Combined staged procedures for the treatment of thoracoabdominal aneurysms.

PURPOSE: To examine the efficacy of a staged approach for the treatment of thoracoabdominal aneurysms, with open visceral revascularization followed by aortic endografting, in selected patients not considered candidates for conventional surgical repair. METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted of 13 consecutive patients (8 women; mean age 64 years, range 33-77) who underwent visceral bypass followed by endovascular thoracoabdominal stent-graft implantation since 1999. Three patients presented with symptomatic aneurysms and 2 with rupture. Two patients had connective tissue disorders. All patients were deemed unfit for conventional thoracoabdominal repair due to comorbid conditions. The procedures were tailored to the pathology and specific patient anatomical situation: 5 aortic dissections with aneurysmal degeneration and 8 aneurysms (5 Crawford type II, 2 type III, and 1 type IV). RESULTS: The patients underwent retrograde visceral bypass (11 iliovisceral and 2 infrarenal aortic to visceral artery) followed by endovascular aortic relining with Zenith TX2 devices (n=7), homemade endografts (n=5), or a Talent thoracic endograft (n=1). Six patients required either a proximal or distal direct aortic repair (2 infrarenal reconstructions, 3 arch elephant trunk grafts, and 1 ascending aortic repair), while 3 patients also underwent left carotid-subclavian bypass grafting. Two patients developed paraplegia (1 following a ruptured aneurysm), and 2 patients had transient paraparetic events. Two patients had acute renal failure requiring short-term dialysis. Three patients died within 30 days; 2 late aneurysm-related deaths were noted. Three patients developed endoleaks during follow-up. Mean lengths of stay were 13 days (7-30) for the visceral bypass and 12 (3-25) for the endovascular stent-graft. In addition, remaining procedures in 8 patients required a mean of 7 days (0-14) in hospital. CONCLUSION: Staged endovascular and open procedures are feasible for thoracoabdominal aneurysms in patients at prohibitive risk for open thoracoabdominal reconstruction. However, this approach still carries a significant risk of perioperative mortality and morbidity. The potential for less invasive alternatives should be investigated.     

Endovascular stent grafting of descending thoracic aortic aneurysms

The treatment of descending thoracic aortic aneurysms using endovascular stents is one of the more recent advances in treatment and is receiving increasing attention as it is a less invasive alternative to open surgical repair. Although the technology is still primitive, significant improvements have lately been made in the design and deployment of the endovascular stent-grafts. Aortic stent-grafts were used initially to exclude abdominal, and later thoracic, aortic true and false aneurysms. These prostheses have been increasingly used to treat aneurysms, dissections, and traumatic ruptures of the descending thoracic aorta with good early and mid-term outcomes. Although the long-term outcome of patients with aneurysms of the descending thoracic aorta after stent graft implantation has not been investigated, continued refinement of the endovascular approaches has decreased the need for conventional open thoracic aortic aneurysm repair, especially in patients who are at a high risk for standard surgery because of advanced age or the presence of comorbid diseases. The placement of endoluminal stent-grafts to exclude the dissected or ruptured site of thoracic aortic aneurysms is a technically feasible and relatively safe procedure. With the rapid development of endovascular approaches, the treatment of the descending thoracic aortic aneurysms might alter even more, but an extended follow-up is necessary to determine the longer term outcome. Historical perspectives, advantages, device considerations, complications, and current perspectives of the endovascular stent grafting of the descending thoracic aortic aneurysms are elaborated on.     

