Cardiac assessment with thallium scanning prior to aortic aneurysm repair.

Coronary artery disease occurs commonly in patients with aortic aneurysms and is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. The role of screening and intervention for cardiac disease prior to aneurysm repair is controversial. The outcome after cardiac screening with thallium scanning and/or angiography in 102 consecutive patients undergoing aortic aneurysm repair was documented. Significant coronary artery disease was found in 34 (33%) patients and two patients had either coronary artery bypass or angioplasty prior to aneurysm repair. There was no cardiac mortality after aneurysm repair and the overall mortality on an intention-to-treat basis was 2%. There was good correlation between prior history of cardiac events, electrocardiography (ECG) and the results of screening with thallium scanning and angiography. There was no correlation between cardiac history, ECG and the incidence of cardiac events in the postoperative period. Significant coronary artery disease was found in 33% of patients without a cardiac history or abnormal ECG. Cardiac screening with thallium scanning confirmed a high incidence of significant coronary disease in patients with aortic aneurysm. In this study, cardiac intervention followed by expedient aneurysm repair in 20 patients was associated with zero mortality. The short-term benefit of such a policy is difficult to prove and its main advantage may be better long-term survival.     

Impact of endovascular repair on open aortic aneurysm surgical training.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of an endovascular stent-graft program on vascular training in open aortic aneurysm surgery. METHODS: The institutional and vascular surgery fellow experience in aortic aneurysm repair during a 6-year period was reviewed. The 3-year period before introduction of endovascular repair was compared with the 3-year period after introduction of endovascular repair. All patients undergoing abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) or thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repairs were entered prospectively into a vascular registry and retrospectively analyzed to evaluate the changing patterns in aortic aneurysm treatment and surgical training. RESULTS: Between July 1994 and June 2000, a total of 588 patients with AAA or thoracoabdominal aneurysms were treated at Stanford University Medical Center. There were 296 (50%) open infrarenal AAA repairs, 87 (15%) suprarenal AAA repairs, 47 (8%) thoracoabdominal aneurysm repairs, and 153 (26%) endovascular stent-grafts. The total number of aneurysms repaired per year by vascular fellows before the endovascular program was 71.3 +/- 4.9 (range, 68-77) and increased to 124.7 +/- 35.6 (range, 91-162) after introduction of endovascular repair (P <.05). This increase was primarily caused by the addition of endovascular stent-graft repairs by vascular fellows (51.0 +/- 29.0/year [range, 23-81]). There was no change in the number of open infrarenal aortic aneurysm repairs per year, 53.0 +/- 6.6 (range, 48-56) before endovascular repair versus 47.0 +/- 1.7 (range, 46-49) after (P = not significant). There was a significant increase in the number of suprarenal AAA repairs per year by vascular fellows, 10.0 +/- 1.0 (range, 9-11) before endovascular repair compared with 19.0 +/- 6.5 (range, 13-26) after (P <.05). There was no change in the number of thoracoabdominal aneurysm repairs per year between the two groups, 8.0 +/- 3.0 (range, 4-11) before endovascular repair compared with 7.6 +/- 2.3 (range, 5-9) after. CONCLUSIONS: Introduction of an endovascular aneurysm stent-graft program significantly increased the total number of aneurysms treated. Although the number of open aneurysm repairs has remained the same, the complexity of the open aneurysm experience has increased significantly for vascular fellows in training.     

Cardiac function predicts mortality following thoracoabdominal and descending thoracic aortic aneurysm repair.

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have identified age, renal failure and aneurysm extent as predictors of mortality following thoracoabdominal and descending thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) repair. We studied the impact of coronary artery disease (CAD) and cardiac function on 30-day mortality following TAA repair. METHODS: Between February 1991 and May 2001, we performed 854 TAA repairs. Two hundred ninety-one patients (34%) had a history of coronary artery disease. One hundred forty-one/291 (49%) had undergone coronary artery bypass surgery (CAB) prior to TAA repair. We conducted multivariable analyses of known risk factors along with the left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) and prior CAB to determine the adjusted effect of CAD on outcome. RESULTS: Mortality in patients with CAD was 54/291 (18%) compared to 75/563 (13%) without CAD (P<0.05). In patients who had prior CAB, mortality was 31/141 (22%) compared to 98/713 (14%) patients without prior CAB, (P<0.02). In multivariable analysis, the effects of CAD and CAB on mortality were eliminated by consideration of a low EF (defined as less than 50%). CONCLUSION: Impaired left ventricular function appears to be the strongest cardiac predictor of mortality for TAA repair, independent of the presence of coronary artery disease or coronary artery bypass revascularization.     

Endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm in renal transplantation

Successful endovascular correction of a 12-cm abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is described in a 76-year-old man with a functional pelvic renal transplant and 18-month follow-up. Endovascular treatment is a safe alternative to surgery for AAA correction in the elderly post-transplantation patient since it does not require flow interruption during the procedure.     

