Arterial Blood Flow and Effects on Limb Tissue Perfusion During Endoshunting of the Common Iliac Artery in an Experimental Porcine Model.

Objective: Temporary arterial shunting is an established method to prevent tissue ischaemia. Although less well established, shunting might also be achieved through endovascular and hybrid techniques, known as endoshunting. Endoshunting offers advantages, for example, enabling minimally invasive access and avoiding complete occlusion of the donor artery. In an ex vivo bench test, volume flow in various interconnected endoshunt systems has been tested previously. This study aimed to investigate the capacity of the best performing endoshunt system in vivo. Methods: Six anaesthetised pigs had their common iliac arteries (CIAs) explored, with the left CIA serving as the experimental and the right CIA as the control. Mean arterial pressure, regional blood flow, endoshunt flow, and regional oxygen extraction and lactate production were recorded. Distal muscle perfusion was monitored using near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Each experiment involved baseline registration, cross clamping of the left CIA, a 120 minute endoshunt session, and restoration of native flow. Results: During cross clamping, NIRS values on the experimental side reached the lowest measurable value. Following endoshunt activation, there were no NIRS value differences between the experimental and control extremities whereas the average arterial flow decreased in both the experimental (270-140 mL/min, p = .028) and control extremities (245-190 mL/min, p = .25), with a greater drop on the endoshunted side (48% vs. 22%, respectively). Lactate levels temporarily increased by 42% in the endoshunted limb on endoshunt activation but were normalised within an hour. Oxygen extraction remained constant at 55% on the control side but increased to 70% on the endoshunted side (p = .068). Conclusion: In this animal model, a flow optimised endoshunt system appeared to provide sufficient blood flow and restored stable tissue perfusion. Although arterial flow was slightly lower and oxygen extraction slightly higher on the endoshunted side, the endoshunt seemed to deliver adequate perfusion to prevent significant ischaemia.

Psychosocial consequences after screening of abdominal aortic aneurysm among 65 year old men.

BACKGROUND: In order to reduce the incidence of abdominal aortic aneurysm rupture and mortality, the Swedish Medical Council has introduced a national abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening program that offers ultrasound examination of 65-year-old men. Screening programmes of AAA may confer both benefits and harms. The study aim was to investigate the psychosocial consequences of AAA screening among men with screening-detected AAA as compared to men identified as AAA-negative at screening, using an AAA-specific questionnaire. METHODS: This cross-sectional study investigated the psychosocial consequences of AAA screening measured with a condition-specific questionnaire. This study focused on the Experience of the Diagnosis and the Screening Procedure in terms of Anxiety, Sense of Dejection and Existential Values. One hundred and fifty-eight men with AAA (63%) and 275 with normal aorta size (55%) completed the diagnosis-specific questionnaire. RESULTS: Ninety-six percent of men with screening detected AAA did not regret the screening examination, the corresponding figure for controls being 99.6%. Seventy percent of AAA patients were surprised that something was wrong in their body. Some (85%) of men with AAA were current or previous smokers, about half of them (45%) felt guilty about it and 78% of the current smokers in the AAA group had considered stopping smoking. Both groups considered changing lifestyle, although at a higher rate (32%) among AAA cases than controls (20%), with differences both in intention to change their ways to exercise (p = 0.019) and food intake (p = 0.001). Intergroup differences were identified for the majority of items as captured by the questionnaire where men identified with AAA reported more negative psycho-social consequences for all evaluated items except for the items: Regret of the screening examination (p = 0.069) and feeling terrified (p = 0.10). Fifty-one percent of AAA cases stated that they feared rupture, and 12% were anxious about rupture during sexual activity whereas 57% were worried about rupture during intense physical activity. CONCLUSION: Men who were diagnosed with AAA reported more psychosocial consequences compared to controls; still only a minority of AAA cases reported psychosocial consequences in greater occurrence. To some degree, men with AAA also feared rupture during various types of activities. There appears to be a need for improved patient information and easy access to caregivers for men with screening-detected AAA, which might help to reduce psychosocial consequences associated with the diagnosis.

Corrigendum to "Optimization of Volume Flow Rates when Using Endovascular Shunting Techniques - An Experimental Study in Different Bench Flow Circuits. [EJVES Vascular Forum Volume 58, 2023, Pages 5-10]".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.ejvsvf.2022.11.002.][This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.ejvsvf.2023.03.001.].

