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Background: Identifying sex-related differences/variables associated with 30 day/1 year mortality in patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI). Methods: Multicenter/retrospective/observational study. A database was sent to all the Italian vascular surgeries to collect all the patients operated on for CLTI in 2019. Acute lower-limb ischemia and neuropathic-diabetic foot are not included. Follow-up: One year. Data on demographics/comorbidities, treatments/outcomes, and 30 day/1 year mortality were investigated. Results: Information on 2399 cases (69.8% men) from 36/143 (25.2%) centers. Median (IQR) age: 73 (66–80) and 79 (71–85) years for men/women, respectively (p < 0.0001). Women were more likely to be over 75 (63.2% vs. 40.1%, p = 0.0001). More men smokers (73.7% vs. 42.2%, p < 0.0001), are on hemodialysis (10.1% vs. 6.7%, p = 0.006), affected by diabetes (61.9% vs. 52.8%, p < 0.0001), dyslipidemia (69.3% vs. 61.3%, p < 0.0001), hypertension (91.8% vs. 88.5%, p = 0.011), coronaropathy (43.9% vs. 29.4%, p < 0.0001), bronchopneumopathy (37.1% vs. 25.6%, p < 0.0001), underwent more open/hybrid surgeries (37.9% vs. 28.8%, p < 0.0001), and minor amputations (22% vs. 13.7%, p < 0.0001). More women underwent endovascular revascularizations (61.6% vs. 55.2%, p = 0.004), major amputations (9.6% vs. 6.9%, p = 0.024), and obtained limb-salvage if with limited gangrene (50.8% vs. 44.9%, p = 0.017). Age > 75 (HR = 3.63, p = 0.003) is associated with 30 day mortality. Age > 75 (HR = 2.14, p < 0.0001), nephropathy (HR = 1.54, p < 0.0001), coronaropathy (HR = 1.26, p = 0.036), and infection/necrosis of the foot (dry, HR = 1.42, p = 0.040; wet, HR = 2.04, p < 0.0001) are associated with 1 year mortality. No sex-linked difference in mortality statistics. Conclusion: Women exhibit fewer comorbidities but are struck by CLTI when over 75, a factor associated with short- and mid-term mortality, explaining why mortality does not statistically differ between the sexes.

Background: Identifying sex-related differences/variables associated with 30-day/1-year mortality in patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI). Methods: Multicenter/retrospective/observational study. Database sent to all-the-Italian vascular surgeries to collect all-the¬-patients operated for CLTI in 2019. Acute lower-limb ischemia and neuropathic-diabetic foot not included. Follow-up: 1-year. Data on demographics/comorbidities, treatments/outcome, and 30-day/1-year mortality investigated. Results: Information on 2399 cases (69.8% men) from 36/143 (25.2%) centers. Median (IQR) age: 73 (66-80) and 79 (71-85) yrs for men/women, respectively (p75 (HR3.63, p=.003) associated with 30-day mortality. Age >75 (HR2.14, p

Background Aortic aneurysm repair is a resolutive and effective surgical operation, which can be associated with severe postoperative complications. Procalcitonin (PCT) in clinical practice could play a role in early diagnosis and monitoring of therapy for complications, especially infections, making for timely and more effective interventions. Our aim was to investigate whether PCT could be a predictive marker in early diagnosis of infectious complications after open abdominal aortic surgery. Methods Eighty-three consecutive patients who underwent elective open aortic repair at our institution were enrolled. Blood samples were taken before surgery, and each day over the 7-day postoperative period, and measurement of serum PCT, C-reactive protein (CRP), and leukocytes levels were carried out. Data regarding clinical progress, instrumental examinations, and blood chemistry were prospectively collected. Results Postoperative infectious complications occurred in 24 patients. Within 30 days, 1 death occurred. In the study sample, we found a significant difference in PCT curves of patients with and without infectious complications, especially on third postoperative day (POD; P = 0.004). On analysis of the area under the curve (AUC curve), PCT was shown to be a fair predictor in distinguishing cases with infectious complications (AUC, 0.765 on third POD; CI, 0.638–0.877). Conversely, other inflammatory markers commonly used (leucocytes and CRP) had similar trends in patients with and without postoperative infections. Conclusions On the basis of the results collected in this pilot study, despite some limitations, PCT could be considered a better marker of infectious complications after open abdominal aortic repair, when compared with other routinely used parameters.

