Hybrid-procedures for the Treatment of Thoracoabdominal Aortic Aneurysms and Dissections

AimThe conventional open repair of thoracoabdominal aneurysms and dissections remains complex and demanding and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. We present our experience of hybrid open and endovascular treatment of thoracoabdominal aneurysms and dissections.MethodsWithin an experience of 226 aortic stent-grafts between 1998 and April 2006, 6 of the patients (median age 60 years, range 35 to 68 years) with thoracoabdominal aneurysms (Crawford type I, II, III, and V) were treated with a combined endovascular and open surgical approach. Five men and one woman, with median aneurysm diameter of 75mm (range 70–100mm), received revascularization of the renal arteries, the superior mesenteric artery, and the coeliac trunk accomplished via transperitoneal bypass grafting. Aneurysmal exclusion was then performed by stent-graft deployment.ResultsThe entire procedure was technically successful in all patients. The patients were discharged a median of 9 days after the operation, while the postoperative studies revealed the patency of the vessels and no evidence of type I endoleak or secondary rupture of the aneurysm. During follow up (1 to 22 months) spiral-CT scanning revealed distinct shrinkage of the aneurysm, no graft migration or endoleak and patency of all revascularised vessels, except one renal artery in two patients. No patient experienced any temporary or permanent neurological deficit, and no dialysis was necessary.ConclusionThe combined endovascular and open surgical approach is feasible, without cross clamping of the aorta and with minimized ischemia time for renal and visceral arteries, and seems to be an appropriate strategy for patients with a thoraco-abdominal aortic aneurysm or dissection

Endotension is Influenced by Wall Compliance in a Latex Aneurysm Model

AbstractObjectives. Even though endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) creates a closed chamber except for patent branches, the intra-sac pressure is never zero. This study was designed to investigate whether, and to what extent, aneurysm wall compliance influences intra-sac pressure.Design. In vitro experimental study.Methods. Aneurysm models with six and 12 latex layers were produced, resulting in elastic and stiff circumferential compliance (3.5±0.5 and 0.9±0.3%/100 mmHg, respectively). The models with an 18 mm internal neck and maximum aneurysm diameter of 60 mm were inserted into an in vitro circulation system. The systemic mean pressure (SPmean) was varied from 50 to 120 mmHg. After the aneurysm was excluded with a knitted polyethylene graft, aneurysm sac mean pressure (ASPmean) and aneurysm sac pulse pressure (ASPpulse) were measured. Data are presented as mean±SD. Statistics were performed using repeated measurements of variance; p<0.05 was considered significant.Results. In the model EVAR created a closed chamber without endoleak, but with an aneurysm sac pressure related to wall compliance. In the elastic aneurysm model with six latex coats the aneurysm sac mean pressure (ASPmean) and the aneurysm sac pulse pressure (ASPpulse) at all systemic pressures were significantly lower than they were in the stiffer model with 12 latex coats (p<0.05). At a SPmean of 90 mmHg, the ASPmean was 21.0±0.9 mmHg (six latex coats) and 26.0±0.2 mmHg (12 latex coats) (p<0.05), the ASPpulse was 5.7±0.2 mmHg (six latex coats) and 8.8±0.3 mmHg (12 latex coats) (p<0.05).Conclusions. This in vitro model demonstrated that the aneurysm sac mean pressure (ASPmean) and the aneurysm sac pulse pressure (ASPpulse) were significantly influenced by the compliance of the aneurysm wall. These data highlight the need for further studies regarding endotension

New insights regarding the incidence, presentation and treatment options of aorto-oesophageal fistulation after thoracic endovascular aortic repair: the European Registry of Endovascular Aortic Repair Complications

OBJECTIVES: To review the incidence, clinical presentation, definite management and 1-year outcome in patients with aorto-oesophageal fistulation (AOF) following thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR). METHODS: International multicentre registry (European Registry of Endovascular Aortic Repair Complications) between 2001 and 2011 with a total caseload of 2387 TEVAR procedures (17 centres). RESULTS: Thirty-six patients with a median age of 69 years (IQR 56-75), 25% females and 9 patients (19%) following previous aortic surgery were identified. The incidence of AOF in the entire cohort after TEVAR in the study period was 1.5%. The primary underlying aortic pathology for TEVAR was atherosclerotic aneurysm formation in 53% of patients and the median time to development of AOF was 90 days (IQR 30-150). Leading clinical symptoms were fever of unknown origin in 29 (81%), haematemesis in 19 (53%) and shock in 8 (22%) patients. Diagnosis could be confirmed via computed tomography in 92% of the cases with the leading sign of a new mediastinal mass in 28 (78%) patients. A conservative approach resulted in a 100% 1-year mortality, and 1-year survival for an oesophageal stenting-only approach was 17%. Survival after isolated oesophagectomy was 43%. The highest 1-year survival rate (46%) could be achieved via an aggressive treatment including radical oesophagectomy and aortic replacement [relative risk increase 1.73 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03-2.92]. The survival advantage of this aggressive treatment modality could be confirmed in bootstrap analysis (95% CI 1.11-3.33). CONCLUSIONS: The development of AOF is a rare but lethal complication after TEVAR, being associated with the need for emergency TEVAR as well as mediastinal haematoma formation. The only durable and successful approach to cure the disease is radical oesophagectomy and extensive aortic reconstruction. These findings may serve as a decision-making tool for physicians treating these complex patients

