Serum Elastin Peptides in the Preoperative Evaluation of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms

OBJECTIVE: Serum elastin peptides (SEP) have been reported to be associated with the expansion of small abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA). Consequently, SEP-measurements may predict future rupture, and allow further selection for surgery in cases referred for surgery due to size. MATERIAL AND METHODS: SEP was measured in 90 men and 10 women with AAA, who were considered for surgery as part of the Chichester aneurysm screening programme. Sixty-one patients were electively operated and four because of symptoms. The rest were followed up further. Twelve of these experienced ruptured AAA later. RESULTS: No correlation between last measured AAA-diameter, annual expansion rate and SEP was noticed. However, SEP levels were significantly higher in cases rupturing later, persisting after adjustment for age, sex, and last measured AAA-size. ROC curve analysis concerning SEP as a predictor of rupture later showed an optimal sensitivity and specificity of 67% and 60%, respectively, similar with last measured AAA-size. By combining AAA-size and SEP, the optimal sensitivity and specificity reached 83% and 66%, respectively. CONCLUSION: One sampling of SEP combined with AAA-size in patients referred for AAA surgery may be a clinical useful indicator of high rupture risk.     

Giant Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms: Clinical and Technical Considerations

The rupture risk of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) depends primarily on their diameter and increases substantially in large aneurysms. Only a few cases of giant AAAs, with a maximum diameter > 13 cm have been reported in the English literature. This case series report describes 3 cases of giant AAAs presented with rupture. All cases were managed with open surgical repair, since anatomic factors prevented us from choosing an endovascular approach. The huge size of the aneurysm, the short length of the neck and the dislodgement of abdominal organs, that may be densely adhered to its surface with fistula formation, make surgery of this entity very challenging. Open repair of giant AAAs is often the only available treatment, though not always with good results.     

LDL Cholesterol is Associated with Small Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between serum lipids and abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA). METHODS: Two hundred and six males (>50 years) with AAA (> or =30 mm) detected in a population based screening programme were compared with 252 age-matched male controls in a nested case-control study. Smoking status, previous medical and family histories, height, weight, blood pressure, ankle brachial pressure index (ABPI) and non-fasting lipid profile were recorded. RESULTS: Cases were found to have significantly higher LDL cholesterol than controls. LDL cholesterol was an independent predictor of the risk for aneurysms in a logistic regression model adjusting for smoking status, family history of AAA, history of ischaemic heart disease, presence of peripheral vascular disease, use of lipid lowering medication and treatment for hypertension. There was a linear effect with increased levels of LDL cholesterol increasing the risk of having a small aneurysm (test for trend p=0.03). CONCLUSION: The highly significant association between LDL cholesterol and small aneurysms suggests that LDL, possibly acting via inflammatory mediated matrix degeneration, could be an initiating factor in the development of AAA. The ability of statin therapy to prevent AAA formation requires further investigation.     

Endovascular Repair of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms with Aortocaval Fistula

OBJECTIVES: To examine the risk of high-flow type II endoleak following endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm with aortocaval fistula. DESIGN: Case reports. SUBJECTS: Two patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms with aortocaval fistula. METHODS: Both patients had an endovascular repair of their aortic aneurysms. RESULTS: The aneurysms were successfully treated in both patients, without any endoleak on completion angiography. Apart from a transient type II lumbar endoleak in one of the patients, no endoleak was found after 3 and 12 month follow-up. Seven other cases have been published, reporting one type II and one type Ic endoleak. CONCLUSION: We found no evidence that endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm with aortocaval fistula is associated with a higher incidence of persistent endoleak.     

胸,腹主动脉瘤腔内隔绝术的临床应用

目的:总结腔内隔绝术治疗胸、腹主动脉瘤的初步临床经验,探讨其指征、方法、操作要点及临床应用前景.方法:本组15例患者在DSA监视下经股总动脉小切口将人造血管内支撑复合体(移植物)导人腹主动脉瘤,从腔内将瘤体与血流隔绝.15例中置入直管型移植物4例,分叉型移植物11例.结果:13例患者于手术当日进食,次日下床活动;1例出现急性酸中毒;1例因髂动脉扭曲导致移植物将髂动脉阻塞,而加作股.股交叉转流术,恢复较慢.4例出现内漏,其中1例3月后自行愈合;1例术后第4天动脉瘤破裂,经传统开腹手术治愈;另2例随访中.2周及3月后分别复查彩超、螺旋CT.结果显示全部病例移植物中血流通畅,无移位.结论:腔内隔绝术简捷、方便,避免了常规开腹手术所见腹部及重要脏器并发症,创伤小、恢复快,适用于所有尤其是高龄高危肾下腹主动脉瘤及胸降主动脉瘤患者.全程内支架-人造血管复合体应用于EVGE效果良好.熟练的导管操作技巧及精确的术前评估有利于提高操作成功率及减少术后并发症.并发内漏的问题有待于继续观察探讨.     

