Short- and long-term outcomes after endarterectomy with autologous patching in endurance athletes with iliac artery endofibrosis.

OBJECTIVE: Endurance athletes such as cyclists may develop intermittent claudication owing to iliac artery endofibrosis after long-lasting extreme hemodynamic challenges. This study investigated short-term (<1.5 years) and long-term (>5 years) satisfaction and safety after a surgical endarterectomy and autologous patching. METHODS: Data of endurance athletes who underwent an endarterectomy for flow limitation of the iliac artery owing to endofibrosis between 1997 and 2015 in one center were studied. Maximal cycling exercise tests, ankle-brachial index with flexed hips, echo-Doppler examination (peak systolic velocity), and contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography were performed before and 6 to 18 months after surgery. Short-term and long-term satisfaction were evaluated using questionnaires. Potential patch dilatation was assessed using echo-Doppler. RESULTS: Analysis of 68 patients (79 legs; 55.7% males, median age at the time of surgery, 34 years; interquartile range, 26-41 years) demonstrated that cycling workload at symptom onset improved from 226 ± 97 to 333 ± 101 (P < .001) Watts. Peak workload increased from 326 ± 111 to 352 ± 93 Watts (P < .001). Ankle-brachial index with flexed hips increased from 0.34 (interquartile range [IQR], 0.00-0.47) to 0.59 (IQR, 0.51-0.69; P < .001). Peak systolic velocity with extended and flexed hip decreased from 2.04 m·sec-1 (IQR, 1.52-2.56 m·3sec-1) to 1.25 m·sec-1 (IQR, 0.92-1.62 m·sec-1; P < .001) and 2.40 m·sec-1 (IQR, 1.81-2.81 m·sec-1) to 1.15 m·sec-1 (IQR, 0.97-1.60 m·sec-1; P < .001), respectively. Thirty-day major complication rate was 5.1% (hematoma requiring evacuation nLegs = 2, septic bleeding from deep infection nLegs = 1, and iliac occlusion requiring thrombectomy nLegs = 1). In the short term, 91.2% of patients reported symptom reduction with a 93.7% overall satisfaction rate. After a median of 11.1 years (IQR, 7.8-17.6 years), the overall satisfaction was 91.7%; 94.5% of patients reported persistent symptom reduction. Patch dilatation of >20 mm was observed in two patients. Linear mixed model analysis revealed no alarming patch dilatation in the long term. CONCLUSIONS: Endarterectomy with an autologous patch for intermittent claudication owing to iliac artery endofibrosis in endurance athletes shows high rates of patient satisfaction and symptom reduction in both the short and long term. The risk of surgical complications or patch dilatation is mild. A surgical intervention for flow limitation of the iliac artery owing to endofibrosis is safe and successful.

Short- and long-term results of operative iliac artery release in endurance athletes.

OBJECTIVE: Endurance athletes can develop intermittent claudication due to sports-related flow limitations of the iliac artery (FLIA) caused by arterial kinking. In the present study, we investigated the short- and long-term efficacy of an operative release for iliac artery kinking. METHODS: Between 1996 and 2015, all patients with a diagnosis of FLIA due to iliac artery kinking without substantial arterial stenosis (<15%) or an excessive arterial length (vessel length to straight ratio, <1.25) who had undergone surgery were included. The short-term follow-up protocol consisted of cycling tests, the ankle brachial index with a flexed hip, and Doppler echography examinations to determine the peak systolic velocity before and 6 to 18 months after surgery. Additionally, the short- and long-term efficacy were evaluated using questionnaires. RESULTS: A total of 142 endurance athletes (155 legs; 88.4% male; median age, 26 years; interquartile range [IQR], 22-31 years) were available for analysis. In the short term, the symptoms had decreased in 83.9% of the patients, with an overall 80.3% satisfaction rate. Power during a maximal cycling test had improved from 420 W (IQR, 378-465 W) to 437 W (IQR, 392-485 W; P < .001). The symptom-free workload had increased from 300 W (IQR, 240-340 W) to 400 W (IQR, 330-448 W; P < .001). The postexercise ankle brachial index with a flexed hip had increased from 0.53 (IQR, 0.40-0.61) to 0.57 (IQR, 0.47-0.64; P = .002), and the peak systolic velocity with a flexed hip had decreased from 1.88 m/s (IQR, 1.45-2.50 m/s) to 1.52 m/s (IQR, 1.19-2.07 m/s; P < .001). Postoperative imaging studies revealed some degree kinking in 33.9%, mostly asymptomatic. The long-term results were evaluated after a median of 15.2 years (IQR, 10.9-19.5 years). The athletes had cycled an additional 125.500 km (IQR, 72.00-227.500 km), which was approximately equal to the 131.000 km (IQR, 98.250-220.000 km) cycled before the diagnosis of FLIA. On the long term, 63.9% of the athletes reported persistent reduction of complaints, with an overall 59.1% satisfaction rate. Eight patients had required reintervention, six because of treatment failure and two because of newly developed FLIA. CONCLUSIONS: Operative iliac artery release for sports-related functional kinking in the absence of stenosis or an excessive vessel length was effective for most athletes in the short and long term.

