Sang Jun Park

Diagnosis and Treatment of Lower Extremity Deep Vein Thrombosis: Korean Practice Guidelines

Lower extremity deep vein thrombosis is a serious medical condition that can result in death or major disability due to pulmonary embolism or post-thrombotic syndrome. Appropriate diagnosis and treatment are required to improve symptoms and salvage the affected limb. Early thrombus clearance rapidly resolves symptoms related to venous obstruction, restores valve function and reduces the incidence of post-thrombotic syndrome. Recently, endovascular treatment has been established as a standard method for early thrombus removal. However, there are a variety of views regarding the indications and procedures among medical institutions and operators. Therefore, we intend to provide evidence-based guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of lower extremity deep vein thrombosis by multidisciplinary consensus. These guidelines are the result of a close collaboration between interventional radiologists and vascular surgeons. The goals of these guidelines are to improve treatment, to serve as a guide to the clinician, and consequently to contribute to public health care.

Outcomes of Spontaneous Isolated Superior Mesenteric Artery Dissection Without Antithrombotic Use

OBJECTIVESnThis study aimed to show the intention to treat results of treatment for spontaneous isolated superior mesenteric artery dissection (SISMAD) without anticoagulation or antiplatelet agents and the follow-up results of SISMAD according to the configuration on computed tomography (CT) scans.nnnDESIGNnRetrospective, observational single centre study METHODS: All cases of SISMAD were enrolled consecutively from 2006 onwards. There were 25 symptomatic and four asymptomatic patients in whom SISMAD was found incidentally. The SISMAD patients were treated using a consistent therapeutic strategy without antithrombotics. SISMAD was categorized into four types based on the configuration on CT scans by Yuns classification. Follow-up CT was performed at 3 months, 6 months, and yearly thereafter.nnnRESULTSnThe median follow-up duration was 57 months (13-129 months). Improvement or complete resolution on CT scans, with no symptom recurrence, was seen in 27 patients. The non-invasive approach failed in three cases and two patients underwent further intervention. No patient died during the follow-up.nnnCONCLUSIONSnWeighing the risks versus benefits of antithrombotics and considering the benign nature of SISMAD, conservative treatment without antithrombotics might be sufficient in patients without evidence of bowel ischaemia or infarction on initial CT scan.

Huge carotid body paraganglioma

A 33-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with a slow-growing mass in the left side of her neck. The mass was found to be a huge (73 × 56 × 54 mm) carotid body paraganglioma. Another 21 mm-size tumor was incidentally detected at the right carotid bifurcation. She had hoarseness and Horners syndrome of her left side. Both tumors were surgically removed. There were no cerebrovascular complications but some neurologic complications occurred when the left tumor was removed.

Anatomical Features and Early Outcomes of Endovascular Repair of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm from a Korean Multicenter Registry.

Purpose: To introduce a nation-based endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) registry in South Korea and to analyze the anatomical features and early clinical outcomes of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) in patients who underwent EVAR. Materials and methods: The Korean EVAR registry (KER) was a template-based online registry developed and established in 2009. The KER recruited 389 patients who underwent EVAR from 13 medical centers in South Korea from January 2010 to June 2010. We retrospectively reviewed the anatomic features and 30-day clinical outcomes. Results: Initial deployment without open conversion was achieved in all cases and procedure-related 30-day mortality rate was 1.9%. Anatomic features showed the following variables: proximal aortic neck angle 48.8±25.7° (mean±standard deviation), vertical neck length 35.0±17.2 mm, aneurysmal sac diameter 57.2±14.2 mm, common iliac artery (CIA) involvement in 218 (56.3%) patients, and median right CIA length 34.9 mm. Two hundred and nineteen (56.3%) patients showed neck calcification, 98 patients (25.2%) had neck thrombus, and the inferior mesenteric arteries of 91 patients (23.4%) were occluded. Conclusion: Anatomical features of AAA in patients from the KER were characterized as having angulated proximal neck, tortuous iliac artery, and a higher rate of CIA involvement. Long-term follow-up and ongoing studies are required.

Role of surgical treatment for peripheral arterial disease in endovascular era

Purpose The purpose of this study is to review the roll changes of surgical treatment for peripheral artery disease in endovascular era. Methods One hundred and twelve surgically treated cases of peripheral artery disease at a single institution during the period from 2006 to 2011 were studied retrospectively. The cases were divided into two groups of different time periods, one before 2009 (surgical period group) and the other from 2009 onward (endovascular period group). We analyzed the type and location of surgery as well as clinical characteristics of patients and treatment results. Results Fifty-three cases were for the surgical period group and 59 cases for the endovascular group. No difference in the demographic characteristics and the distribution of major atherosclerosis risk factors was found between the two groups. Additionally, the technical and functional success rate was similar in both groups. However, it is found that there were more acute cases in the endovascular period group than in the surgical period group. The number of cases in need of suprainguinal or below knee exposure was similar in both groups. In hybrid cases, suprainguinal or below knee exposures were more frequently needed during the former period than the latter period. Conclusion The role of surgical treatment is currently in the process of changing. Surgical treatment seems to be a complementary alternative to endovascular treatment for chronic limb ischemia. However, it still seems to play a major role for acute limb ischemia.

