Covered stent-graft repair of the brachiocephalic arteries: technical note

Traumatic penetrating arteriovenous fistulas: a collective review

INTRODUCTION

Traumatic penetrating arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) are very rare. The majority of these injuries occur secondary to penetrating trauma. Objectives of this study: review their incidence, clinical presentation, radiologic identification, management, complications and outcomes.

METHODS

A literature search was performed on MEDLINE Complete-Pubmed from 1829-2019. PRISMA guidelines were utilized. Of 305 potentially eligible articles, 201 articles were selected.

INCLUSION CRITERIA

patients age ≥ 18, articles with title and abstract in English, AVFs secondary to penetrating trauma, articles which specified vessels involved in AVFs, and those reporting complete information on patient presentation, diagnosis, imaging, surgical and/or endovascular surgical management, and outcomes of penetrating AVF's.

EXCLUSION CRITERIA

articles reporting blunt or iatrogenic AVFs, pediatric patients, fistulas used for dialysis and their complications, articles lacking complete information, cranial/spinal AVFs or cardiac AVFs, and duplicate articles. Mechanism of injury (MOI), diagnosis, involved vessels, management and outcomes of patients with AVFs secondary to penetrating trauma were recorded.

RESULTS

There were a total of 291 patients with AVFs secondary to penetrating injuries. Mechanism of injury (MOI): stab wounds (SW)-126 (43.3%), Gunshot wounds (GSW)-94 (32.3%), miscellaneous-35 (12%), mechanism unspecified-36 (12.4%). Anatomic area: neck-69 (23.7%) patients, thorax-46 (15.8%), abdomen-87 (30%), upper and lower extremities-89 (30.6%). Most commonly involved vessels-vertebral artery-38 (13%), popliteal vein-32 (11.7%). Angiography was diagnostic-265 patients (91.1%).

INTERVENTIONS

Surgical- 202 (59.6%), Endovascular-118 (34.8%). Associated: aneurysms/pseudoaneurysms-129 (44.3%).

CONCLUSION

Most AVFs occur secondary to penetrating injuries. Stab wounds account for the majority of these injuries. Most frequently injured vessels are vertebral artery and superficial femoral vein. Surgical interventions are the most common mode of management followed by endovascular surgical techniques.

Percutaneous Management of Concomitant Post-Traumatic High Vertebrovertebral and Caroticojugular Fistulas Using Balloons, Coils, and a Covered Stent

Purpose:

To describe the endovascular management of vertebrovertebral and caroticojugular fistulas in the same patient using a combination of endovascular techniques including covered stent placement in the high extracranial internal carotid artery.

Case Report:

A 22-year-old man presented with ipsilateral vertebrovertebral and caroticojugular fistulas at the C1 level several weeks after sustaining a solitary penetrating knife injury below the right ear. The right vertebral artery was sacrificed after a failed endovascular attempt to close the vertebrovertebral fistula. The caroticojugular fistula was treated with a self-expanding covered stent (Wallgraft) with exclusion of the fistula and preservation of flow through the carotid artery.

Conclusions:

Preservation of the extracranial arteries should be the preferred goal of treatment in traumatic extracranial arteriovenous fistulas. The use of covered stents in the extracranial vessels can accomplish this goal.

[Surgical treatment of distal extracranial internal carotid artery aneurysms associated with pathological artery kinking]

Extracranial internal carotid artery (ICA) aneurysms located at the entrance of the skull are a rare pathology. Surgical treatment is indicated for this pathology because of the risk of arterio-arterial embolism and the development of cerebrovascular disease. The domestic and international literature reports single cases or small group cases of successful surgical treatment of patients with distal internal carotid artery aneurysms associated with pathological kinking of the artery. Open surgery for aneurysms of this localization is complicated because of a high injury risk associated with the approach. Endovascular interventions are not always possible due to the presence of degenerative changes in the vascular wall and pathological artery kinking. We propose a surgical option for creating a high-flow ec-ic bypass between the external carotid artery and the M2 segment of the middle cerebral artery. The article describes the results of successful application of this technique in three patients with distal extracranial internal carotid artery aneurysms associated with pathological kinking of the artery.

