Endovascular Repair of Localized Pathological Lesions of the Descending Thoracic Aorta: Midterm Results

Endovascular treatment of traumatic thoracic aortic lesions: a systematic review and meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION

To provide an overview of the experience of endovascular treatment for traumatic thoracic aortic lesions (TTAL). Thoracic aortic injury secondary to high-energy chest trauma constitutes an emergency situation with potentially devastating outcome. In the present time, the majority of patients are treated with thoracic endovascular aortic repair. The aim of this study was to provide a systematic overview of endovascular aortic repair in patients with TTAL with special attention to perioperative mortality, paraplegia, stroke, influence of left subclavian artery (LSA) coverage herein, and long-term stent-related complications.

EVIDENCE ACQUISITION

PubMed and Embase were searched for studies describing endovascular treatment of TTAL in the period between January 1st, 2000 and January 30th, 2016. The methodological quality of articles was assessed using the MINORS score and PRISMA guidelines. Data on early mortality, perioperative complications, and long-term stent-related complications were extracted.

EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS

A total of 2005 reports were screened, and 74 publications were finally included in the analysis describing treatment of 1882 patients. Early mortality rate, paraplegia rate, and stroke rate were 7.5%, 0.4%, and 1.5%, respectively. LSA coverage did not increase the risk of stroke. The severity of injuries had a positive association on early mortality. Late stent related mortality and morbidity were uncommon.

CONCLUSIONS

TTAL can be treated endovascularly with low mortality and (neurological) morbidity. LSA coverage does not increase the risk of neurological complications but is associated with a moderate risk of left arm ischemia. Long-term stent-related complications are rare, but the available data is limited.

Transient ischemic jejunitis due to symptomatic isolated superior mesenteric artery dissection: case report and review of literature

Acute abdominal pain is one of the most common conditions encountered in the emergency department. The differential diagnosis of acute abdominal pain is extensive and identifying the underlying etiology can be challenging. We report a case of acute transient ischemic jejunitis due to symptomatic isolated superior mesenteric artery dissection in a patient with no cardiovascular risk factors or autoimmune diseases. Symptomatic isolated superior mesenteric artery dissection is a rare cause of acute abdominal pain usually treated in the surgical department. The patient had criteria for conservative treatment and rapidly recovered. We highlight a rare condition which should be taken into account for the differential diagnosis of acute abdominal pain.

Current Understandings of Spontaneous Isolated Superior Mesenteric Artery Dissection

Spontaneous isolated superior mesenteric artery dissection (SISMAD) has been known as a rare vascular disease. However it is increasingly reported in these days with the development of advanced imaging technology. Underlying etiology, natural course or an optimal management strategy of SISMAD is not exactly known at the moment. During the past 10 years, we have had an interest in this rare vascular disease and collected clinical and image data in 100 or more patients with SISMAD. In this review article, I would like to describe my current understanding of SISMAD on the base of our recent publications in the major vascular surgery journals.

Pathology-specific late outcome after endovascular repair of thoracic aorta: a single-centre experience

OBJECTIVES

Endovascular treatment of thoracic aortic lesions appears to be advantageous. However, long-term outcomes remain poorly reported. This retrospective study reported 6-year outcomes of thoracic endovascular aortic repair.

METHODS

A total of 74 patients underwent endovascular thoracic aorta treatments between 1999 and 2007; 13 had thoracic aortic dissections, 19 had traumatic aortic injuries, 35 had aneurysms, 6 had pseudoaneurysms and 1 had a penetrating ulcer. The mean follow-up was 66 months after 30 perioperative days. Yearly follow-ups included computed tomography angiography or magnetic resonance angiography. Patient demographics, mortality, complications and reinterventions were analysed.

RESULTS

The early 30-day mortality and the overall late mortality were 9.5 (7/74) and 37.8% (28/74), respectively. Late mortality was higher in patients with aneurysms than in the other groups (20/35; 57% vs 8/39; 20.5%; P = 0.002). Aortic-related mortality occurred in 5/35 (14%) patients with aneurysms, but not in other groups (P = 0.02). No relationships among late complications were found for traumatic aortic injuries. The most common complication was an endoleak (21/74, 28.4%), which occurred more frequently with aneurysms than other disorders (18/35, 51.4% vs 3/39, 7.7%; P < 0.001). Endoleaks also occurred most frequently in aortic-related deaths (16/69 vs 5/5; P = 0.001). Type 1 endoleaks occurred significantly more often with aneurysms (13/35) than with other disorders (P = 0.004). Reintervention was required in 9 patients (12%); 8 with atherosclerotic aneurysms (8/35; 23%). A false lumen was thrombosed in 54% of dissections (7/13), and shrank in 39% (5/13).

