Thierry Reix

Obliterative Endoaneurysmorrhaphy with Stent Graft Preservation for Treatment of Type II Progressive Endoleak.

OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND Persistent type II endoleak (EL II) with sac enlargement after endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm requires treatment to prevent rupture. Embolization is not always effective. Conversion to open repair with stent graft (SG) explantation is a high risk option. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and immediate results of an alternative technique combining obliterative endoaneurysmorrhaphy (OEA) with SG preservation. METHODS The open surgical technique combined sacotomy, ligation of all patent back-bleeding vessels and SG preservation. The aneurysmal shell was tightly closed over the SG to protect it from the intestines. An intra-aortic occlusion balloon was used when clamping was required. RESULTS Twelve patients were treated with the OEA technique at Amiens University Hospital. All 12 procedures were successful. Four patients had previously undergone unsuccessful transarterial or translumbar embolization. Aortic clamping was performed in four cases. No SG migration or graft dislocation was observed. Follow up computed tomography scan at a median of 12 months showed shrinkage of the aneurysm sac with stable diameters and no recurrence of EL II in all cases. CONCLUSION The OEA technique is an alternative option for the treatment of progressive EL II, which can be particularly useful after failure of embolization.

The Involvement of miRNA in Carotid-Related Stroke

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in developed countries. Stroke is associated with a marked disability burden and has a major economic impact; this is especially true for carotid artery stroke. Major advances in primary and secondary prevention during the last few decades have helped to tackle this public health problem. However, better knowledge of the physiopathology of stroke and its underlying genetic mechanisms is needed to improve diagnosis and therapy. miRNAs are an important, recently identified class of post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression and are known to be involved in cerebrovascular disease. These endogenous, small, noncoding RNAs may have applications as noninvasive biomarkers and therapeutic tools in practice. Here, we review the involvement of several miRNAs in cell-based and whole-animal models of stroke, with a focus on human miRNA profiling studies of carotid artery stroke. Lastly, we describe the miRNAs’ potential role as a biomarker of stroke.

Iliofemoral endarterectomy associated with systematic iliac stent grafting for the treatment of severe iliofemoral occlusive disease

Objective: Iliofemoral endarterectomy with external iliac artery (EIA) stent grafting can be an alternative to traditional open surgery in patients with severe iliac occlusive disease extending to the common femoral artery. We report the midterm outcomes of this approach. Methods: Between 2009 and 2015, 108 patients (76% male; median age, 63 years) underwent a total of 127 iliofemoral endarterectomies combined with EIA stent grafting. Indications were claudication in 60%, rest pain in 20%, ulceration in 15%, and acute ischemia in 5%. Lesions exclusively involved only the EIA segment in 40% of cases, with occlusion in 28%. Lesions involved both the EIA and common iliac artery segments in 49% of cases, with 19% of common iliac artery occlusions and 24% of EIA occlusions. Iliac lesions extended into the aortic segment in 11% of cases. Iliofemoral endarterectomy was performed by eversion whenever possible. Deployment of the EIA stent graft systematically incorporated the EIA segment and the proximal end of the endarterectomy. Self‐expanding covered stents were calibrated to the diameter of the endarterectomized EIA. Results: The procedure was technically successful in 100% of patients. Median diameter of covered stents was 8 mm (range, 6‐10 mm). No intraoperative arterial rupture or dissection was observed. Early reoperations (3%) were performed for bleeding, infection, or thrombosis. Median length of stay was 5 days. No 30‐day mortality was observed. Median follow‐up was 30 months (range, 0‐6 years), and overall mortality was 13% (due to cancer in half of the cases). Repeated angioplasty was performed in three (2%) cases, and a subsequent open procedure on the iliofemoral segment was performed in seven (5%) cases. At 2 years, primary patency rate of the treated segment was 91%. The 2‐year primary assisted patency and secondary patency rates were 94% and 98%, respectively. Five‐year primary, primary assisted, and secondary patency rates were 87%, 92%, and 98%, respectively. Conclusions: Combined iliofemoral endarterectomy and covered stenting of the EIA for treatment of severe occlusive lesions provided acceptable midterm results, probably because of the gain of diameter provided by covered stents. This technique avoids complications due to an aortic or iliac surgical approach and clamping as well as complications related to the presence of a prosthetic implant in an intra‐abdominal position.