Sports-related flow limitations in the iliac arteries in endurance athletes: aetiology, diagnosis, treatment and future developments.

Approximately one in five top-level cyclists will develop sports-related flow limitations in the iliac arteries. These flow limitations may be caused by a vascular lumen narrowing due to endofibrotic thickening of the intima and/or by kinking of the vessels. In some athletes, extreme vessel length contributes to this kinking. Endofibrotic thickening is a result of a repetitive vessel damage due to haemodynamic and mechanical stress. Atherosclerotic intimal thickening is seldom encountered in these young athletes. This type of sports-related flow limitation shows no relationship with the classical risk factors for atherosclerosis like smoking, hypercholesterolaemia or family predisposition for arterial diseases. The patient's history is paramount for diagnosis. If an athlete reports typical claudication-like complaints in a leg at maximal effort, which disappear quickly at rest, approximately two out of three will have a flow limitation in the iliac artery. In current (sports) medical practice, this diagnosis is often missed, since a vascular cause is not expected in this healthy athletic population. Even if suspected, the routinely available diagnostic tests often appear insufficient. Definite diagnosis can be made by a combination of the patient's history and special designed tests consisting of a maximal cycle ergometer test with ankle blood pressure measurements and/or an echo-Doppler examination with provocative manoeuvres like hip flexion and exercise. Conservative treatment consists of diminishing or even completely stopping the provocative sports activity. If conservative treatment is insufficient or deemed unacceptable, surgical treatment might be considered. As surgery needs to be tailored to the underlying lesions, a detailed analysis before surgery is necessary. Standard clinical tests, used for visualising atherosclerotic diseases, are inadequate to identify and quantify the causes of flow limitations. Echo-Doppler examination and magnetic resonance angiography with both flexed and extended hips have been proven to be adequate tools. In particular, overprojection and eccentric location of the lesions seriously limit the usefulness of a two-dimensional technique like digital subtraction angiography. In the early stages, when kinking has not yet led to intimal thickening or excessive lengthening, simple surgical release of the iliac artery is effective. However, for patients with excessive vessel lengths or extensive endofibrotic thickening, a vascular reconstruction may be necessary. A major drawback of these interventions is that long-term effects and complications are unknown. As both the diagnostic methods and the treatments for this type of flow limitation differ substantially from routine vascular procedures, these patients should be examined in specialised research centres with appropriate diagnostic tools and medical experience.

Excessive length of iliac arteries in athletes with flow limitations measured by magnetic resonance angiography.

PURPOSE: Kinking of the iliac arteries can cause flow limitations in endurance athletes. Such kinking may be treated by surgical release of the iliac arteries. However, when the length of the iliac artery is excessive, this may not be effective. Because threshold values of excessive length of the iliac arteries are unknown, normal values for endurance athletes were obtained and abnormalities encountered in these patients are reported. METHODS: Forty-three endurance athletes (46 symptomatic legs) with flow limitations in the iliac arteries were examined using magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) with hips extended and flexed. The ratio of vessel length to straight-line distance was determined for the common and external iliac arteries. Sixteen national-level cyclists (32 reference legs) served as a control group. RESULTS: For the common iliac artery, length ratios were significantly (P < 0.05) higher in the symptomatic legs than in the reference legs (symptomatic legs: 1.1 +/- 0.12, 1.22 +/- 0.19, reference legs 1.05 +/- 0.04, 1.11 +/- 0.05 with extended and flexed hips, respectively). For the external iliac artery, only in the position with hips flexed, the ratios in the symptomatic legs were significantly higher than in the reference legs (symptomatic legs: 1.11 +/- 0.09, 1.44 +/- 0.23, reference legs 1.08 +/- 0.05, 1.32 +/- 0.13 with extended and flexed hips, respectively). A small proportion of symptomatic legs had extremely high length ratios. CONCLUSION: MRA is effective for determining vessel length. The ratio of vessel length to straight-line distance with extended and flexed hips is a good measure for excessive vessel length and achieves extreme values in a small subgroup of patients. Further prospective study is warranted to define maximal vessel length ratios, which still allow benefit from surgical release of the iliac arteries.