Iris E. Chemelli-Steingruber

Endovascular repair or medical treatment of acute type B aortic dissection? A comparison

INTRODUCTION The aim of this retrospective study was to compare the outcome of thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) to that of medical therapy in patients with acute type B aortic dissection (TBD). MATERIALS AND METHODS From July 1996 to April 2008, 88 patients presenting with acute TBD underwent either TEVAR (group A, n=38) or medical therapy (group B, n=50). Indications for TEVAR were intractable pain, aortic branch compromise resulting in end-organ ischemia, rapid aortic dilatation and rupture. Follow-up was performed postinterventionally, at 3, 6 and 12 months and yearly thereafter and included clinical examinations and computed tomography (CT), as well as aortic diameter measurements and assessment of thrombosis. RESULTS Mean follow-up was 33 months in group A and 36 months in group B. The overall mortality rate was 23.7% in group A and 24% in group B, where 4 patients died of late aortic rupture. In group A, complications included 9 endoleaks and 4 retrograde type A dissections, 3 patients were converted to open surgery and 2 needed secondary intervention. None of the patients developed paraplegia. In group B, 4 patients were converted to open surgery and 2 to TEVAR. The maximal aortic diameter increased in both groups. Regarding the extent of thrombosis, our analyses showed slightly better overall results after TEVAR, but they also showed a tendency towards approximation between the two groups during follow-up. CONCLUSION TEVAR is a feasible treatment option in acute TBD. However, several serious complications may occur during and after TEVAR and it should therefore be reserved to patients with life-threatening symptoms.

Endovascular Repair of Isolated Iliac Artery Aneurysms

Purpose: To retrospectively evaluate a 12-year experience with endovascular repair of isolated iliac artery aneurysm (IAA). Methods: From August 1997 through July 2009, 91 patients (81 men; mean age 71 years, range 31–90) underwent endovascular treatment for isolated IAA at our department. Of these, 77 patients received stent-grafts either alone or in combination with coils or an Amplatzer vascular plug (n=2); 1 patient received a Smart stent combined with coils, and 13 patients were treated with coil embolization only. The aneurysms were classified according to location: type I=common iliac artery (CIA), type II=internal iliac artery (IIA), type III5CIA and IIA, and type IV=external iliac artery with/without CIA and/or IIA involvement. Results: Primary technical success was 90.1% for all aneurysm types and 93.6%, 80%, 88.8%, and 93.3% for types I, II, III, and IV, respectively. Secondary technical success was 96.7% for all types and 97.8%, 95%, 100%, and 93.3%, respectively, for each type. Clinical success was 93.4% for all types and 97.8%, 85%, 100%, and 86.7%, respectively, by type. Complications in 18 (19.8%) patients included 7 type I endoleaks, 3 type II endoleaks, 2 enlarged aneurysm sacs (incomplete embolization), 5 cases of buttock claudication, and 2 stent-graft thromboses. Two patients were converted to open surgery; 10 underwent secondary interventions. Mortality rates were 1.1% (n=1) at 30 death days and 23.1% (n=21) over a mean follow-up of 45.9 months (no aneurysm-related death). Cumulative overall survival was 97.7% at 1 year and 47.6% at 10 years. Freedom from aneurysm-related complications was 88.6% at 1 year and 83.5% at 5 years. Conclusion: Endovascular repair of isolated IAA is a safe and minimally invasive alternative to surgery. However, it may be associated with several complications and must, therefore, be carefully planned.

Transcatheter arterial embolization for the management of iatrogenic and blunt traumatic intercostal artery injuries

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) for the management of iatrogenic and blunt traumatic intercostal artery (ICA) injuries associated with hemothorax and clinical deterioration. METHODS From May 1999 through April 2007, 24 consecutive patients (17 men, 7 women; mean age 53 years) presenting with active ICA hemorrhage underwent TAE mainly by means of coils combined with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) particles. Eleven of them had blunt traumatic injuries (group A, n = 11) and 13 had iatrogenic injuries (group B, n = 13). In all patients, ICA injuries resulted in acute bleeding with clinical deterioration and hemothorax. Before discharge, all patients underwent clinical examination, laboratory tests, and chest x-ray. After discharge, no specific follow-up protocol was required, and the patients were questioned on their state of health at regular intervals and underwent CT or chest x-ray as needed. RESULTS Primary technical success (PTS) was achieved in 21 of 24 patients (87.5%). In group A, it was achieved in all but one patient (90.9%) and in group B in 11 of 13 patients (84.6%). A total of three patients needed secondary interventions, which failed in one of them, amounting to a secondary technical success rate (STS) of 8.3%. The total cumulative mortality rate was 37.5% (n = 9). In group A, it was 9.1% (n = 1) and in group B, it was 61.5% (n = 8). 30-day-mortality was 9.1% in group A, where one patient died due to multiple severe associated injuries, and 30.8% (n = 4) in group B, where one patient died due to treatment failure and three patients due to severe comorbidities. During follow-up, no more deaths occurred in group A, while in group B, four more patients died due to severe comorbidities, amounting to a late mortality rate of 30.8%. No technical complications and no complications such as chest wall or spinal cord ischemia were observed. The mean observation period was 44.6 months in group A and 23.8 months in group B. CONCLUSION TAE of ICAs is a minimally invasive, safe, and reliable treatment option to control massive intrathoracic hemorrhage, especially in patients with serious comorbidities and/or multiple injuries. However, it should be performed only by experienced interventionalists and exact knowledge of the anatomic features of the affected artery and of collateral pathways is mandatory to avoid complications.

