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Biomedical subjects

E Creemers

Publications and source records attributed to E Creemers.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

[Aortoaesophageal fistula caused by a thoracic aortic aneurysm].

Primary aorto-oesophageal fistula, secondary to an aneurysm of the thoracic aorta, are almost fatal. In the literature, only twenty six successfully operated cases have been reported. We report the case of a 78-year-old man with a thoracic aortic aneurysm eroded into the mid oesophagus. Prompt diagnosis of an aorto-oesophageal fistula resulted from clinical history, CT-imaging and oesophagoscopy. The patient was successfully operated by exclusion of the thoracic aneurysm (insertion of a straight cryopreserved arterial allograft), oesophagectomy and cervical oesophagostomy and jejunostomy. The continuity of the digestive tube was later restored after preliminary aortic valve remplacement (stenosis of 0.8 cm2). This case report is the second in which a cryopreserved allograft was successfully implanted in the management of a primary aorto-oesophageal fistula.

Aged↗
PubMed2005

[Clinical case of the month. Lower limb revascularization from descending thoracic aorta in occluded axillobifemoral bypass].

We report the case of a patient who had lower limb revascularization by a bypass graft originating from the decending thoracic aorta, after total thrombosis of an axillobifemoral bypass graft. The latter had been performed for surgical repair of a secondary aorto-enteric fistula. We successively discuss the three particular apects of this observation: the secondary aortodigestive fistula, the axillobifemoral bypass and the bypass between the descending thoracic aorta and the femoral arteries.

Anastomosis, Surgical↗
PubMed2003

Crural artery bypass with the autogenous greater saphenous vein.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the long-term outcome of greater saphenous vein (GSV) infrapopliteal revascularisation in a single centre over a 10 year period. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Fourty-one variables relating to a consecutive series of 90 crural artery GSV(76% in situ) bypasses in 81 patients (1990-2000) were analysed. The mean age of the 47 men and 34 women was 70 years. Limb-threatening ischaemia was present in 96% of cases, claudication in four patients. In 18 patients, surgery was 'redo'. RESULTS: The perioperative mortality was 3% (n=3). Patient survival was 54% at 4 years. Independent risk factors affecting survival were chronic renal insufficiency (p=0.04), hypertension (p=0.02), and ischaemic heart disease (p=0.01). Four bypasses thrombosed within 30 days. Three of them could be successfully reopened. Mean follow-up was 39 months. The primary patency rate at 4 years was 80%. Chronic renal insufficiency revealed to be the single independent risk factor for graft thrombosis (p=0.03, RR=12.4). The 4-year limb salvage rate was 88%. No independent risk factor affecting the limb salvage could be identified. CONCLUSION: Crural artery revascularisation is a valuable option for the management of limb threatening infrapopliteal arterial occlusive disease.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

[Prevention of secondary mortality after type B aortic dissection].

Only few dissecting aneurysms type A survive without surgery. Opposingly, the dissecting aneurysms type B are successfully managed by the medical treatment "anti-impulsion". A personal series is reported, that evidence important cardiovascular mortality in the follow-up in chronic dissecting aneurysms type B; one part of this late mortality is linked to rupture of the thoracic descending aorta. Thus, the prevention of this late mortality depends on a strict follow-up of the characters and dimensions of descending aortic thoracic aorta.

Aortic Dissection↗
PubMed2003

[Prevention of lower limb necrosis and amputation by femoro-crural bypass: indications, techniques and results].

Limb threatening ischemia is a challenge for the vascular surgeon. Recent progress in revascularization procedures allow to minimize the primary amputation rate in the management of chronic critical limb ischemia. The authors discuss the prevalence and causes of chronic critical limb ischemia, with a special interest for diabetic arteriopathy. The technique of crural and pedal vessel revascularization is described, as well as the innovative tourniquet technique for distal bypass surgery. A review of published series of infrapopliteal bypass surgery is made. The experience of the authors during last decade with crural and pedal bypass surgery is analyzed.

Arteries↗
PubMed2001

Dynamics of cardiac wound healing following myocardial infarction: observations in genetically altered mice.

