Factors associated with rerupture of intracranial aneurysms after endovascular treatment: A retrospective review of 11years experience at a single institution and review of the literature.

Aneurysm rebleeding following initial endovascular management is uncommon, and the factors associated with its occurrence are poorly defined. We retrospectively analyzed a consecutive series of patients presenting with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage who underwent endovascular management to determine factors associated with rebleeding. Rebleeding occurred in 7/183 (3.8%) patients, 6 of which had an adjacent hematoma on initial neuroimaging. Aneurysms were located on the ACoA (n=5), PCoA (n=1), and MCA (n=1). Sizes ranged from 3.5 to 13.0mm (mean 8.0), with neck sizes ranging from 1.8 to 4.6mm (mean 3.2). Time-to-rerupture ranged from hours to years, with 3/7 cases rebleeding within 30days and 4/7 cases rebleeding later than 30days. Initial incomplete angiographic occlusion occurred in 2/3 cases of early rebleeding. The presence of adjacent intracerebral hematoma (ɸ=0.354, p<0.005), increasing Fisher Grade (t(9.4)=7.72, p<0.005), and aneurysmal outpouching (ɸ=0.265, p<0.005) were found to be the only factors associated with rerupture status. Recurrent hemorrhage following endovascular management of ruptured intracranial aneurysms is an uncommon but important source of morbidity, particularly in the early post-embolization period. The presence of high-risk features, such as an adjacent intracerebral hematoma or aneurysm outpouching, warrant early and frequent angiographic follow up to document stability and mitigate rupture risk.

Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty in the selected management of proximal arterial occlusive disease of the lower extremities: a preliminary report.

Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty was used in the treatment of 17 segmental, arterial stenoses in 12 patients. Successful dilatation was achieved in 88% of lesions with documented hemodynamic improvement of all successful cases. The technique has been applied as the sole treatment in certain cases of isolated iliac stenosis. It also has been used to improve arterial inflow prior to more distal reconstruction, as well as to treat localized disease progression in patients with previous arterial reconstruction. It must be considered a new adjunct in the management of patients with arterial occlusive disease.

Role of intra-arterial streptokinase in treatment of arterial thromboembolism.

We treated 27 cases of arterial thromboembolism, including nine thrombosed grafts, with intra-arterial (IA) streptokinase. Complete lysis without significant residual lesions was achieved in eight (30%) of the cases, and partial lysis with sustained improvement was achieved in an additional six cases (22%). Partial lysis revealing inaccessible residual disease in runoff vessels occurred in four (15%) of the cases, and nine (33%) were primary failures. Surgery was completely avoided in 11 (41%) of the patients, lesser amputations were possible in three (11%), and 18 (67%) avoided major amputation. Grafts lysed faster (35 v 62 hours) and more frequently (seven [78%] of nine v 11 [61%] of 18) than native vessels, but had a higher rethrombosis rate (four [71%] of seven v two [11%] of 11) and a lower late patency rate (two [22%] of nine v nine [50%] of 18). Significant bleeding occurred in one (3.7%) of the patients, and major thromboembolic complications occurred in four (13.8%). None occurred in those treated with concomitant heparin sodium. Better patency and fewer complications were also observed in limbs that were not acutely threatened, when IA streptokinase infusion was completed within 48 hours, and when the occluded segment and runoff vessels were rendered widely patent by IA streptokinase, with the aid of balloon angioplasty when necessary (five [36%] of 14).

Reexploration and angiographic ablation for hyperparathyroidism.

OBJECTIVE: Persistent and recurrent hyperparathyroidism remains a challenging clinical problem. The purposes of this study were to determine the causes of initial failure, the accuracy of preoperative localization tests, the role of angiographic parathyroid ablation, and the safety and efficacy of reexploration for hyperparathyroidism. DESIGN: A retrospective review of 42 patients undergoing reexploration or angiographic ablation for hyperparathyroidism was done, with a mean follow-up of 3 years, 7 months (range, 1 month to 13 years). SETTING: This study was carried out in a university medical center and a Veterans Affairs hospital. PATIENTS: All patients who underwent reexploration or angiographic ablation for hyperparathyroidism were included. INTERVENTION: All patients underwent preoperative localization studies. The cervical approach was used when the abnormal gland was suspected to be in the neck or the mediastinum superior to the aortic arch; sternotomy was used for deeper mediastinal glands not resectable through a cervical approach. Angiographic ablation of mediastinal glands was performed using contrast administration after a catheter was wedged into the selective feeding artery. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: End points included causes of initial treatment failure, accuracy of preoperative localization studies, long-term correction of hypercalcemia with repeated treatment, need for subsequent intervention for hypercalcemia, and complications of therapy. RESULTS: The most common reasons for initial failure were mediastinal glands (18 patients), surgeon's inexperience (12 patients), supernumerary glands (six patients), and other anatomic anomalies. Hyperplasia accounted for hyperparathyroidism in 11 patients (26%) and adenomas in 31 patients (74%). Preoperative localization studies included technetium-Tc-99m-sestamibi scanning (sensitivity, 86%), technetium-thallium scanning (67%), arteriography (63%), venous sampling (52%), computed tomography (42%), magnetic resonance imaging (33%), and ultrasonography (27%). Thirty-three (89%) of 37 patients who underwent reexploration had resolution of hypercalcemia. Localization study results were negative in all four patients who experienced failure. Angiographic ablation was successful in four (67%) of six patients. One of the patients with a failed ablation had successful mediastinal exploration. Hypoparathyroidism occurred in six patients (14.3%) and there was no instance of recurrent nerve injury. CONCLUSIONS: The most common causes of initial failure were ectopic mediastinal glands and incomplete surgical exploration; the most sensitive preoperative localization study is the technetium-Tc-99m-sestamibi scan; angiographic ablation of parathyroid tissue is most useful for poor-risk surgical patients or to avoid median sternotomy; and reexploration and angiographic ablation yield a high success rate with acceptable morbidity and mortality.

