ObjectiveTo investigate the therapeutic evaluation of catheter-directed thrombolysis combined with multiple minimally invasive techniques of endovascular in the treatment of lower extremity atherosclerotic occlusive disease (ASO).
MethodsClinical data of 64 ASO patients who were treated in our hospital from June 2011 to October 2014 were analyzed retrospectively. These patients were divided into two groups according to the therapies:33 patients were treated by catheter-directed thrombolysis combined with multiple minimally invasive techniques of endovascular (combination group), and the other 31 patients were only treated by multiple minimally invasive techniques of endovascular (intervention group). Comparison of the clinical indexes was performed between the 2 groups, including vascular patency rate, stent implantation rate, operation time, ankle-brachial index (ABI), saturation of blood oxygen (SO2) of toes, temperature of foot skin, amputation rate, and hospitalization expense.
ResultsIn the same group (combination group and intervention group), compared with the time point of before operation, the clinical indexes of the ABI, SO2 of toes, and temperature of foot skin were higher after operation (P<0.05). At the same time point of before or after operation, there were no significant difference between the 2 groups in ABI, SO2 of toes, and temperature of foot skin (P>0.05). The vascular patency rate of combination group was higher than that of intervention group[97.0% (32/33) vs. 83.9% (26/31)], P<0.05. But the stent implantation rate[18.2% (6/33) vs. 64.5% (20/31)], amputation rate[3.0% (1/33) vs. 16.1% (5/31)], operative time[(2.0±0.5) h vs. (4.0±1.1) h], and hospitalization expense of patients who got successful limb salvage[(8 500±1 200) yuan vs. (34 000±2 100) yuan] of combination group were all lower or shorter than those of intervention group (P<0.05). After operation, there were no complication happened in the patients who got successful limb salvage of combination group (n=32) and intervention group (n=26). In postoperative 6 months, the lower extremity arteries in patients who got successful limb salvage of combination group and intervention group were all examined by color ultrasonography, and they were unblocked. The lower extremity arteries of the patients with stent implantation in the 2 groups suffered with no obvious stenosis or occlusion.
ConclusionsCatheter-directed thrombolysis combined with multiple minimally invasive techniques of endovascular can become one of the surgical treatment methods for ASO, which characterized by minimally invasive operation, effective treatment, and low cost.
ObjectiveTo discuss the diagnosis, treatment and clinical characteristics of open vascular injuries in the lower extremities and summarize our experiences. Methods To review the records of patients sustained an open injuries to the lower extremities vessel between 1999 and 2001 retrospectively. The clinical, operative findings and prognosis were collected and studied.ResultsAll 25 patients received emergency surgical treatment to repair the vascular injuries. It included 18 with isolated arterial injuries and 7 with combined arteriovenous injuries. Saphenous vein grafts were placed in 5 patients and vascular prostheses were placed in 5 patients with arterial injuries.Twentyfour patients were cured (96%), and 1 graft obstruction occurred (could not be contacted 40 days after operation). ConclusionOpen vascular injuries in the lower extremities should be diagnosed and treated as early as possible. The aim of the operation is to repair or reconstruct the injured vessel and to lower the mortality and morbidity rate.
This paper interprets 2017 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) peripheral arterial disease diagnosis and treatment guidelines on lower extremity arterial disease, and in order to provide reference for clinical practice.
In order to improve the motion fluency and coordination of lower extremity exoskeleton robots and wearers, a pace recognition method of exoskeleton wearer is proposed base on inertial sensors. Firstly, the triaxial acceleration and triaxial angular velocity signals at the thigh and calf were collected by inertial sensors. Then the signal segment of 0.5 seconds before the current time was extracted by the time window method. And the Fourier transform coefficients in the frequency domain signal were used as eigenvalues. Then the support vector machine (SVM) and hidden Markov model (HMM) were combined as a classification model, which was trained and tested for pace recognition. Finally, the pace change rule and the human-machine interaction force were combined in this model and the current pace was predicted by the model. The experimental results showed that the pace intention of the lower extremity exoskeleton wearer could be effectively identified by the method proposed in this article. And the recognition rate of the seven pace patterns could reach 92.14%. It provides a new way for the smooth control of the exoskeleton.
