The prevalence of carotid artery stenosis in patients undergoing aortic reconstruction.

BACKGROUND: Coronary artery disease occurs frequently in patients undergoing aortic reconstruction, and it has been presumed that internal carotid artery occlusive disease is also common. This has led to the practice of screening for and repairing significant carotid lesions in asymptomatic patients prior to aortic reconstruction. The purpose of this study was to determine the true prevalence of internal carotid artery disease in these patients. METHODS: The records of 240 patients who underwent duplex ultrasound screening for carotid artery disease prior to aortic reconstruction were reviewed. Surgery was performed for aortic aneurysm (AA) or aorto-iliac occlusive disease (AO). The prevalence of hyperlipidemia and coronary artery disease was similar between the two groups, but tobacco use, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus differed. RESULTS: Internal carotid artery stenosis > or = 50% occurred in 26.7% of the total group (64 of 240 cases). Stenosis > or = 50% was more common in the AO group (40 of 101 cases, 39.6%) than the AA group (24 of 139 cases, 17.3%, P = 0.0001). Severe disease (70% to 99%) was also more common in the AO group than the AA group (9.9% versus 3.6%, P = 0.0464). CONCLUSION: Internal carotid artery disease occurs commonly in patients undergoing aortic reconstruction, and screening is worthwhile. Significant disease is more common in patients with aorto-iliac occlusive disease than in those with aortic aneurysm, although atherosclerotic risk factors occur with varying frequency in the two groups. These findings suggest that additional factors may contribute to the higher prevalence of internal carotid artery stenosis in aorto-iliac occlusive disease.     

非体外循环冠状动脉旁路移植术患者术中急性心功能失代偿的危险因素

目的 筛选非体外循环冠状动脉旁路移植术(OPCABG)患者术中发生急性心功能失代偿的危险因素.方法 选择本院2007年11月至2009年2月行OPCABG的患者2379例,记录术前、术中与急性心功能失代偿可能有关的因素.根据是否发生急性心功能失代偿,分为2组:急性心功能失代偿组和非急性心功能失代偿组.采用1ogistic多元回归分析,筛选发生急性心功能失代偿的危险因素.结果 术中发生急性心功能失代偿368例(发生率15.5%),无一例患者死亡.logistic多元回归分析显示,室壁瘤、术中房颤、术中频发性室性期前收缩、术前射血分数＜40%、术前室性期前收缩、合并瓣膜病、心肌梗死史、入室心动过速、急诊手术、左主干病变为术中发生急性心功能失代偿的危险因素.结论 术前合并室壁瘤、瓣膜病变、左主干病变、心肌梗死史、术前室性期前收缩、射血分数＜40%,术中房颤、频发性室性期前收缩、入室心动过速和急诊手术为OPCABG患者术中发生急性心功能失代偿的危险因素.     

Renal artery stenosis associated with melorheostosis

Melorheostosis is a benign, rare, congenital disorder of hyperostosis of one or more bones. In this report, we describe a 5-year-old girl with melorheostosis of the left iliac wing, femur, and tibia who developed severe hypertension secondary to left renal artery stenosis. Numerous soft tissue and vascular anomalies have been reported in patients with melorheostosis. To our knowledge this is the first case where renal artery stenosis has been associated with melorheostosis. Several hypotheses for bone and vascular involvement in melorheostosis are reviewed.     

Evaluation of risk factors associated with femoral pseudoaneurysms after cardiac catheterization

