Retrograde Approach Research Articles

Transseptal versus retrograde approach for ablation of left-sided accessory pathways: impact on radiation exposure

Management of left-sided accessory pathways (APs) is based on catheter ablation through an antegrade or retrograde approach. Both are safe and effective but are associated with exposure to x-rays; however, recipients of ablation are generally young. We sought to evaluate the impact of the approach chosen on dose–area product (DAP). A total of 95 patients who underwent radiofrequency ablation of a left-sided AP between January 2011 and January 2020 were included. The primary endpoint was the radiation dose received by the patient. Secondary endpoints were procedural success and complication and recurrence rates. The mean age of the study population was 34.3 ± 16.6 years. The antegrade transseptal approach was used in 63.5% of cases. By multivariate analysis, the antegrade transseptal approach was associated with a 53% reduction in DAP (p < 0.001). The radiation dose received was also significantly associated with body mass index and total fluoroscopy time (p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in other secondary endpoints between approaches. The use of an antegrade transseptal approach is associated with a significant reduction in DAP compared with the retrograde approach, and procedural success and complication and recurrence rates are similar.

Transvenous retrograde thoracic duct embolization for effective treatment of recurrent plastic bronchitis after Fontan palliation

Plastic bronchitis (PB) is a rare but potentially detrimental complication of the Fontan circulation. Retrograde transvenous thoracic duct embolization (TDE) has been proposed as a treatment strategy for lymphatic dysfunction. A 5.5-year-old patient (16 kg/105 cm) was referred to our institution for severe PB refractory to conservative treatment 3 months after completion of Fontan palliation. CT-scan showed multiple bilateral areas of patchy consolidation and ground-glass opacity with obstruction of the right main and right lower bronchi. Bi-inguinal transnodal fluoroscopy-guided lymphangiogram confirmed the diffuse and abnormal lymphatic leak originating from the thoracic duct into the chest, predominantly right-sided, and showed the TD ostium near the left venous angle. There was no opacification of any target central lymphatic vessel for direct transabdominal puncture. Retrograde approach from the femoral vein was adopted to catheterize the thoracic duct and selectively embolize its distal portion using intercalation of microcoils and liquid embolic adhesive. Recurrence of symptoms after 2 months indicated a redo catheterization that revealed the persistence of dilated peribronchial lymphatic network with a minimal residual leak across the previously embolized caudal section of the TD. Complete occlusion of the TD over its entire length was performed using the same technique. The procedure was technically successful and the patient was uneventfully discharged after 2 days. There was no cast recurrence or procedure-related complications and sustained clinical improvement at 18-month of postoperative follow-up. Fluoroscopy-guided lymphangiography was essential to understand the anatomy and flow pattern of the lymphatic system and to plan the lymphatic intervention. End-to-end TDE is an effective minimally invasive treatment in Fontan patients with PB and can be necessary in case of relapse after selectively embolizing the TD distal section.

Seldinger Technique: Retrograde Approach through the Common Femoral Artery

The Seldinger technique is the mainstay of vascular and other luminal access in interventional radiology. It provides a safe and simple way to access arteries, and the retrograde approach through the common femoral artery is the vascular radiologist’s basic approach serving both diagnostic and therapeutic roles in different patients. This technique is not without complications, and experience and improved equipment will undoubtedly eliminate this potential complication and prevent failure.

Incidence, Mechanisms, Treatment, and Outcomes of Coronary Artery Perforation During Chronic Total Occlusion Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Coronary artery perforation is a feared complication of chronic total occlusion (CTO) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Our objective was to describe the incidence, mechanisms, treatment, and outcomes of coronary artery perforation during CTO PCI. We analyzed the baseline clinical and angiographic characteristics and procedural outcomes of 10,454 CTO PCIs performed in 10,219 patients between 2012 and 2022. The incidence of coronary perforation was 4.9% (n=503). Patients who experienced coronary perforation were older and were more likely to have had previous coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Procedures that resulted in perforation were more complex, with higher Japanese CTO and Prospective Global Registry for the Study of Chronic Total Occlusion Intervention (PROGRESS-CTO) scores. Technical (66% vs 87%, p &lt;0.001) and procedural (55% vs 87%, p &lt;0.001) success rates were lower in perforation cases. The CTO target vessel was the most common perforation site (66%). The retrograde approach was responsible for the perforation in 47% of cases, and guidewire exit was the most common perforation mechanism. The proportion of Ellis class 1, 2, 3, and 3 -"cavity spilling" coronary perforations was 20%, 41%, 28%, and 11%, respectively. In 52% of perforations, 1 or more interventions were required: prolonged balloon inflation (23%), covered stent deployment (21%), coil embolization (6%), and/or autologous fat embolization (4%). Tamponade requiring pericardiocentesis occurred in 69 patients (14%). The incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events was higher in perforation cases (18% vs 1.3%, p &lt;0.001). In conclusion, coronary artery perforation occurred in 4.9% of CTO PCIs performed by experienced operators and was associated with lower technical success and higher in-hospital major adverse cardiovascular events.