Recent improvements in the clinical management of acute myocardial infarction (MI) have resulted in a dramatic decrease in mortality because of this condition. This implies that more patients enter the process of infarct healing. This is a highly complex cascade of events which, although studied for decades, is still not completely understood. An increasing number of genetically altered mice can now be studied in a mouse model of MI, to investigate the contribution of the product of the targeted gene to the infarct healing process. In this review, we will discuss the defects in infarct healing that have been observed in null mutants for plasminogen, urokinase-type plasminogen activator (u-PA), matrix metalloproteinases (MMPS), thrombospondin-2 and dishevelled-1. These studies provide new insights in the infarct healing process itself, but may also help to define new diagnostic and therapeutic targets in humans suffering from MI.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗
PubMed2000

Disruption of the plasminogen gene in mice abolishes wound healing after myocardial infarction.

The plasminogen system plays an important role in the proteolytic degradation of extracellular matrices during wound healing. In the present study we investigated the impact of the plasminogen system on cardiac wound healing and function after myocardial infarction. Myocardial infarction was induced in plasminogen-deficient mice (Plg-/-) and in wild-type controls (Plg+/+). Structural analysis 1, 2, and 5 weeks after infarction revealed that infarct healing was virtually abolished in Plg-/- mice, indicating that the plasminogen system is required for the repair process of the heart after infarction. In the absence of plasminogen, inflammatory cells did not migrate into the infarcted myocardium. Necrotic cardiomyocytes were not removed and the formation of granulation tissue and fibrous tissue did not occur. In these non-healing infarcted hearts, LV dilatation was not altered. In addition, gelatinolytic activity of MMP-2 and MMP-9 was depressed in the Plg-/- infarcted hearts, suggesting that the plasmin effect on infarct healing may be mediated by MMPs. Surprisingly, cardiac function was only attenuated to a rather small extent in the Plg-/- infarcted mice when compared to the wild-types. This study provides direct prove that plasmin-mediated proteolysis plays a central role in cardiac wound healing after myocardial infarction in mice.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Ischaemic colitis following aortoiliac surgery.

Ischaemic colitis following aortoiliac surgery is a feared complication. Its frequency varies from 7% after repair of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) to 0.6% after bypass for aortoiliac occlusive disease (AOD). In order to analyse predisposing factors and outcome of ischaemic colitis, the authors reviewed their clinical experience from 1988 to 1998. It concerns 28 cases (16 ruptured AAA, 7 elective AAA, 5 OAD) of clinically evident colonic ischaemia. This means an incidence of 7% after repair of ruptured AAA, 0.6% after elective AAA repair, and 0.8% after bypass for AOD. Transmural necrosis (grade 3) was observed in 21 patients, grade 2 ischaemia in 5 patients, and grade 1 ischaemia in 2 patients. Fifteen patients with grade 3 ischaemia underwent colectomy (Hartmann's procedure) with a mortality rate of 66%. All non operated grade 3 patients died. Overall, 16 of the 28 patients died at hospital (57% mortality rate). None of the patients with mild (grade 2 or 1) colonic ischaemia died. Profound hypovolaemic shock and inflammatory AAA were the only significant predisposing factors leading to colonic ischaemia. Associated colon revascularization could not avoid the evolution to colon necrosis in four patients. Reimplantation of a patent inferior mesenteric artery or an internal iliac artery was performed in only 4.8% of all aortoiliac reconstructions, and did not influence the development of ischaemic colitis. The authors conclude that a more liberal use of postoperative sigmoidoscopy could allow detecting colonic ischaemia at an earlier stage and reduce ensuing mortality. A reinforced effort to restore or preserve colonic vascularization could lower the incidence of colonic ischaemia following aortoiliac surgery.

Aged↗
PubMed1999

Inhibition of plasminogen activators or matrix metalloproteinases prevents cardiac rupture but impairs therapeutic angiogenesis and causes cardiac failure.

Cardiac rupture is a fatal complication of acute myocardial infarction lacking treatment. Here, acute myocardial infarction resulted in rupture in wild-type mice and in mice lacking tissue-type plasminogen activator, urokinase receptor, matrix metalloproteinase stromelysin-1 or metalloelastase. Instead, deficiency of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (u-PA-/-) completely protected against rupture, whereas lack of gelatinase-B partially protected against rupture. However, u-PA-/- mice showed impaired scar formation and infarct revascularization, even after treatment with vascular endothelial growth factor, and died of cardiac failure due to depressed contractility, arrhythmias and ischemia. Temporary administration of PA inhibitor-1 or the matrix metalloproteinase-inhibitor TIMP-1 completely protected wild-type mice against rupture but did not abort infarct healing, thus constituting a new approach to prevent cardiac rupture after acute myocardial infarction.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

[The clinical case of the month. Apropos of a case of unexplained fever].