Optimisation of Volume Flow Rates when Using Endovascular Shunting Techniques: An Experimental Study in Different Bench Flow Circuits.

Objective: Acute tissue ischaemia may arise due to arterial emergencies or during more complex vascular procedures and may be mitigated by temporary shunting techniques.Endovascular shunting (ES) techniques enable percutaneous access and shunting from the donor artery without the need to completely interrupt the arterial flow in the donor artery. An endoshunt system may also cover longer distances than most conventional shunts. The aim was to investigate and optimise the flow rates in different endovascular shunt systems. Methods: Step 1: The flow capacity of different ES configurations was compared with the flow capacity of a 9 Fr Pruitt-Inahara shunt (PIS). An intravenous bag with 0.9% NaCl, pressurised to 90 mmHg, was connected simultaneously to a PIS and to one of the tested ES configurations. The two shunt systems were then opened at the same time.The delivered fluid volumes from the shunt systems were collected and measured. The volume flow rate was subsequently calculated.Steps 2 and 3: Within a heart lung machine circuit, pressure-flow charts were constructed for the individual ES components and for the fully connected optimised endoshunt systems. The flow rate was increased in steps of 40-50 mL/min while monitoring the driving pressure, enabling the creation and comparison of the pressure-flow charts for the individually tested components. In total, seven individual inflow and outflow potential ES components were investigated with inflow and outflow diameters ranging from 6 to 15 Fr. Results: ES systems based on standard donor introducers led to substantially lower volume flow than the corresponding PIS volume flow, whereas ES systems based on dedicated 6 or 8 Fr dialysis access introducers (Prelude Short Sheet, Merit Medical) matched PIS flow rates. The introduction of 30 cm long »'' perfusion tubing within the ES system did not affect volume flow for any of the tested ES configurations. Conclusion: Endoshunting techniques can match PIS volume flow rates over short and long distances. The achieved ES flow rate is highly dependent on the components used within the ES system.

Validation of an automated measurement method for determination of the ankle-brachial index.

Objective. Lower extremity atherosclerotic disease (LEAD) diagnosis is largely based on ankle-brachial index (ABI) recordings. Equipment that could automatically determine ABI may facilitate LEAD identification within a broad range of health services. We aimed to test the measurement properties of an automated oscillometric ABI measurement device (MESI ABPI MD®) as compared to manual reference ABI measurements in patients with and without LEAD. Design. A total of 153 patients with and without LEAD visiting a vascular surgery clinic underwent manual and automated ABI measurements. In total, 306 limbs were investigated. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were calculated to assess the automated ABI device overall validity, with the manual method as reference. Correlation analysis (Spearman) was used to assess patterns of correlation between measurement methods while Bland-Altman plots were used to quantify measurement agreement. Results. Sensitivity and specificity for the automated ABI device were 75 and 67% whereas PPV and NPV were 72 and 71%, respectively. The correlation coefficient (automated versus manual measurements) was r = 0.552, p < .01. Bland-Altman plots revealed proportional bias and a tendency by the automated device to overestimate lower ABI values and underestimate higher ABI values. The best agreement between automated and manual ABI recordings was observed within the normal ABI range. Conclusions. The ABPI MD® device performance was unfavorable. The automated device tended to overestimate lower ABI values while underestimating higher values, which may lead to underdiagnosis of LEAD. Our data do not support the use of this automated ABI measurement device in clinical practice.

Low Progesterone and Low Estradiol Levels Associate With Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms in Men.

CONTEXT: Male sex is a major risk factor for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) but few studies have addressed associations between sex hormone levels and AAA. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to describe the associations between serum sex steroids and early, screening-detected AAA in men. METHODS: We validated a high-sensitivity liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry assay for comprehensive serum sex hormone profiling. This assay was then employed in a case-control study including 147 men with AAA (infrarenal aorta ≥ 30 mm) and 251 AAA-free controls recruited at the general population-based ultrasound screening for AAA in 65-year-old Swedish men. OUTCOMES INCLUDED: associations between dehydroepiandrosterone, progesterone, 17α-hydroxyprogesterone, androstenedione, estrone, testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, and estradiol and AAA presence. RESULTS: Dehydroepiandrosterone, progesterone, 17α-hydroxyprogesterone, testosterone, and estradiol, but not the other hormones, were lower in men with AAA. In models with adjustments for known AAA risk factors and comorbidity, only progesterone (odds ratio per SD decrease 1.62 [95% CI, 1.18-2.22]) and estradiol (1.40 [95% CI, 1.04-1.87]) remained inversely associated with the presence of AAA. Progesterone and estradiol contributed with independent additive information for prediction of AAA presence; compared with men with high (above median) levels, men with low (below median) levels of both hormones had a 4-fold increased odds ratio for AAA (4.06 [95% CI, 2.25-7.31]). CONCLUSION: Measured by a high-performance sex steroid assay, progesterone and estradiol are inversely associated with AAA in men, independent of known risk factors. Future studies should explore whether progesterone and estradiol, which are important reproductive hormones in women, are protective in human AAA.