Prevalence of Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms in Patients with Degenerative Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms: Results from the Prospective ACTA Study

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Factors Affecting the Regression of Surgically Replaced Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms

Purpose After endovascular therapy for abdominal aortic aneurysms, aneurysm sac shrinkage is considered to be the best marker of successful treatment. Such shrinkage, however, is infrequent and the rate of shrinkage is variable because of endoleaks. To investigate the factors that influence such contraction, the aneurysm sac regression after a conventional surgical replacement of the abdominal aortic aneurysm in an inclusion fashion was studied. Methods Abdominal aortic aneurysms that measured 5 cm in diameter or larger were studied in 35 patients who underwent surgical replacement. The aneurysm sac was closed anterior to the prosthesis. Of the 35 cases, 4 aneurysms were inflammatory and 10 had aneurysm wall circumferential calcification of greater than 40%. Computed tomography was performed preoperatively, and at 1 week, and then 3 months postoperatively. Results The maximum major and minor diameters of the aneurysmal sac decreased significantly from 1 week to 3 months after surgery (major diameter: 49 ± 12 to 32 ± 8 mm and minor diameter: 39 ± 10 to 26 ± 7 mm). In inflammatory aneurysms, the maximum major and minor diameters were significantly larger at 3 months postoperatively, in comparison to nonspecific aneurysms. Among the 31 patients with nonspecific aneurysms, the maximum major diameter was significantly larger in those with aneurysmal calcification of greater than 40% of its circumference at 3 months postoperatively, in comparison to noncalcified aneurysms. Conclusions The surgically repaired abdominal aortic aneurysm contraction tends to develop over 3 months, and inflammation, thickening, and calcification of the aneurysm wall are all considered to influence the regression of the aneurysm.     

Screening Cost for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms: Japan-Based Estimates

Purpose The aim of this study was to evaluate the screening procedures in Japan economically focusing on the screening costs and the hospital costs for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) surgery.Methods A total of 10057 residents, 60 years of age or older, including 4247 men and 5810 women, participated in the screening test for AAA using ultrasound.Results Aneurysms were detected in 34 participants, including 32 men and 2 women. The detection rate of AAA was 0.8% in men, 0.03% in women, and 0.3% in total. It cost US$8 to screen each participant, and the cost to detect each aneurysm was thus estimated at $1250 in men, $23240 in women, and $2366 in total. The difference in the mean hospital cost between ruptured and nonruptured AAA was $21833 in our recent cases. Obesity, male sex, and smoking habits were all significant risk factors for AAA.Conclusion Screening for AAA using ultrasound is useful not only for the early detection of AAA but also for a reduction in the overall medical cost.     

Endovascular Treatment of Symptomatic and Ruptured Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms

Aim: To report our early experience with endovascular treatment of symptomatic and ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) using the Talent bifurcated stent graft.

Patients-methods: From August 2003 to May 2007 nine patients with symptomatic AAA (sAAA) (two after previous endovascular repair and endoleak), and eleven patients with ruptured AAA (rAAA) (one with ruptured iliac aneurysm and one with spontaneous aortic rupture) were treated endovascularly. Seven bifurcated stent grafts, (six Talent), and two iliac extensions were implanted into the patients with sAAA, and nine bifurcated stent grafts (eight Talent) and two aorto-uniliacs were implanted into the patients with rAAA.

Results: The deployment of the endovascular device in the intended location was successful in all patients. There was no conversion to open surgery. One patient with sAAA died after stroke and sepsis resulting in 11.1% 30-day mortality in this group. One required re-intervention for a type I endoleak before his discharge. Eight patients were discharged and during a follow-up period of 4–42 months (median 18 months) they have remained well. Two patients with rAAA died in the 30-day postoperative period. Thirty-day mortality was 18.1%. An unintended occlusion of one renal artery was performed. There were 9 survivors. During a follow-up period of 17–45 months (median 26 months) one more died of myocardial infarction.

Conclusion: Initial experience with endovascular treatment of patients with symptomatic or ruptured AAA, using the Talent bifurcated stent graft is promising. Bifurcated endografts can be implanted into patients with rAAA. A larger number of patients and longer follow-up is necessary to arrive at more reliable conclusions.     

Simultaneous Open and Endoluminal Repair of Ruptured Abdominal and Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms: Report of a Case

A 66-year-old woman was transferred to our hospital for emergency treatment of a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and impending rupture of a descending thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) caused by a Stanford type-B dissection. She had severe coronary artery disease and a highly calcified aorta, and had been taking long-term steroids for rheumatoid arthritis. Endovascular repair of the TAA failed because the femoral artery was too small, so we performed simultaneous repair of the TAA and the AAA. A temporary axillofemoral bypass was constructed and the AAA was replaced with a bifurcated prosthetic graft. A thoracic stent graft was delivered successfully through a chimney graft of the abdominal graft. About 4 months later, the TAA extended proximally, causing hemoptysis, which was stopped by placing a new stent graft proximal to the previous one. This case report shows that a combination of open and endovascular repair is useful for treating a TAA with an AAA, especially in a small or frail patient.     

