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Objectives: Arteriovenous fistulae (AVFs) play a key role for people who rely on chronic haemodialysis. Stenosis in the venous outflow of the AVF will cause an alternative route of the subcutaneous blood flow via the deeper venous pathways by means of side branches and the perforating veins (PVs). The purpose for the present study was to define the number and anatomical localisation of the perforating veins in the forearm., Methods: Twenty forearms were dissected to study the venous anatomy. The localisation, size and connections of the perforators were recorded and stored digitally., Results: In total, 189 PVs were defined (mean, 9.5 per arm; range, 6-19), with 60 (32%) PVs connected to the cephalic vein, 97 (51%) connections to the basilic vein and 32 (17%) PVs to the median vein of the forearm. Most PVs originate from the basilic vein and connect with the ulnar venae comitans. The cephalic vein connects equally to the radial venae comitans, interossea veins and the muscles., Conclusion: The cephalic vein has the fewest PVs and almost a third of them connect to the muscles. This is probably important for the maturation of the AVF, the superficial flow volume and the accessibility for puncture., (Copyright © 2011 European Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: A method of diagnosing the extent and severity of arteriovenous fistula (AVF) stenoses is multislice computed tomographic angiography (MS-CTA). The aim of this prospective study was to assess the accuracy of MS-CTA for the detection and grading of stenoses in AVF in comparison to digital subtraction angiography (DSA), which was used as the gold standard of reference., Methods: Fifteen hemodialysis (HD) patients with dysfunctioning forearm AVF were included. These AVFs were evaluated by both DSA and MS-CTA and were read in a prospective, blinded manner by two radiologists experienced in vascular imaging., Results: ROC analysis revealed areas under the curve of 0.90+/-0.07 for observer I and 0.87+/-0.08 for observer II at a stenosis cut-off level of >or=50% diameter reduction. The combined results for MS-CTA showed sensitivity, specificity and positive and negative predictive values of 82%, 98%, 82% and 98% for stenoses>or=50% and 71%, 99%, 77% and 98% for stenoses>or=75%. Inter-observer agreement for the detection of stenoses>or=50% diameter reduction was 0.70 and 1.0, for MS-CTA and DSA, respectively., Conclusion: MS-CTA can provide good visualization of forearm HD access AVF and has moderate sensitivity, but high specificity for the detection of flow-limiting stenoses.

Objective: The construction of an autogenous radial-cephalic direct wrist arteriovenous fistula (RCAVF) is the primary and best option for vascular access for hemodialysis. However, 10%-24% of RCAVFs thrombose directly after operation or do not function adequately due to failure of maturation. In case of poor arterial and/or poor venous vessels for anastomosis, the outcome of RCAVFs may be worse and an alternative vascular access is probably indicated. A prosthetic graft implant may be a second best option. Therefore, a randomized multicenter study comparing RCAVF with prosthetic (polytetrafluoroethylene [PTFE]) graft implantation in patients with poor vessels was performed., Methods: A total of 383 consecutive new patients needing primary vascular access were screened for enrollment in a prospective randomized study. According to defined vessel criteria from the preoperative duplex scanning, 140 patients were allocated to primary placement of an RCAVF and 61 patients to primary prosthetic graft implantation. The remaining 182 patients were randomized to receive either an RCAVF (n = 92) or prosthetic graft implant (n = 90). Patency rate was defined as the percentage of AVFs that functioned well after implantation., Results: Primary and assisted primary 1-year patencies were 33% +/- 5.3% vs 44% +/- 6.2% (P = .03) and 48% +/- 5.5% vs 63% +/- 5.9% (P = .035) for the RCAVF and prosthetic AVF, respectively. Secondary patencies were 52% +/- 5.5% vs 79% +/- 5.1% (P = .0001) for the RCAVF and prosthetic AVF, respectively. Patients with RCAVFs developed a total of 102 (1.19/patient-year [py]) vs 122 (1.45/py; P = .739) complications in the prosthetic AVFs. A total of 43 (0.50/py) interventions in the RCAVF group and 79 (0.94/py) in the prosthetic graft group were needed for access salvage (P = .077)., Conclusions: Although there were more interventions needed for access salvage in the patients with prosthetic graft implants, we may conclude that patients with poor forearm vessels do benefit from implantation of a prosthetic graft for vascular access.

