Endovascular repair of an iliac artery aneurysm in a patient with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome type IV

Management of spontaneous dissection and rupture of common iliac artery in vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (VEDS)

A 28-year-old male with history of vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (VEDS) presented with left lower extremity acute limb ischemia. Computed tomography angiography demonstrated spontaneous dissection of the left common iliac artery with occlusion and associated contained rupture . Successful stent placement without associated complications was achieved with the following principles: (1) open arterial exposure for endovascular intervention; (2) no touch technique vessel dissection; (3) circumferential proximal arterial felt cuff reinforcement to reduce systolic pulse wave stretch on sutures, and in case of emergent ligation; and (4) pledgetted "preclose U" stitch monofilament suture prior to access.

Case Report: Hybrid approach as a Rescue Treatment in a patient with vascular Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome

Vascular Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (vEDS) is a rare connective tissue disorder associated with COL3A1 gene mutation encoding type III collagen. Given the possible fatal prognosis if not treated timely, it is important to suspect and diagnose as soon as possible. Despite advances in endovascular technique, access point complications remain a serious challenge in patients with vEDS. Here, we describe a 30-year-old male patient who was diagnosed with vEDS after consecutive events of bilateral iliac vessels at an interval of 3 months: (1) spontaneous dissecting aneurysm of right iliac artery and (2) arteriovenous fistula between left internal iliac artery (IIA) and left common iliac vein. This patient was treated with iliac stent-grafts and overlapping femoral interposition graft (Dacron) in the 1st operation and access artery repair with surgical dissection after coil embolization of IIA and stent-graft insertion into left common to external iliac arteries in the 2nd operation. The patient has been treated with beta-blockers and anticoagulants for the management of vEDS and postoperative deep vein thrombosis, respectively. The stent-grafts in both iliac arteries and the access sites have been well-tolerated without any adverse effects for 14 months following the 2nd operation. In conclusion, given the vascular fragility and the potential for future events, additional vascular manipulation should be avoided unless it is in a life-threatening condition. In particular, meticulous hybrid interventions can be effective treatments.

A deep-learning method for the end-to-end prediction of intracranial aneurysm rupture risk

It is critical to accurately predict the rupture risk of an intracranial aneurysm (IA) for timely and appropriate treatment because the fatality rate after rupture is 50 % . Existing methods relying on morphological features (e.g., height-width ratio) measured manually by neuroradiologists are labor intensive and have limited use for risk assessment. Therefore, we propose an end-to-end deep-learning method, called TransIAR net, to automatically learn the morphological features from 3D computed tomography angiography (CTA) data and accurately predict the status of IA rupture. We devise a multiscale 3D convolutional neural network (CNN) to extract the structural patterns of the IA and its neighborhood with a dual branch of shared network structures. Moreover, we learn the spatial dependence within the IA neighborhood with a transformer encoder. Our experiments demonstrated that the features learned by TransIAR are more effective and robust than handcrafted features, resulting in a 10 % - 15 % improvement in the accuracy of rupture status prediction.

A multi-institutional experience in the aortic and arterial pathology in individuals with genetically confirmed vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome

OBJECTIVE

Vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (vEDS) is a rare connective tissue disorder owing to pathogenic variants in COL3A1 that lead to impaired type III collagen production. We aim to describe the contemporary multi-institutional experience of aortic and arterial pathology in individuals with vEDS, to evaluate disease patterns and refine management recommendations.

METHODS

This cross-sectional, retrospective study of individuals with genetically confirmed vEDS was conducted between 2000 and 2015 at multiple institutions participating in the Vascular Low Frequency Disease Consortium. Aortic and arterial events including aneurysms, pseudoaneurysms, dissections, fistulae, or ruptures were studied. Demographics, COL3A1 variants, management, and outcomes data were collected and analyzed. Individuals with and without arterial events were compared.