The Surgical Treatment of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms in Patients with Light to Moderate Renal Dysfunction

Objective : The incremental surgical risk caused by mild or moderate renal dysfunction in patients undergoing surgery for an abdominal aortic aneurysm is not well defined. The aim of this study is to analyze the prognostic significance of mild or moderate renal dysfunction in 79 patients who have undergone repair of an infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm at our institution.

Methods : The postoperative results of 35 non-dialysis-dependent patients (Group I) with renal dysfunction were included and compared with a group of 44 patients (Group II) with similar characteristics of age, gender and pre-operative risk factors. All operations were performed through a standard transperitoneal median laparotomy. Results : The mean operation and aortic cross-clamp times did not differ significantly between the two groups (234 ± 15 min vs. 189 ± 17min; p = 0.25 and 57 ± 12 min. vs. 52 ±9 min.; p = 0.52). Early operative mortality was 5.71% in patients with renal dysfunction and did not differ significantly when compared with the other group of patients 4.5%; p = 0.083). Blood requirement was higher (p < 0.01) and the hospital stay was longer (p < 0.001) in group I. There were 18 patients in group I (51.4%) and three patients in group II (6.8%) in whom the pre-operative serum creatinine level increased above 2.5 mg/dl during the postoperative period. The postoperative increase of creatinine level differed significantly in patients with pre-operative renal dysfunction (p < 0.001). There were nine patients (25.7%) in group I and four patients (9.1%) in group II who required mechanical ventilation for more than 24 hours (p = 0.025). There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of cardiac morbidity p = 0.234).

Conclusion : Patients with even a mild or moderate degree of renal dysfunction require close monitoring and prolonged hospital care during the postoperative period. Although satisfactory early surgical outcomes may be expected in this particular group of patients, pulmonary and renal morbidity rates are higher than in patients with normal renal function.     

肾动脉水平以下腹主动脉瘤外科治疗的若干问题(附461例报告)

提高肾动脉水平以下腹主动脉瘤手术的安全性。方法：总结１９６０年１月～２００１年３月４６１例腹主动脉瘤切除、人造血管移植及腹主动脉瘤腔内隔绝术的经验。结果：随着腹膜后途径和小切口等技术的应用,动脉瘤近端血流控制、动脉瘤切除以及缝合修补和腔内隔绝术等方法的更新,使手术危险性明显降低,手术死亡率４．８％,５年存活率达７４．４％。结论：手术技术和麻醉监护的进步,使腹主动脉瘤的外科治疗变得更安全、迅速和方便。     

The Fate of Small Aneurysms of the Internal Iliac Artery Following Proximal Ligation in Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair

To assess the natural history of small internal iliac artery aneurysms (IIAA) measuring 2.0–3.0 cm in diameter, proximally ligated in association with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair, we examined 9 of 12 patients who underwent this type of surgery. Postoperative computed tomography scanning demonstrated that three IIAAs were still patent and the other six were thrombosed. An increase in the maximum diameter from that at the time of surgery was seen in four IIAAs. One patient suffered serious complications in that a dilated IIAA caused right ureteral obstruction and subsequent hydronephrosis accompanied by unilateral renal dysfunction. This was successfully treated by resection of the IIAA. The findings of this analysis led us to conclude that small IIAAs associated with AAA repair should be treated by either endoaneurysmorrhaphy or resection of the aneurysm after both proximal and distal ligation. Received: July 21, 1999 / Accepted: May 30, 2000     

Left Retroperitoneal Approach Using a Retractor to Repair Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms: A Comparison with the Transperitoneal Approach

Abstract. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of the retroperitoneal approach (RP) using a Thompson retractor with the conventional transperitoneal approach (TP), to repair infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA). Methods: A total of 91 consecutive patients were divided into two groups; group A (n= 21) underwent surgery using the TP, and group B (n= 70) underwent surgery using the RP with a Thompson retractor. Results: There were no significant differences in the operation time, aortic cross-clamp time, incidence of postoperative cardiac events, or the development of wound complications; however, a significantly higher rate of postoperative respiratory complications and ileus was observed in group A. Moreover, oral feeding was commenced later and the hospital stay was prolonged in group A (P < 0.01). Conclusion: These findings clearly demonstrate that our RP method, especially when using a Thompson retractor, is a preferable alternative to TP for AAA surgery. Received: February 26, 2001 / Accepted: January 8, 2002