[Thrombo-embolic pulmonary hypertension--do not spoil a chance for effective surgery!]

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) can be defined as pulmonary hypertension with persistent pulmonary perfusion defects causes by unresolved thrombi. All symptomatic CTEPH patients with documented pulmonary vascular resistance > 300 dyn*sec*cm(-5) and proximal lesions should be considered for surgical treatment--pulmonary endarterectomy. The role of pharmacological treatment remains controversial and should be restricted to inoperable cases and persistent pulmonary hypertension after pulmonary endarterectomy. Every year about 30 procedures is performed in two specialised centers in Poland with 1 year mortality at 8-9%. Number of procedures done gives the frequency of pulmonary endarterectomy at 0.7/million of population/year. Current data from UK indicate the actual ratio of surgical treatment of CTPH at 2/million/year. The article discusses reasons for CTEPH is underdiagnosed and why rate of surgical therapy in Poland is too low.

The role of surgery when endovascular treatment is considered the first choice therapy for ruptured intracranial aneurysms

AIM

Nowadays endovascular therapy is more and more considered as first choice treatment for ruptured intracranial aneurysms. The aim of this study was to understand the impact that endovascular treatment (EVT), chosen as first therapeutic strategy, has had in the selection of ruptured intracranial aneurysms submitted to surgery at our Institution and what role neurosurgeons still play in this setting.

METHODS

From 1998 to 2002, 272 consecutive patients were treated at the Hospital of Toulouse for ruptured intracranial aneurysms: 222 by embolization and 50 by surgery. The two groups were homogeneous for sex, age and aneurysms multiplicity.

RESULTS

The patients of the surgical group had a worst clinical-radiological status at the treatment time than those treated by EVT. Clipping was performed for different reasons: 16% for failure of attempted EVT; 32% for intracranial hematoma requiring surgical evacuation; 30% for aneurysm morphology unsuitable for EVT and 22% for absence of the endovascular operator. Aneurysms of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) represented the main surgical group. The aneurysms judged unsuitable for EVT and addressed to surgery had often a complex morphology representing a challenge also for surgery. Mid-term outcome is significantly better for patients treated by EVT.

CONCLUSION

The results show that microsurgery continues to have a role in the treatment of ruptured intracranial aneurysms even when EVT is the first choice. The precarious clinical conditions of the patients submitted to surgery and the frequent complexity of their aneurysms explain their worst outcome. This would advise training dedicated vascular Neurosurgeons to guaranty a high level treatment when EVT is not possible.

Pulmonary endarterectomy for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. Ten years experience in Denmark

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate survival and functional outcome in patients treated by pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA) for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension in Denmark.

DESIGN

Follow-up of the first 50 patients operated at Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark.

RESULTS

Fifty patients underwent PEA in the period from 1994 to mid 2004. Prior to surgery all patients were in World Health Organization (WHO) function class III (n=33) or IV (n=17). The mean pulmonary artery pressure was 50 mmHg (range 25-76), cardiac index 1.8 l min(-1)m(-2) (range 0.8-2.8) and pulmonary vascular resistance 819 dyn s cm(-5) (range 241-3,067). In-hospital mortality was 12/50 (24%). Surgical mortality was highest in the early period. Since year 2000 in-hospital deaths occurred in only 2 among 23 patients (9%). Leading causes of death were persistent pulmonary hypertension and bleeding. Three patients died during long-term follow-up with a median observation time of 3 years. The overall 5 year survival rate was 74%. At 3 months follow-up 90% of the patients (34/38) had improved one or more WHO functional classes and the systolic pulmonary artery pressure estimated by Doppler echocardiography had decreased from 80 mmHg (range 49-115) to 43 mmHg (range 14-95).

CONCLUSION

Pulmonary endarterectomy has been successfully implemented in Denmark. The perioperative mortality was reduced over time to 9% during the past 5 years. Functional outcome and long-term survival were excellent stressing the importance of surgical treatment for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.

