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EJVES Vascular Forum 2024Primary aorto-enteral fistula (PAEF) is a connection between the gastrointestinal tract and the aorta that occurs without previous aortic surgery. The aetiological...
OBJECTIVE
Primary aorto-enteral fistula (PAEF) is a connection between the gastrointestinal tract and the aorta that occurs without previous aortic surgery. The aetiological factors include, but are not limited to, aneurysm, infection, and tumours. It is a life threatening condition if untreated and requires emergency vascular surgical repair. A secondary aorto-enteric fistula (AEF) can occur to a previously reconstructed aorta. This case report presents a unique case of a male patient who developed a primary AEF and subsequent secondary AEF with successful surgical outcomes, suggested to be due to tuberculous aortitis.
REPORT
The patient was diagnosed and treated for tuberculosis and developed a saccular aneurysm within six months. The PAEF was surgically corrected with a tube graft using a bovine pericardial patch, the defect in duodenum was sutured, and a retrocolic omental flap was created between the duodenum and aorta. He developed a small stable pseudoaneurysm during follow up, and then a secondary AEF two and a half years later, in which a connection between the pseudoaneurysm and duodenum was corrected using a new bovine aorto-aortic interposition graft using a bovine pericardium patch. The defect in the duodenum was also sutured in two layers and a new omental flap was created.
DISCUSSION
The mortality rate of AEF is high and it is very unlikely that a patient will survive two AEFs without major complications. It is believed that there are extremely few double AEF cases described in the literature. The aetiological factor in the development of PAEF in this case was most likely the patient's aortic aneurysm, which was most likely of mycotic origin due to tuberculosis. The patient developed a pseudoaneurysm during follow up and it is uncertain whether the pulsatile pressure of the pseudoaneurysm led to the recurrence of the AEF.
PubMed: 38884073
DOI: 10.1016/j.ejvsvf.2024.05.005 -
Frontiers in Immunology 2024Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a degenerative disease characterized by local abnormal dilation of the aorta accompanied by vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC)...
Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a degenerative disease characterized by local abnormal dilation of the aorta accompanied by vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) dysfunction and chronic inflammation. VSMC dedifferentiation, transdifferentiation, and increased expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are essential causes of AAA formation. Previous studies from us and others have shown that Anemoside B4 (AB4), a saponin from , has anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, and regulatory effects on VSMC dedifferentiation. The current study aimed to investigate whether AB4 inhibits AAA development and its underlying mechanisms. By using an Ang II induced AAA model and cholesterol loading mediated VSMC to macrophage transdifferentiation model , our study demonstrated that AB4 could attenuate AAA pathogenesis, prevent VSMC dedifferentiation and transdifferentiation to macrophage-like cells, decrease vascular inflammation, and suppress MMP expression and activity. Furthermore, KLF4 overexpression attenuated the effects of AB4 on VSMC to macrophage-like cell transition and VSMC inflammation . In conclusion, AB4 protects against AAA formation in mice by inhibiting KLF4 mediated VSMC transdifferentiation and inflammation. Our study provides the first proof of concept of using AB4 for AAA management.
Topics: Animals; Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal; Cell Transdifferentiation; Kruppel-Like Factor 4; Mice; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle; Inflammation; Saponins; Disease Models, Animal; Male; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Macrophages; Angiotensin II; Humans
PubMed: 38881898
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1412022 -
Gene Jun 2024In this study, we performed RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) on the abdominal aorta tissue of New Zealand rabbits and investigated the potential association of lncRNA...
Role of long non-coding RNA TCONS_02443383 in regulating cell adhesion and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) signaling genes in atherosclerosis: A New Zealand white rabbit model study.
OBJECTIVE
In this study, we performed RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) on the abdominal aorta tissue of New Zealand rabbits and investigated the potential association of lncRNA TCONS_02443383 with the development of AS through bioinformatics analysis of the sequencing data. The obtained results were further validated using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR).
METHOD
We induced an AS model in New Zealand rabbits by causing balloon injury to the abdominal aorta vascular wall and administering a high-fat diet. We then upregulated the expression level of the lncRNA TCONS_02443383 by injecting lentiviral plasmids through the ear vein. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was performed on the abdominal aorta tissues. We conducted Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) signaling pathway and Gene Ontology (GO) analyses.
RESULT
The overexpression of the lncRNA TCONS_02443383 led to an upregulation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) signaling pathways as well as genes related to cell adhesion.
CONCLUSION
The overexpression of the lncRNA TCONS_02443383 can inhibit the occurrence and development of AS by upregulating peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) signaling pathways and genes related to cell adhesion.