Impotence after kidney transplantation.

Sexual performance was evaluated in 28 men, thirty to sixty years of age, with functioning renal allografts: 13 were potent (controls), 10 had moderate sexual dysfunction, 5 had marked sexual dysfunction. Penile blood pressures, serum hormone levels, plasma zinc levels, and penile venous angiography were evaluated in search of causes of impotence. Thirteen of 15 impotent transplant patients (87 per cent) had marked abnormalities in at least one of the four areas studied. Systematic search for etiologic factors may permit specific therapy for impotence, which occurred in 54 per cent of the 28 kidney transplant patients analyzed.

Management of major bile duct injury associated with laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

BACKGROUND: Bile duct injury is a major complication of laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate our management strategy and outcomes for the treatment of such injuries. METHODS: We studied 54 consecutive patients who had de novo bile duct injury (n = 20) or prior biliary injury repair (n = 34) associated with laparoscopic cholecystectomy. All patients were managed using a multidisciplinary approach. RESULTS: Definitive operation, almost always Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy, was required in 85% of patients. We inserted external percutaneous biliary catheters in 98% of cases prior to surgery. There were no operative deaths, and the 30-day complication rate was 20%. Eight patients (15%) were managed nonoperatively. Overall, 96% of patients had no long-term, objectively definable biliary sequelae. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment of bile duct injury associated with laparoscopic cholecystectomy is optimally done using a multidisciplinary approach. Surgical reconstruction is required in most cases and can be safely accomplished with minimal morbidity and excellent long-term outcomes.

Failing and failed hemodialysis access sites: management with percutaneous catheter methods.

Chronic dialysis access is plagued with the formation of stenoses and access thrombosis, with a thrombosis rate of 0.5 to 0.8 episodes per year. Surgical management of thrombosed accesses, including thrombectomy, patch angioplasty, and bypass, has been the traditional treatment for thrombosed grants. Percutaneous catheter-directed thrombolysis of thrombosed accesses, coupled with angioplasty of underlying stenoses, offers comparable results to surgical revascularization. The technical success of thrombolysis is between 75% and 92%, similar to surgical results, with the advantage of sparing vein as potential conduit for future access sites. Surgical therapy may successfully reestablish access function for those stenoses that fail angioplasty. Long-term patencies after a single revascularization procedure are poor (median patency, < 90 days) for both catheter-directed and surgical procedures, and repeat maintenance procedures are necessary. Access surveillance using various means with timely fistulography coupled with angioplasty of stenoses has been shown to decrease the rate of access thromboses by a factor of 3 and to increase patency of grafts. A combined approach with catheter-directed therapies and surgical interventions leads to maximal longevity of each access site.

Embolization of an intrahepatic arterioportal fistula: case report and review of the literature.

An intrahepatic arterioportal fistula causing portal hypertension was successfully palliated with steel coils. The patient remains well 2 1/2 years after embolization. The 13 previously reported cases of transcatheter embolization of large intrahepatic arterioportal fistulae are reviewed. Percutaneous transcatheter embolization with suitable embolic material should be preferred to surgery in the treatment of these fistulae.

Two balloon technique for disimpaction of intrahepatic biliary stones.

Considerable difficulty may be encountered when attempting, via a T-tube tract, to retrieve retained biliary stones situated in the intrahepatic ducts. This case illustrates a double balloon technique which was successfully used to dislodge a stone impacted at an intrahepatic ductal bifurcation.

Technique of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty with the Grüntzig ballon catheter.

Recanalization of superficial femoral artery occlusions and of stenoses in the superficial femoral and pelvic arteries using the Grüntzig balloon catheter are described. Among patients successfully treated, 2 year patency rates of 72% and 87% for superficial femoral and iliac artery lesions, respectively, were achieved by this method. The catheter is now commercially available in the United States and Europe.

Angioplasty/thrombolytic treatment of failing and failed hemodialysis access sites: comparison with surgical treatment.

