1,720,979 research outputs found
Physician-made fenestrated endografts versus chimney grafts
No full text• Both techniques are off label and are indicated for patients unfit for open surgery and where other therapeutic options are not available. The techniques require excellent experience in standard EVAR and renal/visceral vessel catheterisation and grafting. • Chimney graft technique can be used for more proximal thoracoabdominal aneurysms. This technique seems to be easier and faster to perform. it is safer because of the possibility of retrieving all devices in case of access failure to target vessels. With this technique, there is less exposure to X-rays. • A physician-made fenestrated graft is more suitable anatomically and has the possible advantages of long-term durability of the technique in terms of graft patency and visceral perfusion. • Combination of the two techniques can reduce the complexity of multiple fenestrations as well as the risk of the gutters' endoleaks from multiple chimney grafts
The value of the below-the-ankle level loop technique of foot artery reconstruction
No full text• The pedal-plantar loop technique has been successfully applied in specialised vascular centers, showing its feasibility and safety. • However, this technique is not always feasible (15-20% of cases) due to anatomic variation of foot circulation of very challenging lesions in very tortuous arteries. • The technical key point is to advance step-by-step into thoses very narrow and tortuous arteries. • Progression with short injection througth the support catheter is mandatory. • The use of dedicated material is crucial
Combination of Chimneys and Fenestrated Endografts in the Treatment of Complex Aortic Aneurysms
No full textPurpose: To present early results of fenestrated endovascular aneurysm repair (FEVAR) combined with chimney grafts in a high-volume center. Methods: From July 2011 to July 2016, 45 patients (mean age 73.0±8.8 years; 39 men) with complex aneurysms who were poor candidates for open repair and anatomically ineligible for standard or custom-made FEVAR were treated with chimney FEVAR (chFEVAR). Eight (18%) cases were treated in emergency. In all, 130 target vessels (2.9/patient) were addressed using 21 scallops, 42 open/18 covered chimneys, and 27 custom-made/22 homemade fenestrations. Results: Successful aneurysm exclusion, successful reconstruction, and technical success rates were 97.8% (44/45), 98.2% (107/109 vessels excluding the scallops), and 93.3% (42/45). Six (13.3%) patients died within 30 days (5 in hospital). Estimated overall survival, freedom from aneurysm-related death, and freedom from aneurysm-related reintervention were 85.9%, 88.5%, and 59.2%, respectively, at 12 months. The target vessel patency rate was 96.0%. At latest follow-up, 1 type Ia and 3 type II endoleaks were present. Sac shrinkage occurred in 18 (54%) patients. Conclusion: Combined chFEVAR showed good technical feasibility and could be an effective approach in emergent settings and highly selective cases when FEVAR is not feasible. Thirty-day mortality, target vessel patency, and type Ia endoleak rates were acceptable
The “Open” Chimney Graft Technique for Juxtarenal Aortic Aneurysms with Discrepant Renal Arteries
No full textObjectivesA straightforward original Chimney Graft (CG) protocol has been developed at our institution in selected cases of juxtarenal aortic aneurysm (JRAA). The aim of this study was to present our clinical experience of consecutive series with use of uncovered self-expanding stent (SES) as “Open Chimney” (OCh) in the endovascular repair (EVAR) of JRAA.MethodsA standard endograft with suprarenal fixation struts is delivered with its proximal covered edge just below the highest RA in JRAA presenting the ostium of the two renal arteries at a different aortic level and the distance between the highest renal artery and the beginning of the aneurysm (improved landing zone) ≥10 mm. The low-lying renal artery is maintained patent by the OCh graft (standard SES) delivered from left brachial access (6 Fr). All clinical, anatomical, and operative data were prospectively collected and retrieved for the study analysis.ResultsFrom July 2010 to November 2012, OCh EVAR was offered to 22 consecutive patients considered unfit for JRAA open repair. All procedures were technically successful with aneurysm exclusion and patent OCh graft. One small perioperative type Ia endoleak spontaneously disappeared at the 3-month CT control. One patient died because of acute decompensated heart failure. One patient presented a left hemispheric stroke. The median follow-up of 18 months (range 7–35) showed aneurysm exclusion in all patients without type I and III endoleaks, SES stenosis, and/or renal impairment.ConclusionsOCh-EVAR is a straightforward technique that can be employed in selected cases of JRAA, avoiding the more complex and expensive fenestrated EVAR
Systematic review and updated meta-analysis of the use of drug-coated balloon angioplasty versus plain old balloon angioplasty for femoropopliteal arterial disease