Treatment of ruptured rectal artery aneurysm in a patient with neurofibromatosis

BackgroundSuperior rectal artery (SRA) aneurysms are rare. Although melena is the most common symptom, it has not been observed in cases of aneurysms located in the SRA trunk. Here, we report a case of a ruptured SRA trunk aneurysm successfully treated with coil embolization. Including our case, three of the four reported cases of SRA trunk aneurysms were related to neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1).Case presentationA 52-year-old woman with NF1 was referred to our hospital for the investigation of an abdominal mass with back pain. She had previously undergone a blood transfusion at another hospital for anemia without melena. Computed tomography angiography revealed a ruptured SRA trunk aneurysm measuring 3 cm in diameter and surrounded by a retroperitoneal hematoma. The aneurysm was isolated by embolizing the SRA trunk distally and proximally. Distal embolization was performed retrogradely from the internal iliac artery (IIA) via the middle rectal artery (MRA)-SRA anastomosis because the antegrade approach from the inferior mesenteric artery (IMA) failed. To our knowledge, this is the first case of successful coil embolization of an IMA branch through the IIA.ConclusionSRA trunk aneurysms are rare; however, they are frequently associated with NF1. Antegrade distal embolization beyond the aneurysm is sometimes difficult to achieve. In such cases, a retrograde approach via MRA-SRA anastomosis can be the choice for isolating SRA trunk aneurysms.

Intravascular lithotripsy in chronic total occlusion percutaneous coronary intervention: Insights from the PROGRESS-CTO registry.

The use of intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) in chronic total occlusion (CTO) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has received limited study. We analyzed the baseline clinical and angiographic characteristics and procedural outcomes of 82 CTO PCIs that required IVL at 14 centers between 2020 and 2022. During the study period, IVL was used in 82 of 3301 (2.5%) CTO PCI procedures (0.4% in 2020and 7% in 2022; p for trend < 0.001). Mean patient age was 69 ± 11 years and 79% were men. The prevalence of hypertension (95%), diabetes mellitus (62%), and prior PCI (61%) was high. The most common target vessel was the right coronary artery (54%), followed by the left circumflex (23%). The mean J-CTO and PROGRESS-CTO scores were 2.8 ± 1.1 and 1.3 ± 1.0, respectively. Antegrade wiring was the final successful crossing strategy in 65% and the retrograde approach was used in 22%. IVL was used in 10% of all heavily calcified lesions and 11% of all balloon undilatable lesions. The 3.5 mm lithotripsy balloon was the most commonly used balloon (28%). The mean number of pulses per lithotripsy run was 33 ± 32 and the median duration of lithotripsy was 80 (interquartile range: 40-103) seconds. Technical and procedural success was achieved in 77 (94%) and 74 (90%) cases, respectively. Two (2.4%) Ellis Class 2 perforations occurred after IVL use and were managed conservatively. IVLis increasingly being used in CTO PCI with encouraging outcomes.

Predicting the Success Rate of Elective Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for Prior Failed Chronic Total Occlusion: a Novel Scoring System.