Carotid artery stenosis and endarterectomy

This article reviews the disease process of carotid artery stenosis, its symptomatology, and prognosis for progression to ischemic stroke. Indications for both medical and surgical treatment are reviewed as is criteria for surgical categorization as specified by the American Heart Association guidelines for carotid endarterectomy. Although diagnostic testing, medical treatment and alternative therapy options of angioplasty, stenting and thrombolysis are presented, a thorough overview of the surgical procedure of carotid endarterectomy is the major focus of discussion, as it remains the "gold standard" of treatment for severe carotid artery stenosis.

Stent angioplasty for cervical carotid artery stenosis in high-risk symptomatic NASCET-ineligible patients

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Although the North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial (NASCET) has shown carotid endarterectomy (CEA) to be protective compared with medical therapy alone, its stringent eligibility criteria excluded patients with severe medical, angiographic, and neurological risk factors. We sought to determine the safety and efficacy of stent angioplasty in this high-risk subset for whom the perioperative morbidity and mortality of surgery are elevated.

METHODS

Twenty-eight consecutive symptomatic NASCET-ineligible patients (10 female; median age, 72.2 years) underwent microcatheter-based carotid stent angioplasty. Half of the patients had sustained a previous stroke. Classification of surgical risk by Sundt criteria yielded no patients in grade 1, 3 patients in grade 2 (10.7%), 8 in grade 3 (28.6%), and 17 (60.7%) in grade 4. Stratification of stroke risk for medical therapy according to the European Carotid Surgery Trial (ECST) 5-point score showed 8 patients with a score of 3 (28.6%), 12 with 4 (42.8%), and 8 with 5 (28.6%). Follow-up was obtained in all patients at a median of 14 months.

RESULTS

The procedure was technically successful in all cases (100%), with immediate stenosis reduction from a mean of 80.3% to 2.7%. There were no periprocedural deaths, 1 major stroke (3.6%), no minor strokes, and 3 transient ischemic attacks (10.7%). In-hospital complications included 2 nonfatal myocardial infarctions, 1 case of acute renal failure, and 1 groin hematoma requiring transfusion. There were 5 deaths during the follow-up period, all beyond 30 days after the procedure: 3 from cardiac causes, 1 from lung cancer, and 1 following unrelated surgery. The patient with major stroke died at 7.8 months during rehabilitation. No surviving patients had further strokes, and all except 1 (95.5%) remained asymptomatic. Anatomic follow-up in 20 patients showed occlusion in 2 (10%) (1 symptomatic, 1 asymptomatic) and intimal hyperplasia in 3 asymptomatic patients (15%).

CONCLUSIONS

The clinical results and sustained freedom from symptoms and stroke during the short available follow-up period suggest that stent angioplasty may be useful in the treatment of symptomatic cervical carotid stenosis in high-risk patients despite a notable incidence of restenosis.

The American Heart Association Consensus Statement on guidelines for carotid endarterectomy

The process by which a multidisciplinary, expert panel arrived at a Consensus Statement concerning indications for carotid endarterectomy was reviewed. It is important to point out that this represents an interpretation of currently available data by the individual members of the Committee as it pertains to 96 specific potential indications for carotid endarterectomy. Clearly, as more data become available, it is likely that there will be changes in the opinion of the Committee members. Therefore, this represents a current status that will require a periodic update.

Controversies in the management of cerebrovascular disease in older patients

Several ongoing studies are evaluating the optimal management of patients with cerebrovascular disease. The Carotid Artery Stenosis with Asymptomatic Narrowing: Operation Versus Aspirin (CASANOVA) study has shown that carotid endarterectomy is not recommended for asymptomatic patients with less than 90% carotid stenosis. The North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial (NASCET) and the European Carotid Surgical Trial (ECST) have demonstrated that endarterectomy should be considered for patients who had recent carotid artery territory ischemic symptoms associated with angiographically defined stenosis of greater than 70%. These and other trials are expected to provide further data regarding management of cerebrovascular disease, including treatment of those patients with moderate (30 to 69%) carotid stenosis. Until that time, treatment decisions must be made on a case-to-case basis.