BACKGROUND: Femoral pseudoaneurysm (FPA) is one of the common complications of percutaneous catheterization procedures performed via the femoral artery. The aim of this research was to evaluate factors associated with FPA of sufficient clinical significance that they required surgical treatment after diagnostic or interventional cardiac catheterization. METHODS: We evaluated 41,322 transfemoral catheterization procedures performed in our center within 7 years. Among all procedures, 630 FPAs developed that required surgical repair. Eighty-five cases were managed by compression with duplex guidance. As a case-control group, 1260 patients were selected from the patients who had been catheterized during the same time period but did not develop FPA. Two controls were selected for each study patient, matched according to age, sex, and catheterization day. Body mass index, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, catheter diameter, coronary artery disease, atherosclerosis, and number of cases performed per day in a particular room were evaluated as risk factors by using multivariate techniques. RESULTS: Femoral pseudoaneurysm required operative repair in 1.1% (n = 398) of patients who underwent cardiac catheterization for diagnostic purposes and in 4.7% (n = 232) of patients after cardiac interventional procedures. Factors found to be independently predictive of FPA were hypertension (P = .011; odds ratio, 1.52), diabetes mellitus (P = .035; odds ratio, 1.11), coronary artery disease (P = .022; odds ratio, 1.21), larger (> or = 28 kg/m2) body mass index (P < .001; odds ratio, 2.21), larger number of cases (> or = 18) performed per day in a particular room (P < .001; odds ratio, 2.39), and larger (> or = 7F) catheter diameter (P < .001; odds ratio, 2.82). CONCLUSIONS: Due to the development of technology and experience, more and more diagnostic and interventional catheterization procedures are performed on a daily basis. In our study, a high volume of cases in a particular room and use of large catheters were important risk factors for FPA complications. When these situations are combined with other risk factors (such as obesity, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and arteriosclerosis), giving particular attention to local compression therapy would be more crucial to decrease the FPA rate.     

Renal artery stenosis in transplant patients

Although hypertension appears not infrequently among recipients of kidney transplants, renal artery stenosis is relatively rare as a causative factor. A 23-year experience of patients receiving kidney grafts at the Brigham and Women's Hospital was reviewed to ascertain the incidence of renal artery stenosis and its surgical management. Risk factors leading to the condition and selection of patients for operation are emphasized. The incidence of arterial stenosis severe enough to require operation was 2.7% of 914 kidney transplants; the overall incidence in these patients is unknown, although operated patients comprise about one-half of those undergoing arteriography to diagnose hypertension. The mean time for development of the condition was 21.4 months from date of engraftment. A successful outcome as measured by fall in blood pressure and/or serum creatinine was achieved in 14 of 21 patients (67%) in whom surgical repair of the effected artery was undertaken. Reparative surgery was unsuccessful in seven patients, although hypertension was improved in one of these individuals following transplant nephrectomy. Surgery was never undertaken in four patients because of chronic rejection noted on biopsy. There was no mortality. Operative repair should be offered to patients with renal artery stenosis leading to unmanageable hypertension or renal dysfunction, but withheld from those with documented chronic rejection regardless of major arterial compromise.     

Renal artery stenosis associated with Crohn disease

Although extraintestinal complications involving skin, joints, eyes and liver are common in children with inflammatory bowel disease, hypertension is rare. We report data from a 16-year-old boy with renovascular hypertension and Crohn disease. To our knowledge, a patient with renal artery stenosis associated with Crohn disease has not been previously reported. Possible causes of renal vascular lesion in Crohn disease are discussed. Received: 4 September 2000 / Revised: 20 November 2000 / Accepted: 20 November 2000     

Renal artery stenosis and aneurysms associated with neurofibromatosis

Renal artery lesions associated with neurofibromatosis may involve stenosis and aneurysm formation at all levels of the renal artery to the intraparenchymal branches, and usually are associated with hypertension. A 13-year-old boy with type I neurofibromatosis and severe hypertension presented with multiple aneurysms and multiple stenotic lesions in the renal artery and segmental arteries. The patient underwent ex-vivo renal artery repair with autologous hypogastric artery and autotransplantation to the iliac fossa and was clinically improved. The characteristic histologic findings are presented. A review of the recent literature comparing different treatment modalities for renovascular hypertension in children with neurofibromatosis suggests that surgery remains the best treatment alternative.     

Renal allograft artery stenosis.

Thirteen renal artery stenoses occurred in 127 renal allograft transplantations performed at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center over a four year period. The most common symptoms were hypertension and decreasing renal function occurring from three days to three years post transplantation. Eight lesions occurred in patients with a single artery and five when double arteries had been joined together prior to anastomosis rather than implanted separately. The most common causes of renal artery stenosis was intimal hyperplasia of the donor vessel distal to the anastomosis (8 patients), atheromatous plaques (2), technical failure (2), and external compression (1). Surgical correction was facilitated by a midline incision. Resection of the stenotic segment and reanastomosis was the preferred procedure. Surgical failure and recurrence of hypertension were associated with involvement of small arteries or distal arteriolar level. When kidneys with multiple arteries are available, Carrel patches should be used when possible; if not, they should be implanted separately rather than joined together prior to anastomosis, thus decreasing the possibility of creating turbulent blood flow.     

