Journal of vascular surgery
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Carotid endarterectomy (CEA) has proven to be effective in the prevention of stroke in patients with significant internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis. However, whether increased cerebral blood flow after CEA improves the cerebral metabolism in patients with asymptomatic ICA flow lesions is unknown. Localized in vivo proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS) has been used to measure the metabolic status of the human brain in a totally noninvasive manner. The aim of this study was to investigate the cerebral metabolism after CEA in patients with asymptomatic ICA flow lesions and no visible infarction on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). ⋯ CEA seems to improve the cerebral metabolic status in patients with asymptomatic ICA flow lesions and no visible infarction on MRI.
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The purpose of this study was to calculate abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) wall stresses in vivo for ruptured, symptomatic, and electively repaired AAAs with three-dimensional computer modeling techniques, computed tomographic scan data, and blood pressure and to compare wall stress with current clinical indices related to rupture risk. ⋯ Peak wall stresses calculated in vivo for AAAs near the time of rupture were significantly higher than peak stresses for electively repaired AAAs, even when matched for maximal diameter. Calculation of wall stress with computer modeling of three-dimensional AAA geometry appears to assess rupture risk more accurately than AAA diameter or other previously proposed clinical indices. Stress analysis is practical and feasible and may become an important clinical tool for evaluation of AAA rupture risk.
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The objective of this study was to evaluate the proposed cardiac protective effect of previous coronary revascularization (coronary artery bypass grafting [CABG] or percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty [PTCA]) before elective major arterial surgery. ⋯ Previous coronary revascularization (CABG, <5 years; PTCA, <2 years) may provide only modest protection against adverse cardiac events and mortality following major arterial reconstruction.
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Semiquantitative dipyridamole myocardial perfusion scintigraphy may provide better estimates of perioperative cardiac risk than nonquantitative scintigraphy. ⋯ Reversible defects in less than 20% of myocardial segments do not significantly alter the risk of perioperative cardiac complications. Greater extents of reversibility on dipyridamole myocardial stress perfusion imaging increase the risk of perioperative complications after noncardiac vascular surgery, but the quality and amount of data regarding greater extents of reversibility are limited.