Deep Femoral Vein Reconstruction for Abdominal Aortic Graft Infections is Associated with Low Aneurysm Related Mortality and a High Rate of Permanent Discontinuation of Antimicrobial Treatment.

OBJECTIVE: Aortic prosthesis infection is a devastating complication of aortic surgery. In situ reconstruction with the neo-aorto-iliac system (NAIS) bypass technique has become increasingly used and is recommended in recent treatment guidelines. The main aim was to evaluate NAIS procedural outcomes when undertaken after previous open or endovascular aortic repair in Sweden. METHODS: In this retrospective study, The National Quality Registry for Vascular Surgery (Swedvasc) was used to identify Swedish centres that offered the NAIS bypass procedure for aortic prosthesis infection between 2008 and 2018. Variables of special interest were procedural details, short and long term survival, renal and other complications, and the durtion of antimicrobial treatment. RESULTS: Forty patients (36 males, four females [mean age 69 years], 32 open repairs, seven endovascular aortic repairs [EVAR] and one fenestrated EVAR; 21 presented with aorto-enteric fistula) operated on with NAIS bypass were reviewed. The median time from the primary aortic intervention to the NAIS bypass procedure was 32 months (range 0 - 252 months). Mean ± standard deviation operating time was 645 ± 160 minutes, mean blood loss was 6 277 ± 6 525 mL, mean length of intensive care unit stay was 5.3 ± 3.7 days, and mean length of overall hospital stay was 21.2 ± 11.4 days. Thirty-five patients (88%) had a positive microbial culture; the most commonly isolated pathogen was Candida spp. The majority of patients survived for 30 days (n = 35 [88%]), and 33 (83%) and 32 (80%) patients survived for 90 days and one year, respectively. The number of surviving patients free from antimicrobial treatment at 90 days, six months, and one year was 19 (58%), 29 (88%), and 30 (94%). After a mean long term follow up of 69.9 ± 44.7 months, 20 patients were still alive. CONCLUSION: The NAIS bypass procedure offered reasonable survival and functional outcomes, and was associated with a high cure rate, defined as freedom from any antimicrobial treatment.

The Short-term Predictive Value of Vessel Wall Stiffness on Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Growth.

BACKGROUND: Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) surveillance programs are currently based solely on AAA diameter. The diameter criterion alone, however, seems inadequate as small AAAs comprise 5-10 % of ruptured AAAs as well as some large AAAs never rupture. Aneurysm wall stiffness has been suggested to predict rupture and growth; this study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of AAA vessel wall stiffness for growth on prospectively collected data. METHODS: Analysis was based on data from a randomised, placebo-controlled, multicentre trial investigating mast-cell-inhibitors to halt aneurysm growth (the AORTA trial). Systolic and diastolic AAA diameter was determined in 326 patients using electrocardiogram-gated ultrasound (US). Stiffness was calculated at baseline and after 1 year. RESULTS: Maximum AAA diameter increased from 44.1 mm to 46.5 mm during the study period. Aneurysm growth after 1 year was not predicted by baseline stiffness (-0.003 mm/U; 95 % CI: -0.007 to 0.001 mm/U; P = 0.15). Throughout the study period, stiffness remained unchanged (8.3 U; 95 % CI: -2.5 to 19.1 U; P = 0.13) and without significant correlation to aneurysm growth (R: 0.053; P = 0.38). CONCLUSIONS: Following a rigorous US protocol, this study could not confirm AAA vessel wall stiffness as a predictor of aneurysm growth in a 1-year follow-up design. The need for new and subtle methods to complement diameter for improved AAA risk assessment is warranted.

