Interventional techniques to facilitate supraaortic angioplasty and stenting.

Arterial occlusive disease involving the supra-aortic trunks (SATs) is relatively frequent. Its mere presence does not dictate the need for intervention. Revascularization options include intra and extrathoracic surgical bypasses and transpositions, and percutaneous endovascular approaches with angioplasty and stenting.

Diagnosis and risk assessment of lower extremity peripheral arterial disease.

Managing patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) requires an accurate assessment of the severity of the condition and the risk factors likely to predict disease progression. The spectrum of patient presentation ranges from asymptomatic to critical limb ischemia. Because about half of patients with PAD have coronary or cerebrovascular disease, the examination of presenting patients should be directed toward the entire cardiovascular system.

Rapamycin-coated expanded polytetrafluoroethylene bypass grafts exhibit decreased anastomotic neointimal hyperplasia in a porcine model.

Objective: We tested the hypothesis that rapamycin coated onto, and eluted from, expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) grafts would diminish neointimal hyperplasia in a porcine model.

Methods: Rapamycin (also called sirolimus) was coated onto the luminal surface of 6-mm-internal-diameter thin-walled ePTFE grafts by using an adhesive polymer that allows timed release of the drug. An adhesive polymer that allows timed release of rapamycin from ePTFE was developed with commercially available chemicals and applied on 6-mm ePTFE grafts.

Endovascular repair of the thoracic aorta: lessons learned.

Background: Available information on outcome and best strategies for thoracic endovascular repair is somewhat limited and unclear. We sought to gain a better understanding of these issues through a retrospective review of our 8-year clinical experience in the treatment of thoracic aortic aneurysms and dissections.

Methods: A retrospective chart review of 186 patients undergoing stent-graft repair of thoracic aortic lesions at our institution during the 92-month period ending on December 31, 2004 was performed.