Endarterectomy of the superficial femoral artery.

Semiclosed endarterectomy of the SFA belongs in the armamentarium of the vascular surgeon. New technology offers the possibility of performing this less invasive operation so that only a single incision is needed to obtain access to the artery and perform remote disobliteration. Strong indications show that the anticipated restenosis of long, segmental, closed endarterectomies can be reduced remarkably by expanded PTFE endolining.     

Ruptured aneurysm of the superficial femoral artery.

Femoral arterial aneurysms are rare, but their existence must be considered in cases of acute ischaemia of the leg or the occurrence of a pulsating swelling in the groin. Surgical intervention is mandatory, and venous autografts should be preferred to synthetic grafts. With adequate therapy, the prognosis is favourable, but the coexistence of multiple aneurysms should always be borne in mind. A successfully treated case of ruptured femoral aneurysm, combined with abdominal aortic aneurysm, is reported.     

Degenerative aneurysms of the superficial femoral artery.

PURPOSE: To review the pathogenesis, diagnosis, presentation, diagnosis, management and outcomes (morbidity and mortality) of superficial femoral artery aneurysms. METHODS: A comprehensive review of this entity was performed based on the available literature in all languages and a detailed discussion of our findings is also provided. RESULTS: Our review identified 61 cases of SFA aneurysms. They were most often seen in elderly men, predominately affected the right lower extremity, and were most often located in the middle-third of the artery. At the time of diagnosis, SFA aneurysms were frequently symptomatic because they reached a relative large diameter before the diagnosis was made. The most frequent presentation was localized pain in association with a pulsatile mass. In contrast to popliteal aneurysms, SFA aneurysms more frequently present with rupture than distal ischemia. Angiography was by far the most commonly utilized diagnostic tool. Treatment was primarily by means of an interposition graft, followed by exclusion and surgical bypass. Endovascular repair of SFA aneurysms has only been reported in three instances. SFA aneurysm repair was most often associated with favorable outcomes, with low reported rates of ischemia and limb loss.     

Repeated transient paraparesis due to solitary spinal epidural arterio-venous malformation. A case report

A case of spinal epidural AVM with unusual clinical course was presented. A 28-year-old male had repeated episodes of paraparesis and complete recovery in several hours. Metrizamide myelography revealed the dorsal epidural mass at the level of L2 and L3. Accidental epidurogram during the procedure indicated extradural angioma. Surgical intervention proved solitary spinal epidural AVM. Ninety-nine cases in literature were reviewed. Among them, 14 cases of spinal epidural hematoma were due to ruptured angioma which were verified histologically. Others were unknown causes. Age distribution was discussed. It was suggested that the younger patients in the group of unknown causes might have angiomas. It was emphasized that it should not be overlooked even the insignificant transient symptoms and should schedule the extensive radiological examination in such cases.     

Traumatic haemarthrosis of the knee

We have investigated a prospective series of 100 acute traumatic haemarthroses of the knee in a general non-athletic population. All the patients had normal radiographs and an aspiration which confirmed the haemarthrosis, before undergoing ligament testing and an arthroscopic examination under anaesthesia. Only one patient had no serious pathology; in the other 99 a total of 193 lesions were recorded. Thirty knees had only one isolated lesion, 69 had combined lesions. This study confirms the serious nature of an acute traumatic haemarthrosis of the knee, even in non-athletic patients.     

Total knee arthroplasty in a patient with chronic occlusion of the superficial femoral artery

In a 67-year-old patient with severe valgus gonarthrosis and chronic occlusion of the superficial femoral artery on the same side, total knee replacement was performed without preceding angioplasty because the collateral circulation was intact. No tourniquet was used. To leave the peripatellar arterial ring intact on one side in this case of lateral patellar maltracking, a lateral approach was used. In this approach, a lateral release forms part of the approach itself. To achieve gentle eversion of the patella, the tibial tubercle was osteotomized. One year postoperatively, the patient was satisfied with the outcome and showed no clinical signs of any vascular deterioration. It is concluded that total knee replacement may be possible in the presence of chronic occlusion of the superficial femoral artery provided that the collateral circulation is intact.     