Unusual mesenteric revascularization

A 52-year-old man was referred to our department with severe chronic mesenteric ischemia. Patient consent has been obtained for publication. He had a history of heavy active smoking, hypertension, coronary heart disease, aspergillosis (A, showing sequelae of Aspergillus infection), and severe emphysema (A). Physical examination revealed postprandial pain with severe weight loss (body mass index, 14 kg/m). Computed tomography angiography (CTA) showed a coral reef aorta responsible for preocclusive lesions of the superior mesenteric and celiac arteries (B). The inferior mesenteric artery was occluded, as CTA revealed asymptomatic Leriche syndrome (B). Retrograde revascularization from the iliac arteries was not possible. We thought the patient was unlikely to survive thoracolaparotomy with transaortic endarterectomy or a thoracic aorta-to-mesenteric bypass procedure because of his history and poor general status. We finally decided to perform left axillary-to-mesenteric bypass using a 6-mm externally ringed tube graft. The patient’s postoperative recovery was marked by heart failure and pneumonia, which resolved in response to medical treatment. The patient’s abdominal symptoms rapidly resolved, and he began to gain weight. The 6-month follow-up CTA revealed a patent bypass with no anastomotic stenosis, as shown by a three-dimensional reconstruction (C/Cover).

Type II endoleak after endoluminal repair of thoracic aortic aneurysm associated with native coarctation

Aneurysm formation and recurrent coarctation are common complications of coarctation repair, and various types of treatment have been described. Native aortic coarctation during adult life is rarer and can be responsible for severe complications. We report an original case of thoracic aortic aneurysm associated with native coarctation successfully treated by a hybrid approach, comprising retrograde implantation of a thoracic stent graft and carotid-axillary bypass graft. A large intercostal collateral was embolized with coils.

Randomized Study of Noninferiority Comparing Prosthetic and Autologous Vein Above-Knee Femoropopliteal Bypasses

BACKGROUND The main aim of this study was to compare the 5 years rates of secondary patency of above-knee femoropopliteal revascularizations with autologous veins or prosthetic grafts. The secondary objectives were to compare the rates of primary patency, limb salvage, morbidity, and mortality between the 2 groups. METHODS This was a single-blind randomized study of noninferiority (ratio 1:1), carried out in 11 centers of vascular surgery with 2 parallel groups between July 2002 and November 2005. Follow-up finished in May 2011. The monitoring protocol included a clinical examination and an ultrasound control at 1 month, 3 and 6 months, then annually. RESULTS One hundred patients were included and randomized in the study, 52 in the prosthetic group and 48 in the autologous vein group. Four patients randomized in the vein group received a prosthetic graft. No patient was excluded from the analysis. In the in intent-to-treat analysis, the 5 years secondary patency was 84.6% in the prosthetic group (IC 95%, 71.9-93.1) and 70.8% in the autologous vein group (IC 95%: 55.9-83.1), and the difference in secondary patency between the prosthetic and the autologous vein groups was 13.8% (IC 95%, -4.4 to 32.0). In the under treatment analysis, the 5 years secondary patency was 96.2% among patients receiving a prosthesis (IC 95%, 80.4-99.9) and 90.5% among patients receiving an autologous vein (IC 95%, 66.9-98.9), and the difference in the rate of patency between prostheses and veins was 5.7% (IC 95%, -13.2 to 24.6). Although there was no significant difference at 5 years, the death rate and the rate of amputation were higher in the prosthetic group. CONCLUSIONS Although it is impossible to conclude definitely to the noninferiority of prosthetic bypass compared with venous bypass because of the insufficient number of inclusions, this randomized study nevertheless showed at 5 years the satisfactory results obtained with prostheses compared with autologous vein for above-knee femoropopliteal bypasses.

Superficial Femoral Artery Transposition Repair for Traumatic Popliteal Rupture

Closed dislocation of the knee with complete popliteal rupture is an uncommon injury. It requires prompt recognition and treatment to prevent limb loss. We describe a case of acute ischemia caused by complete knee dislocation with rupture of the popliteal artery that was successfully repaired with superficial femoral artery transposition. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported clinical experience of the use of an arterial autograft for revascularization of traumatic popliteal artery rupture.