Concomitant subclavian and carotid artery disease: the need for a combined surgical correction

To determine the importance of carotid artery disease in patients undergoing revascularization of the proximal subclavian artery for a subclavian steal syndrome, an 18-year experience of 55 patients was reviewed. Concomitant carotid artery disease (> 50% stenosis) was present in 35 patients (Group I: 63.6%). Twenty patients (Group II: 36.4%) had no evidence of hemodynamically significant carotid disease. Twenty-five patients in Group I (Group IA: 71.4%) were treated by endarterectomy (CEA) for all their carotid lesions while one or both carotid lesions were left untreated in 10 patients (Group IB: 28.6%). The actuarial 5-year freedom rate from neurological events was 87.2% in Group IA, 34.9% in Group IB (p < 0.001) and 100% in Group II (Group IB vs. II, p < 0.001; Group IA vs. Group II, p = ns). All untreated carotid lesions had a deleterious effect on the early and late functional results after surgical reconstruction of the subclavian artery. We conclude that the combined correction of subclavian and carotid lesions should be recommended in every case.

Reducing the risk of stroke: identifying patients to refer for carotid endarterectomy

The most common causes of stroke are two diseases of aging: hypertension and atherosclerosis. Therefore, although stroke may occur at any age, the incidence is highest among the elderly population. Noninvasive efforts to reduce the risk of stroke in the elderly include control of hypertension and diabetes, smoking cessation, low-cholesterol dietary habits, and moderate exercise. Routine low-dose aspirin also provides some protective effect. High-risk patients (with asymptomatic high-grade stenosis, TIAs, or prior stroke) should be considered candidates for carotid endarterectomy in the absence of contraindications to surgery.

South Australian carotid endarterectomy study

OBJECTIVE

To determine the operative morbidity and mortality of carotid endarterectomy in South Australia.

DESIGN

This was a prospective study on consecutive patients already selected independently by their treating clinicians for carotid endarterectomy. Patients were assessed before and after the operation by independent neurologists.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

The study involved all patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy in South Australia in public and private hospitals over the 20-months period of the study. All vascular surgeons agreed to participate.

INTERVENTION

Two hundred and thirty-nine carotid endarterectomies were performed on 223 patients, always as primary procedures.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Patient characteristics, angiographic findings and indications for surgery were documented before the operation by neurologists who then carried out postoperative assessments and determined neurological status at discharge. Follow-up at six and twelve months was by letter and telephone enquiry to general practitioners or direct to patients.

RESULTS

The perioperative death and stroke rate was 6.3% including one stroke after angiography and before endarterectomy. Fourteen patients (5.9%) had strokes after the operation and three died as a result (1.3%). Three patients had reversible ischaemic neurological deficits. In 58 asymptomatic patients, operative morbidity was 3.4%. However, in 42 patients who had had a stroke before the operation, there were seven who had operative complications (16.7%). Neurological complication rates for individual surgeons varied from 0 to 13.8%. In the subsequent 12 months, follow-up of 214 patients revealed nine additional deaths (three known to be caused by stroke, four not caused by stroke and two of unknown cause) and six more cerebral infarctions (involving both operated and unoperated sides), an annual mortality plus stroke morbidity rate of 4.2%-5.1%.

CONCLUSIONS

The morbidity and mortality of carotid endarterectomy in South Australia is acceptable by world standards but is high in the subgroup with a preceding stroke. In this audit, carotid endarterectomy had an average risk at least equal to one year of untreated carotid artery disease and did not diminish the expected stroke and death incidence after one year.