Surgical treatment of aneurysms of the abdominal and thoracic aorta

The danger of an arteriosclerotic abdominal aortic aneurysm is clearly related to the size of the aneurysm. From available clinical data it seems logical to recommend elective surgical excision and graft replacement of abdominal aneurysms 6 cm or greater in diameter because of the considerable danger of rupture of untreated aneurysms of this size. Although small aortic aneurysms do rupture, most patients with small abdominal aneurysms may be safely followed with examination at regular intervals. Surgery is reserved for those who demonstrate evidence of aneurysm expansion. The operative mortality rate for elective surgical excision of abdominal aortic aneurysms is by no means negligible but has probably diminished recently to levels of approximately 5% in the hands of experienced surgeons. Achievement of an operative mortality rate in this range requires sensible case selection, expeditious operative management and skillful postoperative care with particular attention to problems of hypoxemia in the early postoperative period.Patients with ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms require immediate aneurysm resection for survival. Of those patients with ruptured abdominal aneurysms who reach the hospital alive, approximately 60% should be salvaged at present by emergency surgery.The prognosis of the patient with a thoracic aortic aneurysm depends upon the etiology of the aneurysm. Syphilitic aneurysms of the thoracic aorta are now fortunately rare but appear to have a high incidence of rupture. The prognosis of patients with arteriosclerotic aneurysms, which characteristically involve the descending thoracic aorta, appears to be considerably better than that of patients with aneurysms of the abdominal aorta for unknown reasons. Since the removal of thoracic aneurysms ordinarily requires extracorporeal bypass and is associated with an operative mortality rate in the range of 20%, considerable judgment must be exercised in case selection for elective resection of such aneurysms.The surgery of dissecting aneurysms of the thoracic aorta has recently been modified by the widespread acceptance of antihypertensive drug therapy for acute dissection. Surgery may be reserved, hopefully on an elective basis, for those patients with significant aortic valvular insufficiency, significant aneurysmal dilatation of the dissected aorta, or symptomatic involvement of a major aortic branch in the dissection.     

Screening, diagnosis and advances in aortic aneurysm surgery

BACKGROUND: Aortic aneurysms are common in the elderly and a frequent cause of sudden death. As elective aneurysm repair has a mortality drastically lower than that associated with rupture, the emphasis must be on early detection and repair free from complications. Recent advances include ultrasound screening for asymptomatic abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and clinical trials on the size of AAA that require repair. Pre-operative assessment, management of cardiac risk, autologous blood transfusion strategies, and endovascular stent graft technology to avoid major open surgery are all issues to be addressed. METHODS: Following a computerized Medline search for publications on the detection and treatment of abdominal and thoracic aortic aneurysm, the publications identified were then read and the references within those publications examined for further publications on this topic. We have reviewed these publications without attempting a meta-analysis. RESULTS: Randomized population studies have addressed ultrasound screening for AAA. Attendance for screening was good and AAA detection inexpensive. Screening men from 65 years reduces the mortality from rupture and is cost-effective. Open thoracic and abdominal aneurysm repair has a mortality of around 8%, with myocardial infarction being a frequent cause of death. Pre-operative reduction of cardiac risk by cardiac investigations and beta-blockade may reduce this mortality. Autologous transfusion techniques such as acute normovolaemic haemodilution and interoperative cell salvage reduce the need for allogeneic blood and the complications associated with open surgery. Minimally invasive endovascular repair is now possible for 40% of the AAA and an increasing proportion of thoracic aneurysms. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of screening, reduced pre-operative risk, and new minimally invasive techniques extends aortic aneurysm treatment into an increasingly elderly population. The combination of these techniques will reduce mortality from ruptured aortic aneurysm in the elderly and also reduce the stress associated with aneurysm surgery.     

Endovascular exclusion of a thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm after retrograde visceral artery revascularization

Historically, open surgical repair of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms has been associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. Furthermore, endovascular exclusion alone can restrict blood flow to visceral arteries. We report a case of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm that was repaired using a hybrid approach: surgery followed by an endovascular procedure. A 53-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital for endovascular exclusion of a thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm that included the superior mesenteric artery and the celiac artery. Aorto-mesenteric and aorto-celiac artery bypass grafting was performed to create a landing zone for subsequent endovascular exclusion of the aneurysm, which was completed successfully 6 weeks after the bypass procedure. For thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms that extend beyond the superior mesenteric artery and the celiac or renal arteries, a hybrid approach, consisting of limited surgical treatment followed by endovascular exclusion of the aneurysm, may yield optimal results in selected patients with serious preoperative comorbidities.     

Colour Doppler diagnosis of perigraft flow following endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm.

