortality, among the 59 cases where these data were reported, was 10%. CONCLUSIONS: We observed that many aspects of BCG vascular infections are similar to other forms of vascular infections. The high incidence of rupture or fistulation and the propensity toward abdominal aortic involvement and its prognosis are similar to those described in other vascular infections. However, our study also highlights 2 idiosyncratic features of BCG vascular infections: association with male sex and concurrent musculoskeletal infections.

Bilateral acute lower limb ischemia secondary to complete embolization of cardiac myxoma.

Cardiac myxomas are the most common benign cardiac tumors in adults that can present with peripheral embolization. Complete detachments of myxomas are rare and tend to cause aortoiliac embolism. We report a case of a middle-aged woman with bilateral popliteal artery and segmental renal artery embolisms secondary to a completely detached cardiac myxoma. This case highlights cardiac myxomas as an important cause of acute limb ischemia and that it is not excluded by a normal echocardiogram result.

Giant vascular eccrine spiradenoma presenting as a thrombosed varix.

Eccrine spiradenoma is a benign adnexal tumor of the sweat gland. Giant vascular eccrine spiradenoma is a rare variant of eccrine spiradenoma, characterized by its large size and florid vascularity. Its rarity and clinical appearance give rise to typical misdiagnosis as angiomatous lesions. We present a case of a giant vascular eccrine spiradenoma that was initially diagnosed as a thrombosed varix on the basis of clinical presentation and ultrasound features. This case reintroduces this rare condition and also highlights the differential diagnoses of lower limb skin nodules that may masquerade as a thrombosed varix.

Outcome predictors in median arcuate ligament syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Median arcuate ligament syndrome (MALS) is a condition characterized by chronic abdominal symptoms associated with median arcuate ligament compression of the celiac artery. The selection of patients is difficult in the management of MALS. This study aimed to identify factors that predict outcomes of surgical and nonoperative treatment in these patients. METHODS: Patients referred with a possible diagnosis of MALS between 1998 and 2013 were identified retrospectively. Only patients with chronic symptoms and radiologically confirmed celiac artery compression were included. The clinical features, investigations, and management were documented. Outcome was assessed using the Visick score, Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale, and 12-Item Short Form Health Survey by telephone interview and review of medical records. RESULTS: There were 67 patients, 43 (64%) treated surgically and 24 (36%) managed without surgery, with a median follow-up of 25 months and 24 months, respectively. After surgical treatment, 16 (37%) were asymptomatic, 24 (56%) were partially improved, 3 (7%) had no changes in symptoms, and none had worsening of symptoms. Postexertional pain predicted improvement after surgery (P = .022). Vomiting (P = .046) and unprovoked pain (P = .006) were predictors of poor surgical outcome. After nonoperative management, 1 (4%) was asymptomatic, 7 (29%) were partially improved, 12 (50%) had no changes in symptoms, and 4 (17%) had worsening of symptoms. No outcome predictors of nonoperative treatment were identified. CONCLUSIONS: MALS was more likely to respond to decompression if patients had postexertional pain. Patients who presented with vomiting and unprovoked pain were unlikely to respond to surgery. In contrast with previous studies, postprandial pain was not found to be predictive of outcome.