RESULTS

Eleven institutions identified 86 individuals with pathogenic variants in COL3A1 (47.7% male, 86% Caucasian; median age, 41 years; interquartile range [IQR], 31.0-49.5 years; 65.1% missense COL3A1 variants). The median follow-up from the time of vEDS diagnosis was 7.5 years (IQR, 3.5-12.0 years). A total of 139 aortic/arterial pathologies were diagnosed in 53 individuals (61.6%; 50.9% male; 88.5% Caucasian; median age, 33 years; IQR, 25.0-42.3 years). The aortic/arterial events presented as an emergency in 52 cases (37.4%). The most commonly affected arteries were the mesenteric arteries (31.7%), followed by cerebrovascular (16.5%), iliac (16.5%), and renal arteries (12.2%). The most common management was medical management. When undertaken, the predominant endovascular interventions were arterial embolization of medium sized arteries (13.4%), followed by stenting (2.5%). Aortic pathology was noted in 17 individuals (32%; 58.8% male; 94.1% Caucasian; median age, 38.5 years; IQR, 30.8-44.7 years). Most notably, four individuals underwent successful abdominal aortic aneurysm repair with excellent results on follow-up. Individuals with missense mutations, in which glycine was substituted with a large amino acid, had an earlier onset of aortic/arterial pathology (median age, 30 years; IQR, 23.5-37 years) compared with the other pathogenic COL3A1 variants (median age, 36 years; IQR, 29.5-44.8 years; P = .065). There were 12 deaths (22.6%) at a median age of 36 years (IQR, 28-51 years).

CONCLUSIONS

Most of the vEDS arterial manifestations were managed medically in this cohort. When intervention is required for an enlarging aneurysm or rupture, embolization, and less frequently stenting, seem to be well-tolerated. Open repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm seems to be as well-tolerated as in those without vEDS; vEDS should not be a deterrent to offering an operation. Future work to elucidate the role of surgical interventions and refine management recommendations in the context of patient centered outcomes is warranted.

An Endovascular Approach to Spontaneous Isolated Acute Iliac Dissecting Aneurysm with Contained Rupture

Acute spontaneous isolated common and external iliac dissection with aneurysm is a very rare entity involving high morbidity and mortality, with only few reports in literature. If not treated promptly, they have high morbidity or mortality in case they rupture. We report a case of similar dissection with aneurysmal formation managed with percutaneous stent-graft placement. This is a unique case where aorta was not involved and patient presented to us in stable hemodynamic status in spite of a contained rupture at the dissected site.

Pseudoaneurisma da artéria poplítea em um paciente com Síndrome de Ehlers-Danlos Tipo VI

Resumo A Síndrome de Ehlers-Danlos (EDS) é uma rara doença hereditária do tecido conjuntivo proveniente de uma alteração da síntese do colágeno. A principal característica da EDS é a extrema fragilidade do tecido conjuntivo, que pode resultar em rotura uterina, perfuração intestinal espontânea e várias doenças vasculares como aneurismas, pseudoaneurismas, dissecções arteriais e roturas espontâneas. Os autores relatam o caso de um paciente de 11 anos de idade que apresentava tumor pulsátil na fossa poplítea esquerda após trauma leve com bola de futebol. Diagnosticado pseudoaneurisma de artéria poplítea pelo doppler arterial, confirmado através da angiografia, optou-se pela exploração arterial e devido à fragilidade da parede não foi possível a sua reconstrução. Realizada a ligadura simples da artéria proximal. Evoluiu com isquemia grave do membro e após autorização da família foi realizada a sua amputação. No segundo dia do pós-operatório o paciente apresentou uma dissecção aguda da aorta torácica, evoluindo a óbito.

Visceral artery aneurysms: Incidence, management, and outcome analysis in a tertiary care center over one decade

Objectives

To evaluate the incidence, management, and outcome of visceral artery aneurysms (VAA) over one decade.

Methods

233 patients with 253 VAA were analyzed according to location, diameter, aneurysm type, aetiology, rupture, management, and outcome.

Results

VAA were localized at the splenic artery, coeliac trunk, renal artery, hepatic artery, superior mesenteric artery, and other locations. The aetiology was degenerative, iatrogenic after medical procedures, connective tissue disease, and others. The rate of rupture was much higher in pseudoaneurysms than true aneurysms (76.3 % vs.3.1 %). Fifty-nine VAA were treated by intervention (n = 45) or surgery (n = 14). Interventions included embolization with coils or glue, covered stents, or combinations of these. Thirty-five cases with ruptured VAA were treated on an emergency basis. There was no difference in size between ruptured and non-ruptured VAA. After interventional treatment, the 30-day mortality was 6.7 % in ruptured VAA compared to no mortality in non-ruptured cases. Follow-up included CT and/or MRI after a mean period of 18.0 ± 26.8 months. The current status of the patient was obtained by a structured telephone survey.