CONCLUSIONS

Long-term outcomes depended on aortic pathology. Aortic aneurysms were the most complicated and caused the highest mortality, probably due to atherosclerotic disease evolution. Patients with traumatic aortic injuries appeared to have the best long-term outcomes.

Epidemiology of concomitant injuries in traumatic thoracic aortic rupture: a meta-analysis

Traumatic thoracic aortic rupture is a highly lethal injury. For those who arrive alive at the hospital, it is of utmost importance to quickly evaluate concomitant injuries and prioritize therapeutic interventions. We aimed to review the frequency of concomitant injuries in patients with thoracic aortic rupture, according to anatomic location and type of injury. A systematic literature search of six medical databases led to the identification of 90 publications; 27 categories of thoracic aortic rupture concomitant injuries were thereafter created. The respective pooled proportions and 95% confidence intervals were calculated and ranked in order of frequency. Among the 7258 patients studied, orthopedic fractures were the most frequent thoracic aortic rupture concomitant injury, amounting to a high pooled proportion of almost 70%, followed by thoracic injury in ∼50% and abdominal injury in over 40%. Pooled proportion for any type of head injury was also high (37%) pointing to the multiple-injury type of lesions among thoracic aortic rupture victims. Thoracic aortic rupture is a devastating injury, but rarely occurs as a sole traumatic entity. The recognition of concomitant thoracic, abdominal, head injuries and fractures after thoracic aortic rupture is of paramount importance. Future studies should focus on the impact of these injuries upon survival, morbidity and disability of multiple-injured thoracic aortic rupture patients.

How to manage the left subclavian artery during endovascular stenting for thoracic aortic dissection? An assessment of the evidence

BACKGROUND

Despite the publication of recent guidelines for management of the left subclavian artery (LSA) during endovascular stenting procedures of the thoracic aorta, specific management for those presenting with dissection remains unclear. This systematic review attempts to address this issue.

METHODS

Systematic assessment of the published data on thoracic aorta dissection was performed identifying 46 studies, which incorporated 1,275 patients. Primary outcomes included the prevalence of left arm ischemia, stroke, spinal cord ischemia, endoleak, stent migration, and mortality. Outcomes were compared between patients with and without LSA coverage and revascularization incorporating factors such as the number of stents used, length of aorta covered, urgency of intervention, and type of dissection (acute or chronic). Statistical pooling techniques, χ(2) tests, and Fisher's exact testing were used for group comparisons.

RESULTS

As compared with other outcomes, LSA coverage without revascularization in the presence of aortic dissection is much more likely to be complicated by left arm ischemia (prevalence increased from 0.0% to 4.0% [p = 0.021]), stroke (prevalence increased from 1.4% to 9.0% [p = 0.009]), and endoleak (prevalence increased from 4.0% to 29.3% [p = 0.001]). However, revascularization was not shown to reverse these effects. Longer aortic coverage (≥ 150 mm) was associated with an increased prevalence of spinal cord ischemia (from 1.3% to 12.5% [p = 0.011]) and mortality (from 1.3% to 15.6% [p = 0.003]).

CONCLUSION

In patients undergoing endovascular stenting for thoracic aortic dissection, in cases where LSA coverage is necessary, revascularization should be considered before the procedure to avoid complications such as left arm ischemia, stroke, and endoleak, and where feasible, an appropriate preoperative assessment should be carried out.

Inference from clinical and fluid dynamic studies about underlying cause of spontaneous isolated superior mesenteric artery dissection

PURPOSE

Due to increased use and improvements in diagnostic imaging studies, spontaneous isolated superior mesenteric artery dissection (SISMAD), which is a rare vascular event, has been reported to occur on a more frequent basis. Although there have been some anecdotal case reports describing the underlying pathology of SISMAD, the etiology of the majority of SISMAD is still poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to determine the underlying cause of SISMAD.

METHOD

From July 2001 to March 2010, 51 consecutive patients with SISMAD (symptomatic 39, asymptomatic 12) and 38 patients with combined aortic and superior mesenteric artery dissection (CASMAD) were identified in a single institution by retrospective investigations. Diagnosis was dependent on multi-detector helical computed tomography (CT) scan. To find clinical characteristics of SISMAD, we compared demographic, clinical, and lesion (site of entry tear, type, length) characteristics between the two groups. To find any flow dynamic abnormalities at the proximal segment of the superior mesenteric artery (SMA), we conducted flow dynamic studies using computational fluid dynamic models (V.12; ANSYS, Inc., Canonsburg, Pa). Streamline patterns and wall shear stress distributions were tested with computer simulation models using three different branching angles of SMA from the abdominal aorta.

