Guidelines on the diagnosis, treatment and management of visceral and renal arteries aneurysms: a joint assessment by the Italian Societies of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery (SICVE) and Medical and Interventional Radiology (SIRM)

The objective of these Guidelines is to provide recommendations for the classification, indication, treatment and management of patients suffering from aneurysmal pathology of the visceral and renal arteries. The methodology applied was the GRADE-SIGN version, and followed the instructions of the AGREE quality of reporting checklist. Clinical questions, structured according to the PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcome) model, were formulated, and systematic literature reviews were carried out according to them. Selected articles were evaluated through specific methodological checklists. Considered Judgments were compiled for each clinical question in which the characteristics of the body of available evidence were evaluated in order to establish recommendations. Overall, 79 clinical practice recommendations were proposed. Indications for treatment and therapeutic options were discussed for each arterial district, as well as follow-up and medical management, in both candidate patients for conservative therapy and patients who underwent treatment. The recommendations provided by these guidelines simplify and improve decision-making processes and diagnostic-therapeutic pathways of patients with visceral and renal arteries aneurysms. Their widespread use is recommended.

Guidelines on the management of abdominal aortic aneurysms: updates from the Italian Society of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery (SICVE)

The objective of these Guidelines was to revise and update the previous 2016 Italian Guidelines on Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Disease, in accordance with the National Guidelines System (SNLG), to guide every practitioner toward the most correct management pathway for this pathology. The methodology applied in this update was the GRADE-SIGN version methodology, following the instructions of the AGREE quality of reporting checklist as well. The first methodological step was the formulation of clinical questions structured according to the PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome) model according to which the Recommendations were issued. Then, systematic reviews of the Literature were carried out for each PICO question or for homogeneous groups of questions, followed by the selection of the articles and the assessment of the methodological quality for each of them using qualitative checklists. Finally, a Considered Judgment form was filled in for each clinical question, in which the features of the evidence as a whole are assessed to establish the transition from the level of evidence to the direction and strength of the recommendations. These guidelines outline the correct management of patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm in terms of screening and surveillance. Medical management and indication for surgery are discussed, as well as preoperative assessment regarding patients' background and surgical risk evaluation. Once the indication for surgery has been established, the options for traditional open and endovascular surgery are described and compared, focusing specifically on patients with ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms as well. Finally, indications for early and late postoperative follow-up are explained. The most recent evidence in the Literature has been able to confirm and possibly modify the previous recommendations updating them, likewise to propose new recommendations on prospectively relevant topics.

Evaluation of Clinical Outcomes After Revascularization in Patients With Chronic Limb-Threatening Ischemia: Results From a Prospective National Cohort Study (RIVALUTANDO)

We evaluated the outcomes of revascularization in patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI) treated in real-world settings. This is a prospective multicenter cohort study with 12-month follow-up enrolling patients (n = 287) with CLTI undergoing open, endovascular, or hybrid lower extremity revascularization. The primary end point was amputation-free survival (AFS) at 12 months. Cox proportional analysis was used to determine independent predictors of amputation and restenosis. At 30 days, major adverse cardiovascular and major adverse limb events (MALE) rates were 3.1% and 2.1%, respectively. At 1 year, the overall survival rate was 88.8%, the AFS was 86.6%, and the primary patency was 70.5%. Freedom from MALE was 62.5%. After multivariate analysis, smoking (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.2, P = 0.04), renal failure (HR = 2.3, P = 0.03), Rutherford class (≥5) (HR = 3.2, P = 0.01), and below-the-knee disease (HR = 2.0, P = 0.05) were significant predictors of amputation; iloprost infusion (>10 vials) (HR = 0.64, P = 0.05) was a significant protective factor. Cilostazol administration (HR = 0.77, P = 0.05) was a significant protective factor for restenosis. Results from this prospective multicenter registry offer a consistent overview of clinical outcomes of CLTI patients at 1 year when adequately revascularized. Medical treatment, including statins, cilostazol and iloprost, were associated with improved 1-year freedom from restenosis and amputation.

Giant saccular aneurysm of the innominate artery

We report a rare case of a saccular aneurysm of innominate artery without any apparent causative history. Although the treatment choice remains debatable, due to the poor condition of the patient, the lesion was excluded by using a balloon-expandable covered stent with a satisfactory early-term outcome.

