Usefulness of Transesophageal Echocardiography in the Evaluation of Celiac Trunk and Superior Mesenteric Artery Involvement in Acute Aortic Dissection

Intraoperative Transesophageal Echocardiography in Acute Type A Aortic Dissection: Contemporary Approach

Acute type A aortic dissection represents a critical cardiac surgical emergency and carries a significant mortality risk. While computed tomography angiography is the standard for initial diagnosis, transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is indispensable in the intraoperative setting. This article discusses intraoperative TEE findings in patients undergoing surgery for type A aortic dissection, emphasizing the necessity of real-time imaging to detect complications and guide surgical management. The use of TEE is important in confirming diagnoses, monitoring hemodynamics, evaluating the function of the aortic valve, pericardial, and pleural spaces, and potentially assessing abdominal branch vessel flow, thus ultimately facilitating informed surgical decisions. Moreover, intraoperative TEE use enables differentiation between true and false lumens and facilitates central aortic cannulation guidance via the Seldinger technique. Post-cardiopulmonary bypass, TEE is used to assess surgical results and guide further interventions if necessary. This comprehensive review aims to disseminate essential echocardiographic insights, advocating for greater awareness and utilization of TEE in the surgical management of aortic dissection to improve patient outcomes.

Trans-Esophageal Echocardiography of the Descending Aorta and Celiac Trunk as an Intraoperative Monitoring for Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome (MALS) Treatment: Technique Proposal and Two Case Reports

Dunbar syndrome is caused by the compression of the celiac artery by the median arcuate ligament (MAL) and the diaphragmatic crura, presenting with abdominal pain. The treatment is surgical, with the aim of dissecting and separating the diaphragmatic crura from the celiac axis, restoring blood flow in the celiac trunk. We propose the use of transesophageal echocardiography to measure the peak systolic velocity in the celiac trunk and to evaluate, in real time, the efficacy of the surgery during MAL resection. Two clinical cases with practical implications are reported. In one of these, the ultrasound exam was useful in providing an intraoperative confirmation of the outcome of the resection.

Diagnostic Value of Aortic Dissection Risk Score, Coagulation Function, and Laboratory Indexes in Acute Aortic Dissection

Objective

This study was aimed at studying the diagnostic value of aortic dissection (AD) risk score, coagulation function, and laboratory indicators in acute aortic dissection (AAD).

Methods

In this retrospective study, 57 patients with AAD and 57 with an acute coronary syndrome (ACS). During the same period, 50 healthy subjects were selected as the control group admitted to our institution which were assessed for eligibility and recruited. They were assigned to an AD group (AAD patients) and an ACS group (ACS patients). The AD risk scores, coagulation function indexes, and laboratory indexes of the two groups were compared. With digital subtraction angiography- (DSA-) based diagnosis result as the gold standard, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the diagnostic value of various indexes for AD, and the sensitivity, specificity, and optimal diagnostic value (Youden index) of the diagnostic indexes were calculated. Additionally, the overall blood clot formation strength (MA), clotting factor function (R), platelet function (MAp), and functional fibrinogen (MAf) levels were evaluated.

Results

AAD risk, AD screening, early diagnosis of AAD, fibrinogen degradation products (FDP), fibrinogen (Fib), prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), tenascin C (TN-C), D-dimer (D-D), and N-terminal B-type natriuretic peptide precursor (NT-proBNP) in the three groups were statistically different (P < 0.05). Further pairwise comparisons showed that the AD patients got higher scores of AAD risk, AD screening, and early diagnosis of AAD versus ACS patients (P < 0.05). AD was associated with lower levels of fibrinogen degradation products (FDP) and fibrinogen (Fib), shorter prothrombin time (PT), and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) versus ACS (P < 0.05). AD also resulted in higher levels of tenascin C (TN-C), D-dimer (D-D), and N-terminal B-type natriuretic peptide precursor (NT-proBNP) versus ACS (P < 0.05). The three risk scores, various laboratory indicators, and various coagulation function indicators were of high diagnostic values for the diagnosis of AAD (AUC > 0.9, P < 0.05). The sensitivity of the AD screening scale and TN-C expression level to the diagnosis of AAD was up to 100%, and the specificity of TN-C expression level was up to 98.25%. The influencing factors of AAD included Fib, FDP, PT, APTT, D-D, TN-C, and NT-proBNP. MA, MAf, and MAp displayed the same trend and reached the lowest point at T2. R was the opposite and reached the highest point at T2. At T4, a higher Map and a lower MAf were found than before surgery, and R and MA returned to preoperative levels. The positive detection rate of ACS by CT scan was positively correlated with the degree of stenosis (r = 0.814, P < 0.05).