RESULTS

Compared to CASMAD, SISMAD was more common in men (90.2% vs 71.1%; P = .02), less frequently associated with hypertension (31.4% vs 65.8%; P = .001), and more frequently associated with intra-abdominal cancers (11.8% vs 0%; P = .036). In a fluid dynamic study using computational fluid dynamic models, we found abnormal mechanical stresses at the anterior wall around the convex portion of the SMA.

CONCLUSION

Development of SISMAD seems to be less likely the result of hypertension or connective tissue disease but more likely due to hemodynamic force caused by convex curvature.

Endovascular grafts for treatment of traumatic injury to the aortic arch and great vessels

BACKGROUND

Treatment of traumatic vascular injury using endovascular techniques has evolved as endovascular capabilities have advanced over the past several decades. Several endovascular techniques have been employed to address the challenges of traumatic arterial injury, including coil embolization and the use of stents, which may be either bare metal or covered with graft material. Compared with traditional surgical repair, endovascular stent grafting for the repair of traumatic arterial injury offers the advantage of decreased morbidity because a remote access site may be used, avoiding surgical dissection and lengthy operating times.

METHODS

A Medline (1995-2007) search was performed to find all studies discussing the use of endovascular means to treat supradiaphragmatic arterial trauma.

RESULTS

In this review of 195 studies published between January 1995 and December 2007, the overall technical success rate of endovascular treatment of supradiaphragmatic arterial injury was 96.7%, and the complication rate was 6.4%.

CONCLUSION

The results of this review suggest a potential morbidity and mortality benefit over traditional open repair; however, long-term data are lacking. Long-term follow-up for stent durability is of particular concern in the trauma population, which tends to comprise younger patients with minimal atherosclerotic disease. The success of endovascular techniques is also limited by the availability of skilled interventionalists, properly outfitted angiography suites, and suitable stent graft devices. Despite these challenges, the potential advantages of endovascular stenting make it a welcome addition to the armamentarium of the vascular interventionalist who treats arterial traumatic injuries.

Spontaneous splanchnic dissection: application and timing of therapeutic options

BACKGROUND

Spontaneous splanchnic dissection (SSD) occurs infrequently and has a poorly defined natural history. Few studies address the application, timing, and consequences of therapeutic options. Our goal was to apply conservative (non-operative) management in the care of each patient, reserving interventions for specific indications that may be predictive of adverse outcomes.

METHODS

Between 2003 and 2008, 10 consecutive patients (mean age 54.7-years-old, 70.0% male) presented with 11 SSDs involving either the celiac artery (n = 6), superior mesenteric artery (n = 3), or both (n = 1). Each patient had acute, spontaneous onset of persistent abdominal pain and was diagnosed with SSD following multidetector row computed tomographic angiography (CTA). Non-operative management (anticoagulation, anti-impulse therapy, analgesics, and serial CTA examinations) was initially used in 9 patients. Endovascular (n = 2) or operative (n = 2) intervention was performed either immediately (n = 1) or following failed medical management (n = 3) in 4 patients for specific indications that included persistent symptoms (n = 3), expansion of false lumen (n = 3), and/or radiologic malperfusion (n = 3).

RESULTS

All patients were asymptomatic after successful non-operative management or following intervention. No morbidity occurred. Upon complete follow-up (mean 13.4 months, range, 2 to 36 months), all patients remained asymptomatic. Preservation of distal perfusion with either thrombosis or ongoing regression of false lumen was achieved in 5 patients who received only non-operative management and in 4 patients following intervention. A stable chronic dissection was present in 1 patient who had only non-operative management.

CONCLUSION

Successful outcomes following SSD may be achieved with either non-operative therapy alone or intervention if persistent symptoms, expansion of false lumen, and/or malperfusion occur. The unpredictable response of the false lumen to conservative management mandates close, long-term follow-up. Endovascular and operative interventions produced similar outcomes in a small number of patients with limited follow-up. Although SSD is currently perceived as rare, the increasing use of CTA may prove that the true incidence has been underestimated.

Endovascular intervention in thoracic arterial trauma

The management of thoracic vascular injury has improved dramatically over the past two decades. The availability of multi-row detector CT has facilitated early diagnosis and incorporation of minimally invasive endograft repair for traumatic aortic injury has improved mortality and paraplegia rates. This review evaluates the available data on stent-graft repair of acute blunt traumatic aortic injury and traumatic great vessel injury with regard to safety and efficacy in comparison with conventional open surgical repair.