Stenosis or Occlusion of the Right Subclavian and Common Carotid Arteries Is More Common than That of the Innominate Artery in Takayasu Arteritis.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to introduce the phenomenon that stenosis or occlusion occurs less frequently in the innominate artery than in the right subclavian and common carotid arteries, which are not first-order branches of the aorta, in Takayasu arteritis (TA). Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records and image findings of all patients who were diagnosed with TA from 2006 to 2014. Two vascular surgeons and two radiologists interpreted the images by disease character, location, and extent of occlusion based on computed tomography angiography, magnetic resonance angiography, or digital subtraction arteriography. We have also reviewed the literature on arterial involvement in TA. Results: A total of 42 patients were diagnosed with TA. The mean age was 43.9 years, and 83.3% (35/42) of the patients were women. The left subclavian artery was the most common stenosis or occlusion site (17, 40.5%) among the aortic branches. The innominate artery was a less common site (3, 7.1%) than the right subclavian artery (4, 9.5%) and the right common carotid artery (9, 21.4%). All innominate artery cases were found after endovascular procedures of the right subclavian or common carotid arteries. Conclusion: The innominate artery might develop stenosis or occlusion less frequently than the right subclavian and common carotid arteries in Korean TA patients.

The Results of In Situ Prosthetic Graft Replacement for Infected Aortic Disease

BackgroundInfected aortic disease is a serious clinical condition associated with significant morbidity and mortality. This study reviewed the outcomes of in situ aortic replacement with a prosthetic graft for infected aortic disease, including primary infected abdominal aortic aneurysms (PIAAA), infected aortic prosthetic grafts (IAPG), and infected aortic stent grafts (IASG).MethodsTwenty-eight consecutive patients who underwent in situ aortic replacement with a prosthetic graft for PIAAA, IAPG, and IASG at a single center from January 2001 to December 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. Demographics, clinical characteristics, medical management, surgical procedure, and clinical outcomes were included.ResultsNineteen patients with a PIAAA, three with an IAPG following open repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), and six with an IASG following endovascular aortic repair underwent in situ prosthetic graft replacement with infected tissue and graft removal. In-hospital mortality was 7.1% (2/28). One died of bleeding on postoperative day 12, and the other died of hepatic failure on postoperative day 32. Of six patients with an IASG, two had major complications that were related to barb injury at the proximal aorta. The reinfection rate was 14.3% (4 of 28) during a mean follow-up of 35.7xa0months (1–142xa0months). All new grafts of three patients with IAPG were reinfected. The other patient became reinfected after surgery for PIAAA with iatrogenic small bowel perforation that was not detected during surgery.ConclusionsIn situ graft replacement of PIAAA and IASG is feasible with acceptable outcomes, but the outcome for IAPG is questionable.

Kidney Donation From a Patient Who Underwent Endovascular Aneurysm Repair

Organ shortage is the greatest challenge facing the field of organ transplantation in Korea. There are no reports of patients who have undergone endovascular aneurysm repair being considered as kidney donors. We successfully performed kidney transplant procedures in a 62-year-old man and a 57-year-old man using kidneys recovered from a 67-year-old female brain-dead donor who underwent endovascular aneurysm repair 6 months before organ retrieval. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of transplants performed with organs from a donor who previously underwent endovascular aneurysm repair.

Extrinsic compression of left iliac vein does not predict the development of post thrombotic syndrome in left side deep venous thrombosis

Purpose Left side deep venous thrombosis (DVT) is associated with May-Thurners anatomical variation and is often instigated by invasive treatment. The aim of this study is to analyze the influence of left iliac vein narrowness on incidence of post thrombotic syndrome (PTS) that developed after left side DVT. Methods Forty-one left side DVT cases that were followed up for more than 1 year were enrolled. The iliac vein narrowness was measured by the shortest distance from the right iliac artery to the 5th lumbar vertebra overlying left iliac vein in computed tomography (CT) scan. The incidence of PTS was measured by phone-call history taking for specific symptoms of PTS. The means of the shortest distance were compared by independent t-test. Results The number of PTS cases was eleven (26.8%). The level of thrombus, demographic data and other risk factors were similar in both PTS and non-PTS groups except the mean risk factor score. The mean of the shortest distance of PTS group and non-PTS group were 5.56 mm and 5.89 mm, respectively. Conclusion The degree of left iliac vein narrowness measured by the shortest distance from the right iliac artery and the 5th lumbar vertebral body was not a predictive factor for PTS.

Isolated Acute Cellular Rejection of the Liver After Simultaneous Liver and Kidney Transplantation: A Case Report

Simultaneous liver and kidney transplantation (SLKT) is now considered the treatment of choice for patients with concurrent end-stage liver and kidney diseases. Even though the early postoperative mortality rate following SLKT is reported to be high compared to that of liver transplantation alone, the liver graft from the same donor has been argued to induce better kidney graft acceptance as evidenced by a low rate of acute renal rejection episodes. There have been many reports of a low incidence of acute renal rejection following SLKT; however, only a few cases were proven by simultaneous biopsies. The authors experienced a case of biopsy-proven isolated acute cellular rejection of the liver graft following SLKT.