Evaluation of volumetric measurements in patients with acute type B aortic dissection – thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) vs conservative

OBJECTIVE The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate aortic volume changes in patients with acute type B aortic dissection (TBD), treated either by thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) or conservatively. MATERIALS AND METHODS From July 1996 through March 2008, 76 patients presenting with acute TBD were referred to our department. To ensure a follow-up of at least 24 months, only 64 of them were included in the present study, with the cut-off for inclusion being March 2006. Twenty-nine of these patients underwent TEVAR and 35 patients underwent conservative treatment. Indications for TEVAR were life-threatening symptoms. Follow-up was performed postinterventionally in patients after TEVAR and at 3, 6, and 12 months, and yearly thereafter in both groups. It included clinical examinations, computed tomography (CT) scans, analysis of volume changes in true thoracic lumen (TTL), false thoracic lumen (FTL), thoracic lumen (TL), abdominal lumen (AL), and aortic diameter measurements. In addition, the extent of thrombosis and its influence on volume changes were assessed. RESULTS Mean follow-up was 41 months after TEVAR and 46 months in the conservatively-treated patients. At 60 months, cumulative rates of freedom from dissection-related death and rupture-free survival were 82.6% and 93.1% in the TEVAR group, respectively. They were 74.9% and 88.5% in the conservatively-treated group, respectively. In the conservatively-treated patients, 3 patients died of late aortic rupture, 4 were converted to open surgery, and 2 to TEVAR. Evaluation of volume changes showed better results in the TEVAR group within 24 months. However, within 60 months the difference between the two groups was no longer relevant. Relating to thrombosis of the FTL, analyses showed slightly better overall results and promotion of thrombus formation after TEVAR. However, at 60 months the results showed a tendency towards approximation between the two groups. CONCLUSION Our data suggest that TEVAR seems to delay the natural course of the disease but not to stop it.

Coil embolization of internal mammary artery injured during central vein catheter and cardiac pacemaker lead insertion.

PURPOSE This study describes several cases of endovascular coil embolization of the proximal internal mammary artery injured by blind approach to the subclavian vein for central venous catheter or pacemaker lead insertion. MATERIALS AND METHODS We conducted a retrospective analysis of five patients with iatrogenic arterial lesions of the internal mammary artery (IMA). The lesions occurred in three patients from a puncture of the subclavian vein during insertion of a central venous catheter and in two patients from a puncture of the subclavian vein for insertion of a pacemaker lead. Four patients had acute symptoms of bleeding with mediastinal hematoma and hematothorax and one patient was investigated in a chronic stage. A pseudoaneurysm was detected in all five patients. All four acute and hemodynamic unstable patients required hemodynamic support. RESULTS In all patients, embolization was performed using a coaxial catheter technique, and a long segment of the IMA adjacent distally and proximally to the source of bleeding was occluded with pushable microcoils. In one patient, additional mechanically detachable microcoils were used at the very proximal part of the IMA. Microcoil embolization of the IMA was successful in all patients, and the source of bleeding was eliminated in all patients. CONCLUSION Transarterial coil embolization is a feasible and efficient method in treating acute bleeding and pseudoaneurysm of the IMA and should be considered if mediastinal hematoma or hemathorax occurs after blind puncture of the subclavian vein.