开放手术和腔内隔绝治疗腹主动脉瘤的体会

目的探讨腹主动脉瘤(AAA)手术切除和腔内隔绝的适应证及时机,比较两种治疗方法的围手术期情况。方法回顾性分析2005年8月至2010年3月在我科进行手术切除和腔内隔绝治疗33例AAA患者的临床资料,比较择期行手术切除和腔内隔绝的围手术期情况。结果 5例急诊手术患者中,1例术后因多器官功能衰竭死亡。27例择期手术患者中,开放手术组:1例术后第2天因急性广泛前壁心机梗死死亡,1例术后出现右下肢缺血症状,彩超显示右侧髂外动脉狭窄,药物治疗后症状消失;腔内隔绝组:2例术后1个月内出现臀部疼痛和行走困难。随访1~3个月,均未见异常。择期手术患者围手术期比较:手术时间、出血量、输血量、术后住院天数等方面,腔内隔绝组明显优于手术切除组;但住院费用方面,腔内隔绝组远高于手术切除组。结论腔内隔绝治疗AAA的创伤小、恢复快、近期疗效理想,适合高龄和不易耐受开放手术的患者,但费用较开放手术高。     

Renal transplantation after endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm

An increasing number of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) occur in renal failure patients because of strong association between atherosclerosis and chronic kidney disease. Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) has proven to be an effective modality to treat AAA, particularly in patients with renal disease, because of its several advantages over the standard open procedure, including lower morbidity, shorter operative time, and shorter hospital stay. A Medline search showed a single publication on renal transplantation (RT) following EVAR of AAA. In this context, we report our case of successful RT in a patient who had undergone EVAR 2 years prior for a 5.7-cm AAA. No stent-related complications, such as graft occlusion, dislodgement, dissection, or endoleak, were observed in the perioperative period. The transplanted kidney had primary function leading to a stable serum creatinine of 115 micromol/L at 6 months. Although the long-term outcome of RT after endovascular repair of AAA remains unknown, currently available evidence shows favorable outcomes of EVAR in the normal population, in patients with renal diseases, and in RT recipients; hence, RT should not be denied to renal failure patients who have undergone EVAR in the past.     

Communication between the ureter and an aortic aneurysm sac after an abdominal aortic aneurysm repair

Fistulae between the vasculature and the ureter are rare. We describe a communication between the ureter and the sac of an aortic aneurysm following abdominal aortic aneurysm repair.     

Simultaneous splenorenal shunt and repair of an abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Portal hypertension with bleeding esophageal varices and infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms are relatively common problems. This report describes a patient with a recent upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage from esophageal varices secondary to portal hypertension as well as the presence of an asymptomatic 7 cm abdominal aortic aneurysm. Treatment consisted of splenectomy, splenorenal shunt and repair of the abdominal aortic aneurysm with a knitted Dacron graft. We know of no other case similar to this reported in the literature. A discussion of the approach to a patient with both conditions is presented.     

Successful renal transplantation after endovascular bifurcated stent graft repair of an abdominal aortic aneurysm

Renal transplantation after repair of aortoiliac aneurysms with traditional prosthetic vascular grafts has been shown to be effective. Vascular surgery continues to rapidly evolve, most notably with the advancement of endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms. Controlled trials continue to support the trend toward the use of endovascular bifurcated aortic stent grafts. For this we describe the first renal transplant in a patient with an endovascular bifurcated aortoiliac stent graft. No intraoperative difficulties were encountered. At 1-year follow-up, the transplanted kidney is functioning well with a normal serum creatinine level of 1.3 mg/dl, and the patient has no worsening of peripheral vascular disease. We recommend that the presence of an endovascular aortic graft not be a contraindication to renal transplantation.     

Devices for aortic aneurysm repair.

Although the technical success and short-term efficacy of endovascular grafts have now been demonstrated, the long-term durability of grafts used in the aorta remains to be proven. No long-term data are yet available regarding device durability or patient outcome beyond the initial few years. Recent evidence shows that the ability of endovascular grafts to cause shrinkage and regression of aortic aneurysms may have a paradoxic effect of distorting the endograft itself, thus causing geometric changes within the supporting metallic framework and, ultimately, device failure (Fig. 9). Thus, the desired positive effect of the device may, ironically, lead to its eventual failure.     

Cardiac troponin I predicts outcome after ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm repair

BACKGROUND: Cardiac troponin I (cTnI) is a highly sensitive and specific marker for myocardial injury that predicts mortality in patients with acute coronary syndromes. This study examined the relationship between perioperative cTnI levels and clinical outcome in patients with ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). METHODS: Consecutive patients who underwent operative repair of a ruptured AAA over a 22-month interval and survived for more than 24 h were entered into a prospective observational cohort study. Levels of cTnI were measured immediately before, and at 24 and 48 h after surgery, and related to clinical outcome. RESULTS: Of 62 patients who underwent attempted operative repair of ruptured AAA, 50 (81 per cent) survived for more than 24 h and were included in this study. Twenty-three (46 per cent) of the 50 had a detectable cTnI level at one or more time points during the first 48 h. Of these, 11 patients had clinical or electrocardiographic evidence of an acute cardiac event and 12 did not; five patients in each of these two groups died. Of 27 patients with no increase in cTnI in the first 48 h, only three died (P = 0.031 and P = 0.043 respectively, relative to the groups with detectable cTnI). CONCLUSION: Approximately half of patients who survived repair of ruptured AAA for more than 24 h sustained a detectable myocardial injury within the first 48 h. A perioperative increase in the level of cTnI, with or without clinically apparent cardiac dysfunction, was associated with postoperative death.     

Durability of open surgical repair of type IV thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm

Objective

Perioperative outcomes and late mortality after open type IV thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm (TAAA) repair are known, yet risk of late graft and subsequent aortic events is infrequently described. Such data are increasingly important as endovascular repair becomes an option and are the subject of this study.