Does contralateral carotid occlusion influence neurologic fate of carotid endarterectomy?

Divergent opinions regarding operative risks and late prognosis of patients undergoing endarterectomy for carotid stenosis with contralateral carotid occlusion have prompted a review of the experience at Emory University Hospital from Jan. 1, 1978, through Dec. 31, 1982. Fifty-four patients (37 men, 17 women; mean age 63 years) who underwent carotid endarterectomy (CEA) with contralateral carotid occlusion (group I) were compared with 410 demographically similar patients without contralateral carotid occlusion (group II) who underwent 503 CEAs during the same interval. CEA indications in group I were the following and were proportionately similar to those of group II: hemispheric transient ischemic attacks, 22 patients; asymptomatic stenosis, 12 patients; nonhemispheric symptoms, 11 patients; previous cerebral infarction, eight patients; and vascular tinnitus, one patient. General anesthesia, routine intraluminal shunting, systemic heparinization, and arteriotomy closure without patch were routinely employed in both groups. Three patients in group I suffered permanent neurologic deficits after operation (5.6%) and two had transient postoperative deficits with complete recovery. Ten patients (2.0%) in group II suffered permanent neurologic deficits and 10 patients experienced transient neurologic events after operation. Neither the transient nor the permanent neurologic deficit rates were statistically different (p greater than 0.05; Fisher exact test) in the two groups. Operative mortality rates for group I and group II were 0% and 0.8%, respectively, and were not significantly different (p greater than 0.10; Fisher exact test). Late postoperative ischemic brain infarctions occurred in two patients in group I (3.8%) and in 13 patients (3.6%) in group II (p greater than 0.10; Fisher exact test). Kaplan-Meier survival analyses were virtually identical in both groups, with the majority of deaths caused by cardiac occlusion may undergo CEA with morbidity and mortality rates similar to those without contralateral occlusions. Contralateral carotid occlusion does not necessarily portend an unfavorable early or late prognosis after CEA.

Pyoderma gangrenosum at the parastomal site in patients with Crohn's disease.

Pyoderma gangrenosum is a rare idiopathic skin condition often associated with other diseases, including Crohn's disease. We believe this is the first report of cases in which pyoderma gangrenosum was identified at the parastomal site in patients with Crohn's disease. Four episodes of the condition occurred in three patients. In these patients, pyoderma gangrenosum first appeared after two to three surgical procedures and between ten months and five years after the initial surgery. The disease course varied from resolution within two months with corticosteroid therapy to resolution only after revision or relocation of the stoma with resection of recurrent disease segments. Parastomal pyoderma gangrenosum at the ileostomy site in patients with Crohn's disease may be more common than previously thought. Optimal treatment has not yet been established, and treatment needs to be tailored for each patient.

Congenital abdominal aortic aneurysms: report of a case and review of the literature.

Congenital abdominal aortic aneurysms are medical curiosities because of their rare occurrence even in groups with hereditary derangements of connective tissue metabolism (e.g., Marfan's syndrome and Ehlers- Danlos syndrome). We present the case of a 2 1/2-year-old boy with a congenital aneurysm of the aortoiliac bifurcation managed by excision and graft replacement. No associated disorder of connective tissue or other pathogenetic mechanism was discovered in this patient. The authors have summarized the existing literature regarding these rare but potentially lethal aneurysms.