BACKGROUND: Endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm is a relatively new surgical technique which is less invasive than conventional open abdominal surgery but is associated with a significant specific complication of endoleak. The aim of this study was to determine the accuracy of duplex ultrasound imaging, utilising colour Doppler, as the primary method for post surgical monitoring of endovascular aneurysm repair. METHODS: Experimental design: a case cohort study of 45 patients undergoing endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm. Setting: angiography, CT scanning and surgery performed at Westmead Hospital, a teaching hospital of the University of Sydney; patients followed postoperatively at the Westmead Vascular Laboratory, a dedicated vascular diagnostic ultrasound facility. Patients: Forty males and five females, mean age 69.1 years (range 51 to 84). Interventions: patients underwent attempted insertion of an EVT (endovascular prosthesis) for exclusion of abdominal aortic aneurysm (mean diameter 5.3 cm; range 4.0 to 8.4 cm). Conversion to open repair was required in three cases (6.6%). An aorto-biliac graft was inserted in 28 patients, a tube graft in eight and an aorto-unilateral iliac graft with femorofemoral (or ilioilial) crossover graft in six. Measures: patients were followed over a period of 53 months (median follow-up time 15 months) with 106 colour Doppler scans of 39 endovascular grafts (mean of 2.9 scans per patient). RESULTS: All aneurysms decreased in diameter (range 0.1 cm to 4.3 cm, mean 0.9 cm). Abnormal flow in the residual aneurysmal sac was found in three patients. In all three cases of endoleak the colour Doppler diagnosis was supported by CT scan and confirmed on angiography. The CT scans did not provide any additional information to that obtained by colour Doppler imaging. CONCLUSIONS: Colour Doppler provides an effective means of non-invasive follow-up assessment of patients who have had endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms.     

Proximal clamping levels in abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery

In the surgical treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysm, the single proximal cross-clamp can be placed at 3 alternative aortic levels: infrarenal, hiatal, and thoracic. We performed this retrospective study to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of the 3 main aortic clamping locations. Eighty patients presented at our institution with abdominal aortic aneurysms from March 1993 through May 1998. Fifty of these patients had intact aneurysms and underwent elective surgery, and 30 had ruptured aneurysms that necessitated emergency surgery. Proximal aortic clamping was applied at the infrarenal level in 24 patients (22 from the intact aneurysm group, 2 from the ruptured group), at the hiatal level in 34 patients (22 intact, 12 ruptured), and at the thoracic level (descending aorta) via a limited left lateral thoracotomy in 22 patients (6 intact, 16 ruptured). Early mortality rates (within 30 days) were 4% (2 of 50 patients) among patients with intact aneurysms and 40% (12 of 30 patients) among those with ruptured aneurysms. In the 2 patients from the intact aneurysm group, proximal aortic clamps were applied at the hiatal level. In the ruptured aneurysm group, proximal aortic clamps were placed at the thoracic level in 10 patients, the infrarenal level in 1, and the hiatal level in 1. According to our study, the clinical status of the patient and the degree of operative urgency--as determined by the extent of the aneurysm--generally dictate the proximal clamp location. Patients who present with aneurysmal rupture or hypovolemic shock benefit from thoracic clamping, because it restores the blood pressure and allows time to replace the volume deficit. Infrarenal placement is advantageous in patients with intact aneurysms if there is sufficient space for the clamp between the renal arteries and the aortic aneurysm. In patients with juxtarenal aneurysms, hiatal clamping enables safe and easy anastomosis to the healthy aorta. Clamping at this level also helps prevent late anastomotic aneurysm formation, which is frequently encountered after inadvertent anastomosis of the graft to a diseased portion of the aorta. Further studies are needed in order to confirm these results.     

