Chlamydialike organisms and atherosclerosis.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Yves S Alimi.
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BACKGROUND: Compression of the left renal vein between the aorta and the superior mesenteric artery is a rare but possibly underestimated condition. Surgical correction (42 cases reported in the literature) can be performed by means of a variety of different techniques. Although endovascular stenting is well accepted for iliocaval occlusive disease, it has been poorly evaluated in this indication. We describe five patients who were treated for nutcracker syndrome by using stenting and analyze the nine cases previously reported. METHODS: From November 2002 to September 2004, five women (mean age, 34.7 years) were admitted for endovascular treatment of a nutcracker syndrome. They all had incapacitating pelvic congestion syndrome, including two with a history of left ovarian vein embolization; moreover, two had left lumbar pain, and three had hematuria. The mean preoperative venous disability score was 2.4. The patients underwent a gynecologic examination and laparoscopy to eliminate other causes of pelvic pain. The laparoscopy revealed large pelvic varicose veins and no signs of endometriosis. Duplex scan, computed tomographic scan, and iliocavography revealed left renal vein compression, with proximal distention and collateral pathways, with dilatation and permanent reflux in the left ovarian vein in the three patients who had not had prior embolization. The mean renocaval pullback gradient was 4.3 mm Hg. A percutaneous endovascular procedure, during in which a self-expanding metallic stent was implanted, was performed under general anaesthesia. RESULTS: Technical success was achieved in all cases. One case of stent migration occurred: the stent was pulled down in the inferior vena cava, with uneventful follow-up (mean, 14.3 months). One month later, patients were all improved and stents were patent at the duplex scan examination, without restenosis. The mean venous disability score was 1. No further left ovarian vein reflux was evident at duplex scan in patients who did not have prior embolization. Pelvic pain recurred in one patient who had initially improved, and endometriosis was diagnosed 15 months after the procedure. Two other patients, who received 40-mm-long stents, had a secondary recurrence of the symptoms caused by stent dislodgement. The two other patients were asymptomatic. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that stenting is feasible, but some guidelines should be followed, mainly the use of long stents protruding into the inferior vena cava. Stenting can eliminate the symptoms of the condition, and the technique is only very slightly invasive. Further experience and follow-up are needed before accepting such a procedure for treatment of the nutcracker syndrome.
BACKGROUND: The goal of this article is to present clinical and patency results of endovascular treatment of nonmalignant, iliocaval venous obstructive disease and to discuss the evolution of technical details. METHODS: From November 1995 to June 2004, 44 patients (female-male ratio, 3.9:1; left-right lower limb ratio, 8.6:1; median age, 42 years; range, 21-80 years) had treatment for chronic disabling obstructive venous insufficiency with iliocaval stenosis or occlusion. The clinical class of CEAP was 2 in 11 limbs, 3 in 31, 4 in 4, 5 in 1, and 6 in 1; etiology was primary in 32 patients, secondary in 10, and congenital in 2. Anatomic involvement included superficial veins in 16 patients and perforator veins in 11. Obstruction was associated with superficial reflux in 4 patients, deep reflux in 13, and both in 13. Ten patients had occlusion. All procedures were performed in the operating room with perioperative angiography and angioplasty with or without self-expanding stent implantation. Venous clinical severity and disability scores were obtained before and after treatment. Patency and restenosis were evaluated by duplex Doppler ultrasonography. RESULTS: No perioperative death or pulmonary embolism occurred. The technical success rate was 95.5% (two recanalization failures), and two (4.5%) perioperative stent migrations occurred. One early thrombosis (2.4%) was treated by thrombectomy and creation of an arteriovenous fistula. One late death and one thrombosis occurred. Restenoses were found in five patients and were all treated successfully (four needed iterative stenting). Median follow-up was 27 months (range, 2-103 months). Median venous clinical severity score improved from 8.5 to 2, and median venous disability score improved from 2 to 0. Cumulative primary, assisted primary, and secondary patency rates of the venous segments at 36 months were 73%, 88%, and 90%, respectively, in intention to treat. The survival rate was 100% at 12 months and 97.3% at 60 months. CONCLUSIONS: Endovascular treatment of benign iliocaval occlusive disease is a safe and efficient minimally invasive technique with good mid-term patency rates. Moreover, it improves cases with obstruction only, as well as cases with associated reflux and obstruction. Primary stenting should always be performed by using self-expanding stents deployed under general anesthesia to avoid lumbar pain. In case of failure, the endovascular procedure does not preclude further surgical reconstruction.
