Annals of vascular surgery
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The etiology of spontaneous dissection of the carotid and vertebral arteries without antecedent trauma remains unclear. The goal of this 10-year review was to examine factors regarding presentation, diagnosis, treatment, and outcome for all patients at our institution who were diagnosed with spontaneous carotid dissections (SCD) or spontaneous vertebral dissections (SVD) with no prior trauma history. A retrospective chart analysis was performed involving all discharges from UCSD Medical Center from 1995 to 2005. ⋯ Radiographic evidence of cerebral infarction on discharge had a stronger correlation with clinical deficits in SCD. Although there were only two cases, those treated with endovascular therapy in the setting of SCD suffered complications related to the intervention. On discharge, there did not seem to be a correlation between persistent neurologic deficits and radiographic evidence of infarction in SVD reflecting that recovery after these episodes may not be predictable based on the appearance of the infarction.
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This multicentric Serbian study presents the treatment of 91 extracranial carotid artery aneurysms in 76 patients (13 had bilateral lesions). There were 61 (80.3%) male and 15 (19.7%) female patients, with an average age of 61.4 years. The aneurysms were caused by atherosclerosis in 73 cases (80.2%), trauma in six (6.6%), previous carotid surgery in six (6.6%), tuberculosis in one (1.1%), and fibromuscular dysplasia in five (5.5%). ⋯ Aneurysms of the extracranial carotid arteries are rare vascular lesions that produce a high incidence of unfavorable neurological sequelae. Because of their varied etiology, location, and extension, different vascular procedures have to be used during repair of extracranial carotid artery aneurysms. In all of these procedures, an aneurysmectomy with arterial reconstruction is necessary.
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Comparative Study
Open repair of pararenal aortic aneurysms: operative management, early results, and risk factor analysis.
Surgical treatment of pararenal aortic aneurysms, if compared to open surgical repair of infrarenal aneurysms, is technically more demanding and characterized by problems related to organ ischemia. To better define challenges, risks, and results, we analyzed our experience with the treatment of pararenal aortic aneurysms. Between January 1993 and March 2005, 119 consecutive patients underwent surgery for pararenal aneurysms at our institution. ⋯ One of the main risks of this surgery is renal morbidity. Preoperative renal insufficiency and long periods of renal ischemia are associated with a higher risk of postoperative deterioration of renal function that is often, but not always, reversible. Nowadays, pararenal aneurysm repair is a safe procedure, especially if performed electively.
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The goal of this prospective study was to determine the utility of preoperative cerebral magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in predicting cerebral ischemia during carotid artery cross-clamping for endarterectomy. Between January 2000 and December 2003, a total of 121 patients (95 men, 26 women) underwent three-dimensional phase-contrast MRI to assess collateral function prior to carotid endarterectomy. During regional anesthesia, patients were monitored to detect ischemic events and their timing in relation to cross-clamping and to determine mean intraoperative arterial pressure. ⋯ In the second group, a significant correlation was found between the absence of collateral circulation and neurological deficit (p < .0001). These results indicated that three-dimensional phase-contrast MRI is useful for predicting cerebral ischemia during carotid cross-clamping and selecting indications for shunting. Absence of visible collaterals of the circle of Willis on MRI is significantly predictive of early ischemia and an indication for systematic shunt placement.