Conclusion

AD screening scale, TN-C, and FDP are of the highest diagnostic value in the risk score of AD, laboratory indicators, and coagulation function. It has implications for the diagnosis of ADD.

Transesophageal Ultrasound Guidance for Endovascular Interventions on the Aorta

Aortic pathologies in general require a multidisciplinary approach and decision-making to integrate elements of clinical acuity, vascular pathology, individual comorbidity, and risk assessment; thus, ideally it is a center with access to multiple imaging modalities and expertise in all treatment options. Besides classic open surgical options, endovascular procedures have been accepted for a variety of aortic pathologies. More recently, novel transcatheter interventions even to the proximal aorta have been introduced, particularly for patients unfit for open surgery. Nevertheless, the role of transesophageal echocardiography to guide percutaneous aortic interventions is not well established, notwithstanding the growing potential as an ancillary tool to guide the procedure and document success.

Ultrasound Imaging of the Abdominal Aorta: A Comprehensive Review

Ultrasound is the imaging modality of choice for the initial evaluation of disorders that involve the abdominal aorta (AA). The diagnostic value of ultrasound resides in its ability to allow assessment of the anatomy and structure of the AA using two- dimensional, three-dimensional, and contrast-enhanced imaging. Moreover, ultrasound permits evaluation of the physiologic and hemodynamic consequences of abnormalities through Doppler interrogation of blood flow, thus enabling the identification and quantification of disorders within the AA and beyond its boundaries. The approach to ultrasound imaging of the AA varies, depending on the purpose of the study and whether it is performed in a radiology or vascular laboratory or in an echocardiography laboratory. The aim of this review is to demonstrate the usefulness of ultrasound imaging for the detection and evaluation of disorders that involve the AA, detail the abnormalities that are detected or further assessed, and outline its value for echocardiographers, sonographers, and radiologists.

Mesenteric ischemia following large left ventricular fibroid thrombosis due to myocardial infarction: A case report

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Left ventricular thrombosis (LVT) is commonly seen in patients with decreased systolic function.

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The patient was underwent mesenteric ischemia during hospitalization but the diagnosis of mesenteric ischemia prior to the patient's visit is not unlikely.

Introduction

Left ventricular thrombosis is a common complication of acute myocardial infarction, usually occurring after anterior ST-elevation myocardial infarction, akinesis, and extensive dyskinesia of the apex, anterolateral, or anteroseptal. In this article, we report a case of myocardial infarction with left ventricular thrombosis.

Case presentation

A 45-year-old man was referred to our hospital with complaints of severe epigastric pain, sweating, fever, and tachycardia. In laboratory tests, findings for triose phosphate isomerase enzyme were negative, but on electrocardiography, the Q wave in the V1 and V2 leads and the biphasic T wave in the V2, V3, and V4 leads were evident. In Akinesian echocardiography, apical segmentation with a large organic, mobile, pedunculated thrombosis measuring 1.7 × 1.9 cm² and an ejection fraction of 40% were reported. The patient then underwent emergency open cardiac surgery through a central sternotomy to remove the thrombosis.

Clinical discussion

The clinical manifestations of left ventricular thrombosis include cerebral thromboembolism and systemic distal embolization, which are dangerous despite surgery. The echocardiography revealed that the left ventricular keratosis had been surgically removed through ventriculotomy. The patient experienced mesenteric ischemia during hospitalization, and due to the initial presentation of severe abdominal pain, it is not uncommon for the patient to be diagnosed with mesenteric ischemia before referral. The patient had the following vital signs: SPO₂, 98%; BP, 96/63; PR, 91; RR, 19; and GCS, 10/15 and was treated in the intensive care unit.

Conclusion

Our case highlights the importance of diagnosis and on-time treatment of post-large left ventricular fibroid thrombosis complications.