Brachial-Ankle Pulse Wave Velocity Reflects Regional Arterial Stiffness and Distensibility in Patients with Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm.

We investigated the association between brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (PWV) and arterial stiffness and distensibility in the aneurysmal sac of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). Data from 49 patients with AAA from June 2020 to November 2022 at Tokyo Medical University Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Brachial-ankle PWV (cm/s) was obtained via an automated oscillometric method.

Prediction of Aneurysm Sac Shrinkage After Endovascular Aortic Repair Using Machine Learning-Based Decision Tree Analysis.

Introduction: A simple risk stratification model to predict aneurysm sac shrinkagein patients undergoing endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) was developed using machine learning-based decision tree analysis.

Methods: One hundred nineteen patients with AAA who underwent elective EVAR at Tokyo Medical University Hospital between November 2013 and July 2019 were included in the study. Predictors of aneurysm sac shrinkage identified in univariable analysis (P < 0.

Predicting Short-Term Mortality after Endovascular Aortic Repair Using Machine Learning-Based Decision Tree Analysis.

Background: Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) has revolutionized the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms by offering a less invasive alternative to open surgery. Understanding the factors that influence patient outcomes, particularly for high-risk patients, is crucial. The aim of this study was to determine whether machine learning (ML)-based decision tree analysis (DTA), a subset of artificial intelligence, could predict patient outcomes by identifying complex patterns in data.

Feasibility and Safety of the Distal Transradial Access for Noncardiac Intervention.

Purpose: Distal transradial access through the anatomical snuffbox has been highlighted in recent research because it provides extremely low invasiveness. It has demonstrated its feasibility and safety for cardiac intervention. However, its characteristics for noncardiac intervention are not well known.

Efficacy of Preemptive Embolization of Sac Branches During Endovascular Aneurysm Repair Using N-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate.

Objective: A type 2 endoleak (T2EL) is the most frequently occurring endoleak type after endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR). Residual T2ELs may cause aneurysm rupture; however, the management of a T2EL remains controversial. This study evaluated sac branch preemptive embolization using N-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate, aiming to prevent T2ELs and sac shrinkage.

First Experience With the Utility of ReMAP (Repeatable Microcatheter Access Port) in Portal Vein Stenting.

Portal vein stenting is a treatment option for portal hypertension caused by extrahepatic portal vein obstruction or stenosis. However, limited pathways to approach the portal vein are available, hindering re-intervention in the portal vein. Portal vein puncture through the transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt route is less invasive and considered suitable for portal vein stenting.

Evaluation of the protective effect of the intranasal vaccines adjuvanted with bacterium-like particles against intestinal infection.

Mucosal vaccination presents a promising complement to parenteral vaccination. Bacterium-like particles (BLPs), peptidoglycan structures prepared from lactic acid bacteria, are explored as potential nasal vaccine adjuvants for respiratory infections. To date, studies on BLP-adjuvanted nasal vaccines against intestinal infections have remained limited.

Twenty-year experience following aortic valve replacement in patients younger than 60 years of age.

Objective: Reports on long-term outcomes of surgical aortic valve replacement (AVR) for patients aged < 60 years are scarce in Japan. Hence, we aimed to evaluate these outcomes in patients aged < 60 years.

Methods: Between March 2000 and December 2020, 1477 patients underwent aortic valve replacement.

Patterns of collateral arteries to the spinal cord after thoraco-abdominal aortic aneurysm repair.

Objectives: Our goal was to evaluate postoperative patterns of collateral arteries to the spinal cord during occlusion of the segmental arteries supplying the artery of Adamkiewicz (AKA).

Methods: Between April 2011 and December 2022, a total of 179 patients underwent thoraco-abdominal aortic aneurysm repair; 141 had an identifiable AKA on preoperative multidetector computed tomography scans, 40 underwent thoraco-abdominal aortic aneurysm replacement (TAAR) and 101 underwent thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR). New postoperative collateral blood pathways invisible on preoperative contrast-enhanced computed tomography scans were identified in 42 patients (10 patients who had TAAR vs 32 patients who had TEVAR) who underwent preoperative and postoperative multidetector computed tomography scanning for AKA identification.