Medicare Peer Review Organization preprocedure review criteria. An analysis of criteria for three procedures

The Medicare Peer Review Organization (PRO) program includes preprocedure review using explicit criteria to assess the appropriateness of specific procedures. This study evaluates the variability in the PRO preprocedure criteria for the three procedures most frequently reviewed by PROs: carotid endarterectomy, cataract removal, and cardiac pacemaker implants. In August 1989, the PRO review criteria were received from the Health Care Financing Administration. To provide a reference point for reviewing the PRO criteria, national practice guidelines for these three procedures were identified. Wide variability was demonstrated in the PRO procedure-specific carotid endarterectomy and cataract removal review criteria among PROs, and the criteria differed significantly from the identified practice guidelines. The criteria for cardiac pacemaker implants were somewhat less variable, and were based, to varying degrees, on practice guidelines developed by the American College of Cardiology (ACC). Greater attention is needed to improve the development of review criteria, including the use of relevant practice guidelines, to ensure that review criteria are optimal.

Community hospital carotid endarterectomy in patients over age 75

We compared the prevalence of stroke and death in 133 patients aged 75 and older in whom 170 carotid endarterectomies were performed with that in 501 patients less than age 75 in whom 640 carotid endarterectomies were performed. There were three strokes (2%) in patients aged 75 and older and nine strokes (1%) in younger patients (p = 0.7). There were 8 deaths (5%) in patients aged 75 and older and 14 deaths (2%) in younger patients (p = 0.1). After controlling for the possible confounding effects of diabetes, prior stroke, history of angina, prior carotid artery disease, previous vascular surgery, history of myocardial infarction, preoperative hypertension requiring medication, and female gender, a logistic regression model showed that patients aged 75 and older were no more likely to have a stroke or death than patients under age 75. We conclude that age alone is not a contraindication to the safe performance of carotid endarterectomy in the community hospital.

Carotid endarterectomy for chronic retinal ischemia

Carotid arterial disease may result in a variety of ischemic ocular problems that can eventually lead to permanent blindness. From 1984 to 1988, 18 patients underwent reconstruction of the carotid artery in an attempt to restore normal retinal arterial flow and, thereby, reverse or prevent progression of ischemic oculopathy. During a mean period of 21 months after carotid arterial reconstruction, subjective improvement in vision as well as a resolution in eye and periorbital pain was reported in 87.5 per cent of the patients. Measured visual acuity improved or stabilized in 94.4 per cent; macular photostress recovery times improved in 87.5 per cent, funduscopic examinations noted improvement or resolution in ischemic signs in 93.3 per cent and intraocular pressures improved in two of three patients. One patient experienced recurrent episodes of amaurosis fugax, which resolved after two weeks and did not recur. A second patient experienced an increase in intraocular pressures with visual deterioration, required laser photocoagulation after which the condition of the patient stabilized but only after significant visual impairment. Carotid arterial reconstruction is effective for the treatment of ischemic oculopathy and is most beneficial if performed early, before the onset of irreversible neovascular glaucoma.

The training of carotid endarterectomy during an era of controversy. A personal experience

One hundred carotid endarterectomy (CEA) procedures were performed in this teaching institution from August, 1984 to January, 1989 under the direction of the author. Presenting symptoms were TIA (36), CVA (25), amaurosis fugax (17), and asymptomatic carotid stenosis greater than 80 per cent (22). The average age was 61.8 years and 68 per cent were male. The operation was performed through a transverse neck incision with the use of flaps, a shunt was used (96%) and the artery closed primarily (95%). The heparin given was not reversed. There was no operative mortality and the stroke morbidity consisted of one permanent (1%) and one temporary (1%) deficit. Hematoma evacuations were required in four cases; one had a demonstrable bleeding point. The long-term stroke rate was 1.62 per cent, with overall survival of 94 per cent at 42 months. Restenosis following repair was noted in only 5.5 per cent of the cases at one year. When carotid endarterectomy is performed in a teaching institution, excellent early results (2% combined stroke/mortality rate) are maintained long-term. Furthermore, a 50-plus per cent decrease in the risk of stroke at 42 months is demonstrated when this study's results are compared to estimates of the natural history of significant carotid disease.

