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INTRODUCTION: A carotid endarterectomy (CEA) has certain risks, of which peri-operative cardiovascular risk is one. Peri-operative neurological monitoring can be done with electroencephalography (EEG) and transcranial Doppler (TCD). No previous reports have been published demonstrating the actual changes in cerebral and cardiac activity during a peri-operative asystole. REPORT: The case of a 70 year old man with a symptomatic (bilateral) carotid stenosis is described. The patient complained of amaurosis fugax in both eyes. Duplex ultrasound showed a stenosis of >70% in both carotid arteries. The most severe symptoms were on the right side, so a staged approach was chosen, starting with a right sided eversion CEA (eCEA). Peri-operatively, the patient experienced an asystolic cardiac arrest after external carotid artery revascularisation, requiring brief cardiopulmonary resuscitation, which was recorded on the EEG. Post-operatively, the patient recovered fully, with no post-operative neurological or cardiac sequelae. The (symptomatic) contralateral stenosis was treated conservatively with best medical therapy (BMT; dual antiplatelets and statin). The patient is currently in good clinical condition, 1.5 years later. CONCLUSION: This case shows the unique EEG recording of a cardiological event during eCEA. The cause of asystole was most likely a vasovagal syncope as a result of the surgical procedure by iatrogenic damage to the carotid sinus fibres, causing impairment of the baroreflex and chemoreflex mechanisms, which is greater during eCEA. The unilateral eCEA and contralateral BMT in this symptomatic (bilateral) stenosis seemed appropriate when cardiological risk was increased but follow up ruled out any cardiological cause.
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INTRODUCTION: Pseudoaneurysms of the renal artery are fairly uncommon and mostly asymptomatic. They develop mostly in the right renal artery and in female patients. REPORT: In this report, a female patient with an intraparenchymal renal artery pseudoaneurysm with one year follow up is described. She presented with non-specific abdominal pain. A computed tomography scan revealed hydronephrosis of the right kidney and a giant, intracapsular, contained rupture of a pseudoaneurysm of the right renal artery. The patient was admitted to hospital and underwent a successful selective embolisation of the pseudoaneurysm. Follow up at one year showed normal renal function and an excluded aneurysm. DISCUSSION: Although relatively uncommon, renal artery pseudoaneurysms should be considered in the work up of patients with colicky flank pain. As a treatment option, endovascular approaches are appealing because they are less invasive. Successful treatment can prevent resection of the affected kidney.
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Background and purpose - There are few reports on the outcome of distal radius fractures after 1 year. Therefore we investigated the long-term patient-reported functional outcome and health-related quality of life after a distal radius fracture in adults. Patients and methods - We reviewed 823 patients, treated either nonoperatively or operatively in 2012. After a mean follow-up of 3.8 years 285 patients (35%) completed the Patient-Rated Wrist Evaluation (PRWE) and EuroQol-5D. Results - The mean PRWE score was 11. The mean EQ-5D index value was 0.88 and the mean EQ VAS for self-rated health status was 80. Nonoperatively treated type A and type B fractures had lower PRWE scores compared with operatively treated patients, whereas the EQ-5D was similar between groups. The EQ VAS for patients aged 65 and older was statistically significantly lower than that of younger patients. Interpretation - Patients had a good overall long-term functional outcome after a distal radius fracture. Patients with fractures that were possible to treat nonoperatively had less pain and better wrist function after long-term follow-up than patients who needed surgical fixation.
