Aortic and iliac fixation of seven endografts for abdominal-aortic aneurysm repair in an experimental model using human cadaveric aortas.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the proximal and distal (iliac) fixation of seven self-expanding endografts, used in the endovascular treatment (EVAR) of abdominal-aortic aneurysm (AAA), by measuring the displacement force (DF) necessary to dislocate the devices from their fixation sites. METHODS: A total of 20 human cadaveric aortas were exposed, left in situ and transected to serve as fixation zones. The Anaconda, EndoFit aorto-uni-iliac, Endurant, Powerlink, Excluder, Talent and Zenith stent grafts were deployed and caudal force was applied at the flow divider, through a force gauge. The DF needed to dislocate each device ≥ 20 mm from the infrarenal neck was recorded before and after moulding-balloon dilatation. Cephalad force was similarly applied to each iliac limb to assess distal fixation before and after moulding-balloon dilatation. RESULTS: Endografts with fixation hooks or barbs displayed a significantly higher DF necessary to dislocate the proximal portion compared with devices with no such fixation modalities (p < 0.001). Balloon dilatation produced a significant increase in DF in both devices with (p < 0.001) or without (p = 0.003) hooks or barbs. Suprarenal support did not enhance proximal fixation (p = 0.90). Balloon dilatation significantly increased the DF necessary to dislodge the iliac limbs (p = 0.007). CONCLUSIONS: Devices with fixation hooks displayed higher proximal fixation. Moulding-balloon dilatation increased proximal and distal fixation. Suprarenal support did not affect proximal fixation.

Endovascular treatment of descending thoracic aortic aneurysms with the EndoFit stent-graft.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the mid-term feasibility, efficacy, and durability of descending thoracic aortic aneurysm (DTAA) exclusion using the EndoFit device (LeMaitre Vascular). METHODS: Twenty-three (23) men (mean age 66 years) with a DTAA were admitted to our department for endovascular repair (21 were ASA III+ and 2 refused open repair) from January 2003 to July 2005. RESULTS: Complete aneurysm exclusion was feasible in all subjects (100% technical success). The median follow-up was 18 months (range 8-40 months). A single stent-graft was used in 6 cases. The deployment of a second stent-graft was required in the remaining 17 patients. All endografts were attached proximally, beyond the left subclavian artery, leaving the aortic arch branches intact. No procedure-related deaths have occurred. A distal type I endoleak was detected in 2 cases on the 1 month follow-up CT scan, and was repaired with reintervention and deployment of an extension graft. A nonfatal acute myocardial infarction occurred in 1 patient in the sixth postoperative month. Graft migration, graft infection, paraplegia, cerebral or distal embolization, renal impairment or any other major complications were not observed. CONCLUSION: The treatment of DTAAs using the EndoFit stent-graft is technically feasible. Mid-term results in this series are promising.

Wall lesions of abdominal aortic aneurysms threatening an impending rupture: prognostic evaluations.

BACKGROUND: Final events preceding aneurysm rupture are not completely known. The current study relates to incomplete aortic aneurysm wall lesions (i.e. malacia, dark staining and blebs or blisters) as possible sites of aneurysm rupture. METHODS: 162 abdominal aortic aneurysms, resected between 1988 and 1996, have been reviewed and 27 cases of aneurysms presenting wall thickness lesions are reported. The lesions were scheduled by operative reports and compared to ultrasound and CT scans. RESULTS: The authors classify aortic aneurysms into three phases, depending on the degree of wall degeneration viz 1. Flawless wall aneurysms. 2. (a-b-c) Aneurysms with intraparietal lesions. 3. Ruptured aneurysms. CONCLUSIONS: It is concluded that stage 2 aortic aneurysms must be urgently operated on. They carry a high surgical risk and, consequently, higher morbidity and mortality compared with stage 1 aneurysms.

Recurrent aneurysms: late complication for patients previously submitted to graft replacement for abdominal aortic aneurysm.