Objective: To improve the precision of the estimates of primary failure rates and primary and secondary 1 year patency of radial-cephalic arteriovenous fistulas (RCAVF) for hemodialysis., Design: Meta-analysis., Materials and Methods: A Medline search was performed of the English language medical literature between January 1970 and October 2002. Key words that were searched included radiocephalic fistula, arteriovenous shunt, Brescia-Cimino fistula and patency. Primary failure, primary and secondary patency rates were analysed using the standard mixed effects model, which allows for variability between the different studies., Results: Eight prospective and 30 retrospective studies were included. The analysis showed a pooled estimated primary failure rate of 15.3% (95% CI: 12.7-18.3%). In addition, the pooled estimated primary and secondary patency rates of 62.5% (95% CI: 54.0-70.3%) and 66.0% (95% CI: 58.2-73.0%), respectively, were calculated. Subgroup analysis concerning various study characteristics, including study year, gender and age, did not reveal statistically significant differences., Conclusion: Although, the autogenous RCAVF is considered to be the primary choice for vascular access, this meta-analysis indicates a high primary failure rate and only moderate patency rates at 1 year of follow-up.

Introduction: Radiocephalic wrist arteriovenous fistulae (RCAVF) are the primary and best option for vascular access for haemodialysis treatment. However, 10-24% of these AVFs fail due directly to thrombosis and non-maturation. In a prospective study, the failure modes of radiocephalic AVFs and the impact of surgical and interventional treatment on fistula outcome were investigated., Methods: The rate of thrombosis and non-maturation was evaluated in 43 RCAVFs. The selection of RCAVF creation was made on preoperatively determined duplex parameters. Fistula function was evaluated post-operatively by clinical examination and non-invasively measured AVF blood flow. A policy of a liberal use of radiological and/or surgical revision of non-functioning RCAVFs was made on the basis of duplex measured blood flow and angiographically detected vessel stenosis., Results: Primary fistula function was achieved in 26 of 43 patients (60%). Non-maturation and thrombosis occurred in 14 (33%) and three (7%) patients, respectively. A total of 12 interventions (PTA 6; surgery 6) were needed, resulting in salvage of eight RCAVFs (47%). The blood flow in functioning AVFs was significantly higher compared to non-functioning AVFs at 1 (754 vs 440 cc/min), 7 (799 vs 524 cc/min) and 42 days (946 vs 532 cc/min) post-operatively. At the end, 34 RCAVFs (79%) became functional as vascular access for haemodialysis treatment., Conclusion: Primary RCAVFs have a high rate of failure. An aggressive approach towards early interventional treatment of these non-functional AVFs is worthwhile and leads to a considerable salvage rate. Early post-operative AVF flow measurement indicates the chance of successful maturation of RCAVF.

To evaluate our experience of selective iliac artery stenting for total occlusions, a prospective observational study of 25 patients with an occluded iliac artery was designed to run from January 1996-May 1997. Exclusion criteria were an occlusion extended to the femoral artery, claudication Grade III or IV, according to the standards for reports dealing with lower extremity ischemia, and vascular (bypass) surgery in the past. Complete recanalization and selective stent placement was possible in all patients. No complications occurred. In one patient re-stenosis happened inside the stent after a year. Percutaneous reintervention was performed with success. The mean ankle-brachial pressure increased from 0.46 before the procedure to 0.95 after the procedure. After two years of follow-up, the mean ankle-brachial pressure is 0.93. The clinical stage improved by at least one grade to Grade 0 (Rutherford classification). The overall probability of patency for occluded iliac arteries in this study was 95% after two years. Recanalization, followed by percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) in the treatment of iliac artery occlusions, is our first choice of intervention, considering the absence of complication and satisfactory patency rates in patients with claudication Grade I or II.

Background: Cardiovascular complications are the most important causes of perioperative morbidity and mortality among patients undergoing major vascular surgery., Methods: We performed a randomized, multicenter trial to assess the effect of perioperative blockade of beta-adrenergic receptors on the incidence of death from cardiac causes and nonfatal myocardial infarction within 30 days after major vascular surgery in patients at high risk for these events. High-risk patients were identified by the presence of both clinical risk factors and positive results on dobutamine echocardiography. Eligible patients were randomly assigned to receive standard perioperative care or standard care plus perioperative beta-blockade with bisoprolol., Results: A total of 1351 patients were screened, and 846 were found to have one or more cardiac risk factors. Of these 846 patients, 173 had positive results on dobutamine echocardiography. Fifty-nine patients were randomly assigned to receive bisoprolol, and 53 to receive standard care. Fifty-three patients were excluded from randomization because they were already taking a beta-blocker, and eight were excluded because they had extensive wall-motion abnormalities either at rest or during stress testing. Two patients in the bisoprolol group died of cardiac causes (3.4 percent), as compared with nine patients in the standard-care group (17 percent, P=0.02). Nonfatal myocardial infarction occurred in nine patients given standard care only (17 percent) and in none of those given standard care plus bisoprolol (P<0.001). Thus, the primary study end point of death from cardiac causes or nonfatal myocardial infarction occurred in 2 patients in the bisoprolol group (3.4 percent) and 18 patients in the standard-care group (34 percent, P<0.001)., Conclusions: Bisoprolol reduces the perioperative incidence of death from cardiac causes and nonfatal myocardial infarction in high-risk patients who are undergoing major vascular surgery.

