Comparison of contrast-enhanced ultrasound and computed tomography in classifying endoleaks after endovascular treatment of abdominal aorta aneurysms: preliminary experience.

The purpose of the study was to assess the effectiveness of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) in endoleak classification after endovascular treatment of an abdominal aortic aneurysm compared to computed tomography angiography (CTA). From May 2001 to April 2003, 10 patients with endoleaks already detected by CTA underwent CEUS with Sonovue to confirm the CTA classification or to reclassify the endoleak. In three conflicting cases, the patients were also studied with conventional angiography.

New trends in prosthesis infection in cardiovascular surgery.

Background: Adult cardiovascular surgery entails, in many cases, the use of some kind of prosthesis. Among the potential complications, prosthetic device infection is one of the most devastating in incidence, as well as in prognosis and damage to surrounding tissues.

Results: The most common bacterial agents in vascular and cardiac prosthetic device infections are Staphylococcus aureus and S.

Methods for the determination of intracellular levels of ribose phosphates.

Ribose phosphates are either synthesized through the oxidative branch of the pentose phosphate pathway or stem from the phosphorolytic cleavage of the N-glycosidic bond of ribonucleosides. The two major pentose phosphates, ribose-5-phosphate and ribose-1-phosphate, can be readily interconverted by phosphopentomutase. Ribose-5-phosphate is also the direct precursor of 5-phosphoribosyl-1-pyrophosphate, which is used for both de novo and salvage synthesis of nucleotides.

Endovascular repair for thoracic aortic arch aneurysms.

Aim: The aim of this study was to report our experience with total and subtotal endovascular stent-grafting combined with aortic arch branch surgical revascularization for thoracic aortic arch aneurysms in high-risk patients.

Methods: From December 2000 to June 2005, among 38 patients treated with thoracic stent-grafts in our department, 10 patients (9 men; mean age 71+/-6 years) at high risk for open repair were candidates for endovascular repair and/or aortic arch branch extra-anatomical reconstruction due to inadequate proximal landing zones. The left subclavian artery was over-stented 6 cases for zone 2 aneurysms, and partial or total arch stent-grafting with simultaneous revascularization of the arch branches was performed in 4 cases for zones 0-1 aneurysms.

Emergency endovascular stent-graft treatment for acute thoracic aortic syndromes.

Objective: We report the results of our ongoing experience of urgent and emergency stent-graft implantation in acute thoracic aortic syndromes.

Methods And Results: In the last 5-years, 19 patients were treated for acute thoracic aortic syndromes. Traumatic rupture was diagnosed in 7 patients, complicated acute type B dissection was present in 5 patients, penetrating ulcer in 4, and symptomatic thoracic aortic aneurysm in 3 patients.

Mid-term experience with the ALN retrievable inferior vena cava filter.

Objective: To report the mid-term results of 63 patients who received a new commercially-available retrievable vena cava filter, ALN.

Methods: Between January 2001 and October 2005, 63 patients (mean age 65 +/- 15 years) underwent placement of ALN filters. Filter removal was performed when anti-thrombotic prophylaxis was considered unnecessary or when the patient could safely resume full anticoagulant therapy.

Endovascular treatment of isolated iliac artery aneurysms.

We report our experience of endovascular repair of isolated iliac artery aneurysms using commercially available stent grafts (SGs). Twenty-five patients (mean age 71 +/- 7 years) presented with 33 isolated iliac artery aneurysms (common iliac artery n = 29, external iliac artery n = 4). Five patients were symptomatic.

Stent-graft treatment for isolated infrarenal aortic dissecting aneurysms.

Objectives: We report three cases of isolated infrarenal aortic dissecting aneurysms managed with stent-graft.

Materials And Methods: Three patients, two men and one woman, with a mean age at diagnosis of 69 years were identified. In all cases, chest CT-A did not reveal evidence of thoracic aortic dissection.

Intentional coverage of the left subclavian artery during endovascular stent graft repair for thoracic aortic disease.

Background: Surgical revascularization of the left subclavian artery (LSA) has been performed to warrant arm perfusion and to prevent paraplegia during thoracic stent graft (SG) procedures. We retrospectively investigated the outcome after intentional occlusion of the left subclavian artery during SG repair for thoracic aortic diseases.

Methods: From December 2000 to June 2005, 11 patients (mean age, 57 +/- 19 years) with a short (<1 cm) proximal aspect of a thoracic aortic lesion underwent intentional LSA coverage to expand the proximal landing zone for SG fixation.

Intravenous uterine leiomyomatosis with right heart extension: successful two-stage surgical removal.

Intravenous leiomyomatosis is an uncommon nonmalignant tumor which originates from the smooth muscle cells and is usually confined to the pelvic venous system. Rarely, intracaval and intracardiac extension has been described: the literature includes only 100 cases with cardiac involvement. We report a case of a young woman with intravenous leiomyomatosis originating from the uterus and extending into the right atrium, successfully treated through a two-stage surgical approach.

Pentose phosphates in nucleoside interconversion and catabolism.

Ribose phosphates are either synthesized through the oxidative branch of the pentose phosphate pathway, or are supplied by nucleoside phosphorylases. The two main pentose phosphates, ribose-5-phosphate and ribose-1-phosphate, are readily interconverted by the action of phosphopentomutase. Ribose-5-phosphate is the direct precursor of 5-phosphoribosyl-1-pyrophosphate, for both de novo and 'salvage' synthesis of nucleotides.

Incidence of vascular injuries after use of the Angio-Seal closure device following endovascular procedures in a single center.