Clinical risk factors for portal hypertension-related complications in systemic therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: During systemic therapy, the management of portal hypertension (PH)-related complications is vital. This study aimed to clarify factors associated with the incidence and exacerbation of PH-related complications, including the usefulness of contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) in the management of PH-related complications during systemic therapy.

Methods: A total of 669 patients who received systemic therapy as first-line treatment (443 patients for sorafenib, 131 for lenvatinib, and 90 for atezolizumab/bevacizumab [ATZ/BEV]) were enrolled in this retrospective study.

Reduced Muscle Mass and Muscle Quality in Patients with Intermittent Claudication due to Peripheral Artery Disease.

Background: Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is associated with reduced muscle mass and quality, but the effects of leg ischemia caused by PAD on muscle quality remain poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to evaluate leg muscle mass and muscle quality in patients with intermittent claudication due to PAD using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA).

Methods: One hundred forty-one patients with intermittent claudication due to PAD who visited Tokyo Medical University Hospital from April 2019 to April 2020 were retrospectively analyzed.

Emergence of multidrug-resistant in Japan.

is a pathogenic bacterium naturally resistant to various antimicrobials, including colistin. Here, we report the whole-genome sequence of , which exhibits high-level multidrug resistance, isolated from a hospitalized patient in Japan.

A case of severe ureteral injury repaired by renal autotransplantation with an iliac vein patch using bovine pericardium.

Introduction: Renal autotransplantation is considered a surgical procedure for extensive ureteral defects. Herein, we report a case of severe ureteral injury repaired by laparoscopic nephrectomy and renal autotransplantation with an iliac vein patch using bovine pericardium.

Case Presentation: A 56-year-old woman who had previously undergone gynecological surgery complained of right-sided abdominal pain.

Effects of High-Intensity Inspiratory Muscle Warm-Up on High-Intensity Exercise Performance and Muscle Oxygenation.

Purpose: An inspiratory muscle warm-up (IMW) improves inspiratory muscle function, but the effects of high-intensity exercise are inconsistent. We aimed to determine the effects of high-intensity IMW on high-intensity exercise performance and muscle oxygenation.

Methods: Ten healthy men (maximal oxygen uptake [V˙O2max] 52.

Percutaneous Transhepatic Direct Portosystemic Shunt for a Patient With Budd-Chiari Syndrome Using a Balloon as a Target in a Stenotic Inferior Vena Cava.

Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS) patients with portal hypertension are often treated with a direct intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (DIPS) or transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) and angioplasty. DIPS can be problematic, however, due to the technical difficulty of the procedure. To address this problem, we describe a method using the balloon used for inferior vena cava (IVC) dilatation as a puncture target to safely perform DIPS in a BCS patient with complete hepatic vein occlusion and stenosis of the IVC.

The Preoperative Lymphocyte-To-Monocyte Ratio Predicts Mortality Among Patients Undergoing Endovascular Aortic Repair for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the preoperative lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) as a potential surrogate biomarker predictive of overall mortality in patients undergoing endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA).

Methods: Data on patients with AAA treated by EVAR between March 2012 and December 2016 were obtained from a prospectively maintained EVAR database at Tokyo Medical University Hospital, Tokyo, Japan. The LMR was calculated by dividing the absolute lymphocyte count by the absolute monocyte count.

Significance of End-Diastolic Forward Flow in Patients With Repaired Tetralogy of Fallot - Its Interaction With the Left Ventricular Property and End Organ Damage.

Background: Although right ventricular (RV) enlargement may affect RV diastolic dysfunction assessed by end-diastolic forward flow (EDFF) in patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot (TOF), EDFF may also be modified by left ventricular (LV) hemodynamics. We hypothesized that EDFF is affected by LV hemodynamics, not limited to RV diastolic stiffening.

Methods and results: Among 145 consecutive patients with repaired TOF who underwent catheterization, hemodynamic properties in 47 with consistent EDFF and 75 without EDFF were analyzed.

Aortic Floating White Thrombus in an Ascending Aortic Graft After Aortoplasty.

We encountered a 75-year-old man who underwent total arch replacement for a thoracic aortic aneurysm, then ascending aortoplasty for hemolysis due to a kinked ascending aortic graft. He presented with exhaustion and anemia 3 years later. Computed tomography revealed a large floating thrombus in the ascending aortic graft attached to the dorsal suture line.