Antiphospholipid Antibodies Predict Progression of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms

Antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs) frequently occur in autoimmune and cardiovascular diseases and correlate with a worse clinical outcome. In the present study, we evaluated the association between antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs), markers of inflammation, disease progression and the presence of an intra-aneurysmal thrombus in abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) patients. APLs ELISAs were performed in frozen serum samples of 96 consecutive AAA patients and 48 healthy controls yielding positive test results in 13 patients (13.5%) and 3 controls (6.3%; n.s.). Nine of the 13 aPL-positive AAA patients underwent a second antibody testing >12 weeks apart revealing a positive result in 6 cases. APL-positive patients had increased levels of inflammatory markers compared to aPL-negative patients. Disease progression was defined as an increase of the AAA diameter >0.5 cm/year measured by sonography. Follow-up was performed in 69 patients identifying 41 (59.4%) patients with progressive disease. Performing multipredictor logistic regression analysis adjusting for classical AAA risk factors as confounders, the presence of aPLs at baseline revealed an odds ratio of 9.4 (95% CI 1.0–86.8, p = 0.049) to predict AAA progression. Fifty-five patients underwent a computed tomography in addition to ultrasound assessment indicating intra-aneurysmal thrombus formation in 82.3%. Median thrombus volume was 46.7 cm3 (1.9–377.5). AAA diameter correlated with the size of the intra-aneurysmal thrombus (corrcoeff = 0.721, p<0.001), however neither the presence nor the size of the intra-aneurysmal thrombus were related to the presence of aPLs. In conclusion, the presence of aPLs is associated with elevated levels of inflammatory markers and is an independent predictor of progressive disease in AAA patients.

Transarterial embolization for the management of hemarthrosis of the knee

BACKGROUND The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate transarterial catheter embolization (TAE) for the management of hemarthrosis of the knee in 35 patients treated at two different hospitals. METHODS From June 1998 through January 2011, 35 patients (22 men and 13 women, mean age 57 years) underwent TAE for hemarthrosis of the knee using polyvinyl alcohol particles (PVA particles), multi-curled 0.018 in. microcoils or a combination of both. In one patient a detachable microcoil was used. Hemarthrosis developed after arthroscopy in 9, after trauma in 3, after arthroplasty in 18 and after sepsis in 2 patients. 2 patients had severe gonarthrosis and in one patient hemarthrosis was due to Marfans syndrome. Angiographies showed abnormal and increased vasculature in 23 patients, one or more pseudoaneurysms in 8 and arterio-venous fistula in 2 patients. One patient showed both, pseudoaneurysm and hypervascularization and another one pseudoaneurysm and arterio-venous fistula. RESULTS Technical success was achieved in 100%. None of the patients developed procedure-related complications such as periarticular skin- or tissue necrosis, including a patient who underwent TAE of two different bleeding sources in two consecutive sessions. Clinical success was 93.4%. Two patients showed recurrent swelling of the knee, 377 and 824 days after TAE respectively. However, only one of them required secondary TAE because of abnormal and increased vasculature. CONCLUSIONS In our view, TAE is the treatment of choice for the management of hemarthrosis of the knee. It is an effective and minimally invasive technique with very low complication rates.

Enhancement patterns in the fibro cellular tissue in different kinds of plaques of the internal carotid artery

BACKGROUND The differentiation between stable and vulnerable plaques in the internal carotid artery (ICA) remains a matter of interest. With the implementation of contrast agent in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) a more detailed plaque characterization is possible. The study at hand focuses on enhancement patterns of fibro cellular tissue in different kinds of plaques in the ICA. METHODS Between May 2011 and December 2012, 49 patients (39 male) with >50% stenosis of the ICA were consecutively enrolled. In 10 patients with bilateral ICA stenosis, both plaques were included for analysis. We performed a classification of plaques according to Cai and observed 11 type 4-5 plaques, 15 type 6 plaques and 33 type 8 plaques. MRI was performed on a 3T whole body MR system. The standard 12 channel head coil was combined with the neck extension coil and two bilateral 7 cm loop coils. Post-contrast T1w images were subtracted from pre contrast images to identify late enhancement in fibro cellular tissue. Enhancement patterns were allocated as intraluminal, intraplaque and vasa vasorum enhancement in different types of plaques. RESULTS Fibro cellular tissue always exhibited a higher contrast enhancement compared to the sternocleidomastoid muscle. This reflects a higher grade of vascularization of the fibrocellular tissue. Contrast enhancement was present irrespective of the plaque type. In detail, intraluminal, intraplaque and vasa vasorum enhancement were observed in all types of plaques. Even type 8 plaques, according to the classification of Cai, had a significant contrast enhancement, though supposed to be with low inflammatory activity. CONCLUSION Type 8 plaques might not be as stable as postulated. Whether the relevant uptake of contrast agent is due to the fibrous tissue or reflects the inflammatory activity of the plaque should be matter of further investigations.

Imaging of Atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is considered a paradigmatic age-associated disease, since it progresses slowly and manifests clinically significant symptoms primarily in the elderly segment of the population. However, more recent evidence suggests that the atherosclerotic process begins at a much earlier age and thus may be accessible to early diagnostic imaging approaches and imaging guided targeted therapeutic interventions [1–4]. Since atherogenesis begins early, the prolonged course of disease provides a “window of opportunity” for in vivo diagnosis prior to clinical manifestations, as well as the opportunity for early, specifically targeted, therapy.