Results of surgical repair for 110 thoracic aortic aneurysms

Between 1974 and July 1989 110 operations for thoracic aortic aneurysms in 107 patients (69 males, 38 females) were performed, whose ages ranged from 14 to 74. 37 patients had an aortic valvular disease, 15 had Marfan's syndrome, 28 of these patients had a history of thoracic trauma or of previous aortic or cardiac surgery (14 posttraumatic aneurysms, 9 aneurysms after cardiac surgery, 5 after repair of aortic coarctation), 29 patients had hypertension. 63 patients underwent repair of dissecting aneurysms, 47 of non-dissecting (saccular or fusiform) thoracic aortic aneurysms. 67 repairs were emergency and 43 elective. The hospital mortality for the entire series was 34.5%. The analysis of multiple preoperative and intraoperative variables showed that mortality following thoracic aortic aneurysm repair is higher with increasing age (65.7% mortality for operations between the 60th and 70th year of age, 100% mortality beyond the 70th year of age) and emergency surgery (hospital mortality 52.2% compared with 6.9% for elective operations). A significant increase in mortality was noted related to the aneurysm type (poorer prognosis in DeBakey type I and II), to history of hypertension, to preoperative shock or to perforation of the aneurysm, including haemopericardium or haemothorax.     

The complementary role of magnetic resonance imaging, Doppler echocardiography, and computed tomography in the diagnosis of dissecting thoracic aneurysms

Non-ECG gated MRI was compared with 2DE and/or CT scans in 10 patients with dissecting aneurysms proven by angiography and/or surgery. Patient ages ranged from 48 to 85 years (mean 69.6). Six had DeBakey type I dissections and four had DeBakey type III dissections. MRI was diagnostic for aortic dissection in nine cases and suggestive in the tenth. 2DE was diagnostic in six out of nine patients, suggestive in two patients, and nondiagnostic in one patient. CT was diagnostic in the three cases in which it was employed. MRI demonstrated a dilated ascending aorta with thickened walls in all type I dissections as well as an intimal flap and slow flow in the false channel in four patients. In the other two patients with type I dissection, MRI detected the intimal flap in the descending aorta but not in the ascending aorta, whereas 2DE revealed the ascending aortic intimal flap in both of these patients and CT showed it in one of them. In the type III dissections, MRI demonstrated a thickened wall and thrombus in the lumen in all four cases, and the intimal flap in three out of the four. 2DE excluded ascending aortic involvement in all three type III dissections. Six other patients with fusiform dilated ascending aortas had no evidence of dissection by MRI, 2DE, and aortography. Thus, non-ECG gated MRI alone or in combination with 2DE and/or CT is useful in the diagnosis of dissecting thoracic aneurysm and in assessing the extent of the dissection. In addition, the differentiation of dissecting aneurysms of the aorta from fusiform dilatation of the aorta is made possible by these noninvasive techniques.     

Usefulness of transesophageal echocardiographic monitoring to improve the outcome of stent-graft treatment of thoracic aortic aneurysms

The stent-graft procedure is becoming an alternative to surgery for treatment of many diseases of the descending thoracic aorta. This study evaluated the role of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), used in combination with fluoroscopy and angiography, in monitoring the outcome of stent-graft placement. Twenty-two consecutive patients were submitted to stent-graft positioning in the descending aorta for various pathologies (7 patients had type B aortic dissections, 6 had thoracic aneurysms, 2 had thoraco-abdominal aneurysms, and 7 had post-traumatic aortic aneurysms). Before stent-graft deployment, TEE changed the proximal site of stent positioning initially identified by angiography in 33% of patients (5 of 15) with aortic aneurysms because of calcifications or atheromas that could interfere with stent adhesion to the aortic wall and that were not seen on angiography. In 28% of patients (2 of 7) with aortic dissection, TEE showed the guidewire in the false lumen, allowing an immediate repositioning. After stent-graft deployment, color Doppler TEE showed a perigraft leak in 7 patients, whereas angiography detected a perigraft leak in only 2 patients (p = 0.02). In 4 of these patients, further balloon expansions resulted in resolution of the leak. In the remaining 3 patients, additional stent-graft positioning was necessary. Considering the total patient cohort, TEE yielded relevant information, resulting in procedure changes in 59% (13 of 22). In conclusion, TEE provided additional information with respect to angiography in all phases of stent-graft treatment, improving immediate outcome and reducing complications.     