Objective To explore the treatment of thromboangitis obliterans (TAO) of lower extremities. Methods From March 1994 to February 2009, 24 cases (26 limbs) affected by chronic ischemia were diagnosed as TAO by Doppler ultrasound and DSA, CTA or MRA. According to the different levels of the extensive and diffuse arterial occlusion, the revascularization was performed in the ways: 19 cases (21 limbs) underwent venous arterialization, 3 cases (3 limbs) underwent endovascular therapy, and 2 cases (2 limbs) underwent thrombectomy. Results After the venous arterialization, 19 cases (21 limbs) were followed up for 1 to 14.5 years. Apart from the 5 limbs amputation (23.8%), the postoperative results of the most limbs were satisfactory (61.9%). The ABI before therapy (0.38±0.11) was significantly lower than that 6 months after therapy (0.79±0.08), Plt;0.05. In 3 cases (3 limbs) underwent endovascular therapy, one case failed and then received the venous arterialization. Two cases (2 limbs) finished thrombectomy successfully. After endovascular therapy and thrombectomy, these 4 cases were followed up for 1 to 4 years without the amputation. ConclusionIn order to improve the curative effect, it is important to choose the suitable therapeutic strategy according to the different levels of the extensive and diffuse arterial occlusion. The venous arterialization is an effective treatment for TAO of lower extremities.
ObjectiveTo explore the feasibility and technical essentials of soft tissue defect reconstruction of the lower extremity using the distally based anteromedial thigh flap (dAMT) pedicled with perforating vessels from rectus femoris branch.
MethodsBetween July 2008 and December 2015, 6 patients underwent defect reconstruction of the lower extremity using the dAMT flap pedicled with perforating vessels from rectus femoris branch. There were 4 males and 2 females with an average age of 34 years (range, 4-55 years). The etiologies included liposarcoma in 1 case, malignant fibrous histocytoma in 1 case, post-burn scar contracture around the ankle in 1 case, and post-burn scar contracture around the knee in 3 cases. The disease duration ranged from 3 to 28 months (mean, 13 months). After resection of lesion tissues, the defect size ranged from 13 cm×7 cm to 24 cm×12 cm. The flap size ranged from 15 cm×8 cm to 24 cm×12 cm. The length of the pedicle ranged from 10 to 25 cm (mean, 19.8 cm). The distance from the flap pivot point to the superolateral border of the patella ranged from 8 to 13 cm (mean, 11.3 cm). The donor sites were directly sutured.
ResultsAll flaps survived postoperatively without any complications. All wounds at the donor and the recipient sites healed primarily. The patients were followed up from 5 to 36 months (mean, 17.8 months). The color, texture, and thickness of the flaps were similar to those of the surrounding skin. No tumor recurrence was observed. The range of motion of flexion and extension of the joint were greatly improved in the patients with scar contracture.
ConclusionIf the rectus femoris branch gives off cutaneous branch to the anteromedial thigh region and arises from the descending branch of the lateral circumflex femoral artery, a dAMT flap could be raised to reconstruct soft tissue defects of the lower extremity.
Objective To investigate the clinical effect of the one-stage arteriovenous shunt on the extensive arterial ischemic disease of the lower extremities. Methods The one-stage arteriovenous shunts in the lower extremities were applied to 90 patients with extensive arterial ischemic diseases, including arterial occlusive disease (AODs,62 patients) and thromboangiitis obliterans (TAOs,28 patients). By the retrospective analysis on the clinical materials and the follow-up of the postoperative patients, the immediate and the longterm surgical outcomes were summarized. Results During the hospitalization, 88 patients achieved a remarkable surgical effectiveness, with an immediate surgical effectiveness rate of 97.7% (88/90), but 2 patients failed in the operation and had to undergo amputation of the lower limb. Of the 72 patients who were followed up for 0.5-5 years after the arteriovenous shunt operation, 64 could have a sufficient blood supply to the lower extremities, with a longterm effectiveness rate of 88.9% (64/72); however, 8 patients had to undergo transplantation of the greater omentum or amputation of the lower limb. Conclusion The one-stage arteriovenous shunt performedon the lower extremities for an extensive arterial ischemic disease is a simpler and more effective surgical protocol for reconstruction of the circulation of the patient who is not suitable for the operation of arterial bypass.