Cerebral hyperperfusion syndrome after endovascular covered stent grafting for a giant extracranial aneurysm of the internal carotid artery

Symptomatic giant extracranial internal carotid artery (ICA) aneurysm is a rare and surgically intractable disease. Several authors have described successful treatments for extracranial ICA aneurysm. None, however, have described a perioperative evaluation of cerebral perfusion or a postoperative complication of cerebral hyperperfusion syndrome (CHS). We present a rare case of CHS after endovascular covered stent grafting for a giant extracranial ICA aneurysm. The CHS was successfully managed on the basis of hemodynamic monitoring. CHS can appear after endovascular reconstruction of an extracranial ICA aneurysm, and perioperative repeated evaluation of cerebral perfusion allows safe and effective management of CHS.

Endovascular implantation of covered stents in the extracranial carotid and vertebral arteries: Case series and review of the literature

Background:

Covered stents are used endovascularly to seal arterial wall defects while preserving vessel patency. This report describes our experience with the use of covered stents to treat cervical pathology, and a review of the literature in regards to this topic is presented.

Case Description:

Two patients presenting with the carotid blowout syndrome and one patient with a vertebrojugular fistula were treated with covered stents. This allowed for preservation of the vessel and was a treatment alternative to cerebral bypass.

Conclusion:

Covered stents provide a viable means of preserving the cervical vessels in selected patients; however, long-term follow-up is necessary to determine stent patency and permanency of hemostasis.

Endovascular treatment of penetrating traumatic injuries of the extracranial carotid artery

PURPOSE

To describe the clinical and angiographic results of endovascular therapy for traumatic injuries of the extracranial carotid artery.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The clinical and angiographic features of 36 traumatic injuries of the carotid artery during a 12-year period were reviewed. There were 35 male patients (97.2%) and 1 female patient (2.8%) with an average age of 28.8 years (range 13-60 years). Of the 36 lesions of the carotid artery, 29 (80.6%) were the result of gunshot injury, and 7 (19.4%) were secondary to stab wounds. In 24 (66.7%) instances, the injury resulted in a pseudoaneurysm; in 7 (19.4%), in an arteriovenous fistula (AVF); in 4 (11.1%), in a dissection; and in 1 (2.8%), in inactive bleeding. All patients were treated with an endovascular approach using different techniques (balloon occlusion, embolization, or stent deployment).

RESULTS

Endovascular therapy resulted in documented lesion occlusion in 34 (94.4%) patients. Two patients declined any follow-up postprocedural imaging; however, they have remained asymptomatic. Clinical improvement was documented in 35 (97.2%) patients, and there was one procedure-related complication with fatal consequences.

CONCLUSIONS

In this series, endovascular techniques were an effective method of treatment. It was possible to use different endovascular reconstructive techniques or parent artery occlusion depending on the degree of vessel damage, with resolution of clinical symptoms and avoidance of surgery in most cases.

Interventional neuroradiological techniques for the treatment of aneurysms of the supra-aortic extracranial arteries

Aneurysms in the supra-aortic extracranial arteries are rare in neurovascular pathology. Conventional surgery is effective but technically demanding and successful endovascular repair is reported. We treated 5 patients with supra-aortic extracranial artery aneurysms at our hospital (mean age 53.8 years). There were 2 aneurysms of the common carotid artery, 1 of the extracranial internal carotid artery, 1 of the subclavian artery, and 1 located at the innominate artery. Four patients were symptomatic. The lesion was the result of trauma in 3 patients. The procedure was conducted using bare stent placement and coil embolization of the aneurysm in 2 patients, covered stent in 2 patients, and bare stent only in 1 patient. No periprocedural complications occurred. Follow-up angiography revealed asymptomatic stent thrombosis in a patient treated using a covered stent, but the remaining 4 patients showed successful treatment of the aneurysms with the parent arteries remaining patent. Follow-up clinical assessment ranged between 30 and 81 months. The patient with stent thrombosis died of unrelated pathology; the remaining patients did not experience aneurysm recurrence, hemorrhage, or distal thromboembolism.