To investigate a scoring system for predicting the risk of successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) after prior failed chronic total occlusion (CTO).Patients with previously attempted CTO-PCI were enrolled in our study retrospectively from January 2016 to December 2019. All clinical and procedural data were collected and analyzed. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression was performed to investigate the predictors of technical success.A total of 194 patients/CTO lesions were studied. The multivariate logistic regression showed that occlusion length &lt; 20mm (odds ratio (OR) = 2.94, score = 1), non-calcification (OR = 2.93, score = 1), adequate distal landing zone (OR = 4.46, score = 1), Rentrop grade ≥ 2 (OR = 5.98, score = 1), and retrograde approach as the initial strategy (OR = 10.28, score = 2) were predictors of the success of re-attempt PCI. The technical success rate for scores from 0 to ≥ 4 were 0%, 17.9%, 46.2%, 77.8%, and 93.3% respectively.Our scoring system can be used to predict the success rate of re-attempt CTO-PCI.

Fusion Revision Surgery With Reamer-Irrigator-Aspirator to Harvest Autograft After Spinal Pseudarthrosis.

Background and purposeSpinal pseudarthrosis (SPA) is a common complication after attempted cervical or lumbosacral spinal fusion surgery. Revision surgeries usually necessitate bone graft implementation as an adjunct to hardware revision. Iliac crest bone graft is the gold standard but availability can be limited and usage often leads to persistent postoperative pain at the donor site. There is scant literature regarding the use of reamer-irrigator-aspirator (RIA)-harvested bone graft in lumbar spinal fusion. This is a collaborative study between orthopedic surgery and neurosurgery departments to utilize femur intramedullary autograft harvested using the RIA system as an adjunct graft in SPA revision surgeries.Materials and methodsA retrospective review was conducted at a single center between August 2014 and December 2017 of patients aged ≥ 18 years and diagnosed with cervical, thoracic, or lumbar SPA who underwent revision fusion surgery using femur intramedullary autograft harvested using the RIA system. Plain radiographs and CT scans were utilized to confirm successful fusion.ResultsEleven patients underwent 12 SPA revision surgeries using the RIA system as a source for bone graft in addition to bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2) and allograft. The mean amount of graft harvested was 51.3 mL (range: 20-70 mL). Nine patients achieved successful fusion (81.8%). The average time to fusion was 9.1 months. Four patients (36.4%) had postoperative knee pain. Regarding patient position and approach for harvesting, 66.7% (n = 8) of cases were positioned prone and a retrograde approach was utilized in 91.7% (n = 11) of cases.InterpretationThis is the first case series in known literature to report the RIA system as a reliably considerable source of autologous bone graft for SPA revision surgeries. It provides a useful adjunct to the known types of bone grafts. Patient positioning and the approach choice for graft harvesting can be adjusted according to the fusion approach and the surgeon’s preference.

Neurothrombectomy 2022-Extension of indications and technical innovations

For advanced territorial ischemia numerous retrospective and prospective studies have shown a positive effect of mechanical thrombectomy (MT) compared to best medicinal treatment alone. For patients with minor stroke (NIHSS < 6) there is currently alack of evidence for MT. Appropriate study protocols must differentiate between patients with large vessel occlusion with disproportionately mild symptoms and more distal vascular occlusion and therefore correspondingly fewer clinical symptoms. The role of intravenous lysis treatment before MT as bridging lysis also currently retains its general recommendation, as large studies could not show a uniform noninferiority of MT alone. In addition, the use of intra-arterial lysis after successful MT offers a promising approach, which still needs to be evaluated. Novel aspiration catheters and stent-retrievers as well as competing thrombectomy techniques can be compared by the first pass effect, the successful recanalization with only one attempt at thrombectomy. Contact aspiration and stent-retriever thrombectomy under aspiration are equivalent and established thrombectomy procedures. For the latter, several detailed maneuver tactics are described for improvement of thrombectomy success. Also, in retrospective studies the combination with aballoon-guided catheter promises a further improvement of recanalization results. In the case of failure of supra-aortic vessel probing with inguinal access, radial access and direct carotid puncture are alternative access routes. Recent studies on ICA stenting with tandem occlusions showed a benefit of stents without an increased risk for symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage. The retrograde approach, to first treat the intracranial vessel occlusion and then the carotid stenosis, seems to be advantageous.