An episode of fever of prolonged duration and undetermined origin always remains a difficult clinical problem. Several etiologies can indeed be responsible. If one wishes to obtain a diagnosis of the origin of the fever, one should adopt a well-structured strategy in which the various investigations are carried out in a strictly determined hierarchical order. This is badly needed if one wishes to reach a clue to the diagnosis and be able to implement an adequate therapy. In spite of all this, some cases will remain without precise diagnosis. The treatment of those cases will primary be empirical.

Aneurysm, Infected↗
PubMed1998

[Clinical case of the month. Metastatic endocarditis: clinical observation and review of the literature].

The authors describe a case of metastatic endocarditis associated with a gastric carcinoma. The diagnosis was made early and the treatment by surgery and chemotherapy allowed a survival of 18 months, which is unusually long. The differential diagnosis is discussed and includes nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis, infectious endocarditis and primary tumors of the heart.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1997

Comparison of results of carotid artery surgery after either direct closure or use of a vein patch.

In order to assess the benefit of vein patching versus direct closure after carotid endarterectomy, a series of 2271 carotid operations were analysed retrospectively. Apart from 114 procedures consisting of saphenous vein bypass (n = 29) and eversion endarterectomy (n = 85), 2157 open endarterectomies were performed. They were closed either directly (n = 837) or using a vein patch (n = 1320). The combined mortality-major neurological morbidity rate was 1.7%, i.e. 1% mortality (0.2% neurological) and 0.7% permanent neurological morbidity (0.5% ipsilateral to the operated artery). Early symptomatic internal carotid thrombosis was documented in six cases (four following direct closure and two after vein patching). A total of 827 carotid arteries were followed up by duplex scanning on an annual basis (244 direct closure and 583 vein patching). The mean follow-up was 44 months; 69 months for direct closure and 35 months for vein patching. In direct closure, there were 21 stenoses (9%) and 10 occult thromboses (4%); in vein patching carotids, there were 17 stenoses (3%), nine thromboses (1.8%) [corrected] and six pseudoaneurysms (1%). Annual incidence of poor results was 2.4% in direct closure, and 0.87% in vein patching. The only other factor responsible for a significant difference was gender (3.4% in women versus 2.1% in men). In this retrospective study, vein patching appears to be beneficial for the prevention of acute postoperative thrombosis and late stenosis or thrombosis.

Aged↗
PubMed1997

Thrombangiitis obliterans (Buerger's disease): still a limb threatening disease.

A series of 29 well-documented and properly analysed patients with thrombangiitis obliterans (Buerger's disease) is presented. The diagnosis of Buerger's disease was based on following criteria: smoking history, onset before the age of 50 years, infrapopliteal arterial occlusive disease, either upper limb involvement or phlebitis migrans, absence of atherosclerotic risk factors other than smoking. In the last 10 years (1986-1996), we identified 29 patients who met these rigid criteria. There were 24 men and 5 women, aged 32.4 years at the moment of the disease first clinical symptom. The cumulative tobacco use averaged 16 pack-years for each patient. The initial symptom was limited gangrene of a toe (n = 9) or a finger (n = 2), foot claudication (n = 6), calf claudication (n = 3), rest pain (n = 3), migratory superficial phlebitis (n = 4), and Raynaud phenomenon (n = 2). Angiography and/or Doppler ultrasound revealed digital, pedal and calf artery involvement in all patients, with proximal extension in ten patients (femoropopliteal in ten, including three cases with external iliac artery involvement). Seven patients had also evidence of upper limb involvement. Histologic proof was available in only seven patients. Only nine patients completely stopped smoking. Treatment was exclusively medical in five cases. Twenty-four underwent sympathectomy (20 at lumbar, and four at thoracic level), with good immediate result in 16. In 11 patients a vascular reconstruction was done (eight femorocrural and three iliofemoral bypasses), with a patency rate of only 36% at two years. Amputation was required in 16 patients (a mean of 2.7 amputations per patient) at one or more levels: toe (n = 19), forefoot (n = 5), below knee (n = 8), above knee (n = 2), finger (n = 3). Two patients ended up with bilateral leg amputation. Overall, 23% (7/30) of the patients required major leg amputation during the course of the disease. Disease progression was moderately related to continued tobacco use. Buerger's disease still entails considerable risk of major amputation. Complete abstinence from tobacco use is crucial to expect stabilization of the process. However, in advanced stages of the disease and despite cessation of smoking recurrent episodes of ischaemia or tissue loss are not excluded.

Adult↗