BACKGROUND: The possibility to perform easy and cheap ultrasonographic examinations of the abdomen allows us to face the problem of possible development of new paraanastomotic aneurysms or aneurysms on native arteries in subjects already submitted to endoaneurysmectomy of the abdominal aorta. The idea of planning accurate programs of ultrasonographic follow-up of operated patients is sustained by the hypothesis that the aortic aneurysm is an expression of a systemic disease due to a connectival defect of genetic nature. METHODS: Two different follow-up experiences are described: the first was a simple follow-up based only on clinical evaluation of patients previously submitted to aortic surgery in the last ten years at the Department of General and Cardiovascular Surgery of the University of Milan, and the second experience a planned follow-up programme based on instrumental evaluation of the patients. RESULTS: Thirty-one cases of recurrent aneurysms of native arteries in 13 subjects already operated for AAA from 3 to 13 years before are described. Despite the patients were evenly inserted in a clinical follow-up, as a matter of fact, 25 of these lesions were detected during occasional investigations performed for other reasons or for rupture, while during the last two years, the planned ultrasonographic follow-up of 95 patients detected 6 new aneurysms. CONCLUSIONS: Incidental detections of new paraanastomotic true aneurysms or ectasia of native arteries far from the graft are more and more frequent in patients already submitted to aortic replacement for abdominal aneurysm. In the international literature only few papers have been published about perspective studies based on instrumental follow-up of operated patients. The planning of such controls is mandatory, at present, also in order to evaluate the clinical development of aneurysmatic disease.

Indications and role of isolated profundaplasty in patients affected by limb ischemia.

The deep femoral artery is the primary source of blood supply to the lower extremity in presence of superficial and/or popliteal occlusion. The atherosclerotic involvement of the profunda femoris artery is relatively less frequent and generally is localized in the initial segment of the artery. The profundaplasty employed to relieve limb threatening ischemia is infrequently used as an isolated procedure. However many authors demonstrated that restoration of flow through this vessel alone, in patients without significative lesions of the aorto-femoral district, will effectively relieve ischemia when the superficial femoral artery is also occluded. Our experience gained in the last eight years concerns 24 patients (21 male, 3 female). All the patients had severe ischemia of the lower limb with invalidating claudication (13), rest pain (9) and gangrene (2). On the basis of our results, we think that the operation is recommended, whenever possible, in patients with critical ischemia when the possibilities of more extensive revascularizing procedures are absent.

Idiopathic varicocele: a comparison between types of surgery based on the results of spermiogenesis.

Varicocele must be regarded of the utmost importance in determinating male infertility. Surgical indications should be considered of primary interest in order to achieve a qualitative and quantitative improvement in spermiogram parameters in the majority of the cases. Recent reports showed that it is not the severity of the lesions to determine the alterations in seminal parameters but the length of time of the varicocele. In our report we consider the results achieved on the spermiogram parameters in two groups of 25 patients surgical treated with different techniques. The first group was treated, in others Centers, by means of the traditional technique of ligature of the spermatic vein (Ivanissevich, Palomo). We treated all the patients of the second group (53 patients) with microsurgical technique of anastomosis pampiniform plexus-saphenous vein, and we control the sepermiogram parameters in 25 patients. The first group showed an improvement of the spermiogram parameters after 6 months from the surgical treatment in the 64% of the cases, while in the second group the improvement was of the 92%. Moreover we registered the persistence of this improvement after 12/36 months from the operation time. On the basis of these observations we think that the microsurgical technique leads to the best and longest results on the most invalidating cause of this pathology.

[Current role of extra-anatomical revascularization of the lower limbs]. / Il ruolo attuale delle rivascolarizzazioni extra-anatomiche degli arti inferiori.

In vascular reconstructive surgery of the lower limbs for aorto-iliac disease the first choice procedure is TEA or aorto-femoral bypass. In "high risk patients" alternative procedures like extra-anatomical bypass (axillo-femoral or femoro-femoral bypass grafts) are available. In some cases, such us infection of a retroperitoneal prosthesis, an axillo-femoral bypass is mandatory in order to obtain revascularization of the lower limbs. In this article we report our late experience in this surgery and our opinion on the correct indication for the use of these procedures.