Remote superficial femoral artery endarterectomy: medium-term results.

BACKGROUND: the aim of this study is to determine the medium-term results following successful remote superficial-femoral endarterectomy (RSFE). SETTING: district general hospital in United Kingdom. METHODS: RSFE comprises a single incision over the origin of the superficial femoral artery. The endarterectomy is carried out in a closed fashion from above. The cut end of distal atheroma is secured with a stent. Twenty-five limbs were followed up with three monthly duplex scans and angiography if any abnormality was suggested. All patients presented with intermittent claudication; in addition three had rest pain and three ulceration or gangrene. The length of atheromatous core removed was 10-30 cm. RESULTS: all patients had a follow-up of at least one year (range 12-27 months). Eleven arteries developed 14 stenoses. Nine became apparent within nine months of RSFE. The cumulative risk of stenoses developing in patent arteries was 24% at 6 and 63% at 12 months. Eleven angioplasties (PTA) of these stenoses were undertaken. Nine of these remain patent at a median of 12 months after PTA. At one year primary patency was 10 of 25 (40%), primary-assisted patency 18 of 25 (72%) and secondary patency 19 of 25 (76%) and at two years 29%, 57% and 57% respectively. CONCLUSIONS: RSFE is worth considering for superficial femoral artery occlusive disease, particularly in high-risk patients without suitable vein and with limited life expectancy. Careful duplex surveillance is important. Until stenoses can be prevented, the widespread use of RSFE cannot be recommended.     

Salmonella-related mycotic pseudoaneurysm of the superficial femoral artery

IntroductionMycotic pseudoaneurysms of native arteries are rare. Treatment involves arterial excision with or without revascularization.Presentation of caseA 49-year-old diabetic man presented with a 4-month history of progressive left mid-thigh pain, associated with a pulsatile mass and fever. Clinically, he appeared to have a mycotic pseudoaneurysm, which was confirmed by computed tomography. The aneurysm was excluded from the circulation by an extra-anatomical bypass graft using autologous vein.ConclusionNative arterial mycotic pseudoaneurysms typically occur in immuno-compromised patients. They may be successfully treated using autologous vein bypass.DiscussionArterial infection is associated with immunosuppressive states and Staphylococcus aureus is the most commonly isolated organism in mycotic aneurysms. Also, Escherichia coli, Salmonella sp. and anaerobic species have been identified. Salmonella species are associated with mycotic aneurysms in the abdominal aorta and the use of autogenous vein grafts is the standard treatment for this condition. In lower extremities, autogenous conduits have been already used with good results of patency and freedom from re-infection. Endovascular treatment is a feasible approach in these situations, but there is not reports regarding long term results and this treatment is occasionally associated with prosthesis infection.     

Ruptured atherosclerotic aneurysm of the superficial femoral artery. Case report

Aneurysms of the superficial femoral artery are rare. A case of multiple superficial femoral artery aneurysms, of which one ruptured, is described. After surgical treatment the prognosis is favourable, but without therapy the risks of rupture, thrombosis or embolization are great.     

Postfixation pseudoaneurysm of the superficial femoral artery in femoral shaft fracture

This case report describes a young female child presenting with a painful, expansile swelling at the medial aspect of her right thigh which had followed an open reduction internal fixation of a closed fracture of mid-shaft of right femur. An angiogram confirmed pseudoaneurysm of the superficial femoral artery probably caused by overpenetration of the drill bit or any sharp instrument while applying dynamic compression plate. It was treated surgically by resection of the aneurysm, reconstruction with inter-positional sephanous vein graft and removal of the hard-ware.     