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.

Endovascular stent-graft treatment of a traumatic vertebral artery pseudoaneurysm and vertebrojugular fistula

An endovascular intervention is a feasible alternative to the technically challenging conventional surgery for the treatment of traumatic vertebral arterial lesions. This report describes a rare case involving a 22-year-old patient with a traumatic vertebral arterial pseudoaneurysm and multiple arteriovenous fistulas which were successfully sealed using the endovascular stent-graft technique.

Endoprótese revestida de jugular preservada de bovino: estudo comparativo da resposta tecidual em aorta torácica descendente e veia cava inferior de suínos

OBJETIVO: Avaliar e comparar a resposta tecidual de uma endoprótese biosintetica implantada na aorta torácica descendente e veia cava inferior de suínos. MÉTODO: Foi implantada uma endoprótese auto-expansível composta de aço inoxidável, revestida por veia jugular de bovino, processada pelo método L-hydro, com auxilio de uma bainha de liberação Taheri-Leonhardt (Flórida, EUA) na aorta torácica descendente, e a veia cava infra-renal de 10 suínos. Sessenta dias após, as endopróteses foram retiradas e analisadas sob o ponto de vista macro e microscópicos. Foram observados: perviedade, grau de incorporação a parede do vaso, tipo de reação inflamatória, e local de maior resposta, tanto em relação a camada do vaso quanto ao local de contato com o anel de aço RESULTADOS: Todas as endopróteses encontravam-se pérvias, e incorporadas à parede. No setor venoso, seis apresentaram traves fibrosas em sua luz, e quatro apresentaram fibrose perivascular. No setor arterial somente uma prótese apresentou discreta estenose, sem fibrose perivascular. A reação inflamatória crônica tipo corpo estranho ocorreu em 100% das peças, a camada média foi a mais acometida no setor venoso, enquanto a íntima foi mais constante na artéria, o grau de incorporação foi mais firme na veia em comparação a artéria. A reação tecidual mostrou maior tendência nas áreas em intimo contato com o anel de aço (intra-anelar), mais intensa na artéria do que na veia. CONCLUSÃO: A prótese apresentou baixa trombogenicidade em ambos os sistemas, houve maior reação tecidual e baixa biocompatibilidade no setor venoso.

Endovascular Exclusion of an External Carotid Artery Pseudoaneurysm Using a Covered Stent

Aneurysmal lesions of the external carotid artery are extremely rare. A case is presented of a 3.8 cm right external carotid artery pseudoaneurysm treated by transluminal exclusion using an endovascular stent-graft. Following stent-graft placement, complete occlusion of the aneurysmal sac and main vessel lumen patency was successfully demonstrated. This report demonstrates the technical feasibility of utilizing stent-grafts to treat aneurysmal lesions involving the external carotid artery.

Treatment of an iatrogenic vertebral artery laceration with the Symbiot self expandable covered stent

Vertebral artery laceration is difficult to treat surgically. Endovascular treatment with balloon expandable covered stents often fails due to their rigidity and poor navigability. We present a case of iatrogenic vertebral artery laceration where endovascular treatment with a balloon expandable covered stent failed. Eventually a self expandable symbiot covered stent was deployed over the laceration, securing hemostasis and preserving the vessel patency. The newer self expandable covered stents seem promising in the treatment of vertebral artery injury.