Objectives: This prospective randomised multicentre trial was conducted to test whether a new "closed" technique for in situ vein bypass would result in a lower frequency of wound complications, without negative effects on patency rates and without an intolerable increase in residual arteriovenous fistulae compared to the conventional "open" technique., Methods: We have developed a new "closed" technique using a co-axial catheter embolisation system for intra-operative coil embolisation of side branches, in order to avoid long incisions., Patients: In four centres and 95 patients, 97 in situ bypasses were performed: 47 "closed" and 50 "open". Randomisation was stratified for below knee femoropopliteal bypasses (60) and femorocrural bypasses (37). Indications were disabling intermittent claudication (29), restpain (26) or ulcers and/or necrosis (42)., Results: Postoperative mortality was 2% (one in the "closed", one in the "open" group). A total number of 16 (34%) wound complications (grade 1, 2 and 3) occurred in the closed group compared to 36 (72%) in the open group (p < 0.05). Deep wound complications (grade 2) occurred in six patients (13%) of the "closed" group, compared to 15 (30%) in the "open" group. In both groups, three patients (6%) developed deep wound complications including the bypass area (grade 3). In the "closed" group, 20 patients needed additional treatment for arteriovenous fistulae, compared to four in the "open" group. One-year patency rates did not show a statistically significant difference: primary patency rates were 65% and 61% and secondary patency rates were 86% and 76% respectively for the "closed" and "open" group., Conclusion: These results indicate that a "closed" technique reduces wound complication rate, without negative effects on the short term patency rates. The "closed" technique results in an increased number of postoperative treatments for residual arteriovenous fistulae.

A report is presented of a patient who died of a spontaneous rupture of the external iliac artery. She had had a complicated abdominal hysterectomy two years before. Light microscopy disclosed the evidence of EDS type IV, which was proven afterwards by culturing skin fibroblasts from her youngest son. The trait was autosomal dominant.

Oculopneumoplethysmography (OPPG) is a non-invasive method for the detection of carotid artery disease. In order to evaluate this method an OPPG test was performed routinely on 220 patients who were suspected of cerebrovascular disease. Sixty of these patients, selected on clinical grounds, also underwent angiography and our report deals with this group of patients. They were subdivided in the light of the angiographic findings and the results of the OPPG tests were compared with those of angiography. In 13 patients with a normal angiogram all but one had a normal OPPG test, indicating a specificity of 93%. Three out of 12 patients with a stenosis of less than 60% had an abnormal OPPG test, reflecting hemodynamic alterations in arteries, shown as mildly stenotic by angiography. Thirty-two out of 35 patients with a stenosis of at least 60% or actual occlusion had an abnormal OPPG test indicating a sensitivity of 91%, which increased to 97% with inclusion of carotid compression findings. The hemodynamic significance of the deviating tests in the latter two groups is discussed. OPPG is an easy and simple method of complementing angiography with hemodynamic data in patients with transient ischemic attacks (TIA's) and cerebrovascular accidents (CVA's). It can also be used to screen patients with asymptomatic bruits or vague neurologic complaints, prior to vascular surgery and to follow patients up after carotid endarterectomy.

A prospective study was performed of 45 selected patients subjected to inguinal hernia repair on an outpatient basis. Forty-two patients (93%) were discharged the same day. In retrospect 37 of the patients (82%) favoured this outpatient procedure. The early complication rate was not higher than that of a comparable group of inpatients with an average hospital stay of 5.8 days.

Retrospective study on the management and results of treatment of acute cholecystitis in elderly patients. From 1965 to 1985, 147 patients over 74 years of age were treated, 38 conservatively, 76 by cholecystectomy, 32 by cholecystectomy plus exploration of the common bile duct and one by cholecystostomy. There was a high mortality in male patients (19.3%) after emergency operations (17.3%) and after choledochotomy (21.8%) compared to an overall mortality of 12.9%. No correlation was found between clinical presentation plus associated diseases and therapeutic results. The data compare favorably with other studies.