Faculty Bibliography

OBJECTIVE:Transcarotid artery revascularization (TCAR) offers a safe alternative to carotid endarterectomy (CEA), but severe calcification is currently considered a contraindication in carotid artery stenting. This study aims to describe the safety and effectiveness of TCAR with intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) in patients with traditionally prohibitive calcific disease. METHODS:All consecutive patients who underwent TCAR+IVL from 2018-2022 at nine institutions were identified. IVL was combined with pre-dilatation angioplasty to treat calcified vessels before stent deployment. The primary outcome was a new ipsilateral stroke within 30 days. Secondary outcomes included any new ipsilateral neurologic event (stroke/transient ischemic attack [TIA]) at 30 days, technical success, and <30% residual stenosis. RESULTS:Fifty-eight patients (62% male; mean age, 78 ± 6.6 years) underwent TCAR+IVL, with 22 (38%) for symptomatic disease. Fifty-seven patients (98%) met high-risk anatomical or physiologic criteria for CEA. Forty-seven patients had severely calcific lesions. Fourteen patients (30%) had isolated eccentric plaque, 20 patients (43%) had isolated circumferential plaque, and 13 (27%) had eccentric and circumferential calcification. Mean procedure and flow reversal times were 87 ± 27 minutes and 25 ± 14 minutes. The median number of lithotripsy pulses per case was 90 (range, 30-330), and mean contrast usage was 29 mL. No patients had electroencephalogram changes or new deficits observed intraoperatively. Technical success was achieved in 100% of cases, with 98% having <30% residual stenosis on completion angiography. One patient had an in-hospital post-procedural stroke (1.72%). Four patients total had any new ipsilateral neurologic event (stroke/TIA) within 30 days for an overall rate of 6.8%. One TIA and one stroke occurred during the index hospitalization, and two TIAs occurred after discharge. Preoperative mean stenosis in patients with any postoperative neurologic event was 93% (vs 86% in non-stroke/TIA patients; P = .32), and chronic renal insufficiency was higher in patients who had a new neurologic event (75% vs 17%; P = .005). No differences were observed in calcium, procedural, or patient characteristics between the two groups. The mean follow-up was 132 days (range, 19-520 days). Three stents developed recurrent stenosis (5%) on follow-up duplex; the remainder were patent without issue. There were no reported interventions for recurrent stenosis during the study period. CONCLUSIONS:IVL sufficiently remodels calcified carotid arteries to facilitate TCAR effectively in patients with traditionally prohibitive calcific disease. One patient (1.7%) suffered a stroke within 30 days, although four patients (6.8%) sustained any new neurological event (stroke/TIA). These results raise concerns about the risks of TCAR+IVL and whether it is an appropriate strategy for patients who could potentially undergo CEA.

Fenestration of the septum between the true and false lumen might be necessary after aortic dissection. We report the technical aspects of in situ laser fenestration of the aortic dissection septum. Two illustrative cases are provided: a 56-year-old man with false lumen deployment of a frozen elephant trunk graft, and a 67-year-old man who underwent fenestrated endovascular aortic repair with a target branch vessel off the false lumen. In both cases, the septum was crossed using in situ laser fenestration. This technique is a precise option to enable passage between true and false lumens during endovascular repair of an aortic dissection.

PURPOSE/UNASSIGNED:Endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR) is the dominant treatment modality over open repair for abdominal aortic aneurysms. However, a higher rate of reinterventions remains the Achilles heel of EVAR. Although type 1A endoleak from proximal seal zone failure of EVAR remains one of the leading causes for reintervention, fenestrated branched devices suitable for proximal extension of failed EVAR are not widely available in the United States. Gore Thoracoabdominal Multibranch Endoprosthesis (TAMBE) is an off-the-shelf investigational device that provides supraceliac seal by incorporating 4 visceral and renal arteries via preloaded inner branches. CASE REPORT/UNASSIGNED:In this article, we describe 2 cases of type 1A endoleak from previous EVAR devices repaired using TAMBE. Both cases were performed under the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) compassionate use exemption. Considerations on the case planning and implantation techniques of TAMBE specific to previous EVAR devices are reviewed. CONCLUSIONS/UNASSIGNED:Gore TAMBE can be utilized to repair a type 1A endoleak of a previous infrarenal EVAR device. Greater supraceliac coverage necessary for TAMBE relative to the minimal seal zone should be considered when applying this device for a type 1A endoleak. CLINICAL IMPACT/CONCLUSIONS:This report demonstrates the feasibility of applying off-the-shelf TAMBE device to treat one of the most common failure modes of EVAR, type1A endoleak.