Misdiagnosis of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms is common and is associated with increased mortality.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the rate of misdiagnosis in the emergency department in patients with ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms (rAAAs), and to investigate how misdiagnosis affects rAAA mortality. METHODS: Data were extracted from the Swedish Cause of Death Registry and the Swedish National Registry for Vascular Surgery from 2010 to 2015. All rAAA patients registered in the health care system in the west of Sweden were identified. Medical charts for rAAA patients were reviewed, and patients who were correctly diagnosed at the first assessment in the emergency department were compared with patients who were misdiagnosed. RESULTS: Altogether, 455 patients with rAAA were identified, including both patients who underwent surgery and those who did not. One hundred seventy-seven (38.9%) were initially misdiagnosed. The mortality rate was 74.6% in patients who were misdiagnosed, as compared with 62.9% in correctly diagnosed patients (P = .01). The adjusted odds ratio for mortality in misdiagnosed patients relative to correctly diagnosed patients was 1.83 (95% confidence interval, 1.13-2.96) (P = .01). When excluding patients offered palliative care (n = 134) after detection of the rAAA, the mortality in initially misdiagnosed patients was 65.1% as compared with 46.4% in correctly diagnosed patients (P = .001). In patients reaching surgical intervention, 37 (45.1%) of the primarily misdiagnosed patients died (30-day or in-hospital mortality) as compared with 63 (38.0%) of the correctly diagnosed (P = .34). CONCLUSIONS: Misdiagnosis is common in patients with rAAA, and it is associated with a substantially higher risk of dying from the ruptured aneurysm.

The effect of ticagrelor on growth of small abdominal aortic aneurysms-a randomized controlled trial.

AIMS: To evaluate if ticagrelor, an effective platelet inhibitor without known non-responders, could inhibit growth of small abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). METHODS AND RESULTS: In this multi-centre randomized controlled trial, double-blinded for ticagrelor and placebo, acetylic salicylic acid naïve patients with AAA and with a maximum aortic diameter 35-49 mm were included. The primary outcome was mean reduction in log-transformed AAA volume growth rate (%) measured with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 12 months compared with baseline. Secondary outcomes include AAA-diameter growth rate and intraluminal thrombus (ILT) volume enlargement rate. A total of 144 patients from eight Swedish centres were randomized (72 in each group). MRI AAA volume increase was 9.1% for the ticagrelor group and 7.5% for the placebo group (P = 0.205) based on intention-to-treat analysis, and 8.5% vs. 7.4% in a per-protocol analysis (P = 0.372). MRI diameter change was 2.5 mm vs. 1.8 mm (P = 0.113), US diameter change 2.3 mm vs. 2.2 mm (P = 0.778), and ILT volume change 12.9% vs. 10.4% (P = 0.590). CONCLUSION: In this RCT, platelet inhibition with ticagrelor did not reduce growth of small AAAs. Whether the ILT has an important pathophysiological role for AAA growth cannot be determined based on this study due to the observed lack of thrombus modulating effect of ticagrelor. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The TicAAA trial is registered at the US National Institutes of Health (ClinicalTrials.gov) #NCT02070653.

Routine open abdomen treatment compared with on-demand open abdomen or direct closure following open repair of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms: A propensity score-matched study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether a strategy of treatment with a primarily open abdomen improves outcome in terms of mortality and major complications in patients treated with open repair for a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm compared to a strategy of primary closure of the abdomen. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. METHODS: Patients treated with a primarily open abdomen at a centre where this strategy was routine in most ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm patients were compared to a propensity score-matched control group of patients who had the abdomen closed at the end of the primary operation in a majority of the cases. RESULTS: In total, 79 patients treated with a primarily open abdomen after open repair for ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm at Sahlgrenska University Hospital were compared to a propensity score-matched control group of 148 patients. The abdomen was closed at the end of the procedure in 108 (73%) of the control patients. There was no difference in 30-day mortality between patients treated with a primarily open abdomen at Sahlgrenska University Hospital and the controls, 21 (26.6%) versus 49 (33.1%), p = 0.37. The adjusted odds ratio for mortality at 30 days was 0.66 (95% confidence interval: 0.35-1.25) in patients treated with a primarily open abdomen at Sahlgrenska University Hospital compared to the controls. No difference was observed between the groups regarding 90-day mortality, postoperative renal failure requiring renal replacement therapy, postoperative intestinal ischaemia necessitating bowel resection or postoperative bleeding requiring reoperation. CONCLUSIONS: The study did not show any survival advantage or difference in major complications between patients treated with a primarily open abdomen after open repair for ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm and propensity-matched controls where the abdomen was primarily closed in a majority of the cases.