Renal artery stenosis associated with epidermal nevus syndrome

Epidermal nevus syndrome is an unusual neurocutaneous disorder in which epidermal nevi are associated with abnormalities of the skeleton and central nervous system, including the eyes and somtimes the cardiovascular system. We treated a patient in whom the latter included renal artery stenosis. An 18-year-old man with epidermal nevi was diagnosed as having the syndrome based on the additional presence of scoliosis, an arachnoid cyst in the middle cranial fossa, and microphthalmos. Hypertension was diagnosed when the patient was 15 years old. The plasma renin activity (9.7 ng/ml/h) was elevated. Right renal artery stenosis was demonstrated by angiography, and the abdominal aorta was narrowed distal to the ostium of the superior mesenteric artery. The plasma renin activity in the right renal vein (16 ng/ml/h) was higher than contralaterally (10 ng/ml/h). Several cardiovascular manifestations have been reported as a complication of epidermal nevus syndrome. Hypertension in an individual with epidermal nevi and congenital anomalies should prompt a search for a vascular anomaly.     

Renal disease in HIV-seropositive patients in Nigeria: an assessment of prevalence, clinical features and risk factors.

In order to determine the pattern of renal disease and risk factors for renal disease in HIV-infected Nigerians, we studied 400 consecutive HIV/AIDS patients (210 males, 190 females) aged between 18 and 65 years (mean +/- SD; 34.6 +/- 9.4 years), and examined renal disease factors attributable to the infection. Diagnosis of renal disease was based on the consistent presence of at least 1+ albuminuria and/or elevated serum creatinine (>132 micromol/l) as well as the absence of other identifiable causes of chronic kidney disease (CKD). We determined socio-demography and clinical findings, as well as full laboratory work-ups including haemogram, CD4+ cell count, serum electrolytes, urea, creatinine, protein, cholesterol and urine analysis. Renal biopsies were taken in 10 patients who had moderate to massive proteinuria and had consented to the procedure. Finally, we compared HIV/AIDS cases with and without renal disease to determine the risk factors for nephropathy. We observed a high prevalence of renal disease (proteinuria and/or elevated serum creatinine), which was present in 152 (38%) of the patients. This subgroup included 74 males and 78 females with a M:F ratio of 1:1. The mean age (+/-SD) was 35.8 (+/-10.01) years. Systolic and/or diastolic hypertension was seen in 13.2% of these patients while the mean (+/- SD) body mass index (BMI) and packed cell volume (PCV) were 18.5 (+/-3.1) kg/m(2) and 25.26 (+/-6.81)%, respectively. The mean (+/-SD) CD4+ count was 246.49 (+/-192.8) cells/microl, while the mean (+/-SD) serum creatinine and 24-h urine protein excretion rates were 210.11 (+/-337.8) micromol/l and 2.57 (+/- 2.42) g/day, respectively. In subjects with and without nephropathy, there were significant differences in age, BMI, serum cholesterol, serum albumin and CD4+ counts, suggesting that these parameters may be risk factors for nephropathy. Histology revealed mainly focal glomerulosclerosis (FGS) with glomerular collapse. We conclude that the prevalence of proteinuria in HIV-seropositive patients is high in Nigeria. Such subjects show an equal male:female distribution, and glomerular histology revealed that a majority of biopsied patients had the collapsing FSGS variant. The risk factors for renal disease included severity of the HIV infection (inferred from the generally low CD4+ count), anaemia, malnutrition and increasing age.     

Renal artery stenosis in hypertensive diabetics.

The incidence of atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis was compared in consecutive renal angiography of 28 hypertensive diabetics and 104 hypertensive non-diabetics. Mean age and sex distribution were comparable. Angiographic evidence of atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis was present in 10 diabetics (36 per cent) and 50 non-diabetics (48 per cent). Stenosis was considered hemodynamically significant if the renal vein renin ratio of the involved to uninvolved side was 1.4:1.0 or more. A renal vein renin ratio equal to or more than 1.4 was observed in 4 of 7 diabetics (57 per cent) and 31 of 47 non-diabetics (67 per cent). Fibromuscular hyperplasia was not seen in diabetics but was present in 12 per cent of the non-diabetics. Hypertension was treated surgically and improved in 2 of 3 diabetics (67 per cent) and in 17 of 19 non-diabetics (89 per cent) with angiographic and hemodynamic evidence of renal artery stenosis. In this series the incidence of atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis of physiologic consequence was not significantly different in hypertensive diabetics when compared to hypertensive non-diabetics.     

