Secondary interventions after elective endovascular repair of degenerative thoracic aortic aneurysms: results of the European collaborators registry (EUROSTAR)

PURPOSE: The need for secondary interventions is an important indicator of intermediate and long-term success of endovascular repair of degenerative thoracic aortic aneurysm. The purpose of this study was to analyze the occurrence and consequences of secondary procedures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data from 213 patients electively subject to operation for degenerative thoracic aortic aneurysm and achieving primary success and who were enrolled in the EUROSTAR registry were analyzed. Secondary procedures were categorized as follows: transfemoral endovascular reintervention, extraanatomic secondary procedures, and transthoracic surgery. RESULTS: Overall, 25 (12%) of the patients with an elective treatment for a degenerative thoracic aneurysm had secondary intervention, occurring at a mean of 8 months after the initial procedure. Seventeen (68%) of the secondary interventions were via a transfemoral approach, six (24%) involved a transthoracic procedure, and two (8%) involved extraanatomic bypass. The cumulative percentage of freedom from intervention at 1 and 2 years was 86% and 83%, respectively. Endoleak (relative risk, 5.21) was the most frequent cause for secondary transfemoral intervention. For the other secondary interventions, no principal indication for reintervention could be identified. Patients who needed secondary interventions more frequently suffered from preoperative back pain (20% vs 44%, P = .008), and their thoracic aneurysms had a longer length (mean, 95.6 mm vs 133.2 mm, P = .006). The 2-year cumulative survival rate of patients without secondary intervention was 85% compared with 58% in the patients who received secondary intervention (P = .0001). CONCLUSIONS: Regular surveillance after endovascular degenerative thoracic aneurysm repair is needed as secondary interventions were required throughout the follow-up period.     

Etiology,duration, and prognosis of transient ischemic attacks: an analysis from the German Stroke Data Bank

CONTEXT: A transient ischemic attack (TIA) has been arbitrarily defined as a focal cerebral ischemic deficit lasting less than 24 hours. OBJECTIVE: To determine if TIAs of short duration (<1 hour) and long duration (1 hour to <24 hours) differ from each other and from ischemic stroke (IS). DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS: Inception cohorts of 1429 patients with acute TIAs and 5206 patients with IS were prospectively documented in 15 German medical centers with neurology departments and acute stroke units. Outcome after 3 months was assessed in 72.8% of the patients with TIAs. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Risk factor distribution, etiology, and prognosis of TIAs and IS. RESULTS: Patients with TIAs, especially those with symptoms lasting less than 1 hour, were significantly more likely to have a history of TIAs and less likely to have diabetes mellitus, arterial hypertension, or atrial fibrillation at admission compared with those with IS. Cardioembolic etiologies were less frequent and unknown etiologies more frequent among patients with TIAs than those with IS. Functional outcome and mortality did not differ significantly in patients with TIAs of different durations. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates differences in comorbidity and etiology among patients with TIAs of different durations and IS.