A modified method for minimizing damage to the marginal mandibular branch (MMB) during partial superficial parotidectomy(PSP): A retrospective study

The aim of this study was to compare modified partial superficial parotidectomy (MPSP) with conventional partial superficial parotidectomy (CPSP) in a retrograde approach, and to determine whether MPSP can reduce the risk of injury to the MMB of the facial nerve and the rate of postoperative facial palsy.Patients with benign parotid gland tumors of the superficial lobe were included retrospectively in two groups: one group was treated with CPSP; the other group was treated with MPSP, in which the MMB was dissected in an anterograde direction or not dissected. The patients’ sex and age, location of tumor, size of tumor (maximum tumor diameter), histopathological distribution, operative time, and incidence of postoperative facial nerve weakness were compared.There was no significant difference in operative time between the two groups (p = 0.913). There was a significant difference (p = 0.008) in postoperative facial nerve weakness, with temporary facial nerve weakness observed in 19 and five patients in the CPSP and MPSP groups, respectively. Furthermore, there was a significant difference (p = 0.009) in MMB weakness, with temporary MMB weakness observed in 15 and three patients in the CPSP and MPSP groups, respectively. There was no significant difference (p = 0.564) in the weakness of other branches between the two groups. All cases of paresis scored ≤3 on the House-Brackmann scale, and all cases of temporary facial nerve weakness resolved within 6 months of surgery. No patient developed permanent paralysis.Within the limitations of the study, it seems that modified partial superficial parotidectomy (MPSP) should be preferred over conventional partial superficial parotidectomy (CPSP) whenever appropriate.

A Retrograde Implantation Approach for Peritoneal Dialysis Catheter Placement in Mice.

Murine models are employed to probe various aspects of peritoneal dialysis (PD), such as peritoneal inflammation and fibrosis. These events drive peritoneal membrane failure in humans, which remains an area of intense investigation due to its profound clinical implications in managing patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). Despite the clinical importance of PD and its related complications, current experimental murine models suffer from key technical challenges that compromise the models' performance. These include PD catheter migration and kinking and usually warrant earlier catheter removal. These limitations also drive the need for a greater number of animals to complete a study. Addressing these drawbacks, this study introduces technical improvements and surgical nuances to prevent commonly observed PD catheter complications in a murine model. Moreover, this modified model is validated by inducing peritoneal inflammation and fibrosis using lipopolysaccharide injections. In essence, this paper describes an improved method to create an experimental model of PD.

A retrograde approach for transcatheter valvotomy procedure in infants with pulmonary atresia intact ventricular septum (PA-IVS): retrograde versus antegrade approach.

This study evaluates the retrograde approach compared to the antegrade approach in infants with PA-IVS who underwent transcatheter pulmonary valvotomy procedure at National Cardiovascular Center Harapan Kita, Jakarta, Indonesia. This is a single-centre retrospective study conducted from January 2017 to June 2019 consisting of infants undergoing transcatheter pulmonary valvotomy procedures from our centre. Among 3733 records of cardiac catheter procedure in paediatric patients during the last 3 years, there were 12 subjects with PA-IVS, where five subjects were done by antegrade approach and seven by retrograde approach. The retrograde approach is shown to excel the antegrade approach in terms of procedural time by 58.64 minutes (CI 95 % 32.97-84.29, p = 0.008) and PA-RV crossing time by 27 minutes (CI 95 % 14.01-39.99, p = 0.02). There was no significant difference in contrast used (120.23 ± 25.77 versus 150.27 ± 39.26 ml/BSA, p = 0.518), and right ventricle to pulmonary artery systolic pressure gradient after valvotomy (39.571 ± 5.814 versus 53.52 ± 29.15, p = 0.329) between the retrograde and the antegrade approach. The retrograde approach offered shorter procedural time and comparably satisfying results than the antegrade approach. The shorter procedural time was preferred due to the shorter duration of general anaesthesia, which may decrease the risk of neurodevelopmental deficits in the patient.