Nationwide Study on Treatment of Mycotic Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms.

OBJECTIVE: Mycotic aortic aneurysms are rare, life threatening, and complex. This nationwide study aimed to assess outcome after repair of mycotic thoracic aortic aneurysms (MTAAs). METHODS: Patients treated in Sweden for MTAAs between 2000 and 2016 were identified in the Swedish vascular registry (2010-16) and local patient registries (2000-09). Primary outcome was survival, and secondary outcomes included surgical strategy, rate of infection related complications (IRC), and re-operations. RESULTS: Fifty-two patients (median age 71 ± 8.1 years; 28 [54%] men, 13 [25%] ruptured) were identified (3.6% of all thoracic aortic aneurysm repairs in Sweden). Aneurysm location was aortic arch (n = 6; 11%), descending aorta (n = 42; 81%), and multiple locations (n = 4; 8%). Twenty-nine (56%) patients had positive cultures; the most prevalent agent was Staphylococcus aureus (n = 16; 31%). Operative techniques included thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR; n = 35 [67%]), fenestrated/branched TEVAR (n = 8; 15%), hybrid repair (n = 7; 14%), and open patch repair (n = 2; 4%). Survival was 92% (95% confidence interval [CI] 88-96) at 30 days, 88% (95% CI 84-93) at three months, 78% (73-84) at one year, and 71% (64-77) at five years. The mean follow up among survivors (> 90 days) was 45 months (range 4-216 months). Antibiotics were administered for a median of 15 weeks (range 0-220 weeks). IRCs occurred in nine patients (17%): sepsis (n = 3), graft infection (n = 3), recurrent mycotic aneurysm (n = 1), aorto-oesophageal/bronchial fistula (n = 2). Six (67%) IRCs were fatal; 80% occurred within the first year. Re-operations were performed in nine patients (17%). CONCLUSIONS: TEVAR was often used as treatment for MTAAs, with acceptable short- and long-term survival when compared with open cohorts in the literature. IRCs are of concern and warrant follow up and long-term antibiotic treatment.

Deep Femoral Vein Reconstruction of the Abdominal Aorta and Adaptation of the Neo-Aortoiliac System Bypass Technique in an Endovascular Era.

BACKGROUND:: Primary infection of the abdominal aorta is a rare pathology that may threaten the integrity of the aortic wall, while secondary aortic prosthesis infection represents a devastating complication to open surgical and endovascular aortic surgery. Curative treatment is achievable by removal of all infected prosthetic material followed by a vascular reconstruction. DESIGN AND METHODS:: Twelve consecutive patients treated with the neo-aortoiliac system bypass (NAIS) procedure were reviewed. Nine were treated for a secondary aortic prosthesis infection (tube graft n = 3, bifurcated graft n = 4, endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) stent graft n = 1, and fenestrated EVAR [FEVAR] stent graft n = 1), while 3 patients underwent NAIS repair due to an emergent primary mycotic aortoiliac aneurysm. PRIMARY RESULTS:: Ten of 12 patients survived 30 days. Three patients were operated on acutely, and 9 patients had elective or subacute NAIS surgery. Two of 3 patients operated acutely died within 30 days, whereas no 30-day or 1-year mortality was observed in patients undergoing elective or subacute surgery. The median time from primary reconstruction to the NAIS procedure was 11 months (range: 0-201 months). Stent grafts (n = 5 of 12) were in 4 cases explanted using endovascular balloon clamping. Of the explanted endografts, 2 patients presented with a secondary graft infection after EVAR/FEVAR, while 3 patients had been emergently treated with endovascular cuffs as a "bridge-to-surgery" procedure due to aortoenteric fistula (AEF). Patients who received a "bridge-to-surgery" regimen were treated with the NAIS procedure within 8 weeks (median 27 days, range: 27-60) after receiving emergency stent grafting. PRINCIPAL CONCLUSIONS:: Aortic balloon-clamping during explantation of infected aortic prosthetic endografts is feasible and facilitates complete endograft removal. Endovascular bridging procedures could be beneficiary in the treatment of AEF or anastomotic dehiscence due to graft infection, offering a possibility to convert the acute setting to an elective definitive reconstructive procedure with a higher overall success rate.