Carotid endarterectomy in community practice: surgeon-specific versus institutional results

The efficacy of carotid endarterectomy in preventing stroke is clearly related to appropriate patient selection and low surgical morbidity and mortality. It has been suggested that since results at some centers are better than nationwide statistics, perhaps the operation should be limited to those institutions. In this paper we present an experience with carotid endarterectomy over the past twelve years. These 566 consecutive cases were performed by two vascular surgeons in a large metropolitan area using thirteen different hospitals ranging from 150 to 500 beds. Our mortality of 0.5% and permanent stroke incidence of 1.6% did not vary significantly from hospital to hospital. Where the results of surgical audits were available from the individual hospitals, the overall complication rates were significantly higher. We conclude that individual surgeons, not institutions, determine the efficacy of carotid endarterectomy in community practice.

The value of diagnostic procedures in treating ischemic attacks and stroke

Diagnostic procedures for cerebral ischemia make clear strategies mandatory. Careful recording of case history, internal and neurological investigation either substantiate or make unlikely TIA and stroke. CT scan not only differentiates bleedings, tumors etc from ischemia but also can give very valuable information about the underlying vascular pathology. Multiple lacunes are characteristic of cerebral microangiopathy. Territorial and branch occlusion infarcts mostly indicate embolic occlusion of pial vessels from either cardiac or arterial sources. Endzone and borderline infarctions are seen with high grade stenosis or occlusion of the internal carotid artery. The identification of embolic sources necessitates cardiological (including echocardiography) and angiological (Doppler sonography and in selected cases angiography) investigations. Therapeutic and prophylactic measures depend on the etiology of TIA and stroke and are briefly dealt with.

Surgery to prevent stroke. High hopes and deep disappointment

Carotid endarterectomy and EC/IC bypass grafting have been widely adopted for patients considered at risk from stroke, without good evidence of efficacy. Unjustified claims for surgery usually derive from overestimating the dangers of the disease without surgery, while perioperative risks are underestimated. Inadequate follow-up and choosing irrelevant outcome measures often add to the confusion. All these factors apply to surgery for stroke. A trial of EC/IC bypass in 1,377 patients from three continents took 8 years to complete and showed no benefit in patients randomized to surgery. Reluctance to accept this result led to detailed critiques of this trial in several journals, largely based on the discovery that many patients had been operated on in some centers without having been randomized. In reply, the investigators showed that these cases did not affect the "resounding negativity of the results." Lack of good data about the prognosis of patients with TIAs or minor strokes was the fundamental reason for so much misplaced surgical effort. This applies equally to carotid endarterectomy, for which large trials are currently being completed. Had there been a reliable data base of patients at risk of stroke, prospectively collected and followed, the efficacy of these two operations could have been determined much sooner, and inappropriate diffusion might have been prevented.

Multicenter validation study of real-time ultrasonography, arteriography, and pathology: pathologic evaluation of carotid endarterectomy specimens

The morphologic description and measurements of endarterectomy specimens are usually believed to be accurate and are used as the gold standard against which the findings of diagnostic procedures are judged. Pathology data on 289 endarterectomy specimens from five participating centers and the corresponding angiography and B-mode ultrasonography data provided a basis for scrutinizing the validity of using the morphologic measurements as a standard. Discrepancies of greater than 1 mm between pathology and angiography measurements of minimum residual lumen occurred in 35% of the cases and between pathology and B-mode ultrasonography measurements in 64% of the cases. Discrepancies of greater than 1 mm between pathology- and angiography-measured lesion width occurred in 81% of the cases and between pathology and B-mode ultrasonography measurements in 64% of the cases. The cases representing mismatches of greater than 1 mm at one participating center were subjected to a rigorous review, with remeasurement of all morphologic features, in an attempt to explain the discrepancies. Various types of artifactual distortion of the specimens, the presence of slit-like and occluded lumens that were likely related to loss of perfusion pressure, and an inability to match planes of interrogation used in angiography and B-mode ultrasonography with pathology planes contributed significantly to the existence of mismatches. On the other hand, fixation and decalcification produced minimal and insignificant distortional changes. We conclude that the acquisition of quantitative data from endarterectomy specimens and the acceptance of morphologic data as a standard are limited by a number of problems that can be defined but have been difficult to resolve.