Management of pseudoaneurysms in the intracranial segment of the internal carotid artery with covered stents specially designed for use in the intracranial vasculature: technical notes

Vascular diseases like aneurysms, pseudoaneurysms and direct high-flow carotid-cavernous fistulas on the intracranial segment of the internal carotid artery are usually managed through transarterial embolization with detachable coils or balloons. Utility of covered stents has been reported with good results in the treatment of selective cases. But the current generation of covered stents for coronary use is rather stiff and difficult to navigate in tortuous vessels particularly in the intracranial vasculature. Herein, we report on the use and technical respects of balloon-expanded covered stents specially designed for intracranial vasculature in the treatment of two pseudoaneurysms secondary to the successful obliteration of direct CCFs on the intracranial segment of the internal carotid artery. This is the first report of covered stents specially developed for use in intracranial vasculature.

Endovascular Treatment of a Vertebral Artery Pseudoaneurysm in a Drug User

A 26-year-old drug abuser who presented with sepsis was found to have a pseudoaneurysm in the left vertebral artery. This aneurysm was presumed to be post-traumatic, since the patient reported multiple attempts to inject drugs in the left jugular vein 15 days prior to admission. The pseudoaneurysm was treated effectively with stent-graft placement.

Endovascular Repair of Carotid Artery Aneurysms Following Carotid Endarterectomy

Aneurysm of the carotid artery following endarterectomy is a rare entity that historically has required reoperation. Endovascular deployment of a covered stent can theoretically exclude an aneurysm while minimizing the risks seen with reoperation. Herein, we review the scientific literature on this evolving technique and report an additional case involving successful treatment of an aneurysm that developed following remote endarterectomy.

Stent-supported coil embolization for carotid artery pseudoaneurysm as a complication of endovascular surgery--case report

A 57-year-old male presented with right amaurosis fugax and left transient ischemic attack caused by stenosis of the intracranial segment of the right internal carotid artery (ICA). Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty with stenting was successfully performed to dilate the stenosis. However, serial angiography revealed the development of a large pseudoaneurysm in the cervical ICA, probably as a result of carotid wall injury caused by the guiding catheter during the procedures. The patient underwent a second endovascular angioplasty. A Palmaz stent was placed across the aneurysm neck to stabilize the carotid wall. Guglielmi detachable coils were then inserted into the aneurysm cavity through the stent struts to successfully obliterate the aneurysm. Both the angiographical results and the patient's outcome were favorable. Stent-supported coil embolization is an effective and safe technique for medically refractory pseudoaneurysms, and may be a useful alternative to direct surgery.

Successful Endovascular Treatment of a Left Common Carotid Artery Aneurysm Following Failed Surgery of a Right Common Carotid Artery Aneurysm

Aneurysm of the common carotid artery is a rare and serious disease requiring prompt treatment in order to avoid neurologic complications. A 39-year-old man presented with voice impairment and a pulsatile mass at the right side of his neck and was found by color Doppler examination to have bilateral common carotid artery aneurysms of unknown origin. The right-sided large aneurysm was treated with placement of an 8 mm interposition Gore-Tex graft between the right common and internal carotid arteries. The surgical graft thrombosed 7 days after the surgery but the left-sided aneurysm was successfully treated by a Jostent peripheral stent-graft. Color Doppler examination showed a patent stent and no filling of the aneurysm on his first and sixth-month follow-up. Bilateral common carotid artery aneurysm is an exceptionally unusual condition and endovascular treatment of carotid artery aneurysms with covered stents may become an effective treatment alternative for these lesions.

Stent-Graft Treatment of Extracranial Carotid and Vertebral Arterial Lesions

Five patients with pseudoaneurysms of the carotid artery (n = 4) and an arteriovenous fistula of the vertebral artery (n = 1) were treated with stent-grafts. Commercially made devices were used in all but one of the patients. In four of the five patients, the pathology was successfully excluded. One patient had a small type-I endoleak. There were no immediate procedure-related complications or neurologic sequalae. All experienced immediate resolution of symptoms. One patient was lost to follow-up after discharge and another died 2 weeks after intervention. The remaining patients remained asymptomatic with patent stent-grafts after follow-up periods of 14, 16, and 46 months, respectively.

Treatment of Extracranial and Intracranial Aneurysms and Arteriovenous Fistulae Using Stent Grafts

OBJECTIVE:

Treatment of 11 patients with aneurysms or arteriovenous fistulae of the craniocervical arteries with stent grafts.