OBJECTIVE:The pedal medial arterial calcification (MAC) score has been associated with risk of major limb amputation in patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia. This study aimed to validate the pedal MAC scoring system in a multi-institutional analysis to validate its usefulness in limb amputation risk prediction. METHODS:A multi-institution, retrospective study of patients who underwent endovascular or open surgical infrainguinal revascularization for chronic limb-threatening ischemia was performed. MAC scores of 0 to 5 were assigned based on visible calcified arteries on foot X ray then trichotomized (0-1, 2-4, 5) for analysis. The primary outcome was major limb amputation at 6 months. Adjusted Kaplan-Meier models were used to analyze time-to-major amputation across groups. RESULTS:There were 176 patients with 184 affected limbs (mean age, 66 years; 61% male; 60% White), of whom 97% presented with a wound. The MAC score was 0 in 41%, 1 in 9%, 2 in 13%, 3 in 11%, 4 in 13%, and 5 in 13% of the limbs. There were 26 major amputations (14%) and 16 deaths (8.7%) within 6 months. Patients with MAC 5 had a significantly higher risk of major limb amputation than both the 0 to 1 and 2 to 4 groups (P = .001 and P = .044, respectively), and lower overall amputation-free survival (log-rank P = .008). CONCLUSIONS:Pedal MAC score is a reproducible and generalizable measure of inframalleolar arterial disease that can be used with Wound, Ischemia, and foot Infection staging to predict major limb amputation in patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia.

As peripheral artery disease (PAD) continues to affect many people in our population, the search continues for medical advances to improve the treatment algorithms for this debilitating disease. Prior research studies have more than adequately documented the disparity that exists in the outcomes of patients with PAD based on race and ethnicity. One of the paths to clinical improvement and removal of the disparate outcomes is through application of the studied variables in a well-constructed clinical trial. Unfortunately, the groups that are known for worse outcomes are also those with limited enrollment into clinical trials, which exacerbates the problem. This article evaluates the issue of underrepresentation of racial and ethnic minority populations in clinical trials, addresses factors contributing to the problem, and provides possible pathways to a viable solution.

Subclavian artery coverage is frequently required to achieve an adequate proximal seal during thoracic endovascular aortic repair. The thoracic branch endoprosthesis (TBE; W.L. Gore & Associates) is the first U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved branched device for thoracic endovascular aortic repair, designed for left subclavian artery incorporation. However, anatomic suitability of the TBE has been shown to be limited. In the present report, we describe a novel technique using the TBE in a sandwich periscope configuration to allow for emergent repair of a ruptured thoracic aortic aneurysm with a highly angulated proximal seal zone and aberrant right subclavian artery.

PURPOSE/UNASSIGNED:Long-segment aortic branch dissections have been considered a relative contraindication for fenestrated-branched endovascular aneurysm repair (FB-EVAR). This case report describes a technique of dual-lumen stenting of a fully-dissected superior mesenteric artery (SMA) to preserve patency of the true and false lumens during FB-EVAR. CASE REPORT/UNASSIGNED:A 67-year-old man presented with a 6.0 cm extent III chronic post-dissection thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm. The patient had highly-complex anatomy including dissection of the entire SMA. The true and false lumens of the dissected SMA were noted to be supplying different branches, requiring preservation of both lumens. The patient underwent a staged physician-modified FB-EVAR. A modified endograft containing 5 fenestrations and 1 branch cuff was introduced and the celiac, true-lumen SMA, and 3 renal arteries were sequentially catheterized using staggered deployment of the modified endograft. The false lumen SMA stent was catheterized via the branch cuff. Molded parallel grafting ("eye-of-the-tiger") technique was used to achieve double D configuration between the true and false lumens of the SMA. CONCLUSION/UNASSIGNED:This case demonstrates feasibility of dual-lumen stenting to incorporate dissected target vessels during FB-EVAR while preserving flow to both the true and false lumens and the second-order branches they supply. CLINICAL IMPACT/CONCLUSIONS:We report a novel technique that allows incorporation of branch vessels affected by long segment dissection during fenestrated branched endovascular aortic repairs. This has potential advantage of preserving flow to all secondary branches of the dissected target vessels, while reducing the risk of type Ic endoleak.

The STABILISE (stent-assisted balloon-induced intimal disruption and relamination in aortic dissection repair) technique has shown promising results for treating type B aortic dissections, but the potential exists for fatal adverse effects. We present a case of infrarenal aortic rupture while using a compliant balloon to balloon mold the true lumen inside previously placed bare metal stents during the STABILISE technique. Caution is advised for providers who wish to perform the STABILISE technique, and we recommend using a semi-compliant balloon sized to the smallest total aortic diameter to mitigate the risk of rupture.

Type B aortic dissection is a life-threatening medical emergency that can result in rupture of the aorta. Due to the complexity of patient-specific characteristics, only limited information on flow patterns in dissected aortas has been reported in the literature. Leveraging the medical imaging data for patient-specific in vitro modeling can complement the hemodynamic understanding of aortic dissections. We propose a new approach toward fully automated patient-specific type B aortic dissection model fabrication. Our framework uses a novel deep-learning-based segmentation for negative mold manufacturing. Deep-learning architectures were trained on a dataset of 15 unique computed tomography scans of dissection subjects and were blind-tested on 4 sets of scans, which were targeted for fabrication. Following segmentation, the three-dimensional models were created and printed using polyvinyl alcohol. These models were then coated with latex to create compliant patient-specific phantom models. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) structural images demonstrate the ability of the introduced manufacturing technique for creating intimal septum walls and tears based on patient-specific anatomy. The in vitro experiments show the fabricated phantoms generate physiologically-accurate pressure results. The deep-learning models also show high similarity metrics between manual segmentation and autosegmentation where Dice metric is as high as 0.86. The proposed deep-learning-based negative mold manufacturing method facilitates an inexpensive, reproducible, and physiologically-accurate patient-specific phantom model fabrication suitable for aortic dissection flow modeling.