Search

We describe the story of a 70- year-old Italian male that almost 4 months later respiratory infection by SARS-CoV-2 presented a rapid evolution of a true aneurism of the right posterior tibial artery (PTA).

Purpose: To review a single-center experience with fenestrated and branched endovascular aneurysm repair (f/bEVAR) in patients with challenging iliac anatomies. Materials and Methods: A retrospective review of the department’s database identified 398 consecutive patients who underwent complex endovascular repair f/bEVAR between January 2010 and June 2018; of these, 67 had challenging accesses. The strategies implemented to overcome access issues were reviewed, using a dedicated scoring system to evaluate the access (integrating diameter, tortuosity, calcification, and previous open or endovascular repair). Results: In this subgroup of patients, the most common graft design was a 4-vessel fenestrated endograft (27, 40.3%). Hostile access was due to small diameter (Conclusion: Dedicated strategies can be implemented to overcome hostile iliac access in patients with complex aneurysms when f/bEVAR is required. Typically, these maneuvers are associated with favorable outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess whether functional genetic polymorphisms of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) 1, 3, 9, and 12 are associated with arterial enlargements or aneurysms of the thoracic aorta or popliteal arteries in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). METHODS: The associations between MMP1 (-1607 G in/del, rs1799750), MMP3 (-1171 A in/del rs35068180), MMP9 (13-26 CA repeats around -90, rs2234681, rs917576, rs917577), and MMP12 (G/T missense variation, rs652438) polymorphisms and enlargements or aneurysms of the thoracic aorta and popliteal arteries were tested in 169 consecutive AAA patients. RESULTS: Thoracic aorta enlargement or aneurysm (TE/A; maximum diameter, >35 mm) was detected in 34 patients (20.1% prevalence). MMP9 rs2234681 microsatellite was the only genetic determinant of TE/A in AAA patients (P = .003), followed by hypercholesterolemia and antiplatelet use. Carriers of both alleles with ≥22 CA repeats had a 5.9 (95% confidence interval, 1.9-18.6; P < .0001) increased odds of TE/A, and a score considering all three variables showed 98% negative predictive value and 30% positive predictive value for thoracic aortic aneurysm detection. Eighty-two popliteal artery enlargements or aneurysms (diameter >10 mm) occurred in 55 patients (33.1% prevalence). Carriers of MMP12 rs652438 C allele showed an 18% (P = .006) increased diameter in popliteal arteries and a 2.8 (95% confidence interval, 1.3-6; P = .008) increased odds of popliteal artery enlargement or aneurysm compared with TT genotype. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with AAA, carriers of homozygous ≥22 CA repeats in MMP9 rs12234681 and of C allele in MMP12 rs652438 have a substantial risk of carrying thoracic and popliteal enlargements, respectively.

Background The purpose of the study was to report an alternative endovascular technique to exclude aneurysms of the internal iliac artery in the setting of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) disease using the anterior division of the hypogastric artery (HGA) or the superior gluteal artery (SGA) as distal landing zone for the stent graft. Methods Three patients with HGA aneurysms in the setting of AAA that were excluded with placement of a self-expandable covered stent. In 2 patients, the AAA had been already treated with resulting exclusion of 1 HGA, while in the remaining we treated the hypogastric aneurysm before the AAA. We used as distal landing zone the anterior division of the HGA or the SGA. We adopted a “stent-within-a-stent” or “telescope” technique to manage diameter discrepancy between proximal and distal landing zone. Results Computed tomography angiography (CTA) at 6 and 12 months showed regular placement and patency of the stent grafts placed and absence of detectable endoleaks (EL). None of the patients developed pelvic ischemic complication at longest follow-up. Conclusions The procedure seems to be safe and effective, with optimal primary patency of the stent grafts, freedom from type 1 and 2 endoleaks, and absence of pelvic ischemic complications in the short-term and mid-term.

We report the unusual case of a pseudoaneurysm of the superior gluteal artery (SGA) as a complication of a bone marrow biopsy. A 75-year-old man presented with pain and swelling of the left buttock 1 month after a bone marrow biopsy of the left iliac crest. The patient was treated by percutaneous ultrasound-guided thrombin injection (UGTI). The procedure was successful without any complication and the patient was discharged at home the same day. Follow-up at 3 months after the procedure confirmed the complete thrombosis of the pseudoaneurysm sac. At the best of our knowledge, UGTI of a pseudoaneurysm of the SGA has never been reported since now in the English literature.

We report our experience with the urgent treatment of two high-risk patients with infected femoral artery pseudoaneurysms (IFAPs) with the placement of a self-expandable covered stent (SECS). In both cases, there was no perioperative mortality and the aneurysm exclusion was successful without early or late stent thrombosis/stent fracture nor acute or chronic limb ischemia or limb loss. There was no recurrence of local or systemic infection during the follow-up period. Endovascular therapy represents a feasible treatment option for IFAPs in those patients for whom the risk of open surgical repair would be prohibitive, especially under urgent circumstances.