Demographics of patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm in different countries: Germany, Tajikistan and Russia

АОРТЫ БРЮШНОЙ АНЕВРИЗМА /ЭПИДАНЕВРИЗМЫ РАЗРЫВДЕМОГРАФИЧЕСКАЯ СТАТИСТИКАКОМОРБИДНОСТЬСОПУТСТВУЮЩИЕ БОЛЕЗНИФАКТОРЫ РИСКАСМЕРТЕЛЬНЫЙ ИСХОДЛЕТАЛЬНЫЙ ИСХОДЭНДОВАСКУЛЯРНОЕ ЛЕЧЕНИЕГЕРМАНИЯТАДЖИКИСТАНРОССИЙСКАЯ ФЕДЕРАЦИЯРЕТРОСПЕКТИВНЫЕ ИССЛЕДОВАНИЯЦель. Сравнить демографические характеристики, сопутствующие заболевания и факторы риска у пациентов с аневризмой брюшной аорты (АБА), получавших лечение в трех странах: Германия, Таджикистан и Россия. Материал и методы. Было проведено ретроспективное сравнительное исследование с участием пациентов с инфраренальной аневризмой брюшной аорты, которые лечились либо с помощью эндоваскулярного протезирования, либо с помощью открытого протезирования аневризмы брюшной аорты в период с 2011 по 2015 год в Кельне, Душанбе и Рязани. В исследование были включены 711 пациентов: 499 из Кельна, 46 из Душанбе и 166 из Рязани. Ретроспективно были собраны демографические данные, включавшие возраст, пол, индекс массы тела, сопутствующие заболевания (диабет, ишемическая болезнь сердца, гипертония, цереброваскулярные заболевания, ХОБЛ, курение), фактическое лечение, а также диаметр брюшной аорты. Результаты. Статистически значимой разницы в распространенности аневризмы брюшного отдела аорты в зависимости от пола между исследовательскими центрами не было. Точно так же индекс массы тела существенно не отличался между 3 центрами. Однако пациенты из Кельна были старше, чем из Душанбе и Рязани. Количество пациентов с разрывом аневризмы брюшной аорты было значительно меньше в Кельне по сравнению с двумя другими учреждениями (p<0,05). Диаметр AБA у пациентов в Рязани и Душанбе был больше, чем в Кельне. Что касается лекарств, которые получали пациенты, то в Кельне значительно чаще применялись препараты, снижающие агрегацию тромбоцитов, статины и бета-блокаторы. Пациенты из Таджикистана страдали ХОБЛ чаще, чем пациенты из других центров. Заключение. Распространенность сопутствующих заболеваний, факторы риска, а также лекарственная терапия у пациентов с аневризмой инфраренальной брюшной аорты различаются в разных географических регионах.Objective. To compare the demographics, comorbidities and risk factors in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) treated in three different communities; Germany, Tajikistan and Russian Federation. Methods. A retrospective comparative study including patients with an infrarenal AAA who were treated with either endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) or open repair (2011-2015) in Cologne, Dushanbe and Ryazan was done. A total number of 711 patients, 499 from Cologne, 46 from Dushanbe and 166 from Ryazan were included in the study. Demographic data including age, gender, body mass index (BMI), comorbidities (diabetes, coronary artery disease (CAD)), hypertension, cerebrovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, smoking), actual treatment as well as the diameter of the abdominal aorta were collected, retrospectively. Results. There was no statistically significant difference in AAA prevalence with respect to gender between the study centers. Similarly, the BMI did not differ significantly between these 3 centers. Though, the patients from Cologne were older than those from Dushanbe and Ryazan. Moreover, the number of patients treated due to ruptured aneurysm was significantly lower in Cologne in comparison to the other two centers (P<0,05). The AAA-diameter of patients in Ryazan and Dushanbe was greater than that found in Cologne. Regarding the actual medication that patients were presented with, antiplatelet-aggregation medication, statin and beta blockers were used significantly more often in Cologne. Patients from Tajikistan had COPD more often than patients from the other centers. Conclusion. The prevalence of comorbidities, risk factors as well as medication in patients with infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm is different in the various geographical regions

Diet and BMI Correlate with Metabolite Patterns Associated with Aggressive Prostate Cancer