Emergent Repair of a Complex Dissecting Aneurysm in the Thoracic Aorta

Endovascular treatment of complex thoracic pathologic conditions involving the aortic arch can often be appropriate and safe; however, minimally invasive procedures are not always feasible, especially in emergent cases. We report the case of a 78-year-old woman who emergently presented in hemorrhagic shock with a ruptured chronic dissecting aneurysm that involved the aortic arch. Eight years earlier, she had undergone aortic valve replacement and plication of the ascending aorta, which was complicated a day later by Stanford type B dissection, malperfusion, and ischemia that required an axillobifemoral bypass. At the current admission, we successfully treated her surgically through a left thoracotomy, using moderate hypothermic extracorporeal circulation and advanced organ-protection methods. We discuss the surgical indications and our operative strategy in relation to open surgical repair versus endovascular treatment in patients with complex conditions.Key words: Aneurysm, dissecting/radiography/surgery; aortic aneurysm, thoracic/radiography/surgery; aortic diseases/surgery; aortic rupture/surgery; treatment outcome; vascular surgical proceduresPathologic involvement of the aortic arch and the presence of dissection are 2 major issues in descending thoracic aortic repair, particularly in emergent settings of aneurysmal rupture. A patient''s comorbidities and older age may contraindicate deep hypothermic circulatory arrest; however, a thoracoabdominal dissection could lead to malperfusion if left-side heart bypass is considered for organ protection. Endovascular or hybrid surgery is a less invasive approach in complex cases; however, a good aneurysmal neck and adequate vascular access for the device are mandatory for technical success. We present the case of an elderly woman with comorbidities who required emergent repair of a complex dissecting thoracic aneurysm.     

National Adherence to Medical Management of Aortic Aneurysms

ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to describe levels of adherence to guideline-based medical management in patients with aortic aneurysms, using an analogous population with coronary artery disease as a comparator. Adherence among those with aortic aneurysms has never been studied.MethodsAdult patients with an aortic aneurysm or coronary artery disease diagnosed between 2004 and 2018 in the Optum Clinformatics deidentified Datamart were queried. Aneurysms were subclassified as thoracic, abdominal, or both. Receipt of an antihypertensive or antihyperlipidemic was determined through pharmacy claims. Adherence was determined as receipt of the indicated pharmacologic(s) after a diagnosis of aneurysm or coronary artery disease. Adherence was compared between those with aneurysms and coronary disease using univariable logistic regression.ResultsAfter exclusions, 194,144 patients with an aortic aneurysm and 3,946,782 with coronary artery disease were identified. Overall adherence was low (45.0%) and differed significantly by aneurysm subtype: highest in isolated thoracic (45.9%) and lowest in isolated abdominal aneurysms (42.6%). Adherence levels declined significantly after 1 year by about 15% in each aneurysm subtype. All subtypes of aneurysm had a significantly lower odds of adherence compared to those with coronary disease with odds ranging from 0.61 in those with isolated abdominal aneurysms to 0.80 with isolated thoracic aneurysms.ConclusionsAdherence among those with aortic aneurysms is very low, differs by subtype, and declines with time. Levels of adherence in those with aortic aneurysms is significantly lower compared to those with coronary artery disease. This should prove a reasonable target for implementation initiatives.     

Diagnosis and treatment of concomitant aortic and coronary disease: a retrospective study and brief review.

Coronary arteriosclerosis seriously complicates the surgical treatment of aortic diseases. The aim of our retrospective study was to determine the incidence of coronary artery disease among our surgical patients in treatment for aortic dissection or aneurysm, and to determine whether coronary intervention before aortic surgery appears to affect outcomes. Between 1 January 1993 and 1 March 1998, our center treated 253 patients for aortic dissection or aneurysm. We examined these cases retrospectively for information on diagnostic and treatment methods, both for the aortic lesions and for concomitant coronary arteriosclerosis. Aortic dissection had been detected in 86 (33.9%) patients and aortic aneurysm in 167 (66.1%). Coronary angiography was performed to search for concomitant coronary artery disease in 29 (33.8%) patients with dissection and in 112 (67.1%) patients with aneurysm; of these, 11 (12. 7%) and 54 (32.3%), respectively, were found to have coronary disease. Among 43 patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm in whom coronary angiography was performed, concomitant coronary disease was detected in 36 (83.7%). Coronary artery bypass surgery was performed in 10 patients who had dissection and in 30 patients who had aneurysm; percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty was performed in 7 patients who had aneurysm. Perioperative mortality rates in the dissection and aneurysm groups, overall, were 23.2% and 13.8%, respectively Unfortunately, the prospective, random clinical study that would be necessary to prove the case for or against preoperative coronary angiography among subsets of patients in need of aortic repair would raise ethical questions, given the strength of the information already in our possession, gathered by less formal methods. Our study reinforces existing evidence that preoperative angiography can reduce mortality and morbidity in the elective repair of aortic aneurysm, especially thoracic or abdominal aneurysm. However, angiography should not be performed routinely in cases of aortic dissection and should be withheld in cases of type A dissection.     

