Increased pulse wave velocity in patients with acute lacunar infarction doubled the risk of future ischemic stroke.

The aim of this study was to determine whether pulse wave velocity (PWV), a marker of vascular endothelial impairment and arteriosclerosis, predicts future ischemic stroke in patients who developed acute lacunar infarction. Patients with a first-ever ischemic stroke due to acute lacunar infarction were enrolled in this study. An oscillometric device (Form PWV/ABI; Omron Colin, Tokyo, Japan) was used to measure brachial-ankle PWV 1 week after stroke onset.

Surgical management without resection of the oesophagus for aorto-oesophageal fistula secondary to aortic arch aneurysm rupture.

A 79-year-old moderately frail man with a history of graft replacement for descending thoracic aortic aneurysm and chronic kidney disease presented with the onset of haemoptysis. Computed tomography demonstrated aorto-oesophageal fistula secondary to aortic arch aneurysm rupture. Emergency surgery was performed through a median sternotomy.

Early and Late Outcomes of Operation for Acute Type A Aortic Dissection in Patients Aged 80 Years and Older.

Background: The number of elderly patients undergoing emergency operation for acute type A aortic dissection is increasing in the aging society. We examined the early and late outcomes of operation for acute type A aortic dissection in elderly patients (≥80 years old).

Methods: From January 2001 to December 2015, 345 consecutive patients underwent surgical treatment for acute type A aortic dissection at our institution.

A multi-institutional survey of interventional radiology for type II endoleaks after endovascular aortic repair: questionnaire results from the Japanese Society of Endoluminal Metallic Stents and Grafts in Japan.

Purpose: To investigate the current status of interventional radiology (IR) procedures for a type II endoleak (T2EL) in Japan, and to identify the technical aspects that affect treatment results.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective survey was conducted by distributing questionnaires to 25 institutions. The eligibility criteria were endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) performed using commercial stent grafts and IR performed for T2EL between January 2007 and December 2013.

[Early and Long Term Outcomes of Surgery for Acute Type A Aortic Dissection Complicated with Organ Malperfusion].

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate early and long term outcomes of surgery for acute type A aortic dissection complicated with organ malperfusion.

Method: From January 2001 to October 2015, 336 consecutive patients (mean age 68.6±12.

Comparison of arteriosclerotic indicators in patients with ischemic stroke: ankle-brachial index, brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity and cardio-ankle vascular index.

The ankle-brachial index (ABI), brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) are surrogate markers of arteriosclerosis. However, their roles in patients with acute ischemic stroke remain unclear. From October 2003 to September 2011, we enrolled patients with arteriosclerotic ischemic stroke (AIS) exhibiting large infarcts attributed to large-artery atherosclerosis (LAA) or deep subcortical infarcts (mainly lacunar infarcts) attributed to small-artery disease (SAD).

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 36 exists in diverse populations and can be caused by a short hexanucleotide GGCCTG repeat expansion.

Objective: Spinocerebellar ataxia 36 (SCA36) is an autosomal-dominant neurodegenerative disorder caused by a large (>650) hexanucleotide GGCCTG repeat expansion in the first intron of the NOP56 gene. The aim of this study is to clarify the prevalence, clinical and genetic features of SCA36.

Methods: The expansion was tested in 676 unrelated SCA index cases and 727 controls from France, Germany and Japan.

Ultrasound-guided continuous thoracic paravertebral block provides comparable analgesia and fewer episodes of hypotension than continuous epidural block after lung surgery.

Purpose: Both paravertebral block (PVB) and thoracic epidural block (TEB) are recommended for postoperative pain relief after lung surgery. The addition of fentanyl to the anesthetic solution became popular for TEB because of the stronger effects; however, there have been few comparable trials about the addition of fentanyl to PVB. The purpose of this study was thus to compare postoperative analgesia, side effects, and complications between ultrasound-guided PVB (USG-PVB) and TEB with the addition of fentanyl to ropivacaine after lung surgery.