An update of the Italian Stroke Organization–Stroke Prevention Awareness Diffusion Group guidelines on carotid endarterectomy and stenting: A personalized medicine approach

Although proof-based medicine has generated much valid evidence for the drawing up of guidelines and recommendations for best clinical practice in symptomatic and asymptomatic carotid stenosis, whether and when it is better to employ endarterectomy or stenting as the intervention of choice still remain matters of debate. Moreover, guidelines have been targeted up to now to the ‘representative’ patient, as resulting from the statistical analyses of the studies conducted on the safety and efficacy of both interventions as well as on medical therapy alone. The Italian Stroke Organization (ISO) and Stroke Prevention and Awareness Diffusion (SPREAD) group has thus decided to update its statements for an 8th edition. To this end, a multidisciplinary team of authors representing Italian scientific societies in the neurology, neuroradiology, vascular and endovascular surgery, interventional cardiology, and general medicine fields re-examined the literature available on stroke. Analyses and considerations on patient subgroups have allowed to model the risks/benefits of endarterectomy and stenting in the individual. Accordingly, the guideline's original methodology has been revised to follow the new SIGN (Scottish Intercollegiate Guideline Network) Grade-like approach, integrating it with new considerations on Precision, or Personalized Medicine. Therefore, this guideline offers recommendations on precision medicine for the single patient, and can be followed in addition to the more standard guidelines.

SPREAD Italian Guidelines for stroke. Indications for carotid endarterectomy and stenting

This multidisciplinary guideline provides an overview of the current evidence on the benefits obtained by endoarterectomy and stenting for the surgical treatment of patients with symptomatic and asymptomatic carotid stenosis. A hundred forty-six authors, 37 Italian scientific societies and two Italian patients' associations participated in drafting the Stroke Prevention and Educational Awareness Diffusion (SPREAD) document, which has become the national guideline for the prevention and treatment of stroke in Italy. For the surgical therapy section of this document, the main trials on carotid endoarterectomy and stenting were critically reviewed following The Scottish Intercollegiate Guideline Network Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine methodology in order to formulate recommendations and syntheses for these procedures. The final document was peer reviewed and approved by all the participants. Recommendations and syntheses are presented for the referral of patients to either carotid endoarterectomy or stenting on the basis of whether carotid stenosis is symptomatic or asymptomatic, on the presence of various risk factors such as degree of arterial narrowing, and on concomitant pathology (cardiopathy and acute stroke).

[Vascular homografts: strategies and operative techniques]

The author propose a detailed analysis of all the critical aspects that must be kept in mind when, in case of graft infection, the choice is to utilize an arterial homograft. Patient suitable to this procedure, as well as clinical and diagnostical relevance of graft infection and characteristics of the donor's material are widely examined. The surgical techniques about a) patient preparation and management, b) infected graft removal and c) homograft implant are specifically discussed and analyzed. Post-operative care and follow-up are discussed and planned. This experience is the result of a aspecific trial begun in Busto Arsizio Vascular Surgery Dept.-Busto Arsizio Hospital-Varese-Italy, where, starting from March 1994 until September 1996 21 homograft have been implanted in 20 patients (19 in aortic district). Population characteristics and results are critically examined, with particular attention to the death rate of 15%.

The use of arterial allografts in aortic graft infections. A three year experience on eighteen patients

BACKGROUND

We describe our experience in the treatment of aortic graft infections by replacing them with arterial homografts as suggested by the good results recently described.

METHODS

Between March 1994 and March 1997 eighteen patients with infections of the aortofemoral bifurcation segments have been treated. All patients underwent a complete explantation of the infected graft and an in situ revascularization with arterial homograft harvested in multiorgan removal. Eight segments were freshly preserved, 10 were cryopreserved. Four patients were operated as emergencies, of which 3 for aorto-enteric fistulas. All others presented a serious septic state.

RESULTS

Three patients died in the early postoperative period: one of acute infarction and two of homograft related causes. In the follow-up there was only one death from acute infarction, a branch occlusion and two allograft enteric fistulas successfully treated by surgery. All surviving patients are submitted to periodical haemodynamic and tomographic control with an average follow-up of 22 months (range 3 months to 3 years) and there has been no allograft degeneration so far.

CONCLUSIONS

The use of homologue arterial allografts has shown good results in the treatment of serious aortic graft infections resulting in adequate peripheral vascularization. There have been no significant degenerations to date, either in fresh or cryopreserved allografts.

Fresh and cryopreserved arterial homografts in the treatment of prosthetic graft infections: experience of the Italian Collaborative Vascular Homograft Group

