Gender-Related Disparities Among Vascular Surgeons in Italy: Results from a Cross-Sectional Survey.

Background: To assess the presence, quality and impact of gender-related discrepancies in academic vascular surgery at a national level.

Methods: This was an anonymous national structured nonvalidated cross-sectional survey on gender disparity perceptions, named "I love it when you call me Señorita", distributed to 645 participants from academic Italian vascular centers. Endpoints were related to job-related characteristics, satisfaction, and sexual harassment.

Major vascular traumas to the neck, upper limbs, and chest: Clinical presentation, diagnostic approach, and management strategies.

Major vascular traumas to the neck, upper limbs, and chest may arise from penetrating and/or blunt mechanisms, resulting in a range of clinical scenarios. Lesions to the carotid arteries may also lead to neurologic complications, such as stroke. The increasing use of invasive arterial access for diagnostic and/or interventional purposes has increased the rate of iatrogenic injuries, which usually occur in older and hospitalized patients.

A Systematic Review of In-situ Aortic Reconstructions for Abdominal Aortic Graft and Endograft Infections: Outcomes of Currently Available Options for Surgical Replacement.

Background: This review synthetizes recent literature about in-situ aortic reconstructions for abdominal aortic graft or endograft infections (AGEIs), aiming to report outcomes individually related to currently available vascular substitutes (VSs).

Methods: We performed a systematic review of all published literature from January 2005 to December 2022. We included articles reporting on open surgical treatment of abdominal AGEIs, with removal of the infected graft and in-situ reconstruction with biological or prosthetic material.

A Scoping Review on the Incidence, Risk Factors, and Outcomes of Proximal Neck Dilatation after Standard and Complex Endovascular Repair for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms.

To define proximal neck dilation (PND) after standard endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) and fenestrated EVAR (FEVAR), determining: incidence and risk factors; evidence base that links PND to outcomes of patients; recurring themes or gaps in the literature. We performed a scoping review and included only full-text English articles with follow-up focusing on PND in patients undergoing EVAR or FEVAR, published between 2000 and 2022. The following PICO question was used to build the search equation: in patients with abdominal-aortic-aneurysm (AAA) (Population) undergoing endovascular repair (Intervention), what are the incidence, risk factors and prognosis of radiologically defined PND (Comparison) on short-term and long-term outcomes (Outcomes)? 15 articles were included after review.

Association Between the Lockdown for SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) and Reduced Surgical Site Infections after Vascular Exposure in the Groin at Two Italian Academic Hospitals.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the scrupulous hygiene rules and the restriction of contacts during the lockdown owing to the COVID-19 pandemic affected the rate and severity of surgical site infections (SSI) after vascular exposure in the groin at two Italian University Hospitals.

Methods: Starting from March 2020, strict hygiene measures for protection of health care workers (HCW) and patients from COVID-19 infection were implemented, and partly lifted in July 2020. The main exposure for analysis purposes was the period in which patients were operated.

Association Between Psoas Muscle Sarcopenia and Long-Term Survival Following Elective Endovascular Aortic Repair.

Introduction: The aims of this study were as follows: i) to identify the prevalence of sarcopenia in patients undergoing elective endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) for intact abdominal aortic aneurysm; ii) to assess its association with perioperative morbidity and long-term survival; and iii) to estimate its diagnostic accuracy for prediction of 5-year mortality following the intervention.

Methods: We performed a retrospective review of all patients who underwent elective EVAR from January 1, 2010 through December 31, 2019. The lean psoas muscle area (LPMA; cm × HU) was calculated on computed tomography angiography by multiplying psoas muscle area and psoas muscle density.

Peri-Operative Management of Patients Undergoing Fenestrated-Branched Endovascular Repair for Juxtarenal, Pararenal and Thoracoabdominal Aortic Aneurysms: Preventing, Recognizing and Treating Complications to Improve Clinical Outcomes.

The advent and refinement of complex endovascular techniques in the last two decades has revolutionized the field of vascular surgery. This has allowed an effective minimally invasive treatment of extensive disease involving the pararenal and the thoracoabdominal aorta. Fenestrated-branched EVAR (F/BEVAR) now represents a feasible technical solution to address these complex diseases, moving the proximal sealing zone above the renal-visceral vessels take-off and preserving their patency.

Secondary Relining With Focal Flaring of Novel-Generation Balloon-Expandable Covered Stents for Endovascular Treatment of Significant Diameter Mismatch in the Aorto-Iliac Territory.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to report on the safety and feasibility of secondary relining with focal flaring of novel-generation balloon-expandable covered stents for endovascular treatment of significant diameter mismatch in the aorto-iliac territory. Significant diameter mismatch was defined as >20% difference in the nominal diameter between the intended proximal and distal landing zones.

Methods: Patient A was an 84-year-old man with prior abdominal aortic aneurysm open repair with a straight 20 mm Dacron tube.

Novel Application of Custom-Made Stent Grafts with Inner Branches for Secondary Treatment After Stent Graft Migration of Previous Infrarenal Endovascular Aortic Repair.

Purpose: We present a novel application of custom-made stent grafts (CMSGs) with inner branches to incorporate target vessels (TVs) as an alternative to fenestrations or directional branches for secondary treatment after stent graft migration of previous infrarenal endovascular aortic repair (EVAR).

Case Report: Two consecutive patients with stent graft migration of previous EVAR were electively treated at our institution from January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2018. Stent graft migration was defined as radiologic evidence of stent graft displacement >10 mm.

The impact of female sex on the outcomes of endovascular treatment for iliac lesions.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate early and long-term outcomes of stenting for iliac obstructive disease in women, comparing their results with those of men.

Methods: A single-center retrospective analysis of iliac stenting procedures performed from 2010 to 2017 was conducted. Perioperative clinical, anatomic, and operative data, including mean artery diameters and stent diameters, were collected in a dedicated database.

Open repair versus endovascular treatment of complex aortoiliac lesions in low risk patients.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to compare open surgical repair (OSR) versus endovascular repair (ER) using self-expanding covered stents for complex TransAtlantic Inter-Society Consensus II (TASC) class C or D aortoiliac lesions in low-risk patients, with a specific subanalysis for younger patients.

Methods: A single-center retrospective review of TASC C/D lesions treated from January 2008 to December 2017 was conducted. Patients with associated aortic aneurysm or lesions involving the entire infrarenal aorta were excluded.