Endovascular treatment for unilateral chronic total occlusions of the iliac artery categorized as TASC II type D lesions.

Purpose: To compare the results of endovascular treatment for unilateral iliac occlusion in types B and D, and confirm its validity for type D.

Methods: Between 2000 and 2011, 108 patients underwent endovascular treatment for unilateral iliac occlusion. 77 were categorized as type B for occlusion of common iliac artery (CIA) or external iliac artery (EIA) and 31 were categorized as type D for occlusion of both CIA and EIA.

Aspiration therapy for acute superior mesenteric artery embolism with an angled guiding sheath and guiding catheter.

Seven patients with superior mesenteric artery embolism were treated by aspiration with the use of a 6-F angled guiding sheath and a 6-F guiding catheter through an 8-F short sheath by direct advancement using a telescopic and "biting-off" technique. Aspiration of the trunk took between 30 and 60 minutes (median, 44.0 min), and total procedure time ranged from 34 to 94 minutes (median, 60 min).

Prospective registry of carotid artery stenting in Japan--investigation on device and antiplatelet for carotid artery stenting.

Background: Carotid artery stenting (CAS) is minimally invasive but may cause perioperative cerebral infarction associated with distal embolization. We conducted a multicenter prospective observational study on the onset of vascular events after CAS to find out the efficacy and safety of CAS in Japan and to investigate the effects of antiplatelet drugs administered before and after CAS on efficacy and safety of CAS.

Methods: A total of 949 patients with cervical carotid artery stenosis were enrolled at 43 institutions in Japan; 934 who had undergone CAS with antiplatelet drugs and followed for 1 year were analyzed.

False aneurysm with an aorto-superior vena cava fistula after replacement of the ascending aorta: report of a case.

A 58-year-old female presenting with congestive heart failure due to a fistula between an aortic false aneurysm and the superior vena cava (SVC) is described. She had a history of Takayasu's arteritis (TA) and she had undergone aortic valve and ascending aorta replacement and coronary artery bypass grafting 6 years before. The false aneurysm had occurred 1 year after the surgery, and she had been conservatively managed.

Therapeutic effectiveness of diagnostic lymphangiography for refractory postoperative chylothorax and chylous ascites: correlation with radiologic findings and preceding medical treatment.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the therapeutic effect of lymphangiography for refractory postoperative chylothorax and chylous ascites and analyze the relation between the clinical outcomes and radiologic findings or response to the preceding medical treatment.

Materials And Methods: Between January 2004 and June 2012, 14 patients underwent lymphangiography. All patients had been unresponsive to at least two medical treatments for 3-62 days (median, 13.

Aortic root reimplantation for isolated sinus of valsalva aneurysm in the patient with Marfan's syndrome.

We describe an isolated extracardiac unruptured acquired aneurysm in the right coronary sinus of Valsalva, which was seen in a 55-year-old woman with Marfan's syndrome. The patient underwent aortic root replacement using a reimplantation technique. Pathologic examination revealed absence of the medial elastic fiber of the aortic wall of the normal sinus of Valsalva.

Increased brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity is independently associated with white matter hyperintensities.

Background: White matter hyperintensities (WMHs) are a risk factor for stroke. Their etiology is considered to be cerebral microvascular abnormality. However, the association between WMHs and arteriosclerosis is not yet clear.

A true aneurysm of posterior tibial artery.

True aneurysms of tibial artery are uncommon. We report a case of a 47-year-old woman who suffered from a distal embolism in the left toes. The surgical intervention involved an aneurysmectomy and the interposition of the posterior tibial artery using the saphenous vein graft.

Long-term follow-up of acute type B aortic dissection: ulcer-like projections in thrombosed false lumen play a role in late aortic events.

Objective: Patients with Stanford type B dissection treated medically during the acute phase have a risk of surgery and aortic rupture during the chronic phase. We investigated the predictors for late aortic events by focusing on the false lumen status with computed tomography.

Methods: A total of 160 patients were enrolled in the study, with a mean follow-up interval of 44.