[Misleading study in The Lancet on the outcome of the Swedish AAA screening program]. / Stor enighet om att screening för bukaortaaneurysm räddar liv.

In a recent publication in The Lancet Johansson and colleagues claim no effect on aneurysm mortality among men participating in the Swedish AAA screening program, and question its justification. The study is, however, limited by a corrupt study design and incorrect data, making the publication misleading. On the contrary, several RCTs and contemporary nationwide data with sufficient follow-up clearly show that AAA screening saves lives and is highly cost-effective. The program has so far identified about 6000 men with an AAA, of whom 1500 have been operated on to prevent rupture. Thus, more than 750 men have experienced a longer life (by a mean of 8 years) as a result of the program. Continuous evaluation of the program is important but requires a scientifically sound methodology.

Consequences of screening in abdominal aortic aneurysm: development and dimensionality of a questionnaire.

BACKGROUND: In interview studies, men under surveillance for screening-detected abdominal aortic aneurysms have reported ambivalence towards this diagnosis: the knowledge was welcomed together with worries, feelings of anxiety and existential thoughts about life's fragility and mortality due to the diagnosis. Previous surveys about health-related quality of life aspects among men under surveillance for screening-detected aneurysm have all used generic patient-reported outcomes. Therefore, the aim of this study was to extend the core-questionnaire Consequences of Screening for use in abdominal aortic aneurysm screening by testing for comprehension, content coverage, dimensionality, and reliability. METHODS: In interviews, the suitability, content coverage, and relevance of the core-questionnaire Consequences of Screening were tested on men under surveillance for a screeningdetected abdominal aortic aneurysm. The results were thematically analysed to identify the key consequences of abnormal screening results. Item Response Theory and Classical Test Theory were used to analyse data. Dimensionality, differential item functioning, local response dependency and reliability were established by item analysis, examining the fit between item responses and Rasch models. RESULTS: The core-questionnaire Consequences of Screening was found to be relevant for men offered regular follow-up of an asymptomatic screening-detected abdominal aortic aneurysm.Fourteen themes especially relevant for men diagnosed with a screening-detected abdominal aortic aneurysm were extracted from the interviews: 'Uncertainty about the result of the ultra sound examination', 'Change in body perception', 'Guilt', 'Fear and powerlessness', 'Negative experiences from the examination', 'Emotional reactions', 'Change in lifestyle', 'Better not knowing', 'Fear of rupture', 'Sexuality', 'Information', 'Stigmatised', 'Self-blame for smoking', 'Still regretful smoking'. Altogether, 55 new items were generated: 3 were single items and 13 were only relevant for former or current smokers. 51 of the 52 items belonging to a theme were confirmed to fit Rasch models measuring fourteen different constructs. No differential item functioning and only minor local dependency was revealed between some of the 51 items. CONCLUSIONS: The reliability and the dimensionality of a condition-specific measure with high content validity for men under surveillance for a screening-detected abdominal aortic aneurysm have been demonstrated. This new questionnaire called COS-AAA covers in two parts the psychosocial experience in abdominal aortic aneurysm screening.

Outcome of the Swedish Nationwide Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening Program.

BACKGROUND: A general abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening program, targeting 65-year-old men, has gradually been introduced in Sweden since 2006 and reached nationwide coverage in 2015. The aim of this study was to determine the outcome of this program. METHODS: Data on the number of invited and examined men, screening-detected AAAs, AAAs operated on, and surgical outcome were retrieved from all 21 Swedish counties for the years 2006 through 2014. AAA-specific mortality data were retrieved from the Swedish Cause of Death Registry. A linear regression analysis was used to estimate the effect on AAA-specific mortality among all men ≥65 years of age for the observed time period. The long-term effects were projected by using a validated Markov model. RESULTS: Of 302 957 men aged 65 years invited, 84% attended. The prevalence of screening-detected AAA was 1.5%. After a mean of 4.5 years, 29% of patients with AAA had been operated on, with a 30-day mortality rate of 0.9% (1.3% after open repair and 0.3% after endovascular repair, P<0.001). The introduction of screening was associated with a significant reduction in AAA-specific mortality (mean, 4.0% per year of screening, P=0.020). The number needed to screen and the number needed to operate on to prevent 1 premature death were 667 and 1.5, respectively. With a total population of 9.5 million, the Swedish national AAA-screening program was predicted to annually prevent 90 premature deaths from AAA and to gain 577 quality-adjusted life-years. The incremental cost-efficiency ratio was estimated to be €7770 per quality-adjusted life-years. CONCLUSIONS: Screening 65-year-old men for AAA is an effective preventive health measure and is highly cost-effective in a contemporary setting. These findings confirm the results from earlier randomized controlled trials and model studies in a large population-based setting of the importance for future healthcare decision making.

