Sérgio Sampaio

Strategies to prevent TEVAR-related spinal cord ischemia:

Spinal cord ischemia remains the Achilles’ heel of thoracic and thoracoabdominal diseases management. Great improvements in morbidity and mortality have been obtained with the endovascular approach TEVAR (Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair) but this devastating complication continues to severely affect the quality of life, even if the primary success of the procedure – dissection/aneurysm exclusion – has been achieved. Several strategies to deal with this complication have been published in the literature over the time. Knowledge and technology have been evolving from identification of the risk factors associated with spinal cord ischemia, including lessons learned from open surgery, and from developments in the collateral network concept for spinal cord perfusion. In this comprehensive review, the authors cover several topics from the traditional measures comprising haemodynamic control, cerebrospinal drainage and neuroprotective drugs, to the staged-procedures approach, the emerging MISACE (minimally invasive selective segmental artery coil-embolization) and innovative neurologic monitoring such as NIRS (near-infrared spectroscopy) of the collateral network.

Vasospastic Disorders of the Upper Extremities

Raynaud’s syndrome is named after Maurice Raynaud, who first identified it in 1862 [12]. It is characterized by recurrent episodes of digital numbness, tingling and a skin tricolour sequence:pal- lor, cyanosis and rubor. Formerly subcategorized into Raynaud’s disease and Raynaud’s phenomenon Raynaud’s disease is a benign form with no underlying disease Raynaud’s phenomenon is an aggressive form, associ- ated with vascular collagen diseases or other concomitant processes. Nowadays patients tend to be currently diagnosed simply with Raynaud’s syndrome, since long periods of time may elapse between the vasospastic episodes and any underlying first identifiable features of this condition.

Cost-effectiveness of the endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm in Portugal

Endovascular Aneurysm Repair (EVAR) for the treatment of aortic abdominal aneurism has been shown to improve short-term survival and quality of life as compared to Open Repair (OR), while reducing the rate of serious complications and allowing for the treatment of more patients. Objectives: To examine the cost-effectiveness of EVAR compared to OR in the treatment of aortic abdominal aneurism in the Portuguese context using a model previously developed in the UK. Methodology: We adapted an international economic evaluation model to the Portuguese situation, assuming that the health benefits of EVAR observed in clinical trials would also apply to Portuguese patients. We carried out an expert panel survey to calculate the resource use associated with the intervention and its short and long-term consequences, valued with Portuguese prices. Results: The major cost difference in the primary intervention (difference of 3,064 € in favor of OR) is related to the cost of the endograft/graft. No major differences are observed in the total cost of complications and re-interventions between the two procedures. EVAR represents a cost of 16,709 € over lifetime compared to 12,130 € for OR. Using data from the literature

Simplified hybrid repair with true lumen recycling for retrograde renovisceral perfusion in a complex chronic aortic dissection

A 59-year-old man was referred with complicated chronic type B aortic dissection. Despite the false lumens being dominant in terms of caliber and limb perfusion, visceral arteries originated in a 9-mm true lumen. A staged approach was performed: open aortobi-iliac bypass with preservation of both lumens to the infrarenal aorta, with reinforcement of the aorta and anastomosis with Dacron (wrap technique); exclusion of the dissection by endografting all of the false lumen with three successive thoracic endoprostheses; and maintenance of true lumen perfusion using two periscopes with self-expanding nitinol stents. The patient remains asymptomatic after 1 year of follow-up.