Treatment of superficial femoral artery occlusive disease

The aim of this paper was to compile a literature summary of current treatment modalities for the treatment of superficial femoral arterial (SFA) disease. The English-language literature was searched for studies describing the treatment of SFA occlusive disease using surgical bypass (vein or prosthetic), percutaneous bypass (stent-grafts), bare stents, percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA), and subintimal angioplasty (SA). Inclusion criteria for articles were presentation of primary patency rates, a minimum study population of 10, and baseline characteristics of the study population. Average primary and secondary patency rates for each treatment modality were obtained by weighting the results of each trial by the number of limbs treated. All identified papers were included in the summary, regardless of the study inclusion/exclusion criteria, comorbidities, or patient population. Since the study conditions and patient populations varied widely, this is not intended to be a meta-analysis or for use in directly comparing the efficacy of different treatment modalities; rather, it is to provide general information on their performance under the reported conditions. One hundred and twelve studies met the inclusion criteria for the 6 treatment modalities identified. Compilation of the data revealed different patient populations for the different treatment modalities. For example, PTA was generally used to treat short, stenotic lesions, while endografts and SA were generally used for longer, total occlusions. For this reason, patency rates for the different treatment modalities cannot be directly compared.     

Eversion endarterectomy of the superficial femoral artery and end-to-side anastomosis to the deep femoral artery: An alternative to extended profundoplasty

The success of aortofemoral reconstruction in patients with superficial femoral artery occlusion depends on the restoration of a satisfactory pulsatile flow to the deep femoral artery. In 18 patients with multilevel disease, widespread involvement of the deep femoral artery, and poor distal outflow, we performed an eversion endarterectomy of the proximal segment of the superficial femoral artery and constructed an end-to-side anastomosis between this segment and the distal deep femoral artery. In 10 patients, the reconstruction was performed after thrombectomy of the occluded aortofemoral graft, and in 8 the two reconstructions were simultaneous. The actuarial patency rate was 93.5 percent at 1 year and 75.2 percent at 5 years. Four late femorodistal bypasses were performed that gave an actuarial limb salvage rate of 68.8 percent at 1 year and 61.6 percent at 5 years. In selected cases, this technique is a valid alternative to an extended profundoplasty or to a femorodistal bypass.     

Osteochondritis dissecans of the lateral femoral condyle of the knee joint.

Differences in the features of osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) affecting the lateral and medial femoral condyles were investigated in 13 patients (14 knees) treated from 1991 to 1994. OCD affected the lateral femoral condyle in 6 knees (lateral group) and the medial condyle in 8 knees (medial group). The lateral group was younger (mean age, 14 v. 20 years). The radiological stage (Brückl) of the lateral group was stage 2 in 3 knees and stage 3 in 3. The lateral menisci were all discoid and the condylar articular surface of the lesions was normal in two knees, softened in 3 and detached in 1. The medial group comprised 1 knee in stage 2, 1 in stage 3, 1 in stage 4, and 5 in stage 5. The OCD lesion showed softening in 2 knees and detachment in 6. Repetitive abnormal stress on weaker osteochondral structures in the growing period produced by a discoid meniscus during growth may cause OCD of the lateral femoral condyle.     

Noninvasive detection of iliac artery stenosis in the presence of superficial femoral artery obstruction.

In patients with superficial femoral artery obstruction, iliac disease may be difficult to diagnose by commonly used noninvasive techniques. We studied common femoral artery acceleration time (onset of systole to peak systole), as measured from a Doppler spectral display and expressed in milliseconds. Previous work has suggested that an acceleration time of 144 msec or greater is abnormal and is associated with iliac stenosis (greater than or equal to 75% diameter reduction) or occlusion. During a 2-year period, in 139 limbs with superficial femoral artery obstruction, acceleration times were measured immediately before angiography. The overall test accuracy was 94.2% (131/139). In the 112 sides with normal angiograms, the acceleration time correctly identified no disease in 109 patients (97.3% specificity), and in the 27 iliac stenoses or occlusions the test detected disease in 22 patients (81.5% sensitivity). This appears to be a good test that can be done with equipment usually available in most vascular laboratories.