Three metabolite patterns have previously shown prospective inverse associations with the risk of aggressive prostate cancer within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). Here, we investigated dietary and lifestyle correlates of these three prostate cancer-related metabolite patterns, which included: 64 phosphatidylcholines and three hydroxysphingomyelins (Pattern 1), acylcarnitines C18:1 and C18:2, glutamate, ornithine, and taurine (Pattern 2), and 8 lysophosphatidylcholines (Pattern 3). In a two-stage cross-sectional discovery (n = 2524) and validation (n = 518) design containing 3042 men free of cancer in EPIC, we estimated the associations of 24 dietary and lifestyle variables with each pattern and the contributing individual metabolites. Associations statistically significant after both correction for multiple testing (False Discovery Rate = 0.05) in the discovery set and at p < 0.05 in the validation set were considered robust. Intakes of alcohol, total fish products, and its subsets total fish and lean fish were positively associated with Pattern 1. Body mass index (BMI) was positively associated with Pattern 2, which appeared to be driven by a strong positive BMI-glutamate association. Finally, both BMI and fatty fish were inversely associated with Pattern 3. In conclusion, these results indicate associations of fish and its subtypes, alcohol, and BMI with metabolite patterns that are inversely associated with risk of aggressive prostate cancer

Sugar-sweetened beverage intake associations with fasting glucose and insulin concentrations are not modified by selected genetic variants in a ChREBP-FGF21 pathway : a meta-analysis

Aims/hypothesis Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are a major dietary contributor to fructose intake. A molecular pathway involving the carbohydrate responsive element-binding protein (ChREBP) and the metabolic hormone fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) may influence sugar metabolism and, thereby, contribute to fructose-induced metabolic disease. We hypothesise that common variants in 11 genes involved in fructose metabolism and the ChREBP-FGF21 pathway may interact with SSB intake to exacerbate positive associations between higher SSB intake and glycaemic traits. Methods Data from 11 cohorts (six discovery and five replication) in the CHARGE (Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology) Consortium provided association and interaction results from 34,748 adults of European descent. SSB intake (soft drinks, fruit punches, lemonades or other fruit drinks) was derived from food-frequency questionnaires and food diaries. In fixed-effects meta-analyses, we quantified: (1) the associations between SSBs and glycaemic traits (fasting glucose and fasting insulin); and (2) the interactions between SSBs and 18 independent SNPs related to the ChREBP-FGF21 pathway. Results In our combined meta-analyses of discovery and replication cohorts, after adjustment for age, sex, energy intake, BMI and other dietary covariates, each additional serving of SSB intake was associated with higher fasting glucose (beta +/- SE 0.014 +/- 0.004 [mmol/l], p = 1.5 x 10(-3)) and higher fasting insulin (0.030 +/- 0.005 [log(e) pmol/l], p = 2.0 x 10(-10)). No significant interactions on glycaemic traits were observed between SSB intake and selected SNPs. While a suggestive interaction was observed in the discovery cohorts with a SNP (rs1542423) in the beta-Klotho (KLB) locus on fasting insulin (0.030 +/- 0.011 log(e) pmol/l, uncorrected p = 0.006), results in the replication cohorts and combined meta-analyses were non-significant. Conclusions/interpretation In this large meta-analysis, we observed that SSB intake was associated with higher fasting glucose and insulin. Although a suggestive interaction with a genetic variant in the ChREBP-FGF21 pathway was observed in the discovery cohorts, this observation was not confirmed in the replication analysis.Peer reviewe

Gut microbiota composition in relation to intake of added sugar, sugar-sweetened beverages and artificially sweetened beverages in the Malmö Offspring Study

Purpose It has been suggested that a high intake of sugar or sweeteners may result in an unfavorable microbiota composition; however, evidence is lacking. Hence, in this exploratory epidemiological study, we aim to examine if intake of added sugar, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) or artificially sweetened beverages (ASBs) associate with the gut microbiota composition. Methods Participants (18–70 years) in the Malmö Offspring Study have provided blood, urine, and fecal samples and completed both web-based 4 day food records and short food frequency questionnaires. The gut microbiota was assessed by 16S rRNA sequencing, processed in QIIME and matched to Greengenes (v.13.8), giving 64 included genera after filtering. Intake of added sugar (n = 1371) (also supported by the overnight urinary sugar biomarker in a subgroup n = 577), SSBs (n = 1086) and ASBs (n = 1085) were examined as exposures in negative binomial regressions. Results Various genera nominally associated with intake of added sugar, SSBs, and ASBs. Only the negative association between SSB intake and Lachnobacterium remained significant after multiple testing correction. A positive association between SSB intake and the Firmicutes:Bacteroidetes ratio was also observed. Conclusion In this wide population, the cross-sectional associations between added sugar and sweet beverage intake and the gut microbiota are modest, but the results suggest that SSB intake is associated negatively with the genus Lachnobacterium and positively with the Firmicutes:Bacteroidetes ratio. Larger studies, preferably using metagenomic sequencing, are needed to further evaluate if a link exists between intake of sugars and sweeteners and the human gut microbiota