Following the experience of cardiac surgeons with homografts in the treatment of infective aortic valve endocarditis, cardiovascular surgeons have investigated in situ revascularization by means of homografts in the management of vascular prosthetic graft infections. Preliminary results are encouraging, but their late fate in long-term follow-up and the influence of preservation techniques are still under investigation. This article reports the experience of the Italian Collaborative Vascular Homograft Group, with the use of fresh and cryopreserved arterial homografts for the treatment of prosthetic graft infections. Between March 1994 and December 1996, 44 patients with prosthetic graft infection were treated with homografts (13 preserved at 4 degrees C, 31 cryopreserved). The mean age of the patients was 65 years. Emergency surgical procedures were performed in eight patients (18%). Sepsis was diagnosed in 11 patients, aortoenteric fistula in 13, and false aneurysms in 10. Staphylococcus was the main cause of infection. The types of vascular reconstruction with homograft were: 32 aortobifemoral, 3 aortoaortic, 2 iliofemoral, 4 peripheral, and 3 axillobifemoral. Human lymphocyte antigen (HLA) and antibody (ABO) blood group system compatibility between donors and recipients was not respected. The mean duration of follow-up was 15 months (range 1-33). Clinical and duplex scanning evaluations were routinely performed. Computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance (MR) scanning or arteriography were performed on the basis of duplex scanning results. There were six deaths during the early postoperative period (30 days) with a mortality rate of 13.6%. During the follow-up there were five late deaths with a mortality rate of 11.4%. Eight patients had graft occlusion. Three cases were successfully treated with thrombectomy. Two cases were successfully treated with femoropopliteal bypass with autologous vein. In three cases leg amputation was necessary. The results of fresh and cryopreserved homograft were compared. No significative differences of early postoperative mortality, late mortality, homograft related mortality, and graft occlusion were observed. We have evaluated the actuarial survival of the patients and the actuarial patency of the homografts on the aortoiliac reconstructions. Twelve months after the surgery the actuarial survival of the patients was 73% and the actuarial patency of the homografts was 56%. In our preliminary experience, we have not observed any significant difference in terms of clinical outcome by using fresh rather than cryopreserved homografts. In the near future it will be our policy to employ only cryopreserved homografts. Moreover, we will extend vessel harvesting to nonheart-beating donors, thus maximizing retrieval. The aforementioned solutions will supply the best graft availability to obtain dimensional and ABO compatibility between donors and recipients.

[Carotid endarterectomy using direct suturing]

The authors report the surgical technique and their experience in direct suture of arterial wall during carotid endarterectomies, comparing their results with reported data from literature. Selective or routinely utilization of direct suture or patch angioplasty are still a matter of discussion and reports from literature are controversial. In the Vascular Surgery Division of Busto Arsizio Hospital from January 1982 to December 1995, 870 carotid endarterectomies have been performed; direct arterial wall suture has been done in the 95.5% of these. The mean follow-up is 72 months, the restenosis rate is 6.6%, but only the 0.7% of the cases required a new surgical intervention with a patch angioplasty. From these data and according to the reports of international literature, we can assume that the use of a patch or direct arterial wall reconstruction, is a factor of less influence on restenosis rate than systemic or local factors (intimal flaps, surgical mistakes). Carotid endarterectomy has to be performed with great accuracy, in order to avoid surgical mismanagements which could negatively influence on early and late results.

[Femoro-distal revascularization with the saphenous vein in critical ischemias. An analysis of the results obtained and the criteria for choosing the most appropriate method]

Critical ischemia is a pathology which requires the collaboration of a number of specialists and is often burdened by high morbidity and mortality rates. There are several possible therapeutic solutions, although each has its limits. The authors present a series of operated cases and compare the results of two different but alternative surgical methods (in situ and reversed saphena by-pass) depending on the patient's conditions. Perioperative and long-term results were comparable in both groups of patients.

[Our experience in the emergency treatment of secondary aortoenteric fistulae. The preliminary results of the use of aortic homografts]

The digestive prosthetic aortic fistulas are connections between an aortic prosthesis and the duodenum. From January 1988 to January 1994, in the vascular surgery section of Busto Arsizio hospital, 12 patients received emergency treatment for digestive aortic fistulas, with a prosthesis being positioned extra-anatomically. A different treatment was used for three patients who were treated during the period from January 1994 to July 1994. For the second group the old prosthesis was replaced by a homograft. On the first group of 12 patients, 5 had previously been operated on for obstructive arteriopathy of the legs; the other 7 had previously been operated on for an abdominal aortic aneurysm. In 50% of these 12 cases the prosthesis used was a bifemoral aortic prosthesis, in 30% bisiliac aortic, and in 20% an aorto aortic prosthesis. There was an interval, from one month to 20 years depending on the patient, between the first and the second operations. The average age of the patients was 61.2 years. Six of the patients were extreme emergency cases and were operated on immediately on their arrival at the hospital, while the other 6 were operated on 2-3 days after their arrival. Five patients died whilst they were being operated on (3 from haemorrhagic shock, 2 from sepsis and multi-organ failure). None of the patients who were treated from January 1994 to July 1994 died during their operations. The homograft was removed from a multi-organ donor. In treatment such as this, the most important thing is to remove the old prosthesis. The following is a discussion of the techniques used to clamp the aorta and to provide alternative limb vascularization.