It has been found that the incidence of cardiovascular disease in patients with lower limb amputation is significantly higher than that in normal people, and the risk of developing coronary atherosclerosis is much higher than that in other high-risk groups. Numerous studies have confirmed that high systolic and diastolic blood pressures are potential risk factors for coronary artery disease, and it has been demonstrated that the ascending aortic pressure during diastole increases after amputation. However, the relationship between lower limb amputation and coronary atherosclerosis has not been fully explained from the perspective of hemodynamic environment. Therefore, in this study, a centralized parameter model of the human cardiovascular system and a three-dimensional model of the left coronary artery were established to investigate the effect of amputation on the hemodynamic environment of the coronary artery. The results showed that the abnormal hemodynamic environment induced by amputation, characterized by factors such as increased diastolic pressure in the ascending aorta, led to a significant expansion of the low wall shear stress (WSS) region on the outer lateral aspect of the left coronary artery bifurcation during diastole. The maximum observed increase in the area of low WSS reached up to 50.5%. This abnormal hemodynamic environment elevates the risk of plaque formation in the left coronary artery. Moreover, the more severe the lower limb atrophy, the greater the risk of coronary atherosclerosis in amputees. This study preliminarily reveals the effect of lower limb amputation on the hemodynamic environment of the left coronary artery.
ObjectiveTo explore the feasibility of transposition of the proximal motor branches from tibial nerve (TN) as direct donors to suture the deep peroneal nerve (DPN) so as to provide a basis for surgical treatment of high fibular nerve injury.
MethodsNineteen lower limb specimens were selected from 3 donors who experienced high-level amputation (2 left limbs and 1 right limb) and 8 fresh frozen cadavers (8 left limbs and 8 right limbs). The length and diameter of the three motor branches from TN (soleus, medial gastrocnemius, and lateral gastrocnemius) and the distance from the initial points to the branch point of the common peroneal nerve (CPN), as well as the length and diameter of the noninvasive separated bundles of DPN, then the feasibility of tensionless suturing between the donor nerves and the DPN bundle was evaluated. At last, part of the nerve tissue was cut out for HE and Acetylcholine esterase staining observation and the nerve fiber count.
ResultsGross anatomic observation indicated the average distance from the initial points of the three donor nerves to the branch point of the CPN was (71.44±2.76) (medial gastrocnemius), (75.66±3.20) (lateral gastrocnemius), and (67.50±3.22) mm (soleus), respectively. The three donor nerves and the DPN bundles had a mean length of (31.09±2.01), (38.44±2.38), (59.18±2.72), and (66.44±2.85) mm and a mean diameter of (1.72±0.08), (1.88±0.08), (2.10±0.10), and (2.14±0.12) mm, respectively. The histological observation showed the above-mentioned four nerve bundles respectively had motor fiber number of 2 032±58, 2 186±24, 3 102±85, and 3 512±112. Soleus nerve had similar diameter and number of motor fibers to DPN bundles (P>0.05), but the diameter and number of motor fibers of the medial and lateral gastrocnemius were significantly less than those of DPN bundles (P<0.05).
ConclusionAll of the three motor branches from TN at popliteal fossa can be used as direct donors to suture the DPN for treating high CPN injuries. The nerve to the soleus muscle should be the first choice.
Objective To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of surgical thrombectomy for acute deep venous thrombosis of lower extremities. Methods Randomized controlled trials of surgery versus conservative treatment were sought from MEDLINE (1966-Jun.2006), EMbase (1974-Jun.2006), The Cochrane Library (Issue 2, 2006), CBM (1989-Jun. 2006) and CMCC (1994-Jun. 2006). Collections of Chinese Congress on Vascular Surgery (1991-Jun.2006) and the journal of Vascular Surgery (2000-Jun. 2006) were handsearched. Two reviewers independently extracted data into a designed extraction form. The guidance in The Cochrane Collaboration’s Handbook was consulted for quality evaluation and data analysis. Results Six potentially eligible studies were identified. Six were included according to the inclusion criteria. The 6-month total patency was significantly higher in the surgical treatment group than in the conservative treatment group with OR 7.26 and 95%CI 2.40 to 21.94, while the 5-year total patency was not different between the two groups with OR 2.59 and 95%CI 0.88 to 7.67. At month 6 and year 5, the incidence of post-thrombosis syndrome (PTS) was significantly higher in the conservative treatment group than in the surgical treatment group with OR 0.11, 95%CI 0.59 to 1.59, OR0.18, 95%CI 0.06 to 0.60 respectively. The incidence of 10-year PTS and the results of valvular function measurements were similar between the two groups. The incidence of pulmonary thrombosis was also comparable between the two groups with OR 1.40 and 95%CI 0.39 to 4.97. Conclusion Surgical thrombectomy may improve the extent of patency and venous valvular sufficiency in the short term, but without increasing the patency rate. There is no enough evidence to assess whether surgical throbectomy improves long-term outcomes. It is safe to preform surgical thrombectomy. The small number of patients randomised and the low quality of the trials decreases the reliability of the current evidence. Therefore, more high quality randomised controlled studies should be done, to determine the long-term outcomes of surgical thrombectomy.