PubMed: 38878987
DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2024.148694 -
Medicine Jun 2024Waist-to-height ratio (WtHR) is a validated biomarker of central obesity that appears to be preferable to other body composition measurements in the evaluation of... (Observational Study)
Observational Study
Waist-to-height ratio (WtHR) is a validated biomarker of central obesity that appears to be preferable to other body composition measurements in the evaluation of cardiovascular disease. The goal of this research was to explore the connection between WtHR and abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) among adults. On the basis of data from the 2013 to 2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, multivariate logistic regression, sensitivity analysis, as well as smoothed curve fitting were used to evaluate the connection between WtHR and AAC. Subgroup analyses along with interaction tests were done to see if this link was consistent across populations. Among 3079 participants aged >40 years, there was a negative association between WtHR and ACC. Each 1-unit emergence of WtHR was related to a 2% reduction in the probability of severe AAC in the entirely adjusted model (odds ratio = 0.02, 95% confidence interval: [0.00-0.12]). Participants in the highest WtHR quartile were 39% less likely to acquire severe AAC compared with those in the lowest quartile. (odds ratio = 0.61, 95% confidence interval: [0.37-1.00]). This negative association was more pronounced in the diabetes subgroup. We discovered a reversed U-shaped association between WtHR as well as AAC score utilizing a 2-stage linear regression model, with an intersection point of 0.56. WtHR was negatively associated with AAC among US adults.
Topics: Humans; Cross-Sectional Studies; Male; Aorta, Abdominal; Middle Aged; Female; Vascular Calcification; Waist-Height Ratio; Nutrition Surveys; Adult; Aortic Diseases; Aged; Risk Factors; Obesity, Abdominal
PubMed: 38875360
DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000038608 -
Turkish Neurosurgery Aug 2023An important complication of the anterior approach to the lower lumbar spine is vascular injury. Arterial and venous vasculature varies in size and origin, which may...
AIM
An important complication of the anterior approach to the lower lumbar spine is vascular injury. Arterial and venous vasculature varies in size and origin, which may limit the surgical zone and compromise the safety under specific circumstances. We aimed to explore the relationship between the retroperitoneal vasculature and anterior surface of the lower spine and establish values to aid in predicting the pertinence of anterior approach for the intervertebral disks at the L4-L5 and L5-S1 levels.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
The study included 13 fresh human cadavers. After exploration of the abdominal cavity and removal of the visceral organs, the vasculature, and anterior spinal surface were revealed beneath the lower extension of the perirenal fascia. Morphometric measurements of the great vessels and the intervertebral disks were obtained. All measurements were analyzed and presented as mean and standard deviation. Differences in the values between sexes were assessed.
RESULTS
The anterior height of the L4-L5 and L5-S1 intervertebral disk was 6.8 ± 0.81 mm and 6.7 ± 0.99 mm, respectively. The widths of the aorta, inferior vena cava, right and left common iliac arteries, and right, and left common iliac veins were 16.4 ± 3.58, 20.6 ± 3.36, 11.5 ± 2.32, 11.5 ± 2.43, 14.7 ± 3.13, and 15.5 ± 3.27 mm, respectively. The mean aortic bifurcation angle was 45.5°. The aortic bifurcation was located above the lower endplate of the L4 vertebrae in 53.8% of the cadavers. The area of the interarterial and interiliac trigones was 14.6 ± 5.33 cm2 and 7.1 ± 4.35 cm2, respectively. No statistically significant differences were noted between the sexes.
CONCLUSION
An elaborate radiological examination of the vasculature should be performed prior to surgery to avoid unwanted vascular complications during the anterior approach. Knowing the area of the interarterial and interiliac triangles and the aortic bifurcation location could be aid in assessing the safe working zone.
PubMed: 38874242
DOI: 10.5137/1019-5149.JTN.43447-23.2 -
Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine 2024The left subclavian artery (LSA) can be intentionally covered by a stent graft to acquire adequate landing zones for a proximal entry tear near the LSA during thoracic...
BACKGROUND
The left subclavian artery (LSA) can be intentionally covered by a stent graft to acquire adequate landing zones for a proximal entry tear near the LSA during thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR). The Castor single-branched stent graft is designed to treat type B aortic dissection (TBAD) to retain the LSA during TEVAR. This study investigates clinical outcomes, aortic remodeling, and abdominal aortic perfusion patterns after TEVAR with the novel Castor device.
METHODS
From November 2020 to June 2023, 29 patients with TBAD involving the LSA were treated with the Castor single-branched stent graft. In-hospital clinical outcome and aortic computed tomography angiography (CTA) data were analyzed. CTA was performed preoperatively and at follow-up to observe stent morphology; branch patency; endoleak; change in true lumen (TL), false lumen (FL), and transaortic diameters; and abdominal aortic branch perfusion pattern.
