Louis Kozloff

Popliteal artery entrapment syndrome: Clinical, noninvasive and angiographic diagnosis☆

The popliteal artery entrapment syndrome is increasingly recognized as a cause of arterial insufficiency in the leg. Diagnosis is based on a clinical history of claudication, which may be atypical, physical examination, noninvasive exercise testing and angiography. Patients with normal ankle pulses and resting ankle/brachial pressure indexes may require extensive exercise testing to document arterial insufficiency. Angiographic demonstration of medial deviation of the popliteal artery is diagnostic of the popliteal artery entrapment syndrome. Arteries that appear normal on routine angiography require biplane angiography with various provocative maneuvers to demonstrate induced arterial stenosis. Using this approach, three additional cases of popliteal artery entrapment syndrome were diagnosed preoperatively and successfully treated with surgery.

Vascular trauma secondary to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures: laparoscopy.

Diagnostic and therapeutic laparoscopy are safe procedures that only rarely cause significant morbidity. However, major abdominal arterial and venous injury may occur, requiring prompt recognition and laparotomy. Direct compression will control major hemorrhage until resuscitation is complete. Vascular repair utilizing principles of proximal and distal control, good exposure, appropriate anticoagulation, and lateral suture technic should result in restoration of normal blood flow without significant sequelae.

Ocular pneumoplethysmography: detection of carotid occlusive disease.

To determine the accuracy of ocular pneumoplethysmography (OPG-Gee) in detecting carotid arterial occlusive disease, 350 patients were tested by OPG-Gee. Sixty-three patients underwent angiography and the findings were correlated with the results of OPG-Gee tracings. Testing without carotid compression averaged three minutes and was easily performed by a physician or technician. There were no significant complications. Hypertension did not affect evaluation. There were two false-negative tests and no false-positive tests. Without carotid compression the overall accuracy for testing for significant arterial stenosis was 97%. When a carotid compression test was added, the two missed lesions were detected.

Nondialysis uses for vascular access procedures.

Chemotherapeutic agents, blood products and hyperalimentation solutions have been administered and recurrent diabetic ketoacidosis has been treated via vascular access procedures in 13 patients during the period from 1972 through 1977. Bovine heterograft, saphenous vein graft and the direct arteriovenous fistulae have been successfully utilized in the construction of arteriovenous fistulae in patients requiring vascular access for nonhemodialysis purposes. Operative techniques and therapeutic usefulness are discussed.

Phleborheographic diagnosis of venous obstruction.

Between February 1977 and May 1978, phleborheograms were done on 328 extremities. Interpretable tracings were obtained in 322 (98.2%). Results were positive for 102 extremities, negative for 220 extremities, and equivocal or uninterpretable for six extremities. Phlebograms as well as phleborheograms were done in 64 extremities. Phlebograms were positive in 41 and negative in 23. The overall agreement between the interpretations of the phlebograms and phleborheograms was 95.3%. The phleborheogram was positive in each case in which the phlebogram was positive. In three cases with negative phlebograms the phleborheogram was positive. Thus, the sensitivity was 100%, and the specificity was 87%. Phelborheography is a useful ajunct to the diagnosis of venous obstruction. It has a high degree of sensitivity (100% in our experience). Clinical correlation is necessary to determine the most likely cause of venous obstruction in individual cases.

Fallibility of postoperative doppler ankle pressures in determining the adequacy of proximal arterial revascularization

Twenty-three consecutive patients with limb-threatening ischemia underwent proximal arterial revascularization. In all patients Doppler ankle pressure was measured hourly in the postoperative period. In 16 limbs with patent superficial femoral arteries, the pressure index increased from 0.55 +/- 0.06 to 0.78 +/- 0.06 within the 1st hour postoperatively. Twenty limbs with occluded superficial femoral arteries, did not demonstrate a significant increase until 3 hours postoperatively (from 0.41 +/- 0.06 to 0.62 +/- 0.05). Immediate improvement in the Doppler pressure index is to be expected in patients with isolated aortoiliac disease who undergo successful arterial reconstruction. Failure to demonstrate such improvement is diagnostic of an intraoperative accident. Lack of immediate improvement in patients with combined aortoiliac and femoropopliteal disease should not be construed as evidence of intraoperative failure. With 3 to 4 hours, however, the ankle/arm pressure ratio should exceed the preoperative value. The failure to do so within that interval is strongly suggestive of inadequate revascularization, and in most cases immediate operative revision or the later addition of a distal bypass procedure will be necessary.

Acute hemodynamic effects of lumbar sympathectomy

Lumbar sympathectomy increases total limb blood flow after aortofemoral bypass in a high percentage of cases. This was true in eleven of fourteen extremities (78.6 per cent) in our series even though no specific selection criteria for entry into the study, other than the need for aortofemoral bypass, were used: that is, patients were entered into the study irrespective of preoperative ankle/arm pressure indexes or results of hyperemia testing. Overall, flow rates after sympathectomy was added to aortofemoral bypass were 1.55 times greater than after aortofemoral bypass alone. This degree of augmentation of flow may be important, particularly in cases of limited outflow.

Vascular trauma secondary to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures: Cardiopulmonary bypass and intraaortic balloon assist☆

Significant arterial trauma can result from femoral arterial cannulation for cardiopulmonary bypass or intraaortic balloon pumping. Threat of imminent loss of limb or suture line disruption requires prompt surgical intervention. Delayed appearance of claudication, characteristically at 1 to 2 weeks postoperatively, is highly suggestive of iatrogenic iliofemoral injury. Arterial reconstructive surgery was necessary in three of five such patients.

An expedient shunt for the small internal carotid artery

A simple and readily available device was used as a shunt during carotid endarterectomy in four cases in which difficulty in inserting a conventional shunt into the internal carotid artery was encountered. It was also used preferentially in one case of external carotid endarterectomy. No apparent injuries occurred in conjunction with its use, and in none of the four patients did neurologic complications develop. For those who wish to use a shunt in all cases of carotid endarterectomy, this device provides an expedient means of shunting in cases in which difficulty in inserting a conventional shunt is encountered.