Atherosclerotic renal artery occlusion extending into branches: successful revascularization in situ with a branched saphenous vein graft

Surgical treatment for isolated dissection of the renal artery

From 1974 to 1989, 18 patients underwent surgical treatment for isolated dissection of the renal artery causing high grade stenosis, including 2 patients with bilateral renal involvement. The causes of renal artery dissection were blunt trauma (1 patient), unsuccessful percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (5) and atherosclerosis (5) or intimal fibroplasia (7) of the renal artery. The most common presenting signs or symptoms of a dissection were hypertension (94%), an abdominal bruit (44%), headache (44%), minimal proteinuria (44%), microscopic hematuria (38%) and flank pain (38%). Renal artery dissection led to segmental or total renal infarction in 8 of 20 involved kidneys (40%). Seventeen patients underwent unilateral surgical revascularization with amelioration of hypertension and preservation of renal function. Three kidneys were lost due to irreversible ischemic damage from an occlusive dissection. Isolated renal artery dissection is an uncommon lesion that can cause hypertension and threaten renal function.

Nonreversed saphenous vein grafts for coronary artery bypass grafting

Between August 1985 and December 1988, valvotomized saphenous vein grafts were used in 365 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). In this operation, the femoral end of the vein is attached to the aorta and the pedal end is attached to the coronary artery. Vein diameters measured 8 +/- 2 mm at the femoral end, 4.5 +/- 1.2 mm at the knee level, and 3.5 +/- 1.3 mm at the ankle. Ratios between levels were as follows: knee to femoral end, 0.56, and ankle to femoral end, 0.43. The ratio of knee to femoral end was 0.42 in cases with vein midthigh bifurcation. There were 1,310 grafts implanted (3.6 per patient). In 341 patients, CABG alone was performed, and 24 patients had combined procedures: 11 had CABG with mitral valve replacement, 9 had CABG with aortic valve replacement, 2 had CABG with repair of postinfarct ventricular septal defect, and 2 had CABG with automatic defibrillator implantation. Follow-up (up to 3.5 years) was attained in 97% of patients. For various reasons, 34 patients had a second angiogram between 3 and 41 months postoperatively. Of 120 vein grafts, 108 (90%) were patent. At autopsy, 11 patients with 45 vein grafts had 43 patent and clean grafts and two thrombosed. Use of nonreversed saphenous vein for coronary bypass is recommended. It assures a large proximal anastomosis, natural vein bifurcations can be used with fewer proximal anastomoses, better vein-coronary artery size matching is obtained, and the patency rate is satisfactory.

Extracorporeal replacement of the renal artery: techniques, indications and long-term results

Extracorporeal repair of the renal artery was done in 24 patients for complex lesions extending to branches of the renal artery (9 dysplasias, 5 atheromas and 10 aneurysms). The renal artery and its branches were replaced by a hypogastric branched autograft in 20 patients and a saphenous vein graft in 4. Indications for an extracorporeal operation were hypertension, preservation of renal function against progressive deterioration and extension of the lesion to more than 2 branches of the renal artery. Of 76 peripheral anastomoses 68 were patent postoperatively. Two secondary nephrectomies were performed. Mean followup was 54 months. Hypertension was cured in 19 patients and improved in 2, while 2 failed treatment and 1 died. An extracorporeal operation may represent the best alternative for treatment of renal arterial lesions involving more than 2 branches.

Extracorporeal renal surgery and autotransplantation: indications, techniques and results

Renal autotransplantation and/or an extracorporeal renal operation has been done 67 times in 65 patients. The indications for operation were severe ureteral injury in 8 patients, urinary undiversion in 2, renovascular hypertension in 10, carcinoma in a solitary kidney in 3, recurrent renal colic in 1 and donor arterial reconstruction before renal transplantation in 43. Methods of renal preservation and operative repair are described. Sixty-five operations were successful and 2 operations failed because of severe perirenal fibrosis in patients undergoing urinary undiversion. Renal autotransplantation and extracorporeal reconstruction can provide the best solution for selected urologic problems not correctable by conventional methods.

Surgical management of branch renal artery disease: in situ versus extracorporeal methods of repair

Herein are presented the techniques and their respective indications that have been found most effective in replacing the renal artery and its branches. Aortorenal bypass and, occasionally, splenorenal bypass can be tailored to achieve in situ repair of most branch renal artery lesions. Extracorporeal renal revascularization and autotransplantation have been done on onar disease. Revascularization with preservation of renal parenchyma can now be achieved in almost all patients with branch renal artery disease.