Propofol-ketamine mixture for anesthesia in pediatric patients undergoing cardiac catheterization

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety of a propofol-ketamine mixture to induce and maintain anesthesia in spontaneously breathing pediatric patents during cardiac catheterization. DESIGN: Prospective clinical study. SETTING: Departments of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Anesthesiology, and Pediatric Anesthesiology in a university hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Forty-five children aged 6 months to 16 years with ASA grade II to III undergoing cardiac catheterization. INTERVENTIONS: Continuous intravenous infusion of a mixture of propofol (4 mg/mL) and ketamine (2 mg/mL) with spontaneous ventilation. The infusion rate was changed and additional boluses of propofol or/and ketamine were given as needed. Hemodynamic, respiratory, and other variables were recorded during the procedure and recovery. RESULTS: Mean dose of ketamine was 26 +/- 8.3 microg/kg/min and of propofol, 68.3 +/- 21.7 microg/kg/min. Changes in heart rate and mean arterial pressure of more than 20% from baseline were observed in 4 and 5 patients, respectively. A transient reduction in oxygen saturation because of hypoventilation was observed in 3 patients and responded to oxygen administration and manual assisted ventilation. No other complications were observed. CONCLUSIONS: The propofol-ketamine mixture is a safe, practical alternative for general anesthesia in pediatric patients undergoing cardiac catheterization.     

Recurrent carotid artery stenosis following endarterectomy: natural history and risk factors.

OBJECTIVES: To establish the incidence of restenosis (RES) following carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and evaluate clinical and technical factors related to its development. DESIGN: Prospective non-randomised cohort study. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Two hundred and twenty-four patients with 243 CEA between May 1998 and December 2002, were subjected to clinical and haemodynamic follow-up, median follow-up 23 months (1-56). There was selective use of a shunt (17.3%) and patch (61.7%). RES (> or =50%) and severe restenosis, > or =70%, (sRES) were defined as peak systolic velocities of > or =150 and > or =300cm/s (or > or =250cm/s with diastolic velocity >100cm/s), respectively. Rates of RES, symptom development and mortality were analysed using Kaplan-Meier curves. Cox's regression model (hazards ratio/95% CI) was used to evaluate prognostic factors. RESULTS: We detected 13 sRES (5.3%) (median time 6.1 months) and 30 (12.3%) moderate stenosis (mRES) (median time 3.7 months). Cumulative freedom from sRES at 23 months was 94.2%. Five sRES detected in the first 45 days after the procedure were deemed to be residual restenosis (rRES). Five (38.4%) sRES were symptomatic, 15.3% progressed to occlusion. Patient survival was 98.0 and 96.4% at 12 and 24 months, respectively. Independent risk factors for sRES: female sex (HR: 3.3, 95% CI 1.1-10 p=0.04) and diabetes (HR: 4.5, 95% CI 1.4-13.9 p=0.008). CONCLUSIONS: Carotid restenosis appears early, is usually low-grade and mostly asymptomatic. Although few stenoses progress to occlusion, women and diabetic patients were at highest risk.     

Angina and other risk factors in patients with cardiac diseases undergoing noncardiac operations

Six hundred eighty-eight consecutive patients with cardiac diseases or who were older than 70 yr of age, all of whom were undergoing noncardiac operations, were studied. Twenty-four preoperative risk factors were analyzed for the outcome of perioperative myocardial infarction (PMI) or cardiac death using stepwise logistic regression. Old age, emergency operation, angina, previous myocardial infarction, electrocardiographic signs of ischemia, type of surgical procedure, and hypokalemia were identified as individual factors useful in predicting outcome. Thirty-two patients (4.65%) developed PMI. Seven of these 32 patients (21.9%) and eight more patients without PMI--a total of 15 patients (2.2%)--died a cardiac death. Nonfatal but serious complications occurred in 23% of the patients. Patients undergoing emergency operations and patients with chronic stable angina, previous myocardial infarction, and electrocardiographic signs of ischemia were found to be at increased risk for PMI and cardiac death.