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Aortic dissection is the most common of the acute aortic syndromes, once initiated, intimal disruption can propagate in an anterograde or retrograde fashion, and the resulting false lumen may compress the ostia of aortic branches or cause aortic expansion and eventual rupture. Acute complicated type B dissection most often requires immediate interventional treatment, whereas uncomplicated dissection has classically been managed with medical therapy alone. The first line management of complicated acute and aneurysmal chronic type B dissections has shifted toward minimally invasive endovascular treatment. To give an overview of the contemporary management of acute type B dissection, clinical manifestations, aims of management, and therapeutic options are discussed in the context deciding which patients require intervention and when.

The management of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in patients with diabetic foot ulceration (DFU) is complex and there is a lack of robust evidence to guide definitive treatment strategies. Due to the distinct differences in etiology, disease distribution and treatment outcomes patients with diabetes, PAD and foot ulceration should be considered separately from those without diabetes. There is no randomized trial data to compare angioplasty and surgical bypass for revascularization in patients with DFU and PAD and the decision of whether, and how, to revascularize should be taken by experienced surgeons, in a multidisciplinary setting. Revascularization is only part of a treatment regimen which includes aggressive management of infection, neuropathy, foot deformity and cardiovascular risk. The burden and challenge of DFU in the context of PAD is continuing to increase and new research studies should be targeted specifically towards this ever-expanding group of patients.

EVAR-1 published its 10 year results in 2010. The principal finding of the study was that the endovascular group (EVR) had a significant reduction in early aneurysm related mortality compared to open surgery (OR), but the benefit was lost by the end of the study (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 0.92; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.57-1.49; P=0.73). By the end of follow-up, there was no significant difference between the OR and EVR group in terms of death from any cause (HR 1.03; 95% CI 0.86-1.23; P=0.72). Despite these findings the uptake of EVR continues to increase. EVR is driving improved surgical outcomes in elective abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) surgery, and may yet establish itself as an essential tool in the emergency setting. Elective AAA mortality may be reducing in the U.K. as a consequence of broader application of EVR. This article presents and examines the EVAR-1 data and reports the additional wealth of evidence supporting EVR from prospective registries. It proposes that EVR should be re-evaluated, but not as a consequence of the long-term EVAR-1 results. Clinicians' expertise, understanding and the technology of EVR have progressed significantly since the establishment of the EVAR-1 trial, such that the results, though valuable, may not translate to modern practice. It is essential to maintain excellence in vascular surgery and the evidence-base now demonstrates that best practice in AAA management is in specialist vascular centres, performing high volume surgery offering EVR to all patients who are morphologically suitable.

Endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm (EVAR) repair has an established role in elective management of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA). The application of EVAR to ruptured AAAs (rAAA) is evolving and developing a strong evidence base in selected patients. Although EVAR has been utilized to manage rAAA for greater than ten years, to-date no randomized study has been completed to confirm superiority over traditional open surgical repair. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) allow unbiased objective comparison of two techniques and are the most powerful scientific instrument available for clinical assessment; they form the corner-stone of surgical evidence-based practice. In light of current understanding, the role of a RCT to compare emergency EVAR (eEVAR) with open surgery has been challenged. Whether an RCT is necessary, is ethical or can mimic routine clinical practice are questions open to debate. This review presents the current best evidence for eEVAR, the arguments for and against an RCT, and details current and prospective clinical trials designed to identify the optimal management of rAAA.

Aortic dissection is the commonest life-threatening event involving the aorta, affecting 5-10 per million people per year. Without treatment, half of patients with acute proximal aortic dissections die within 24 hours, and 60% of patients with acute distal aortic dissections die within 1 month. Only 10% of patients with proximal dissections and 40% of those with distal dissections will be alive at 1 year. Patients with chronic distal dissections are at risk of aortic rupture with nearly 20% requiring intervention. The aim of management of aortic dissection is to reduce propagation of the dissection plane and prevent the fatal complications of this condition. A paradigm shift in the surgical management of these patients began in the late 1990s with the reporting of two small series of patients being treated with custom-designed covered stents delivered through a unilateral arteriotomy. Both studies demonstrated the feasibility and technical success in endovascular sealing of the proximal intimal entry tear in patients with type B thoracic dissections.

Aim: The aim of this paper was to report the results of a multicenter study on endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) in patients with important angulation of proximal neck using a flexible stent-graft (Aorfix)., Methods: Endovascular repair of AAA using a flexible stent-graft was performed at 16 centers in 29 patients with angulation of proximal neck greater than 45 degrees. Twenty-three patients (79%) had angulation greater than 60 degrees and were therefore contraindicated for repair with other contemporary devices., Results: Technical success was achieved in all but one case (96%). There was one postoperative death due to multiorgan failure following revision of groin wound for hemorrhage. No patients were converted to open repair. One patient had persisting proximal endoleak despite placement of proximal extension. One patient in whom wireform fractures had been detected died from ruptured aneurysm at nearly 4 year follow-up., Conclusion: Endovascular repair using a flexible stent-graft is feasible in patients with highly angulated necks. This stent-graft allows the possibility of a to offer repair for patients un-suitable for the currently available commercial grafts. Mid-term results are acceptable and need to be confirmed by longer follow-up and larger series.

Aim: First generation stent-grafts were associated with low applicability, high conversion rates due to technical failure and low durability. Second generation stent-grafts need to address these problems in order to secure endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) as a viable option to open repair in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA). The early results of a second-generation stent-graft (Aorfix) for the treatment of AAA are reported., Methods: A European multi-centre study of the Aorfix bifurcated endovascular stent-graft was performed. The Aorfix stent-grafts were inserted according to a predefined clinical protocol in 4 centres experienced in EVAR and all data was collected prospectively on a central database., Results: A total of 24 patients underwent attempted aneurysm repair with the Aorfix stent-graft. There were no conversions to open repair. One technical failure resulted in insertion of another stent-graft. At 30-day follow-up there had been no secondary endovascular or open interventions. There were only 2 endoleaks, both of which were type II., Conclusions: Aorfix currently offers early results, which are at least as good as other second-generation stent-grafts. It has given satisfactory results with highly angulated proximal necks and may improve the treatment outlook for these patients. Whether the unique design features increase durability and reduce long-term complications remains to be seen.

Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) has rapidly expanded since its introduction in the early 1990s. Early experiences were understandably associated with relatively high rates of complications including conversion to open repair. Soon, perioperative morbidity and mortality results improved but these concerns were replaced by questions over the long-term effectiveness of the endovascular method highlighted by the increasing numbers of secondary interventions and even reports of aneurysm rupture. A better understanding of the behaviour of stent-grafts in the aorta and the response of aortic aneurysms to endovascular repair has been forged by observations both in vitro and in vivo. It was only relatively recently that terms such as migration and endoleak were coined. Only now that we are beginning to fully understand the causes and consequences of such problems can further developments be made. The following paper outlines some of the concepts and discusses the controversies and challenges facing clinicians involved in endovascular aneurysm surgery today.