Borescope Examination and Microbial Culture Findings in Endoscopes at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

<h3>Background</h3> Flexible endoscopes are highly versatile and useful medical instruments, and their proper reprocessing is critical to patient health and safety. The value of routine visual inspections and surveillance of endoscopes in a tertiary care hospital was assessed by performing borescope examinations and microbial cultures on respiratory, gastro-intestinal (GI), and urological endoscopes. <h3>Methods</h3> A total of 42 endoscopes were cultured, including 18 GI endoscopes, 14 bronchoscopes, and 10 urological endoscopes. There were 36 endoscopes that underwent borescope examination, including 13 GI endoscopes, 12 bronchoscopes, and 11 urological endoscopes. The flush-brush-flush method was used to culture the endoscopes. Sample water was vortexed prior to being suctioned through a membrane filter device. The membrane was plated on a blood agar plate and incubated at 37°C for 48 hours. All colonies observed were Gram-stained. A 1.9-meter borescope with a 1.6mm diameter was used to perform borescope examinations in an antegrade and retrograde approach. <h3>Results</h3> Microbial cultures resulted in microbial growth seen in 28% of bronchoscopes, 22% of GI endoscopes, and 30% of urological endoscopes. Only gram-positive colonies were identified in endoscopes that had microbial growth. Borescope examinations revealed multiple abnormalities and damage including channel shredding, filamentous debris, water retention, discoloration, dents, and red debris found in the distal end of bronchoscopes. <h3>Conclusions</h3> The red debris found in and outside of the distal end of bronchoscopes were caused by polystyrene tip protectors used in the hospital. The red debris was deemed to be a risk to patient safety and the use of that type of tip protector was discontinued in the hospital based on this study's findings. Overall, borescope examination and microbial culturing used routinely as part of the reprocessing procedure is a highly effective way to identify endoscopes with damage, abnormalities, and microorganisms of concern that poses a risk to patient safety and public health.

Safety and Feasibility of Rotational Atherectomy for Retrograde Recanalization of Chronically Occluded Coronary Arteries.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the safety and feasibility of rotational atherectomy (RA) in retrograde chronic total occlusion percutaneous coronary intervention (CTO-PCI) by analyzing immediate and long-term outcomes.BackgroundRecent evidence supports the safety and feasibility of RA in CTO-PCI. However, few studies have focused on the use of RA in a retrograde approach to percutaneous revascularization of chronic total occlusion (CTO) lesions and information on long-term outcomes is lacking.MethodsA total of 329 patients who underwent retrograde CTO-PCI, out of 1496 consecutive CTO-PCI patients from April 2017 to July 2020, were retrospectively recruited from the 2nd Cardiology Department of the Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital. 16 patients underwent RA (RA group) whilst 313 did not (non-RA group).ResultsTechnical (87.5% vs. 87.5) and procedural (85.9% vs. 87.5) success rates were similar between both groups. There was no difference concerning major procedural complications between groups (12.5% vs. 19.2%; p > 0.75). No in-hospital MACCEs was recorded in the RA group while there were eight MACCEs in the non-RA group (p > 0.99). In the RA group, 2 cases recorded perforation (1 target vessel perforation case and 1 branch vessel perforation), and 55 cases of vessel perforations/dissections were recorded in non-RA group including 18 target vessel perforations, 2 branch vessel perforations, 35 collateral vessel perforations (one patient died from cardiac tamponade). No difference was found in terms of the perforation rate between the two groups (p > 0.99). Over a mean follow-up period of 26.47 ± 14.46 months, use of RA in retrograde CTO-PCI did not result in an increased mortality rate [hazard ratio (HR) 1.58, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.31–8.21, p = 0.65], major adverse cardiac and cerebral events (HR 0.99, 95% CI 0.35–2.79, p = 0.99) or overall rehospitalization rate (HR 1.27, 95% CI 0.44–3.67, p = 0.67). Adjusted Kaplan–Meier curves according to Cox regression model suggested several predictors influencing the all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, MACCEs, stroke rate, non-fatal myocardial infarction, target vessel recanalization rate and rehospitalization rate in the comparison.ConclusionsOur study demonstrates that the in-hospital outcomes and long-term follow up events were the same between RA and non-RA retrograde CTO-PCI patients. RA offered an option for skillful operators in difficult cases when the lesion was severely calcified in retrograde CTO-PCI.

Thyroidectomy in Australia 2022: lessons from 21,000 consecutive cases.