The superficial femoral artery (SFA) is a relatively rare location for lower limb aneurysmatic disease. In the literature, this disease is described an association between a relatively high growth rate and/or the rupture of aneurysms and chemotherapeutic agents. We report a case of the rupture of a giant SFA aneurysm in a patient during chemotherapy for acute lymphatic leukemia.

Aberrant right subclavian artery (ARSA) is a rare congenital anomaly characterized by the origin of the right subclavian artery from the aortic arch distally to the left subclavian artery. We describe the case of a young patient with symptomatic ARSA treated by mediastinoscopy-assisted ligation at its origin and subclavian-carotid transposition.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) has recently become one of the most versatile and powerful diagnostic tools in vascular surgery. One of the most interesting fields of application of this technique is the study of the carotid atherosclerotic plaque vascularization and its correlation with neurological symptoms (transient ischemic attack, minor stroke, and major stroke) and with the characteristics of the “vulnerable plaque” (surface ulceration, hypoechoic plaques, intraplaque hemorrhage, thinner fibrous cap, and carotid plaque neovascularization at histopathological analysis of the sample after surgical removal). The purpose of this review is to collect all the original studies available in literature (24 studies with 1356 patients enrolled) and to discuss the state of the art, limits, and future perspectives of CEUS analysis. The results of this work confirm the reliability of this imaging study for the detection of plaques with high risk of embolization; however, a shared, user-friendly protocol of imaging analysis is not available yet. The definition of this operative protocol becomes mandatory in order to compare results from different centers and to validate a cerebrovascular risk stratification of the carotid atherosclerotic lesions evaluated with CEUS.

Cerebral microembolization, one of the most frequent complications of carotid artery stenting, is associated with an increased risk of peri- and post-procedural stroke and transient ischemic attack and a mid-term risk of neurocognitive decline. A valuable tool to evaluate carotid plaque instability and risk of embolization is contrast-enhanced ultrasound. With this prospective study we sought to determine the correlation between contrast enhancement of the plaque and cerebral microembolization after carotid stent deployment and to evaluate the clinical impact of the neurological injury. Thirty-five consecutive patients with carotid artery stenosis and indications for endovascular stenting were enrolled. Before the procedure, patients were evaluated with contrast-enhanced ultrasound to define plaque enhancement (signal intensity). All endovascular procedures were performed under cerebral filter protection. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging scans to detect microemboli were obtained before and 48 h after the stent deployment. The Ray auditory verbal learning test to assess neurocognitive function was administered before and 1 month after the procedure. Nineteen patients (54 %) developed new cerebral ischemic lesions after carotid artery stenting. Contrast enhancement of the plaque was greater in the patients with post-procedural microembolization than in those without it [maximum signal intensity 26 ± 7.7 vs. 21 ± 5.2, respectively, (p = 0.039), mean signal intensity, 20.7 ± 6.1 vs. 16.5 ± 5.3, respectively (p = 0.048)]. No correlation was found between neurocognitive test scores and microembolization or plaque enhancement. Contrast enhancement of the carotid plaque is strongly associated with post-procedural microembolization and for this reason it can be considered a reliable tool for an accurate selection of patients undergoing this endovascular treatment. However, the neurocognitive test scores performed in this study are not enough sensible to appreciate the impact of the neurological injury on the day life activities.

Gianfranco Varetto,1 Caterina Guiot,2 Matteo Destro,1 Claudio Castagno,1 Luigi Contessa,1 Stefano Zan,1 Paolo Garneri,1 Pietro Rispoli11Division of Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgical Sciences, 2Department of Neuroscience, University of Turin, Turin, ItalyBackground: Endovenous laser ablation is a minimally invasive procedure in the treatment of great saphenous vein insufficiency. Procedural criteria (energy delivered according to the selected fluence) could affect outcome after treatment, potentially improving the success rate and reducing complications. However, the optimal values of the required energy per unit volume are not known, but on the basis of clinical experience, a range of optimal speed of retraction of the laser fiber catheter should exist and strictly depend on the actual vein dimensions.Methods: The study population included 21 patients. The equipment was a Diomed 30W® laser, wavelength 810 nm. Before treatment, three segments of the great saphenous vein were mapped and their diameter measured and recorded. The energy delivered to each segment was recorded as well as its relationship with vein diameter being evaluated for each vein segment.Results: A 100% success rate was observed at 12-month follow-up assessment, the discomfort complaint 1 week after endovenous laser ablation by 19% of patients was always low (2 or 3 on a scale of pain of 10). On the basis of the actual result, which greatly improves our previous clinical experience, a range of effective values of speed of retraction of the laser fiber catheter (and of the energy per unit volume) is assessed, which strictly depends on the diameter of each segment of the vein.Conclusion: The speed of retraction of the laser fiber catheter should be properly tailored, in order to deliver the right energy dose depending on the actual vein diameter. A real-time procedure can be easily performed using a simple mathematical nomogram.Keywords: EVLA, great saphenous vein, fluence

