Bernard Bellens

Vascular graft infection caused by Aspergillus species: case report and review of the literature.

We report an unusual case of vascular graft infection caused by Aspergillus fumigatus that began with a false aneurysm, major arterial emboli, and septic arthritis. Successful treatment included resection of the infected graft, restoration of circulation by extraanatomic bypass, and administration of amphotericin B and itraconazole, a new antifungal agent. Graft infection in the case reported herein most likely occurred during surgery and took place during an insidious outbreak of postoperative infection.

Vertebral arteriovenous fistula following central venous cannulation: a case report.

The authors report a case of vertebral arteriovenous fistula that has been disclosed three years after central venous cannulation (CVC). The real inci dence of this complication is discussed and various clinical presentations are enumerated. From a review of the literature, some recommendations are made to prevent the diagnosis from being missed and chiefly to reduce the risk of arterial puncture that results in fistula formation.

Spontaneous vertebrovertebral arteriovenous fistula treated by steel coil embolization: Case report

The authors report 1 case of a spontaneous vertebrovertebral arteriovenous fistula in a fifty-seven-year-old woman. Embolization with a steel coil resulted in complete occlusion of the fistula while maintaining vertebral artery patency.

Long-Term Follow-Up of Intraarterial Infusion of Streptokinase in Acute Lower Limb Ischemia

Twenty-two patients suffering from acute ischemia of the lower limbs were treated with local selective low-dose streptokinase, 2,000 U/min, with a maxi mum dose of 200,000 U, the average time of fibrinolytic infusion being 1.8 hours. Bleeding problems were minimized because of the low dose of fibrino lytic agent. Lysis, demonstrated by radiology, was achieved in 73%, but a good clinical result was obtained only when local fribrinolysis was associated with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty or surgery. Whether or not they had some lytic response, 16 patients required surgical intervention. Limb salvage was achieved in all cases. The long-term follow-up (twenty-six months) in 19 patients was entirely satisfactory with further surgery required later in only 2 cases.