European journal of vascular surgery
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Patients with severe bilateral carotid lesions (stenosis and contralateral internal carotid occlusion) are at high risk of having a stroke, and carotid endarterectomy has been proposed as the best treatment. In spite of improvements in surgical technique, this operation is still associated with significant perioperative complications (5-13%) which are frequently (up to 40%) correlated with intolerance to internal carotid artery clamping. For this reason, intraoperative cerebral monitoring able to accurately detect ischaemia during surgery would be useful. ⋯ The remaining 37 patients were operated on under local-regional anaesthesia with selective shunting on the basis of neurological deficit onset or loss of consciousness during the test clamp. There were no postoperative neurological complications in this group but one patient died of acute myocardial infarction on the 6th postoperative day. This experience suggests that it is possible to perform carotid endarterectomy in patients with severe bilateral lesions with a postoperative complication rate similar to that in patients with less complicated obstructive lesions if accurate intraoperative cerebral monitoring is used.
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The authors present their experience in cerebral monitoring during carotid surgery by surveillance of the clinical status of the patients. The operation was performed using loco-regional anaesthesia and employing a temporary shunt in those cases with cerebral ischaemic symptoms at clamping. In the 212 operations performed, no complication due to inadequate monitoring or complications related to coronary disease or respiratory insufficiency were observed.
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Case Reports
Intrahepatic leiomyosarcoma of the inferior vena cava with extension into the right atrium.
We present a case of leiomyosarcoma of the intrahepatic inferior vena cava extending into the right atrium, that has been successfully palliated by removal of the obstructing tumour under conditions of full cardiopulmonary bypass and circulatory arrest. Lesions of this kind have previously thought not to be amenable to surgery. Although resection was incomplete, successful palliation may be achieved facilitating this technique.