In this article, we aim to describe our modern-day approach to total thyroidectomy, detailing the subtle refinements of our technique, as it has evolved over three decades and 21 000 cases. Since Delbridge's seminal paper in 2003, the major changes to our approach include a retrograde approach to the recurrent laryngeal nerve that allows dissection of the distal RLN from fascial bands within the ligament of Berry before medialisation of the thyroid lobe. Routine use of intraoperative nerve monitoring systems has increased our awareness of temporary neuropraxia, facilitated a reduction in the risk of bilateral RLN palsy and improved our identification and preservation of the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve. The increasing use of advanced energy devices has been associated with a reduction in post-operative haematoma rates. We adopt a low threshold to parathyroid auto-transplantation, unless all glands are assessed to be clearly not at risk, and routinely supplement patients with Caltrate in the immediate post-operative period to minimize the risk of symptomatic hypocalcaemia. Ultimately, when we reflect on the subtle refinements that have contributed to improved outcomes, the fundamental principles of exposure and dissection that have evolved over decades remain the basis of our surgical approach and must continue to do so.

Trans-inguinal pelvic lymphadenectomy in vulvar cancer patients: TRIPLE pilot study

ObjectiveThe goal of this study was to assess the feasibility and safety of a retrograde extraperitoneal trans-inguinal novel approach to pelvic lymphadenectomy in vulvar cancer patients. The secondary objectives were...

Periaortic scar-related ventricular tachycardia in patients with aortic valve replacement: transcatheter ablation is feasible and decisive

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background Aortic valve replacement (AVR) is a common procedure. While conduction disturbances are well-recognized complications, ventricular tachycardias (VTs) have not been widely reported neither described mainly because prosthetic valves represent a potential practical problem in the access to the ventricles, and this may limit the use of radiofrequency ablation (RF). Purpose and Methods We report three cases of periaortic scar-related VT in patients with AVR. Results The first case was a 85 years old (yo) man, with both aortic and mitral biological valve replacement. The left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was normal and the clinical VT (left bundle branch block (BBB) and inferior axis, cycle length (CL) = 305 ms) was induced. Left ventricle (LV) was mapped with a retrograde transaortic approach: to cross safely the prosthesis, a 6-French (F) pigtail catheter was first placed in the ventricle; a 8.5-F Braided Guiding Introducer (SL1) was placed across the valve over a guidewire. The 8.5-F ablation catheter allowed to locate the VT origin underneath the septal portion of prosthetic aortic valve (PAV). The second case was a 85 yo man, with bioprosthetic AVR and replacement of the ascending aorta. LVEF was 40% with mild PAV degeneration. The clinical VT had left BBB morphology and inferior axis (CL = 352 ms). Transaortic approach was hampered by an unfavorable entry angle and by valve degeneration. Then we opted for the technique commonly used during transcatheter AVR: the access to the LV was obtained using a 6-F coronary catheter (AL1) and a stright tip 0.034" angiographic guidewire; subsequently a 8.5-F, 81 cm long, introducer sheath (SL0) was positioned across the PAV. The reentry circuit was mapped in the high anterior region, just below the PAV insertion. The third case was a 65 yo man, with mechanical PAV. LVEF was normal and the clinical VT had right BBB and left inferior axis (CL = 290 ms). After transseptal puncture, a steerable introducer was placed in left atrium. The mapping catheter allowed to identify early and fractional potentials in the anterior portion of PAV. In all cases, RF applications was delivered at the earliest ventricular activation site with termination of the VTs. Thereafter, no VTs could be induced. At 12 months follow-up, the patients are free of any VT relapses. Conclusions The most common origin of sustained monomorphic VT occurring after PAV is the surgical scar and catheter ablation is a feasible option. In case of mechanical PAV, the only practicable access is the transeptal one; on the contrary, with biological PAV the transaortic approach can also be used. In difficult cases, the access to the LV can be obtained with the technique routinely performed during transcatheter AVR.