Conclusions

Pseudoaneurysms of visceral arteries have a high risk for rupture. Aneurysm size seems to be no reliable predictor for rupture. Interventional treatment is safe and effective for management of VAA.

Key Points

• Diagnosis of visceral artery aneurysms is increasing due to CT and MRI.

• Diameter of visceral arterial aneurysms is no reliable predictor for rupture.

• False aneurysms/pseudoaneurysms and symptomatic cases need emergency treatment.

• Interventional treatment is safe and effective.

Treatment of vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome: a systematic review

OBJECTIVE

To provide the collected evidence from all literature reports.

BACKGROUND

Vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is a rare connective tissue disorder with serious hemorrhagic consequences. Most experience on treatment is based on case reports and small case series.

METHOD

A systematic literature review was performed. PubMed and reference lists were scrutinized.

RESULTS

A total of 231 patients were identified with no gender preponderance. Aneurysms were present in 40%, often multiple. In 33%, there was an arterial rupture without an underlying aneurysm. Carotidocavernous fistula was seen in 18%. After open surgery the mortality was 30%; after endovascular procedures, it was 24%; in a group of miscellaneous cases, it was 60%; and the overall mortality was 39%. The median age of patients at death was 31 years. The median follow-up time was 12 months (5 days-7 years), but in 20% cases, it was not reported. In only 29 of the 119 recent patients (24%) the mutation was verified with molecular genetic testing.

CONCLUSIONS

Vascular EDS is a serious disorder with high mortality, which does not seem to have been influenced by new treatment methods. Invasive methods should be used only when necessary, primarily to save the patients' life. Whenever possible, the genetic molecular defect should be identified. The results of this review may be affected by publications bias. Ideally, a prospective registry should be created.

Endovascular repair of an iliac arteriovenous fistula secondary to perforation from a common iliac aneurysm in a patient with Ehler-Danlos syndrome

BACKGROUND

Type IV Ehler-Danlos syndrome (EDS) patients are prone to life-threatening vascular complications. Surgical management of those complications is challenging owing to vessel wall fragility, which may result in hemorrhagic events and high mortality rates. Here we report a case of left common iliac aneurysm perforation of the ipsilateral iliac vein repaired using endovascular technique in a patient with EDS.

METHOD AND RESULTS

A 54-year-old patient presented with heart failure symptoms that evolved over 1 week in association with left leg edema and steal syndrome due to a perforation of the left iliac vein caused by a left common iliac aneurysm. A thrombosed right common iliac aneurysm and several other visceral and peripheral aneurysms were discovered on computed tomographic scan at admission. An aortouniiliac stent graft was used to seal the fistula. After 18 months of follow-up, the patient remained asymptomatic.

CONCLUSIONS

We suggest that endovascular therapy is useful to manage vascular complications in patients with EDS.

Superior mesenteric artery aneurysm in a 9-year-old boy with classical Ehlers-Danlos syndrome

A 9-year-old boy with the classical type of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) developed a symptomatic aneurysm of the superior mesenteric artery. His EDS diagnosis had been confirmed biochemically and genetically. Vascular complications are known to be associated with the vascular type of EDS, but this is the first report of a child with classical EDS who developed a major vascular complication. Clinicians should be aware that severe vascular complications albeit rare, can also occur in classical EDS.

Successful endovascular repair of acute type B aortic dissection in undiagnosed Ehlers-Danlos syndrome type IV

A 61-year-old man presented with an acute type B aortic dissection for which a stent-graft was introduced. He remains complication-free 4 years onwards and has since been diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome type IV (EDS IV). His particular mutation is predicted to result in lesser levels of normal collagen and may explain his favourable outcome from endovascular intervention. Understanding the genotype-phenotype correlation may influence the choice of therapy offered to patients with EDS IV.

Ruptured hepatic artery aneurysm: a novel approach to distal control

We describe a unique method for obtaining distal control in a ruptured hepatic artery aneurysm. A 34-year-old man with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome type IV presented with a ruptured left hepatic artery aneurysm. The distal aneurysm was within the parenchyma of the liver. Proximal control was obtained with pledgeted sutures. The distal hepatic artery was difficult to control. Injection of 5 mL of thrombin into the distal left hepatic artery resulted in hemorrhage control. This technique should be considered in select patients in whom distal arterial control is challenging.