Introduction: Endovascular techniques and materials have significantly expanded their application in the treatment of abdominal and thoraco-abdominal aortic lesions, allowing for the management of increasingly complex pathologies that may require cannulation of target vessels. The treatment of such diseases deserves a particular approach and dedicated materials, for which correct procedural planning is mandatory. In the last decades, the use of 3D printing technology as an assisting tool for preoperative rehearsal of complex cases has progressively widespread.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: To characterize the variation of the renal arteries' origin from the aorta, through examination of computed tomography angiographies (CTAs) in a cohort of patients, and to evaluate any gender-related difference.
Methods: CTA of the thoracoabdominal district in patients with a nondilated aorta (group A), patients with aortic aneurysm involving the origin of splanchnic and/or renal vessels (group B), and patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm (group C), were retrospectively analyzed. The diameter and angles of emergence (axial and craniocaudal) of the renal arteries were measured, as well as their mutual distance, and the distance between the renal vessels and the superior mesenteric artery/the aortic bifurcation.
Background: Anatomical variations of origin of the internal carotid artery (ICA) are very uncommon and may pose a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge.
Objective: We report a case of direct origin of the right ICA from the innominate artery (aplasia of common carotid artery) and a case of duplication of right ICA in healthy patients who performed duplex ultrasound (DUS) for primary cardiovascular prevention screening.
Methods: In both cases, the ultrasound scan was performed both in a transverse plane and on the longitudinal axis, and in one of the two cases, a computed tomography angiography was performed to confirm the diagnosis.
High-grade gliomas (HGGs) and glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) are characterized by a heterogeneous and aggressive population of tissue-infiltrating cells that promote both destructive tissue remodeling and aberrant vascularization of the brain. The formation of defective and permeable blood vessels and microchannels and destructive tissue remodeling prevent efficient vascular delivery of pharmacological agents to tumor cells and are the significant reason why therapeutic chemotherapy and immunotherapy intervention are primarily ineffective. Vessel-forming endothelial cells and microchannel-forming glial cells that recapitulate vascular mimicry have both infiltration and destructive remodeling tissue capacities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Sclerotherapy is a cornerstone of the treatment of chronic venous disease, despite some technical aspects (e.g., sclerosant liquid agent concentration [SLAC] and contact time between sclerosant agent and vein wall [ctSA/VW]) to maximize outcomes remain an unsolved problem and a source of debate.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe aimed to explore the feasibility of 4D flow magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for patients undergoing thoracic aorta endovascular repair (TEVAR). We retrospectively evaluated ten patients (two female), with a mean (±standard deviation) age of 61 ± 20 years, undergoing MRI for a follow-up after TEVAR. All 4D flow examinations were performed using a 1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPenetrating vascular injuries (PVIs) of the lower limbs due to stab wounds are associated with high mortality and limb loss rates. We analyzed the outcomes of a series of patients who underwent surgical treatment of these lesions, assessing the presence of any factor associated with limb loss and mortality; (2) Methods: Data of patients admitted from 01/2008 to 12/2018 were retrospectively analyzed. Primary outcomes were the limb loss and the mortality rate at 30 days postoperatively.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBlunt thoracic aortic injury (BTAI) is a potentially fatal condition that needs prompt recognition and expedited management. Clinical manifestations of BTAI are not straight forwarding and may be misdiagnosed. The grade of aortic injury is an important determinant of perioperative mortality and morbidity, as well as the indication of treatment, along with the presence of concomitant lesions of other involved organs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe aimed at evaluating the ability of point shear-wave elastography (pSWE) and of a radiofrequency (RF) echo-tracking-based method in preoperatively assessing the vulnerability of the carotid plaque in patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy (CEA) for significant asymptomatic stenosis. All patients who underwent CEA from 03/2021 to 03/2022 performed a preoperative pSWE and an RF echo-based wall evaluation of arterial stiffness using an Esaote MyLab ultrasound system (EsaoteTM, Genova, Italy) with dedicated software. The data derived from these evaluations (Young's modulus (YM), augmentation index (AIx), pulse-wave velocity (PWV)) were correlated with the outcome of the analysis of the plaque removed during the surgery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: To compare the outcomes of patients who were submitted to partial carotid endarterectomy (P-CEA) to those of patients who underwent standard conventional CEA with patch closure (C-CEA) and eversion CEA (E-CEA) for a significant carotid stenosis.
Methods: Data of patients who consecutively underwent CEA from January 2014 to December 2018 for a significant carotid stenosis were retrospectively collected. Primary outcomes included mortality and the occurrence of neurologic and cardiologic complications, both at 30 days and during follow-up.
We aimed to investigate whether unenhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) could represent a safe and highly sensitive tool for endoleak screening in patients treated with endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) using computed tomography angiography (CTA) as a reference standard. Patients who underwent CTA for EVAR follow-up at our institution were prospectively enrolled. All MRI examinations were performed with a 1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRedox imbalance of the endothelial cells (ECs) plays a causative role in a variety of cardiovascular diseases. In order to better understand the molecular mechanisms of the endothelial response to oxidative stress, the involvement of circular RNAs (circRNAs) was investigated. CircRNAs are RNA species generated by a "back-splicing" event, which is the covalent linking of the 3'- and 5'-ends of exons.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: To present stent-graft treatment of floating thrombus in the abdominal aorta. A review of the literature about aortic floating thrombus (AFT) was also performed.
Case Report: A 56-year-old female with no risk factors for vascular disease but with history of a mild COVID-19 infection in the previous month, for which she had started anticoagulant therapy at a prophylactic dosage, developed an acute ischemia of the lower limbs and was diagnosed with floating thrombosis of the abdominal aorta.
Backgrounds: Resistance to the pharmacological effect of clopidogrel in patients undergoing dual antiplatelet therapy for carotid stenting may increase the risk of periprocedural neurological events. The purpose of the study was to describe the phenomenon of clopidogrel resistance in a series of patients undergoing carotid stenting.
Methods: Data of patients who consecutively underwent carotid stenting from November 2016 to December 2020 for a significant stenosis and who underwent a dual antiplatelet therapy using acetyl-salicylic acid and clopidogrel were prospectively collected.
Aim: To evaluate the outcomes of endovascular therapy in patients with subclavian steno-occlusive disease over the short and long term in a Tunisian population.
Materials And Methods: Patients who underwent endovascular treatment of subclavian artery (SCA) steno-occlusive disease between 2013 and 2019 in three Tunisian centers were evaluated retrospectively. After treatment, patients were follow-up was scheduled at 1, 3, 6, 12 months postoperatively and annually afterwards by Doppler ultrasound and clinical findings.
Sarcopenia has been associated with an increased incidence of adverse outcomes, including higher mortality, after endovascular aortic repair (EVAR). We aim to use computed tomography (CT) to quantify changes in total psoas muscles area (PMA) and psoas muscle density (PMD) after EVAR, and to evaluate the reproducibility of both measurements. PMA and PMD were assessed via manual segmentation of the psoas muscle on pre- and post-operative CT scans belonging to consecutive patients who underwent EVAR.
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