Angioplasty is a valuable alternative to surgical revision of failing hemodialysis access sites and may be the treatment of choice because no further vein is compromised during the revision and because patency rates with repeat dilatations approach or equal those of surgical revision. Thrombolysis/angioplasty is a worthy substitute for surgical thrombectomy/revision in thrombosed access sites because dialysis can be resumed immediately, without the need of placement of a temporary subclavian vein access catheter, and lysis can be performed on an outpatient basis. Long-term secondary patency also approaches that of surgical therapy. Again, future access sites are not compromised. Either with percutaneous catheter or surgical therapy, it must be recognized that repeat treatment will be necessary to maintain patency of the access site after it has thrombosed. Close follow-up of these patients to observe for signs of recurring deterioration is mandatory. Because the number of vascular access sites is limited, the preservation of each site for as long as possible is important for the long-term management of these patients.

Blue digit syndrome: treatment with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty.

Ten patients with classical blue digit syndrome were treated with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA). None experienced embolization. Nine were clinically improved; in eight, microembolization did not recur during follow-up of 7-86 months (mean, 28 months). Three clinical and three angiographic features were common to these eight patients: (a) few clinical episodes of microembolization; (b) no episodes of macroembolization; (c) no livedo reticularis in the affected extremity, and no symptoms of systemic cholesterol embolization; (d) focal, high-grade (greater than 90%) stenoses that were hemodynamically significant; (e) no diffuse atheromas in the aorta; (f) patent tibial runoff arteries. Affected patients with these clinical and angiographic characteristics make up a subgroup, previously unrecognized, to the authors' knowledge, in whom PTA followed by antiplatelet therapy should be the initial treatment of choice. The blue digit syndrome in these patients was probably due to microemboli composed of fibrinoplatelet aggregates rather than cholesterol debris.

Idiopathic gastric abscess. A bizarre intramural lesion.

A case of localized gastric abscess producing an intramural filling defect in the stomach wall is presented. This condition is an unusual manifestation of phlegmonous gastritis and usually presents clinically with a less acute picture than diffuse phlegmonous gastritis. The clinical and roentgenographic features, pathology, treatment and prognosis are reviewed.

The evaluation of pathologic alterations of juxtaosseous soft tissue by xeroradiography.

Xeroradiography proved extremely helpful in (a) evaluation of soft-tissue masses of both the axial and appendicular skeleton; (b) quantifying soft-tissue changes in advanced rheumatoid arthritis; (c) evaluation of bony involvement by an adjacent soft-tissue tumor or infection; (d) evaluation of rib lesions or rib integrity; and (e) assessment of bones in casted extremities. The technique was not helpful in the following conditions: early soft-tissue changes of rheumatoid arthritis; detection of minimal skeletal trauma; arthrography of the knee; evaluation of any portion of the vertebral column; evaluation of submandibular neck masses; or assessment of abdominal films for visceral structures.

Noninvasive angiography for the diagnosis of vertebral artery disease using Doppler ultrasound (vertebral artery Doppler).

A transoral noninvasive procedure in the oropharynx using local anesthesia was applied to detect flow in the vertebral arteries with a bidirectional continuous-wave Doppler ultrasound system. Common carotid artery compression was used to identify the vertebral artery. Flow direction, amplitude of flow signals, diastolic flow, and reaction of flow on common carotid artery compression served as diagnostic parameters. The procedure was applied in 90 patients of whom 42 underwent angiography. The method has proved to be 82% accurate. It was most reliable in the diagnosis of occlusion or aplasia, subclavian steal and normalcy, and was less reliable in the detection of stenosis or hypoplasia of a vertebral artery. Eleven patients with subclavin steal, five patients with a missing vertebral artery three patients with hypoplasia or stenosis, and 15 patients with normal angiorgraphical findings were correctly diagnosed by Doppler; normal Doppler findings were present in three patients with a mission or stenosed vertebral artery. Those patients (five) with Doppler indications of subclavian steal (one patient), missing vertebral artery (two patients), or stenosis (two patients) had normal angiograms. Application of the Doppler procedure, after 11 subclavin endarterectomies, informed the surgeon immediately about the hemodynamic effect of surgical intervention. Rethrombosis was diagnosed in two patients by postoperative Doppler examination.

Intracranial neurosarcoidosis.

Neuroradiological findings in two cases of histologically confirmed intracranial sarcoidosis are presented, one with periaqueductal granulomata causing aqueduct obstruction. The granulomatous aggregation was of slightly greater attenuation than normal brain parenchyma and did enhance homogeneously following contrast medium administration. No direct signs of basal arachnoiditis could be found on computed tomography (CT) in the other case in which hydrocephalus was produced by a granulomatous infiltration of the fourth ventricle and cisterna magna. The neuropathological and pertinent clinical and laboratory manifestations of neurosarcoidosis are reviewed as a means of predicting recognizable CT patterns of the entity.

Popliteal artery entrapment: findings at MR imaging.

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging can noninvasively demonstrate the anatomic relationships between the popliteal artery and the muscles within the popliteal fossa, making it an ideal screening test for popliteal artery entrapment prior to angiography or surgery. The authors describe a patient with bilateral type II popliteal artery entrapment in whom the anomaly was diagnosed in the asymptomatic extremity with MR imaging.