Extra-anatomic Bypass Surgery Research Articles

Endovascular Stent-Graft Treatment for Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms: Short- to Midterm Results

To evaluate short- and midterm results of the endovascular repair of thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) with the use of custom-made stent-grafts. Between May 1997 and May 2003, 40 patients with TAA (26 degenerative/atherosclerotic, seven dissection-related, three traumatic, two mycotic, one anastomotic, and one penetrating ulcer) underwent endovascular stent-graft placement. The mean age of the patients (29 male and 11 female) was 67.2 years. Twenty-four of the 40 patients (60%) were judged not to be good candidates for conventional open repair. Stent-graft placement was performed in the angiography suite with general anesthesia and transient cardiac arrest or induced hypotension. Custom-made stent-grafts were used in all patients. Four of the 40 patients (10%) underwent preliminary extra-anatomic bypass surgery to provide a sufficiently long landing zone. The mean follow-up period was 16.7 months (range, 1-65 months). The technical success rate was 97.5% and the early mortality rate was 2.5% (one out of 40 patients). There were four late deaths (two procedure-related). Survival rates were 84.2%+/-6.6% at 1 year and 84.2%+/-6.6% at 2 years. Survival rates were not significantly different between surgical candidates and non-surgical candidates (P =.423). Intraprocedural complications included access artery complications in nine patients and bleeding in three patients. Postoperative complications included early aneurysmal expansion in one patient, pneumonia in one patient, wound infection in one patient, stroke in three patients, paraplegia in one patient, respiratory insufficiency in two patients, aortoesophageal fistula in one patient, and late aneurysmal expansion in three patients. The rates of freedom from first additional intervention were 91.0%+/-6.7% at 1 year and 74.5%+/-11.9% at 2 years. The rates of freedom from second additional intervention was 100% at 2 years. The rates of freedom from treatment failure were 84.7%+/-7.6% at 1 year and 69.3%+/-11.6% at 2 years. Endovascular repair of TAA with a custom-made stent-graft is a safe and effective alternative to open repair and continues to play an important role. However, careful follow-up is mandatory to manage complications.

Vascular complications related to lumbar disc surgery.

Vascular complications related to lumbar disc operations are rare but extremely fatal conditions. The authors analyzed data retrospectively obtained in 13 patients with vascular complications that occurred during lumbar disc operations performed between January 1990 and January 2002. One patient underwent an L5-S1 procedure and the remaining underwent L4-5 surgery. Missed injuries, which were found during the late postoperative period, included pseudoaneurysm in four cases and an arteriovenous fistula in one. In all cases except one in which complication occurred early in the postoperative period, the retroperitoneal area was reached via a transperitoneal approach. In eight patients with complications occurring early in the postoperative period. Dacron graft was placed in four with arterial injuries and saphenous vein graft in one. In three cases of arterial injury and five of venous injury, the lesion was repaired using the primer suture technique. The most commonly affected vessels were left common iliac arteries (76.9%) and left common iliac vein (30.8%). In eight early cases, shock or preshock due to hemorrhage developed during the early phase. During the late postoperative period, graft-related infection occurred in two cases in which Dacron graft was placed, and axillofemoral extraanatomical bypass surgery was later performed. There was no surgery-related death. During a mean follow-up period of 5.6 years, none of the patients suffered any problems related to vascular injury. Despite its low incidence, iatrogenic vascular injury related to lumbar disc surgery is a possible complication. During lumbar disc operations early diagnosis of vascular injuries and urgent transperitoneal surgery can save patients' lives.

Axilloaxillary Bypass for the Treatment of Subclavian Artery Stenosis Complicated by Bilateral Common Carotid Artery Occlusion: Technical Case Report

We successfully treated a patient with stenosis of the left subclavian artery, complicated by bilateral common carotid artery occlusion, via axilloaxillary bypass surgery. A 67-year-old patient with a history of hypertension and cerebral infarction underwent neck irradiation for treatment of a vocal cord tumor. Three months later, he began to experience transient tetraparesis several times per day. The blood pressure measurements for his right and left arms were different. Supratentorial blood flow was markedly low. The common carotid arteries were bilaterally occluded, and the right vertebral artery was hypoplastic. Therefore, only the left vertebral artery contributed to the patient's cerebral circulation; his left subclavian artery was severely stenotic. The patient underwent axilloaxillary bypass surgery because the procedure avoids thoracotomy or sternotomy, manipulation of the carotid artery, and interruption of the vertebral artery blood flow. The patient has been free of symptoms for more than 5 years. Neurosurgeons should be aware that extra-anatomic bypass surgery is an effective treatment option for selected patients with cerebral ischemia.

Extraanatomic bypass surgery for peripheral arterial vascular disease--is it still justified?

Our results of extraanatomic bypass surgery in the last 5 years should be analysed in a retrospective study. 66 extraanatomic reconstructions were performed in 65 patients (52 male, 13 female). Femoro-femoral bypasses (78.8 %) were mainly included in this study, followed by axillo-femoral (bifemoral) and obturator bypasses. The procedures could be divided in 45 (68.2 %) primary and 21 (31.8 %) recurrent operations. 57.6 % of the patients revealed a critical lower limb ischemia. The bypass patency rates were 97 % after one year and 81.1 % after 3 years. 24.2 % of the patients showed immediate postoperative complications, 12.1 % of them major complications (surgical and nonsurgical). No patient died postoperatively or in the first year after operation. The 3-year mortality rate ranged to 10.8 %. Major amputations had to be carried out in 4 patients (6.1 %) during the first year and in one patient later on, so that the total amputation rate amounted to 7.6 %. Our results prove extraanatomic reconstructions to be a valuable surgical tool in lower limb ischemia with good long-term success. Extraanatomic bypasses are technically simple procedures in the majority of cases and take good care of the patient with low morbidity and mortality.

Tuberculous Aneurysm of the Abdominal Aorta: Endovascular Repair Using Stent Grafts in Two Cases

Tuberculous aneurysm of the aorta is exceedingly rare. To date, the standard therapy for mycotic aneurysm of the abdominal aorta has been surgery involving in-situ graft placement or extra-anatomic bypass surgery followed by effective anti-tuberculous medication. Only recently has the use of a stent graft in the treatment of tuberculous aortic aneurysm been described in the literature. We report two cases in which a tuberculous aneurysm of the abdominal aorta was successfully repaired using endovascular stent grafts. One case involved is a 42-year-old woman with a large suprarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm and a right psoas abscess, and the other, a 41-year-old man in whom an abdominal aortic aneurysm ruptured during surgical drainage of a psoas abscess.

Extra-Anatomical bypass for arteriosclerosis obliterans

Between April, 1981, and May, 1991, 40 patients underwent extra-anatomical bypass surgery for 49 lesions. Thirty-six men and 4 women with a mean age of 68 years (range 48–81) presented with symptoms of aortoiliac occlusive diseases caused by atherosclerosis. Patients were followed up for 44 months (range 1 to 121 months) after surgery. The operative mortality rate was 2.5% (1/40) and there were 4 late deaths. Hypertension, cardiac disease (history of ischemic heart disease and abnormal ECG), cerebrovascular disturbance, and diabetes mellitus were common concomitant preoperative diseases. Forty-nine percent of the limbs (24/49) were classified as Fontaine's class II, 32.7% (16/49) as class III, and the remaining 18.4% (9/49) as class IV.

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