P59 A COMPLEX PCI IN A CARDIOGENIC SHOCK NSTEMI PATIENT NEEDING PTA AND LEFT VENTRICLE ASSISTANCE

Abstract A 72–years–old man, smoker, type 2 DM and hypertension in history, was admitted for NSTEMI complicated by cardiogenic shock; Echocardiogram revealed LV dilatation with severe disfunction (EF 20%), moderate mitral regurgitation; he started inotropic support and high dose diuretics, then he needed dialysis and positioning of a temporary PM. Coronary angiography revealed chronic total occlusion (CTO) of the left anterior descending artery (LADA) and CTO of the right coronary artery (RCA). A first CTO PCI procedure was attempted for the LADA occlusion, with the support of IABP, using an antegrade approach, polimeric wire (ASAHI Fielder) and more penetrating ones (ASAHI Gaia I and II), unable to gain the true lumen beyond the occlusion. A second attempt was planned, with the support of Impella CP device for left ventricle assistance; due to critical stenosis in the right common iliac artery, a PTA with stenting (8/38 mm) was preparatory for that. For the second attempt a dual coronary approach was prepared (6 F Amplatz left 1,0 for RCA and 7 F XB 3,5 for left coronary artery); at first a novel antegrade attempt was pursued with a step–up technique (ASAHI wires: Gladius, Gaia I, II and III, Conquest pro), ineffective to reach the true lumen distally the occlusion. The retrograde approach was then pursued, through a collateral originating from the acute marginal branch of the RCA to the distal segment of LADA, using the Caravel microcatheter with ASAHI wires Sion blue, Sion black, Suoh 03, effective to reach the distal cap of the occlusion, this one passed by the Gladius wire. The ASAHI RG3 externalization wire (330 mm) was then used, entering from the radial access and the amplatz catheter for the RCA, reaching the XB catheter in the left coronary artery through a Guideliner extension catheter, and externalized in the femoral access. IVUS analysis was then used to confirm good wire position and the vessel calibers, so pre–dilatation was done and 3 drug–eluting stents were implanted (2,25/23 + 3,25/38 + 3,5/18 mm) distal–to–proximal overlap, with final post–dilatation, obtaining a good final result on angiography and IVUS. During the 4–hours procedure clinical condition was stable and Impella was removed with a rapid weaning; the double pre–mounted Proglide device was used for femoral hemostasis. 5 days after the patient was discharged, II–III NYHA class, 25% EF. At the 3 months f–up he was asymptomatic in good clinical condition, 30% EF, he refused ICD implant.

Laparoscopic surgical treatment of median arcuate ligament syndrome with the retrograde division technique: a case report

Median arcuate ligament syndrome is a rare entity. This clinical condition develops by compression of the root of a celiac artery with the median arcuate ligament. The typical triad of this syndrome is the following; abdominal discomfort and pain, especially after a meal, and weight loss. In diagnosis, other causes should be ruled out and compression must be demonstrated by any type of imaging method. The main principle of treatment is cutting down the median arcuate ligament. A 54-year-old woman presented with untreatable recurrent abdominal pain and was diagnosed with median arcuate ligament syndrome by imaging with angiographic computed tomography. This patient was operated on. We performed laparoscopic division of median arcuate ligament with the retrograde surgical dissection technique. The patient was discharged from the hospital without any complaint on the third day after surgery. She was still symptom-free after 12 months. The laparoscopic retrograde dissection approach is a safe and feasible treatment modality for median arcuate ligament syndrome.

The Retrograde Basilic Approach for Balloon-Assisted Maturation of Brachiocephalic Arteriovenous Fistulas

PurposeTo assess the feasibility and outcomes of an approach utilizing transbasilic access for balloon-assisted maturation (BAM) of brachiocephalic arteriovenous fistulas (BCAVFs). Materials and MethodsThis retrospective analysis comprised 28 patients (mean age, 63 years ± 10.8) who underwent endovascular treatment of their immature BCAVFs via a basilic approach from December 2016 to December 2018. The mean age of the BCAVFs was 3.3 months ± 1.4 at the time of BAM. Other demographic data, vascular access characteristics, procedural data, technical and clinical success rates, and adverse events were also evaluated. ResultsAll patients had inflow juxta-anastomotic stenoses, with 4 patients (14%) having concomitant outflow tract stenoses and 1 patient (4%) having a short-segment occlusion at the stenotic juxta-anastomotic segment. Technical success was achieved in 27 patients (96%). The mean diameter of the largest balloon used was 5.7 mm ± 0.6. Clinical success was achieved in 22 patients (79%), with 6 patients (21%) requiring a subsequent additional intervention before successful cannulation. No perioperative adverse events were observed. ConclusionsThe retrograde basilic approach is feasible, safe, and effective for BAM of BCAVFs.