Endovascular treatment of mycotic aortic aneurysms: a European multicenter study.

BACKGROUND: Mycotic aortic aneurysm (MAA) is a rare and life-threatening disease. The aim of this European multicenter collaboration was to study the durability of endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) of MAA, by assessing late infection-related complications and long-term survival. METHODS AND RESULTS: All EVAR treated MAAs, between 1999 and 2013 at 16 European centers, were retrospectively reviewed. One hundred twenty-three patients with 130 MAAs were identified. Mean age was 69 years (range 39-86), 87 (71%) were men, 58 (47%) had immunodeficiency, and 47 (38%) presented with rupture. Anatomic locations were ascending/arch (n=4), descending (n=34), paravisceral (n=15), infrarenal aorta (n=63), and multiple (n=7). Treatments were thoracic EVAR (n=43), fenestrated/branched EVAR (n=9), and infrarenal EVAR (n=71). Antibiotic was administered for mean 30 weeks. Mean follow-up was 35 months (range 1 week to 149 months). Six patients (5%) were converted to open repair during follow-up. Survival was 91% (95% confidence interval, 86% to 96%), 75% (67% to 83%), 55% (44% to 66%), and 41% (28% to 54%) after 1, 12, 60, and 120 months, respectively. Infection-related death occurred in 23 patients (19%), 9 after discontinuation of antibiotic treatment. A Cox regression analysis demonstrated non-Salmonella-positive culture as predictors for late infection-related death. CONCLUSIONS: Endovascular treatment of MAA is feasible and for most patients a durable treatment option. Late infections do occur, are often lethal, and warrant long-term antibiotic treatment and follow-up. Patients with non-Salmonella-positive blood cultures were more likely to die from late infection.

Intestinal mucosal MMP-1 - a prognostic factor in colon cancer.

OBJECTIVE: There is evidence that transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1) and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play an important role in tumor invasion and progression in colorectal cancer. The aim of this study was to assess their utility in prediction of cancer-specific survival (CSS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: 136 patients undergoing curative surgery for colorectal carcinoma were prospectively included. Samples were taken from tumor and tumor-free intestinal mucosa and ELISA was used to assess protein levels in the tissues. Patients were followed for CSS. The median follow-up time for all included patients was 65 months (range: 45-92). The main outcome measure was CSS. RESULTS: T stage, lymph node involvement and high levels of MMP-1 as well as MMP-9 in tumor-free mucosa tissue were significantly associated with CSS in colon cancer in univariate analysis. This prognostic strength was maintained for MMP-1 and N-status in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that MMP-1 is independently associated with CSS in patients with colon cancer. Furthermore, a possible clinical implication is that MMP-1 protein expression in tumor-free mucosa could identify colon cancer patients with poor CSS in need of more intensified adjuvant treatment.

Differential prognostic impact of uPA and PAI-1 in colon and rectal cancer.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Degradation of extracellular matrix is important for tumour growth and invasion, which in part is regulated by the plasminogen activation system. The aim of the study was to evaluate the protein expression of urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) and plasminogen-activating inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) in plasma, tumour-free mucosa and tumour tissue regarding their prognostic value in colon and rectal cancer. METHODS: Patients (n = 221) undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer were prospectively included. Samples were assayed by ELISA technique. RESULTS: PAI-1 in tumour tissue (p = 0.006), plasma (<0.0001) and uPA in tumour-free mucosa (p = 0.006) were associated with survival in rectal cancer in univariate analysis. An uPA expression level below 1.1 ng/mg (log rank test, p < 0.0001) in tumour-free mucosa was associated with poor survival in rectal cancer. This was true also for patients without disseminated disease (M(0), p = 0.02). PAI-1 in plasma correlated with metastatic disease (p < 0.0001). uPA and PAI-1 were not associated with survival in either tumour tissue, mucosa or plasma in patients with colon cancer. CONCLUSIONS: uPA and PAI-1 have a differential prognostic impact in colon and rectal cancer. Preoperative mucosal uPA and plasma PAI-1 protein expression could possibly be used as prognostic factors in rectal cancer.