CT angiogram and endovascular stent graft for an axillary artery gunshot wound

Critical stenosis of axillary artery treated with percutaneous angioplasty and stenting: a case report and review of the literature

Focal axillary artery stenosis or occlusion is a rare occurrence that is most commonly encountered after severe trauma involving the shoulder joint or proximal humerus. Other etiologies that can lead to axillary artery injury or pathology include different vasculitides, radiation arteritis, crutch-injury, and peripheral arterial disease. In this case report, a 70-year-old woman was referred for asymmetrically decreased right brachial artery systolic pressure and right-hand paresthesia with overhead abduction. Further evaluation with imaging revealed critical stenosis of the right axillary artery. The focal stenotic lesion was treated with drug-coated balloon angioplasty and stent placement leading to in-line flow and resolution of symptoms. Duplex exam 6 months post-treatment demonstrated a widely patent right axillary artery stent without stenosis. Biannual clinic visits up to 2 years post stent placement confirmed resolution of symptoms.

Endovascular solutions for the management of penetrating trauma: an update on REBOA and axillo-subclavian injuries

PURPOSE

Endovascular procedures continue to gain acceptance as management options for penetrating traumatic injuries. Currently, several areas of potential endovascular application are being investigated. However, the bulk of the literature on this topic is still limited to case series or small retrospective studies. Therefore, we performed a review of the published experience involving the application of endovascular therapy to trauma patients who have sustained penetrating injuries with focus on outcomes of resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) and endovascular repair of axillo-subclavian injuries.

METHODS

Published case reports, retrospective and prospective studies of REBOA and axillo-subclavian injuries were systematically reviewed.

RESULTS

A total of 7 studies on REBOA and 10 studies on endovascular repair of axillo-subclavian injuries were included. Overall, REBOA was used as an adjunct for hemorrhage control and resuscitation in patients at risk of cardiopulmonary arrest, preventing further cardiovascular collapse successfully. For axillo-subclavian injuries, endovascular stent placement had efficacy comparable to the traditional open repair.

CONCLUSION

REBOA is a safe and effective alternative to open thoracotomy in critically ill trauma patients at risk of death due to torso hemorrhage. Endovascular repair outcomes are comparable to open repair after axillo-subclavian injuries. Long-term results of endovascular repair remain to be defined in this patient population.

Axillary artery injury caused by fracture of humerus neck and its repair using basilic vein graft

Proximal humerus fractures are rarely associated with axillary artery injury. We present a case of a 59-year-old female who had fracture neck humerus along with absent pulsations in the left upper limb after blunt trauma. Computed tomographic angiogram revealed complete occlusion of the left axillary artery. Urgent surgical intervention was done in the form of fixation of fracture followed by exploration and repair of axillary artery. Axillary artery was contused and totally occluded by fractured edge of humerus. Repair of the axillary artery was done using basilic vein graft harvested through the same incision. Postprocedure pulsations were present in the upper limb.

Endovascular management of axillo-subclavian arterial injury: a review of published experience

BACKGROUND

The role of endovascular treatment for vascular trauma, including injury to the subclavian and axillary arteries, continues to evolve. Despite growing experience with the utilization of these techniques in the setting of artherosclerotic and aneurysmal disease, published reports in traumatic subclavian and axillary arterial injuries remain confined to sporadic case reports and case series.

METHODS

We conducted a review of the medical literature from 1990 to 2012 using Pubmed and OVID Medline databases to search for all reports documenting the use of endovascular stenting for the treatment of subclavian or axillary artery injuries. Thirty-two published reports were identified. Individual manuscripts were analysed to abstract data regarding mechanism, location and type of injury, endovascular technique and endograft type utilized, follow-up, and radiographic and clinical outcomes.

RESULTS

The use of endovascular stenting for the treatment of subclavian (150) or axillary (10) artery injuries was adequately described for only 160 patients from 1996 to the present. Endovascular treatment was employed after penetrating injury (56.3%; 29 GSW; 61 SW), blunt trauma (21.3%), iatrogenic catheter-related injury (21.8%) and surgical injury (0.6%). Injuries treated included pseudoaneurysm (77), AV fistula (27), occlusion (16), transection (8), perforation (22), dissection (6), or other injuries otherwise not fully described (4). Initial endovascular stent placement was successful in 96.9% of patients. Radiographic and clinical follow-up periods ranging from hospital discharge to 70 months revealed a follow-up patency of 84.4%. No mortalities related to endovascular intervention were reported. New neurologic deficits after the use of endovascular modalities were reported in only one patient.

CONCLUSION

Endovascular treatment of traumatic subclavian and axillary artery injuries continues to evolve. Early results are promising, but experience with this modality and data on late follow-up remain limited. Additional multicenter prospective study and capture of data for these patients is warranted to further define the role of this treatment modality in the setting of trauma.

Open repair and endovascular covered stent placement in the management of bilateral axillary artery aneurysms

A 72-year-old male with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and hyperlipidemia presented with acute right upper limb ischemia. Arterial occlusion was found to be secondary to a thrombosed axillary artery aneurysm. An open repair was performed with a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) graft. On further workup, the patient was found to have an asymptomatic axillary artery aneurysm on the left-hand side. Endovascular repair with a covered stent was chosen to treat this aneurysm.

Bilateral carotid stenting after a motor vehicle crash

Extracranial carotid artery dissection after blunt trauma may manifest as arterial stenosis or occlusion or as dissecting aneurysm formation. Anticoagulation and/or antiplatelet therapy is the first-line treatment, but, because it is effective and less invasive than other procedures, endovascular treatment of carotid artery dissection has recently attracted interest. A small subset of patients with blunt carotid dissection, or pseudoaneurysms, have bilateral injuries which may be high risk for occlusion and ischemic stroke. Early carotid stenting and subsequent antiplatelet therapy may be an option in this patient group.