In addition to conventional and endovascular techniques, laparoscopic surgery is becoming a third way to treat patients with aortoiliac occlusive or aneurysmal diseases. Several different laparoscopic techniques are available, but most authors are stressing the need for development of specific laparoscopic aortic instruments, to decrease the operative and clamping times and reduce the learning curve. Our experience of more than 150 patients who underwent a laparoscopic abdominal or thoracic aortic reconstruction, has lead us to imagine the instruments that may facilitate these procedures, and then to create a society with Vascular Surgeons and Biomedical Engineers, called PROTOMED, which may conceive, develop, and test new medical instruments. This Chapter presents an overview of what is available currently, such as laparoscopic aortic clamps or laparoscopic intestinal retractors; others are in the experimental stage, such as laparoscopic aortic staplers, anastomotic devices, and robotic surgical systems. This important technologic challenge should lead to 2 major orientations: development of qualitative in vitro and in vivo experiments to test these new products, and training courses to teach their use. Minimally aggressive techniques are well adapted to a western population growing older and has access to constantly improving medical care; however, only specific and ergonomic instruments will allow these new techniques to be widely embraced by the vascular surgical community.
Lesions of the internal carotid artery involving the bifurcation and the intrapetrous portion represent a challenging therapeutic situation. We herein report the first case of a patient suffering from tinnitus which was treated by simultaneous carotid endarterectomy of the bifurcation and transluminal angioplasty and stenting of the intrapetrous portion with a good mid-term angiographic result.
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the consequences on patient selection and on early and midterm results of the learning curve of a surgical team performing laparoscopy-assisted surgery in the treatment of severe aortoiliac occlusive disease (AIOD). PATIENTS AND METHOD: Between January 1998 and June 2003, 58 patients (53 men, 5 women; mean age, 59.5 years [range, 37-76 years]) were included in a prospective study and underwent a laparoscopy-assisted aortofemoral reconstruction with graft implantation through a 5-cm to 8-cm minilaparotomy. Fifty-one patients (88%) had claudication (category 2 or 3, Rutherford classification), and seven patients (12%) had tissue loss; at presentation they had TransAtlantic Inter-Society Consensus C (n=24, 41.4 %) or D (n=32, 55.2%) iliac lesions, and the last 2 patients (3.4%) had severe aortic lesions. Perioperative data for the first 29 patients, obtained during the first 34 months of the study (group 1), were compared with data for the last 29 patients, obtained during the last 32 months of the study (group 2). Follow-up consisted of clinical examination or duplex scanning, or both, at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months and yearly thereafter, and computed tomography before discharge and then every 2 years. RESULTS: One intraoperative surgical conversion (1.7%) was necessary, and two other patients (3.4%) died in the immediate postoperative period. With experience, initial contraindications such as obesity or suprarenal artery aortic clamping were eliminated, making it possible to increase the percentage of patients included, from 53.7% during the first 34 months to 90.6% during the last 32 months (P=.003). The mean duration of the operative procedure decreased from 285 minutes in group 1 to 192 minutes in group 2 (P<.001), and the mean duration of aortic clamping decreased from 76.4 minutes in group 1 to 31.8 minutes in group 2 (P<.001). The number of early repeat interventions was reduced from three (10.3%) in group 1 to 2 (6.9%) in group 2 (P=NS), and the clinical recovery period decreased from 7 days to 4.5 days (P=.05). During a mean follow-up of 26.7 months (range, 1-66 months) there were 5 repeat surgeries (9%) to treat late graft occlusion, establishing midterm primary and secondary patency rates of 89.3% and 91%, respectively. No aortic false aneurysms were detected, and no major amputations were performed. CONCLUSION: These preliminary results assess the feasability and the safety of this minimally invasive video-assisted technique. A short period of postoperative recovery and good midterm patency rate are the two main benefits of this new surgical option.
