Arteriovenous Fistula for dialysis - Let's Google it. Readability and quality of online information.

Background: This study evaluated the readability and quality of information regarding arteriovenous (AV) fistula for dialysis on the Internet in the English language.

Study Design: Using Google© search, the keywords "AV Fistula for dialysis" were searched. The top 75 ranking sites were analyzed.

Emergent repair of acute thoracic aortic catastrophes: a comparative analysis.

Objective: To provide a contemporary institutional comparative analysis of expedient correction of acute catastrophes of the descending thoracic aorta (ACDTA) by traditional direct thoracic aortic repair (DTAR) or thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR).

Design: Single-center retrospective review (April 2001-January 2010).

Setting: Academic medical center.

A comparative study of the bell-bottom technique vs hypogastric exclusion for the treatment of aneurysmal extension to the iliac bifurcation.

Introduction: A significant proportion of patients undergoing endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) have common iliac artery aneurysms (CIAA). Aneurysmal involvement at the iliac bifurcation potentially undermines long-term durability.

Methods: Patients with CIAA who underwent EVAR were identified in two teaching hospitals.

Acute limb ischemia in cancer patients: should we surgically intervene?

Background: Cancer patients have an increased risk of venous thromboembolic events. Certain chemotherapeutic agents have also been associated with the development of thrombosis. Reported cases of acute arterial ischemic episodes in cancer patients are rare.

The importance of expert feedback during endovascular simulator training.

Objectives: Complex endovascular skills are difficult to obtain in the clinical environment. Virtual reality (VR) simulator training is a valuable addition to current training curricula, but is there a benefit in the absence of expert trainers?

Methods: Eighteen endovascular novices performed a renal artery angioplasty/stenting (RAS) on the Vascular Interventional Surgical Trainer simulator. They were randomized into three groups: Group A (n = 6, control), no performance feedback; Group B (n = 6, nonexpert feedback), feedback after every procedure from a nonexpert facilitator; and Group C (n = 6, expert feedback), feedback after every procedure from a consultant vascular surgeon.

Complicated acute type B thoracic aortic dissections: endovascular treatment for visceral malperfusion and pseudoaneurysms.

Purpose: Morbidity and mortality of acute type B thoracic aortic dissections remain alarmingly high. Endoluminal options are promising.

Methods: A single-center 5-year review of 17 acute type B aortic dissections complicated by visceral malperfusion (11) or pseudoaneurysm formation (6) treated with endovascular intervention.

Are carotid stent fractures clinically significant?

Purpose: Late stent fatigue is a known complication after carotid artery stenting (CAS) for cervical carotid occlusive disease. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and clinical significance of carotid stent fractures.

Materials And Methods: A single-center retrospective review of 253 carotid bifurcation lesions treated with CAS and mechanical embolic protection from April 2001 to December 2009 was performed.

Intimal angiosarcoma causing abdominal aortic rupture.

Intimal angiosarcomas are rare and difficult to diagnose preoperatively. Complete surgical resection is essential, but long-term survival is unlikely. We report a patient who presented with a contained ruptured infrarenal aorta with clinical and radiologic findings suggestive of infectious aortitis.

Endovascular treatment of delayed type 1 and 3 endoleaks.

Purpose: Endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR) has revolutionized the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms. Type I and III endoleaks require prompt, definitive repair or explantation. We review a single center experience of endovascular treatment of type I and III endoleaks.

Skills training after night shift work enables acquisition of endovascular technical skills on a virtual reality simulator.

Background: Adoption of residents' working time restrictions potentially undermines surgical training by reduction of operating room exposure. Simulation has been proposed as a way to acquire necessary skills in a laboratory environment but remains difficult to incorporate into training schedules. This study assessed whether residents working successive nights could acquire endovascular skills similar to colleagues working day shifts.

Down syndrome: a risk factor for mycotic aneurysm?

Down syndrome, or trisomy 21, has a characteristic constellation of clinical findings, including various congenital heart defects. We report a case of an adult male with Down syndrome who presented with a 3-week history of lower limb pain and swelling, attributed to cellulitis. Clinical and angiographic evaluation identified a below-knee mycotic pseudoaneurysm secondary to infective endocarditis.

Endovascular repair of blunt traumatic thoracic aortic injuries: seven-year single-center experience.

Hypothesis: Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) for acute blunt thoracic aortic injury has good early and mid-term results.

Design: Single-center retrospective 7-year review from January 2001 to December 2008.

Setting: Urban tertiary care hospital.

Role of virtual reality simulation in teaching and assessing technical skills in endovascular intervention.

Training in endovascular intervention ultimately aims to produce interventionalists who demonstrate competence in technical skills. Herein, the authors investigate the rationale for simulation-based training by providing an overview of the psychological theories underpinning acquisition of technical skills, training and assessment history, recent advances in simulation technology, and a critical appraisal of their role in training and assessment in endovascular intervention. Simulators have potential for training and assessment and promise solution to many shortcomings of traditional 'apprenticeship' training models.

Should incidental asymptomatic angiographic stenoses and occlusions be treated in patients with peripheral arterial disease?

Purpose: The clinical importance of angiographically detected asymptomatic lower-limb stenoses and occlusions is unknown. This study aims to (i) assess the clinical outcome of asymptomatic lesions in the lower limb, (ii) identify predictors of clinical deterioration, and (iii) determine which asymptomatic lower-limb lesions should be treated at presentation.

Materials And Methods: All 918 patients undergoing peripheral angiography with or without angioplasty over a period of 7.

Endovascular repair of para-anastomotic aortoiliac aneurysms.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the use of endovascular stent grafts in the treatment of para-anastomotic aneurysms (PAAs) as an alternative to high-risk open surgical repair. We identified all patients with previous open aortic aneurysm repair who underwent infrarenal endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) at our institution from June 1998 to April 2007. Patient demographics, previous surgery, and operative complications were recorded.

Successful endovascular treatment of a hemodialysis graft pseudoaneurysm by covered stent and direct percutaneous thrombin injection.

Vascular access for hemodialysis remains a challenge for nephrologists, vascular surgeons, and interventional radiologists alike. Arteriovenous fistula and synthetic grafts remain the access of choice for long-term hemodialysis; however, they are subject to complications from infection and repeated needle cannulation. Pseudoaneurysms are an increasingly recognized adverse event.

Does percutaneous transluminal angioplasty improve quality of life?

Purpose: To prospectively assess the impact of peripheral percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) on quality of life (QOL) in patients with intermittent claudication or critical limb ischemia (CLI). The secondary purpose was to determine if periprocedural medication altered patient QOL.

Materials And Methods: A total of 72 patients underwent lower-limb PTA (86 lesions) over a period of 12 months.