RESULTS
The technical success rate was 96.6%. One failure was that the branch section did not completely enter the LSA and the main body migrated distally. No in-hospital mortality, paraplegia, or stroke occurred. During follow-up, one type Ib endoleak, four distal new entry tears, and one recurrent type A dissection arose from a new entry tear at the ascending aorta, no stent migration was observed, and the branch patency rate was 100%. At the thoracic aorta, TL diameters significantly increased, FL diameters markedly decreased, and FL was partially or completely thrombosed in most patients at follow-up. At the abdominal aorta, we observed 33.3% of TL growth and 66.7% of TL stabilization or shrinkage. The initial TL ratio at iliac bifurcation negatively predicted abdominal TL growth after TEVAR with a cutoff of 21.0%. Of the 102 abdominal aortic branches, 94.1% of the branches showed no change in perfusion pattern, 3.9% of the branches had an increased TL perfusion, and 2.0% of the branches had an increased FL contribution.
CONCLUSION
The Castor unibody single-branched stent graft offers an efficient endovascular treatment for TBAD involving the LSA. TEVAR with the Castor device effectively induced thoracic FL thrombosis and thoracic TL enlargement and resulted in abdominal TL growth when the initial TL ratio at iliac bifurcation is less than 21.0%. Abdominal aortic branch perfusion patterns remain relatively stable after TEVAR with the Castor stent graft.
PubMed: 38873267
DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2024.1370908 -
Vascular Jun 2024Despite abundant evidence in the surgical and critical care literature demonstrating inferior outcomes in transfused patients, liberal use of blood transfusion,...
INTRODUCTION
Despite abundant evidence in the surgical and critical care literature demonstrating inferior outcomes in transfused patients, liberal use of blood transfusion, particularly after the initial unit, remains common in vascular surgery. We therefore sought to investigate the incremental risk of each additional unit of blood transfused intraoperatively for patients undergoing elective open repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) with regards to postoperative mortality and complications.
METHODS
Patients in the Vascular Quality Initiative registry undergoing elective open infrarenal AAA repair from 2003 to 2020 were included. Exclusion criteria were age greater than 90, prior aortic surgery, concomitant iliac aneurysm, and concomitant additional major procedure. Multivariable logistic regression was used to calculate adjusted odds ratios for in-hospital mortality with incremental increases in packed red blood cells (pRBCs) given intraoperatively. Univariate analysis was performed for secondary outcomes including postoperative cardiac, respiratory, renal, and wound complications.
RESULTS
Of 4608 patients who underwent elective open AAA repair, 796 patients (16.9%) underwent perioperative transfusion. The overall in-hospital mortality rate was 2.5%. Adjusting for relevant factors, there was an increase in the odds of in-hospital mortality of 24% for each additional unit transfused. Incremental increases in the number of units transfused were associated with significantly higher risk of postoperative myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, pulmonary complications, renal failure, and wound complications.
DISCUSSION
There appears to be an important increase in the odds of mortality for each additional unit transfused during infrarenal open AAA repair even when controlling for confounders.
PubMed: 38872373
DOI: 10.1177/17085381241260925 -
European Journal of Internal Medicine Jun 2024In patients complaining common symptoms such as chest/abdominal/back pain or syncope, acute aortic syndromes (AAS) are rare underlying causes. AAS diagnosis requires...
BACKGROUND
In patients complaining common symptoms such as chest/abdominal/back pain or syncope, acute aortic syndromes (AAS) are rare underlying causes. AAS diagnosis requires urgent advanced aortic imaging (AAI), mostly computed tomography angiography. However, patient selection for AAI poses conflicting risks of misdiagnosis and overtesting.
OBJECTIVES
We assessed the safety and efficiency of a diagnostic protocol integrating clinical data with point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) and d-dimer (single/age-adjusted cutoff), to select patients for AAI.
METHODS
This prospective study involved 12 Emergency Departments from 5 countries. POCUS findings were integrated with a guideline-compliant clinical score, to define the integrated pre-test probability (iPTP) of AAS. If iPTP was high, urgent AAI was requested. If iPTP was low and d-dimer was negative, AAS was ruled out. Patients were followed for 30 days, to adjudicate outcomes.
