Totally videoendoscopic descending thoracic aorta-to-femoral artery bypass.

Descending thoracic aorta to femoral artery bypass is an effective and safe procedure for the treatment of aortoiliac occlusive disease when an approach to the abdominal aorta is undesirable. The major limitation of this technique has resulted from the morbidity rate associated with thoracotomy in a relatively high-risk vascular surgery population. As a minimally invasive procedure, videoendoscopy has been shown to improve the patient postoperative course and comfort in the field of general and thoracic surgery. The same benefits could be expected from a videoendoscopic surgery involving the thoracic aorta. In 2003 we reported the first case of a totally videoendoscopic descending thoracic aorta-to-femoral artery bypass procedure. In this article we report our additional experience with and the modifications we have made to this technique.

A new therapeutic approach to congenital pelvic arteriovenous malformations.

BACKGROUND: Internal iliac arteriovenous malformations (AVM) are difficult to treat. Arterial embolization is chosen in most cases but the angio-architecture of these arteriovenous shunts can provide an explanation for the several reported failures. We report the long-term results of peroperative intravenous embolization. METHODS: Between the years 1980 and 2008, seven patients were treated for complex and symptomatic internal AVM. These patients underwent a surgery which involved massive embolization of the venous hypogastric compartment, followed by the ligation of the hypogastric vein at its origin. RESULTS: There were no deaths reported in this group. The mean follow-up was 7 years (range: 10 months-12 years), with no cases of recurrences found. Computed tomographic scans of controls with reconstruction did not show any residual arteriovenous shunts. CONCLUSION: Intravenous embolization of the internal iliac AVM is a therapeutic strategy which is well adapted to the special angio-architecture of the arteriovenous shunts. Clinical and anatomic results have confirmed the validity of this strategy.

A Novel Technique of Ilio-Portal Venous Bypass to Relieve Symptoms of Pelvic Vein Congestion in a Patient with Inferior Vena Cava Agenesis.

A 37 year old man known to have inferior vena cava agenesis, presented to our center with severe symptoms of pelvic venous congestion. Surgical approach was attempted by creating a bypass between the right external iliac vein and the portal vein using an autogenous venous bypass (superficial femoral vein). Over a three year follow up, the bypass remained patent with complete resolution of symptoms. The ilio-portal venous bypass suggests a surgical alternative that has not been previously described.

Bilateral dissection of external iliac artery.

External iliac artery (EIA) dissection and especially bilateral involvement is very rare. We report the case of a 49-year-old male intense bicyclist who had presented a dissection of the left EIA responsible for claudication. He underwent an iliofemoral vein graft bypass. The histopathologic examination showed a dissection of the EIA with an otherwise normal arterial wall. Two years after he resumed his sporting activity, a dissection of the right EIA occurred with the onset of claudication. The patient underwent a right iliofemoral vein graft bypass. Histopathologic examination showed the same lesions as on the left side. Bilateral involvement of EIA dissection is possible especially when the mechanism leading to dissection is persistent. An attentive follow-up is thus to consider.

Totally laparoscopic assisted thoracic aorta endograft delivery by direct sheath placement into the aorta.

This report describes the treatment of a descending thoracic aortic aneurysm with an endograft introduced through the infrarenal aorta by using the laparoscopic technique. The indication for infrarenal aorta access was the existence of heavy calcifications and stenosis of the both iliac arteries. We report what we think to be the first totally laparoscopic assisted thoracic aorta endograft delivery by direct sheath placement into the aorta.

Totally videoendoscopic descending thoracic aorta to femoral artery bypass.

Descending thoracic aorta to femoral artery bypass is an effective and safe procedure for the treatment of aortoiliac occlusive disease when an approach to the abdominal aorta is undesirable. The major limitation of this technique has resulted from the morbidity rate associated with thoracotomy in a relatively high-risk vascular surgery population. As a minimally invasive procedure, videoendoscopy has been shown to improve the patient postoperative course and comfort in the field of general and thoracic surgery. The same benefits could be expected from a videoendoscopic surgery involving the thoracic aorta. We report what we think to be the first totally videoendoscopic descending thoracic aorta to femoral artery bypass.