Introduction: Percutaneous closure devices have been used to obtain rapid hemostasis and early mobilization of the patient after arterial catheterization. However, we observed challenging problems with the sealing procedure that require further surgical intervention. The present report is a retrospective analysis of the patterns of injury and the final outcome of four cases of femoral artery injury following the use of Angio-Seal.

Hybrid treatment for thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms in patients unfit for open conventional repair.

Purpose: To describe a technique combining endovascular and conventional surgery for the treatment of distal aortic arch and thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms.

Material And Methods: In the last two years, we used hybrid approach to treat six patients with distal aortic arch or thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms unfit for open conventional repair owing poor cardio-respiratory function.

Results: The primary technical success rate was 100%.

Complete resolution of hepatic aspergillosis after non-myeloablative hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in a patient with acute myeloid leukemia.

Fungal infections due to Aspergillus are a frequent cause of transplant-related mortality. For this reason, leukemic patients with severe fungal infection are usually excluded from conventional allotransplantation. Recently, some authors suggested a role for non-myeloablative hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in this subset of patients.

Emergency endovascular repair for traumatic injury of the inferior vena cava.

Conventional open repair of the traumatic injuries of the inferior vena cava still represents a surgical challenge, since it carries high morbidity and mortality rates close to 100% in emergency setting. Surgical techniques required the total mobilization of the liver in the former case and the anatomic exposure of the aorto-iliac bifurcation in the latter. We report a case of uncontrolled hemorrhage from the inferior vena cava, managed by endovascular technique.

Hybrid treatment for juxtarenal aortic occlusion: successful revascularization using iliofemoral semiclosed endarterectomy and kissing-stents technique.

A 53-year-old man with a significant respiratory history waiting for lung transplantation presented with severe bilateral buttock and thigh claudication. Angiography revealed severe stenosis of the left renal artery and total occlusion of the infrarenal abdominal aorta and iliac vessels. Via a bilateral surgical femoral exposure, we performed semiclosed endarterectomy of the iliofemoral vessels and percutaneous transluminal angioplasty stenting of the infrarenal aorta with two Palmaz stents and percutaneous transluminal angioplasty "kissing stents" of the iliac arteries with three Luminexx stents bilaterally.

Endovascular repair for concomitant multilevel aortic disease.

Objective: Patients with multilevel aortic disease represent a small subgroup with the need for extensive surgical treatment at considerable risk. We present our experience of endovascular exclusion for simultaneous thoracic and abdominal aortic disease in four patients.

Methods: Between January 2002 and January 2005, four patients underwent endovascular repair for simultaneous thoracic and abdominal aortic disease.

Endovascular repair of traumatic injuries of the subclavian and axillary arteries.

Introduction: Injury to the subclavian and axillary arteries is uncommon. Standard surgical techniques require wide exposure and dissection in traumatised areas which is often challenging and associated with significant morbidity, and mortality ranges from 5 to 30%. We report our experience with the endovascular treatment of these injuries.

Endovascular treatment for superior vena cava obstruction in Behçet disease.

Behçet disease is a heterogeneous, multisystem inflammatory disorder; vascular involvement has been considered to result from systemic vasculitis, which most frequently affects veins and occurs in 5% to 10% of these patients. However, superior vena cava (SVC) involvement is rare; it accounts for only 6% of the cases. The aim of this article is to a report on a case of SVC recanalization through the use of fibrinolysis and self-expanding stents as treatment of life-threatening SVC syndrome in a young male patient with Behçet disease.

Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm: endovascular treatment.

Background: This report describes our preliminary experience in endovascular management of 25 ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms (rAAAs).

Methods: In the past 3 years we treated 46 patients who had rAAA, and 25 (54.3%) were treated with an endovascular approach.

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma of the radial artery.

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE) is an extremely rare vascular tumor of intermediate malignancy. Generally it develops from the peripheral veins (usually the femoral vein). We report on a case of EHE of the radial artery, developed in a 26-year-old male patient, which presented as a solitary painless mass.

Uptake and utilization of nucleosides for energy repletion.

In this paper, we report that cells undergoing metabolic stress conditions may use the ribose moiety of nucleosides as energy source to slow down cellular damage. In fact, the phosphorolytic cleavage of the N-glycosidic bond of nucleosides generates, without energy expense, the phosphorylated pentose, which through pentose phosphate pathway and glycolysis, can be converted to energetic intermediates. In this respect, nucleosides may be considered as energy source, alternative or supplementary to glucose, which may become of primary importance especially in conditions of cellular stress.

Mechanistic studies on bovine cytosolic 5'-nucleotidase II, an enzyme belonging to the HAD superfamily.

Cytosolic 5'-nucleotidase/phosphotransferase specific for 6-hydroxypurine monophosphate derivatives (cN-II), belongs to a class of phosphohydrolases that act through the formation of an enzyme-phosphate intermediate. Sequence alignment with members of the P-type ATPases/L-2-haloacid dehalogenase superfamily identified three highly conserved motifs in cN-II and other cytosolic nucleotidases. Mutagenesis studies at specific amino acids occurring in cN-II conserved motifs were performed.

Identification of the 5'-nucleotidase activity altered in neurological syndromes.

5'-Nucleotidases comprise a family of enzymes involved in the regulation of intracellular and extracellular nucleotide concentration. There is increasing knowledge about an involvement of these activities in the aetiology of neurological disorders. In this paper we present a protocol for the identification of the altered enzyme in fibroblasts primary culture from patients and controls.