RESULTS
Within 1979 enrolled patients, 176 (9 %) had an AAS. POCUS led to net reclassification improvement of 20 % (24 %/-4 % for events/non-events, P < 0.001) over clinical score alone. Median time to AAS diagnosis was 60 min if POCUS was positive vs 118 if negative (P = 0.042). Within 941 patients satisfying rule-out criteria, the 30-day incidence of AAS was 0 % (95 % CI, 0-0.41 %); without POCUS, 2 AAS were potentially missed. Protocol rule-out efficiency was 48 % (95 % CI, 46-50 %) and AAI was averted in 41 % of patients. Using age-adjusted d-dimer, rule-out efficiency was 54 % (difference 6 %, 95 % CI, 4-9 %, vs standard cutoff).
CONCLUSIONS
The integrated algorithm allowed rapid triage of high-probability patients, while providing safe and efficient rule-out of AAS. Age-adjusted d-dimer maximized efficiency.
CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION
Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT04430400.
PubMed: 38871565
DOI: 10.1016/j.ejim.2024.05.029 -
Journal of Computer Assisted Tomography May 2024Recently, there have been a few reports regarding the usefulness of a novel saline injection technique using a spiral flow-generating tube. The purpose of this study was...
Simultaneous Injection of Contrast and Saline Using Spiral Flow-Generating Tube for Hepatic Dynamic Computed Tomography: Effect on Enhancement of Liver Parenchyma and Metastases to the Liver.
PURPOSE
Recently, there have been a few reports regarding the usefulness of a novel saline injection technique using a spiral flow-generating tube. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether simultaneous saline injection using a spiral flow-generating tube was able to improve hepatic contrast enhancement and lesion conspicuity of metastatic liver tumors.
METHODS
We randomized a total of 411 patients with various liver diseases including metastases by total body weight (A, n = 204) and contrast dilution protocol (B, n = 207). Group A received 400 mgI/kg of contrast medium alone without a spiral flow-generating tube; group B received contrast medium 400 mgI/kg simultaneous with injection of a 0.57-ml/kg physiologic saline solution through a spiral flow-generating tube. Abdominal aorta computed tomography (CT) number, hepatic enhancement (ΔHU), percentage of tests demonstrating an enhancement effect of the liver parenchyma exceeding Δ50 HU in 3 measured segments (S2, S6, and S8), and the contrast-to-noise ratio of the metastatic liver tumors were measured.
RESULTS
The mean aortic CT number of group B (417.0 HU ± 61.7; P < 0.01) was approximately 10% higher than that of group A (384.6 ± 79.1 HU). The average ΔHU was 59.8 ± 11.4 HU for group A and 61.7 ± 11.7 for group B. The ΔHU for group B was significantly higher than that for group A (P = 0.017). The percentage of tests demonstrating with the enhancement effect of group B was more than 80% in all subgroups; however, that of group A was less than 80% in all subgroups. The contrast-to-noise ratio of group B (7.8 ± 3.3 HU) was significantly higher compared to that of group A (6.5 ± 2.8 HU) (P < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS
Because of the volume effect, injecting a contrast medium diluted with normal saline improved the degree of hepatic and aortic contrast enhancement and achieved better visualization of liver metastases.
CLINICAL IMPACT
The use of spiral flow-generating tube may help diagnostic of hepatic and aortic contrast enhancement and liver metastases.
IMPORTANCE
The use of a spiral flow-generating tube improved the degree of hepatic and aortic contrast enhancement and achieve better visualization of liver metastases.
POINTS
The use of low-concentration syringe formulations is limited by body weight. However, the use of spiral flow-generating tube provides low-concentration contrast medium regardless of body weight.
PubMed: 38870324
DOI: 10.1097/RCT.0000000000001620 -
Presentation and Management of Pulmonary Sequestration With an Aneurysmal Aberrant Pulmonary Artery.Cureus May 2024Bronchopulmonary sequestration presents rarely in adults and less frequently with an aneurysmal aberrant feeding artery. Treatment of bronchopulmonary sequestration...
Bronchopulmonary sequestration presents rarely in adults and less frequently with an aneurysmal aberrant feeding artery. Treatment of bronchopulmonary sequestration generally involves lung resection with vascular ligation; however, aneurysmal disease increases the risk of intra- and postoperative hemorrhage and often necessitates more extensive surgery for vascular control. A 39-year-old female patient with a history of prior abdominal surgery presented with sudden onset epigastric and back pain. Computed tomography demonstrated an aneurysmal aberrant pulmonary artery originating from the abdominal aorta, adjacent to the celiac artery, supplying an intralobar pulmonary sequestration in the inferior right lower lung lobe. She also had evidence of cholelithiasis, with confusing symptom correlation. She was treated with a minimally invasive hybrid approach, which involved endovascular arterial embolization prior to delayed thoracoscopic lung resection. This is a safe and effective approach that reduces the risk of intraoperative bleeding while safely achieving vascular control proximal to the aneurysmal disease.
PubMed: 38868261
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.60225