No full textObjective: An endovascular-first approach is usually recommended in femoropopliteal occlusive disease. However, despite high technical success, plain old balloon angioplasty (POBA) is burdened with high restenosis rates. To reduce this phenomenon, local delivery of drugs has been proposed by way of drug-coated balloons (DCBs). Our goal was to review the evidence for the use of DCBs in the management of femoropopliteal disease and to determine whether it is associated with improved outcomes compared with POBA. Methods: Electronic searches of PubMed (MEDLINE), Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, ClinicalTrials.gov, and proceedings of international conferences were performed to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational registries evaluating the use of DCBs for femoropopliteal arterial occlusive disease. Results: This meta-analysis included 13 RCTs, 6 global registries, and 3 global registries focusing on long lesions. They all used paclitaxel in the DCB arm. There was heterogeneity between trials, and the frequency of stent deployment and duration of dual antiplatelet therapy differed. At 2 years, there were significantly better outcomes for DCBs in terms of target lesion revascularization (odds ratio [OR], 0.29; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.20-0.40), primary patency (OR, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.27-0.54), late lumen loss (mean diameter, −0.80 mm; 95% CI, −1.44 to −0.16), and Rutherford category (OR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.57-1.19). There was no significant difference between DCBs and POBA in amputation or change in ankle-brachial index. A subgroup analysis revealed that male patients treated with DCBs performed significantly better than female patients and that diabetics, heavily calcified lesions, and popliteal lesions performed significantly worse than nondiabetics, noncalcified and mild to moderately calcified lesions, and exclusive superficial femoral artery lesions, respectively. Secondarily stented and nonpredilated lesions did not perform significantly worse, but standard-dose (3 μg/mm2) DCBs were significantly more effective than low-dose (2 μg/mm2) DCBs in reducing binary restenosis. In addition, in a low-dose DCB, the polyethylene glycol excipient performed significantly better than polysorbate and sorbitol, whereas binary restenosis was significantly less frequent with the urea excipient, associated with a standard-dose DCB, compared with the polysorbate and sorbitol excipient, associated with a low-dose DCB. Conclusions: DCB angioplasty is an effective treatment associated with high procedural success. In a meta-analysis of industry-sponsored trials, it consistently reduced late lumen loss, binary restenosis, and target lesion revascularization compared with POBA alone in the treatment of femoropopliteal disease. Further independent, non-industry-sponsored RCTs are necessary to better delineate the role of DCBs in the treatment of infrainguinal occlusive disease
Thirty-day Outcome of Delayed Versus Early Management of Symptomatic Carotid Stenosis
Full text linkBackground: The aim of this study was to compare outcomes of early (<15 days) versus delayed carotid endarterectomy (CEA) in symptomatic patients. Methods: All CEA procedures performed for symptomatic carotid stenosis between January 2006 and May 2010 were retrospectively reviewed. Postoperative mortality (within 30 days), stroke, and myocardial infarction (MI) rates were analyzed in the early and delayed CEA groups. Results: During the study period, 149 patients were included. Carotid revascularization was performed within 15 days after symptom onset in 62 (41.6%) patients and longer than 15 days after symptom onset in 87 (58.4%) patients. The mean time lapse between onset of neurological symptoms and surgery was 9.3 days (range 1-15) in the early surgery group and 47.9 days (range 16-157) in the delayed surgery group. Thirty-day combined stroke and death rates were, respectively, 1.7% and 3.5% in the early and the delayed surgery groups. Thirty-day combined stroke, death, and MI rates were, respectively, 1.7% and 5.9% in the early and the delayed surgery groups. Conclusion: During the study period, the reduction of the symptom-to-knife time in application to the carotid revascularization guidelines did not impact our outcomes suggesting that early CEA achieves 30-day mortality and morbidity rates at least equivalent to those of delayed CEA
Endovascular Treatment of Complex Aneurysms with the Use of Covera Stent Grafts
No full textPurpose: To characterize the short-term results of a newly available self-expanding covered stent (Covera; CR Bard Peripheral Vascular Inc., Murray Hill, New Jersey) for the reconstruction of target vessels in complex aneurysms.
Materials and methods: From August 2017 to November 2018, this self-expanding covered stent was used in 17 patients (mean 72.6 ± 7.6 years of age) during endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) with hypogastric preservation (11.8%), branched EVAR (29.4%), fenestrated (F)-EVAR (17.6%), chimney + F-EVAR (11.8%), or chimney EVAR (29.4%). In more than 48 stented arteries (2.8 ± 1.1/patient), 25 were preserved using this self-expanding covered stent.
Results: All target vessels were successfully preserved. There was no 30-day mortality and 1 in-hospital death. Intraoperative aneurysm exclusion was successful in 14 patients (82.4%) with a perioperative technical success rate of 82.4%. The actuarial survival rate was 93.8% at 6 months and 85.9% at 12 months. Aneurysm sac regression of >5 mm was observed in 4 cases (23.5%), and the sac remained stable in the remaining patients (13 cases [76.5%]). At 12 months, the primary clinical success rate was 76.5%, and assisted primary clinical success rate was 82.4%. No type 3 endoleak was related to a disruption of the reconstruction with the self-expanding covered stent.
Conclusions: This new self-expanding covered stent provides good short-term patency in chimneys, branches, or fenestrations. Larger series with long-term follow-up are required to determine if the stent can sustain the mechanical stress to which it will be submitted in these repairs
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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