Incidental aneurysms of aorta and basilar artery in patients with coronary artery ectasia. A magnetic resonance angiography study

OBJECTIVE: Incidental intracranial aneurysms have been revealed in 0.5-1% of adult patients undergoing cerebral angiography, while only 8% of those aneurysms are located in the basilar artery. Those aneurysms running usually symptomless, may lead to life-threatening situations due to rupture. Intracranial aneurysms could co-exist with abdominal aneurysms. Another dilating arterial lesion, coronary artery ectasia was linked in previous studies with aneurysms of the abdominal aorta. The aim of the present study is to investigate the coexistence of coronary artery ectasia with other aneurysms since dilating arterial lesions seem to share a similar pathogenesis, a thin or absent media of the arterial wall. METHODS AND RESULTS: Ten consecutive patients with coronary artery ectasia after coronary angiography underwent magnetic angiography (MRA) of the brain, thoracic and abdominal aorta. Three incidental aneurysms were revealed: one intracranial aneurysm located in the basilar artery, one extended thoracic/abdominal aneurysm and one abdominal aneurysm. Embolism was used for the management of the basilar artery aneurysm while the extended aneurysm of the descending thoracic and abdominal aorta was surgically repaired in part. CONCLUSIONS: Whether our results are just a coincidence or they announce a common pathogenesis is a subject of further screening studies of the population. Nevertheless, a high index of suspicion is expected for patients with coronary ectasia about the presence of other vascular defects at different locations, especially when non-typical symptoms are mentioned.     

Is insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-1) playing a role for aneurysm formation in patients with pituitary gland tumor?

The combination of pituitary gland tumor and aneurysmal disease has previously been described. Most of these aneurysms have affected intracranial arteries. The purpose is to present 2 patients with thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm and pituitary gland tumor and further to discuss the mechanism behind this combination of diseases. A 59-year-old male patient was admitted with abdominal pain and a 120 mm thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm type III. He was operated with resection and graft replacement. During the operation, it was noted that his intra-abdominal arteries were extremely enlarged. The diagnosis acromegaly was confirmed in the late 50's and he had received irradiation therapy and underwent partial trans-sphenoidal hypophysectomy. His growth hormone values eventually declined while he had elevated insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-1) levels. The patient died from stroke 6 years after operation. Patient n. 2 is a 73-year-old female with a type II thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm. She was operated for a pituitary adenoma in 1988. There were no clinical or biochemical signs of acromegaly. However, she had elevated serum values of IGF-1. The maximum diameter of the aneurysm was 60 mm. Because of comorbidity the patient has been followed at the outpatient clinic. The mechanism behind the combination of pituitary gland tumor and aneurysm is obscure. One of our patients had classical acromegaly. Growth hormone decreased over the years, while his IGF-1 values were normal or elevated. The other patient had increased levels of IGF-1 without typical acromegaly. This might indicate that IGF-1 could play a role in the development of aneurysm in patients with pituitary tumor. This combination of diagnoses should be kept in mind when dealing with patients having aneurysmal disease.     

Expansion rate of thoracic aortic aneurysms and influencing factors.

The risk of rupture of an aortic aneurysm increases with size and rapid expansion rate. We studied the expansion rate of thoracic aortic aneurysms and the factors influencing expansion rate, and compared the results with those of abdominal aortic aneurysms. Forty thoracic aortic aneurysms and 25 abdominal aortic aneurysms were serially examined with enhanced and nonenhanced computed tomography. The mean expansion rate of thoracic aortic aneurysms was 1.3 +/- 1.2 mm/yr and was significantly lower than 3.9 +/- 3.2 mm/yr of abdominal aortic aneurysms. The factors increasing expansion rate of thoracic aortic aneurysms were initial size of aneurysms, diastolic blood pressure, and presence of renal failure by univariate analysis. Multivariate analysis concerning the entire aortic aneurysms also revealed that the large size of the aneurysm and the presence of the aortic aneurysm in the abdomen increased expansion rate of aneurysms.     