Gianfranco Varetto, Paolo Garneri, Claudio Castagno, Valentina Molinaro, Simone Quaglino, Matteo Ripepi, Emilio Benintende, Lorenzo Gibello, Stefano Zan, Luigi Contessa, Ugo Bertoldo, Pietro Rispoli Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy Abstract: Venous ultrasonography is an indispensable tool in minimally invasive surgery for the treatment of varicose veins. However, the criteria for defining preoperative imaging parameters, outcome monitoring, and follow up are not well characterized. In this retrospective study, we reviewed the ultrasound periprocedural parameters and the outcomes in 274 patients (280 limbs) after endoluminal laser treatment, at early (

The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) after open and endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair according to the Aneurysm Renal Injury Score classification.We retrospectively evaluated 431 patients undergoing elective open aortic repair (OAR; n = 285) or endovascular repair (n = 146) for infrarenal aortic aneurysm. All data regarding preoperative and postoperative serum creatinine concentrations and postoperative outcomes were assessed. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models investigated the association between AKI and different risk factors and complications.The incidence of AKI was significantly higher after OAR (26.3% vs 5.5%; P .001). A significant share of patients who experienced AKI were restored to preoperative renal function at discharge (62.5% vs 77.5% in the endovascular and OAR groups, respectively; P = .37). Preoperative serum creatinine concentration was significantly higher in those patients who further developed AKI (1.25 vs 1.04 mg/dL; P .001). At the multivariate analysis, AKI was significantly associated with current smoking (odds ratio [OR], 2.05; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.19-3.52; P = .01), hypertension (OR, 2.46; 95% CI, 1.21-4.3; P = .01), chronic renal disease (OR, 2.53; 95% CI, 1.42-4.53; P .001), OAR (OR, 7.3; 95% CI, 3.25-16.42; P .001), and arrhythmias (OR, 3.16; 95% CI, 1.09-9.13; P = .03). AKI stage did not affect postoperative outcomes, except for a longer hospital stay in patients in stage 2 and stage 3 compared with stage 1.AKI is a common but often reversible complication, especially after OAR. There is an urgent need of a common classification for AKI after aortic surgery. New diagnostic markers for AKI should be evaluated in large-scale studies to assess their reliability.

In June, 2010, a 66-year-old woman presented to us with a 2 month history of a bilateral pulsatile swelling in her groin. On examination she was in chronic atrial fi brillation. She had been on oral anticoagulant therapy since a mitral valve replacement in 1998. Her medical history also included arterial hypertension and bilateral varices along both great saphenous veins, but without oedema, skin dyschromia or phlebostatic ulcers. Physical examination showed abnormal bilateral pulsatile groin swelling, with holosystolic thrill and pulsating varices along the entire course of the great saphenous veins. Cardiac auscultation showed severe tricuspid insuffi ciency, although she was still in class 1 of the New York Heart Association (NYHA) classifi cation system. Doppler sonography showed bilateral incontinence of the saphenofemoral junction and the entire course of the great saphenous vein, with dilatation of the iliaco-caval segment and the suprahepatic veins associated with hepatomegaly. A reversed arteriallike pulsating fl ow was seen in the veins of the abdomen and of the limbs, and in particular in the great saphenous veins. Neither arteriovenous fi stula nor an apparent pulsatile fl ow transmitted by an artery was detected. The arterial trunks were normal. Transthoracic echocardiography showed an ejection fraction of 55%, confi rming the presence of severe tricuspid insuffi ciency (fi gure), with dilatation of the tricuspid annulus (44 mm), the inferior vena cava (39 mm), and the suprahepatic veins with reverse systolic fl ow. On the basis of clinical and sonography fi ndings, we diagnosed severe tricuspid insuffi ciency with reper cussions on the Lancet 2011; 378: 2138

True aneurysms of tibial artery are rare occurrences and their rupture is really rare. We report the case of a 59-year-old man who, after an episode of bacterial endocarditis, presented a posterior tibial aneurysm formation evolved in rupture. To our knowledge, this is the first case of a true giant aneurysm rupture of the posterior tibial artery (diameter, 6 cm). The treatment consisted of aneurysmectomy and surgical arterial ligation. A follow-up of 24 months was performed with good results.