Carotid endarterectomy. Who needs it?

Although carotid endarterectomy is one of the most frequently performed operations in this country, recent evidence casts doubt on its advisability, particularly for patients with ocular manifestations of cerebral ischemia. The following evidence is that: the risk of future stroke in untreated patients with amaurosis fugax, retinal plaques, and infarcts is less than 3% per year, far lower than that expected for cerebral (hemispheric) transient ischemic attacks (TIAs); the perioperative risk of stroke and death after endarterectomy may be much higher than previously suspected; and aspirin is a comparatively risk-free and moderately effective alternative to endarterectomy. Because of the questions raised about the risk-to-benefit ratio of endarterectomy, patients with ocular manifestations of cerebral ischemia should be considered for this operation only as part of a proposed randomized collaborative study.

Carotid endarterectomy in a metropolitan community: comparison of results from three institutions

The hospitalizations of 300 patients who had carotid endarterectomies (CEA) in three different kinds of hospital were analyzed. 100 patients had CEA performed by experienced vascular surgeons in a university hospital (UH), 100 patients had CEA performed by experienced vascular surgeons in private community hospitals (PCH), and 100 patients had CEA performed by senior general surgery residents (GSR) assisted by experienced vascular surgeons in a university-affiliated Veterans Administration hospital (VA). Analysis of patient characteristics revealed that, compared with the other groups, VA patients were (1) younger (62 +/- 7 years; p less than 0.001); (2) had a higher frequency of peripheral vascular operations (51%; p less than 0.01; (3) were more often cigarette smokers (84%; p less than 0.001); and (4) had more contralateral carotid occlusions (19%) and ulcerated lesions (73%) (p less than 0.01). GSR had longer operating room times and cerebral ischemia times during shunt insertion and removal (6 +/- 2.8 minutes) and during the CEA (30 +/- 27 minutes) (p less than 0.001). Postoperative hypertension and neck hematomas were less common in PCH patients (p less than 0.001) than in the other groups. Although their duration of hospitalization (17 +/- 12 days) was longer, the VA patients experienced no increased morbidity. There was a high rate of cranial nerve injury in all groups (27%, 15%, 17%) but symptoms were not often permanent (9%, 6%, 6%). Our data indicate that results of vascular operations performed by well-supervised residents are comparable in all important respects to those performed by fully trained surgeons.

Digital transvenous angiography in follow-up examinations after carotid reconstruction: early results

A total of 187 check-up examinations by DVSA were carried out after various types of carotid reconstructions. The results were inconclusive in only 2.7% of the cases. A good or very good postoperative result could be demonstrated in 77.5%. A slight stenosis was present in 16%, a significant stenosis in 2.7% and a complete occlusion of the internal carotid artery in 1.1%. Patch plasty alone showed the best results followed by endarterectomy and endarterectomy with patch plasty. Segmental carotid resections and dilatations led to the poorest results. Most of those cases, where a stenosis recurred, it was already present immediately after the operation and only rarely caused by progression of the basic disease or intimal proliferation. The complication rate of DVSA was low. It is concluded that DVSA is a low risk and reliable method which can routinely be used in the postoperative evaluation of patients with carotid reconstructions.

[Control of reconstructive vascular surgery using digital subtraction angiography (DSA)]

100 patients were evaluated by DSA after vessel reconstructions by surgery or percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA). The visualization of the proved vessels was very good or good in 92%, sufficient in 6% and without diagnostic value in 2%. Patency of grafts and postoperative vascular abnormalities like stenoses, occlusions or aneurysms were well demonstrated. According to our results, DSA is an excellent semi-invasive method with a high accuracy for postoperative evaluation of vascular reconstructions.