Short term outcome of thoracic endovascular aortic repair in patients with thoracic aortic diseases

Aim and background

Open surgical repair for thoracic aortic diseases is associated with a high perioperative mortality and morbidity. Most of type B aortic dissections are uncomplicated and are medically treated which carries a high mortality rate. Thoracic endovascular aortic repair is the first-line therapy for isolated aneurysms of the descending aorta and complicated type B aortic dissection. The aim of this study is to test the safety of early thoracic endovascular aortic repair in patients with uncomplicated type B aortic dissection and patients with thoracic aortic aneurysms.

A comparative study of iliac and abdominal aortic aneurysms.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the paper is to compare the epidemiology, risk factors and manifestations of iliac and abdominal aortic aneurysms. METHODS: Two studies were used: 1. 5,470 65-73-year-old men invited for screening for abdominal aortic aneurysms. 2. Review of all 350 patients operated on for central aneurysms in the county of Viborg, Denmark from 1989-1997. RESULTS: 4,176 attended for screening. One hundred and seventy (4.0%) had an abdominal aortic aneurysm. Twenty-one (0.56%) needed operation. The proportion of patients with common iliac aneurysms requiring surgery was 0.17%. The operative incidence of iliac aneurysm was 18.4 per million per year, and 92.4 per million per year were operated on for abdominal aortic aneurysm. The mean serum cholesterol level for isolated iliac aneurysm and combined aneurysms was significantly lower compared to isolated abdominal aortic aneurysm (p<0.05). Urological symptoms were present in 42% of cases with isolated iliac aneurysm, and 25% of combined aneurysms compared to 8% of isolated abdominal aortic aneurysms. Fifty-eight percent of the isolated iliac aneurysms were ruptured, as against 27% of the abdominal aortic aneurysms. The peri- and postoperative mortality was 57% in ruptured isolated iliac aneurysms, 47% in ruptured combined aneurysms, and 31% in ruptured isolated aortic aneurysms. CONCLUSIONS: Iliac aneurysms seem to be more underdiagnosed than abdominal aortic aneurysms, and are often diagnosed because of clinical manifestations, especially urological, or rupture. Iliac aneurysms seem more lethal than those of the abdominal aorta in cases of rupture.     

Ascending thoracic aneurysms are associated with decreased systemic atherosclerosis

STUDY OBJECTIVES: We noted clinically that patients with aortic root aneurysms and dissections seemed to have little systemic atherosclerosis. It is our objective to determine whether there is a negative association between ascending thoracic aneurysms and systemic atherosclerosis. DESIGN: Atherosclerosis was quantified by evaluating non-contrast CT images of the chest and scoring the degree of calcifications as a marker for atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries and aorta. PATIENTS: The degree of calcification was compared in 64 patients with aortic root aneurysm (annuloaortic ectasia, 31 patients; type A dissection, 33 patients) vs 86 control subjects. Multivariable analysis was applied to test for an association between aortic root aneurysms and systemic calcification independent of risk factors for atherosclerosis. RESULTS: Multivariable analysis revealed that patients with ascending aortic aneurysms of the annuloaortic ectasia type and patients with type A dissections had significantly lower overall calcification scores in their arterial vessels compared to patients in the control group (p = 0.03 and p < 0.0001, respectively). These results were independent of all other risk factors for atherosclerosis. Smoking, dyslipidemia, diabetes, and age were all found to increase the degree of atherosclerosis (p < 0.01 to 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Aortic root pathology (annuloaortic ectasia or type A dissection) is associated with decreased systemic atherosclerosis. It is possible that a mechanism exists whereby the same genetic mutations predisposing patients to ascending aortic aneurysms also exert a protective effect against systemic atherosclerosis.