The obstructive calcifying aortic disease refers to severe calcifications of the descending aorta that obstruct or slow blood flow. Here, we report the case of a 65-year-old woman with recent onset of a very tight intermittent claudication and concomitant severe and uncontrolled hypertension, treated with a bypass graft between the proximal descending thoracic aorta and the supravisceral abdominal aorta.

Primary aortoenteric fistula is a direct communication between the aorta and intestinal lumen and it represents a rare but potentially lethal complication of an abdominal aortic aneurysm. However, it may occur less frequently in a naive non-aneurysmatic aorta. Diagnosis is often difficult and delayed in most cases, unless there is a high level of clinical awareness. Urgent surgery is still the recommended treatment. We describe the case of primary aortoenteric fistula of a saccular aneurysm. A 55-year-old woman was referred to our center with hematemesis, melena, and severe anemia who was dignosed previously with unknown saccular abdominal aneurysm.

Popliteal vein aneurysms (PVAs) are rare but may cause severe and even fatal complications, such as pulmonary embolism (PE). A woman at the eighth week of pregnancy came to our attention because of a thrombosis of a previously undetected left PVA, diagnosed after a PE episode. Surgery was delayed until after delivery and breastfeeding, during which anticoagulant therapy was established.

The popliteal artery (PA) entrapment syndrome, a rare cause of arterial thrombosis, is most often encountered in young male athletes. Here, we report a very unusual case of PA entrapment syndrome in a 14-year-old girl who presented with a 1-month history of calf claudication to our observation facility. Diagnostic work-up revealed obesity, sedentary lifestyle, and an aberrant accessory slip of the medial head of gastrocnemius around the PA. Arterial echo color Doppler ultrasonography and computed tomographic angiography studies were performed. Surgical treatment involved revascularization with resection of the medial head of gastrocnemius, the cause of the arterial entrapment, and enlargement angioplasty using an autologous saphenous vein patch, in combination with antiplatelet therapy, resulting in restitution ad integrum of the affected limb and, finally, an improved quality of life of the patient. This case underscores the importance of clinical suspicion, diagnosis, and treatment of lower-limb claudication in very young patients presenting with unusual symptoms. If missed, the condition may evolve dramatically. Prompt diagnosis and surgical treatment are key to complete recovery and the prevention of irreversible complications that may result in limb loss.

Les anevrysmes vrais de l’artere tibiale sont rares et leur rupture est tres rare. Nous rapportons le cas d’un homme de 59 ans qui, apres un episode d’endocardite bacterienne, a presente un anevrysme tibial posterieur rompu. A notre connaissance, c’est le premier cas d’une veritable rupture d’un anevrysme geant de l’artere tibiale posterieure (diametre, 6 cm). Le traitement s’est compose de l’anevrysmectomie avec ligature arterielle. Un ulterieur de 24 mois a ete fait avec de bons resultats.

Background Seminomatous and non-seminomatous Germ Cell Tumors (GCT) of the testis are a rare cancer, with an estimated incidence of 56.3 per million white males and 10 per million black males in the United States. The association between non-seminomatous GCT and horseshoe kidney is a rare event and is seen in about 1.3% of patients requiring retroperitoneal lymph node dissection. To our knowledge, no cases have been reported in which replacement of the IVC was also necessary. Case presentation We report the case of a 22-year-old man with horseshoe kidney and metastatic non-seminomatous germ cell tumor involving the wall of the inferior vena cava. Following post-chemotherapy retroperitonal lymph node dissection, the inferior vena cava was replaced with an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene graft. At 2-years follow-up, the patient was in good health and the graft was patent. No clinical or diagnostic signs of renal impairment or recurrence of neoplastic disease were noted. Conclusion Radical surgery is warranted in patients with non-seminomatous germ cell tumor metastasizing to the retroperitoneal lymph nodes. When vena cava replacement is required, and the situation is further complicated by horseshoe kidney, as in this case, surgical technique will rely on multidisciplinary surgical treatment planning by a team composed of urologists, vascular surgeons and oncologists.