METHODS:

Peripheral stent grafts were deployed in two extracranial internal carotid arteries. Coronary stent grafts were used to treat two giant aneurysms, five direct carotid-cavernous fistulae, one vertebrojugular fistula, and two dissecting aneurysms of the vertebral artery (V2 and V4).

RESULTS:

Stent grafts were used successfully in two extracranial internal carotid and two extracranial vertebral arteries, one dissecting aneurysm of the intracranial vertebral artery, one giant aneurysm and one pseudoaneurysm of the cavernous internal carotid artery, and five direct carotid-cavernous sinus fistulae. Angiographic follow-up examinations (available in nine patients; obtained at 3 mo to 5 yr; average, 24 mo) revealed normal vessel caliber, and the stent grafts in all 9 of 11 initial patients were patent. There was a recurrent saccular aneurysm adjacent to the stent graft in the patient with the intracranial vertebral artery aneurysm. The following five complications were encountered: transient hemiparesis (n = 2), increased hemiparesis, post-procedural management-related fatality, and ICA dissection. In six patients, stent graft deployment was accomplished without any technical or clinical complication. There were no permanent neurological deficits consequent to stent graft placement.

CONCLUSION:

Stent grafts are a useful tool for the endovascular treatment of head and neck aneurysms and direct arteriovenous fistulae in selected patients. The major disadvantage of the currently available stent grafts is their lack of mechanical flexibility. Maneuvering stent grafts in the intracranial arteries carries the risk of iatrogenic vessel dissection and may require supportive measures and protection of the target site by conventional stents.

Endovascular-covered stent treatment of posttraumatic cervical carotid artery pseudoaneurysms

Pseudoaneurysm involving the cervical portion of the carotid artery can result from prior trauma or dissection. Two patients are reported with posttraumatic carotid artery pseudoaneurysms. In both cases, endovascular-covered stents were placed across the diseased portion of the artery resulting in thrombosis of the aneurysm and preservation of the parent artery without any significant complication. It is therefore concluded that covered stent placement is an alternative approach in treating carotid artery pseudoaneurysms.

Delayed stenosis following placement of a polyethylene terephthalate endograft in the cervical carotid artery. Report of three cases

Three patients with carotid artery (CA) pseudoaneurysms were treated using four polyethylene terephthalate endografts (Wallgraft endoprostheses). Two patients received a single graft and one patient with bilateral pseudoaneurysms received two grafts. Complete occlusion of the pseudoaneurysm with patency of the arterial lumen was achieved following endograft placement in all patients. The clinical follow-up interval ranged from 12 to 18 months and included angiography or ultrasonography studies or both. One patient experienced neurological symptoms, and in-graft stenosis ranging from 50 to 100% occurred in three of the four grafts. Although the Wallgraft endoprosthesis produced good initial results for the treatment of cervical CA pseudoaneurysms, as demonstrated on radiography, it was associated with a high rate of stenosis or occlusion in all three patients.

Recurrent vertebral arteriovenous fistula after surgical repair: treatment with a self-expanding stent-graft

PURPOSE

To describe successful endovascular repair of a recurrent vertebral arteriovenous fistula (AVF) after surgical correction.

CASE REPORT

A 42-year-old woman presented with recurrent dizziness, nausea, and headaches. A loud bruit in the right neck was present. Central venous catheter insertion had been done 1 year previously, creating an angiographically documented right-sided vertebral AVF that was successfully excluded by a surgical procedure. Four weeks later, the AVF reappeared. Successful endovascular repair with a self-expanding stent-graft was performed. Follow-up over 12 months was uneventful, with a patent vertebral artery and no recurrence of symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

Endovascular stent-graft repair is feasible and offers a therapeutic alternative in the treatment of vertebral AVF, in particular for recurrence after initial surgery. This minimally invasive method may become the treatment of choice in the management of such lesions, preserving patency of the vertebral artery.