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Spontaneous carotid artery dissection-associated medial changes in a selected autopsy population
(2006)
Spontaneous carotid artery dissection (SCAD) is a major cause of stroke in young adults, yet its pathogenesis remains unclear. Hereditary connective tissue diseases, hormonal influences, sympathomimetic drugs or upper respiratory tract infections may predispose to dissection. Mechanical stress or minimal trauma may also act as a trigger. Various lesions of the arterial wall have been described in association with SCAD, but no prospective autopsy study to evaluate the presence of these lesions in normal controls was found. We performed a histologic evaluation of the carotid bifurcation and the aortic arch in an autopsy series to establish a baseline anatomy of the bifurcation and to determine whether similar lesions could be observed. In seven of 54 (12.96%) selected cases we observed isolated changes closely resembling those described for medionecrosis, fibromuscular dysplasia, mucoid degeneration and elastinolysis; and in one case, prior carotid artery dissection and coiling with a patent false lumen. Generally, vascular microanatomy in the carotid bifurcation can be highly variable. Lesions similar to those associated with spontaneous dissection are present in controls and appear non-specific for spontaneous dissection. They can be explained as reactive changes of smooth muscle cells (SMC) and the vascular wall in response to various stressors. Recent advances in vascular physiology are discussed to illustrate the concept of SMC phenotypic modulation. Forensic pathology can provide a large control population for extensive vascular analyses and further the understanding of normal and pathological vascular wall changes to help elucidate spontaneous arterial dissection.
Background: False aneurysms at the puncture site develop in up to 8 % after catheter procedures. They can be treated surgically or by ultrasound guided manual compression. A new method is to inject thrombin into the aneurysm under ultrasound guidance. We evaluated safety and efficacy of this approach in a multicenter registry. Methods: In 595 consecutive patients (age: 31-94 years, median 70) a pseudoaneurysm (593 femoral arteries, 2 brachial arteries) was diagnosed 0 to 250 days (median 3 days) after a catheter procedure. The diameter of the aneurysm ranged from 0.5 x 0.5 x 0.5 (L x W x D) to 8x11x16 cm (median 2 x 2 x1.6 cm). 20 U to 4000 U of thrombin solution (median 400 U) were injected percutaneously into the aneurysm under ultrasound guidance. Results: The procedure was technically successful in 587/595 (99%) patients. The aneurysms were thrombosed after the first injection in 531 patients (89 %). Thirty-eight (6%) patients needed a second injection and 8 (1%) patients a third injection because residual flow in the aneurysm was visible at follow-up. In 4 additional patients (0.7%) the thrombosis of the aneurysms was delayed and occurred only after 24 hours to 7 days. 6 (1%) patients surgery was performed after successful closure of the aneurysm to remove the resulting haematoma. The overall technical success rate was 99% (587/595) and clinical success was achieved in 572/595 (96%) patients. Eight (1%) other patients underwent surgery due to thrombin injection failure. Complications occurred in 9 patients (1.5%): Intravascular thrombus formation (n=3), deep venous thrombosis (n=3), pulmonary embolism due to deep venous thrombosis (n=1), transient paresthesia in the leg during injection (n=3). Conclusion: Ultrasound guided thrombin injection is a safe, painless, effective and rapid alternative to treat false aneurysms. Complications and recurrent pseudoaneurysms are very rare. It has become the treatment of choice in our institution.