Long-standing arteriovenous fistula (AVF) can lead after closure to late arterial aneurysm formation. We report the case of an extensive iliofemoral aneurysm extending from the aorta to a left venous above-knee to below-knee popliteal bypass occurring 14 years after closure of a post-traumatic popliteal AVF. While the arterial axis, which was not dilated at closure, became aneurysmal, it is remarkable that the vein bypass performed at the same time was not altered. The pathophysiologic mechanism of such a complication could be morphologic modification of the arterial wall while the AVF is open and hemodynamic change after its closure.
Beside conventional and endovascular techniques, laparoscopic surgery is becoming a third way to treat patients presenting with aortoiliac occlusive or aneurysmal diseases. Several different laparoscopic techniques have been described, but most authors are stressing on the need for development of a specific laparoscopic aortic instrumentation, in order to decrease the operative and clamping times and to reduce the learning curve. This article is presenting an overview of what is already available, as laparoscopic aortic clamps or laparoscopic intestinal retractor, and what is still experimental, like laparoscopic aortic staplers, anastomotic devices or robotic surgical systems. This important technologic challenge should lead to two major orientations: development of qualitative in vitro and in vivo experiments to test these new products and training courses to teach the manipulation of it. Minimally aggressive techniques are well adapted to a western population, which becomes older, and has access to constantly improving medical care; however, only a specific and ergonomic instrumentation will allow these new techniques to be widely embraced by the vascular surgical community.
OBJECTIVES: This study was undertaken to evaluate the consequences on patient selection and on early and mid-term results during the learning curve of a surgical team performing laparoscopy-assisted surgery to treat abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between December 1998 and January 2002, 24 patients (22 men, 2 women; mean age, 68.2 years [range, 57-82 years]) were included in a prospective study and underwent laparoscopic transperitoneal AAA dissection followed by graft implantation through a 6 to 9 cm minilaparotomy. Perioperative data for the first 10 patients, obtained during the first 25 months of the study (group 1), were compared with data for the last 14 patients, obtained during the last 13 months of the study (group 2). Follow-up consisted of clinical examination or duplex scanning, or both, at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months and yearly thereafter, and computed tomographic scanning before discharge and yearly thereafter. RESULTS: One patient (4.3%) died in the immediate postoperative period. In this patient and two others (12.5%), the minilaparotomy was extended intraoperatively, from 12 cm to 16 cm. With experience, initial contraindications such as obesity and short proximal or calcified aortic neck were eliminated, enabling increase in rate of patients included, from 27.7% during the first 25 first months to 56% during the last 13 months (P =.063). Mean duration of operative clamping decreased from 275 minutes in group 1 to 195 minutes in group 2 (P <.0001), and mean duration of aortic clamping decreased from 101 minutes in group 1 to 52 minutes in group 2 (P <.0001). The number of early repeat interventions was reduced from 3 (30%) in group 1 to 2 (14.3%) in group 2 (P =.61), and clinical recovery period decreased from 6.8 days to 4.3 days (P <.005). During mean follow-up of 17.1 months (range, 3-38 months), no late aortoiliac procedures were necessary and no prosthetic abnormality was detected. CONCLUSION: This minimally invasive video-assisted technique provides good postoperative comfort and excellent mid-term results. Developments in experience and instrumentation have enabled us to include a growing number of patients and to reduce the duration of the procedure.