Abstract. Comparison of Radicular Symptoms Caused by Lumbar Disc Herniation and Lumbar Spinal Stenosis in the ElderlyStudy Design. Comparative study using combined data from 2 prospective cohort studies

Objective.

To expose the differences between the clinical characteristics of neurogenic claudication from MRI-documented lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) and lumbosacral radicular syndrome from acute, MRI-documented, lumbar disk herniation (LDH).Summary of Background Data. LSS and LDH are the common lumbar disorders that produce lower extremity pain. Though known factors such as pain induced by walking for LSS and the rapid onset of symptoms for LDH are useful for differentiating these disorders, exploration of differences in other factors has received limited study.Methods. This study included participants age ≥ 60 from two previous studies. One examined walking limitations caused by LSS and the second the natural history of LDH in elderly adults. The clinical features of both groups were compared by calculating means, medians and standard deviations for continuous variables, and frequencies for categorical variables. Chi-square test was used to explore differences between LSS and LDH for categorical variables, and Student's T-test or Mann-Whitney test for continuous variables.

Results.

Participants with LSS had more medical comorbidity, less intense leg pain, and less disability than those with LDH. Leg pain was more common in the anterior thigh, anterior knee and shin pain in LDH, and in the posterior knee in LSS. Trunk flexion was more impaired in LDH. Positive straight leg raising and femoral stretch signs were common in LDH, and rare in LSS. Abnormal Achilles reflexes were noted more frequently in LSS.

Conclusion.

In addition to established factors, greater leg pain intensity, greater disability, and pain in the anterior leg are more common in the elderly with LDH than in the elderly with LSS. Normal trunk flexion, absence of nerve root tension signs and abnormal Achilles reflexes are more common in LSS.

Lower extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD) affects 8 million men and women in the United States and will be increasingly common as the U.S. population lives longer with chronic disease. People with PAD have poorer walking endurance, slower walking velocity, and poorer balance, compared with individuals without PAD. People with PAD may reduce their walking activity to avoid leg symptoms. Thus, clinicians should not equate stabilization or improvement in exertional leg symptoms with stabilization or improvement in walking performance in PAD. In addition, even asymptomatic PAD patients have greater functional impairment and faster functional decline than individuals without PAD. Of the 2 FDA-approved medications for treating claudication symptoms, pentoxifylline may not be more efficacious than placebo, whereas cilostazol confers a modest improvement in treadmill walking performance. Supervised treadmill walking exercise is associated with substantial improvement in walking endurance, but many PAD patients do not have access to supervised exercise programs. Unsupervised walking exercise programs may be beneficial in PAD, but data are mixed.

Residual limb pain is a common symptom in the lower extremity amputee population with a fairly broad differential diagnosis. One etiology of residual limb pain that has previously received limited discussion in the literature is that of vascular claudication. Increased awareness of this etiology is important given the prevalence of vascular disease in both the general population and in lower extremity amputees. This article discusses a presentation of residual limb vascular claudication, describes a clinical approach to the problem, and discusses a potential pathophysiologic mechanism for vascular claudication in the amputee that differs from the nonamputee.

This case report describes a case of Popliteal Entrapment Syndrome causing unilateral ischaemic claudication symptoms in an otherwise healthy soldier. The condition is rare but is an important cause of exercise related leg pain; untreated it can progress to structural arterial damage requiring reconstruction. Early identification of such cases may allow less invasive treatment.

With the overall goal of enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of vascular care, the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) recently completed a process by which it identified its top clinical research priorities to address critical gaps in knowledge guiding practitioners in prevention and treatment of vascular disease. After a survey of the SVS membership, a panel of SVS committee members and opinion leaders considered 53 distinct research questions through a structured process that resulted in identification of nine clinical issues that were felt to merit immediate attention by vascular investigators and external funding agencies. These are, in order of priority: (1) define optimal management of asymptomatic carotid stenosis, (2) compare the effectiveness of medical vs invasive treatment (open or endovascular) of vasculogenic claudication, (3) compare effectiveness of open vs endovascular infrainguinal revascularization as initial treatment of critical limb ischemia, (4) develop and compare the effectiveness of clinical strategies to reduce cardiovascular and other perioperative complications (eg, wound) after vascular intervention, (5) compare the effectiveness of strategies to enhance arteriovenous fistula maturation and durability, (6) develop best practices for management of chronic venous ulcer, (7) define optimal adjunctive medical therapy to enhance the success of lower extremity revascularization, (8) identify and evaluate medical therapy to prevent abdominal aortic aneurysm growth, and (9) evaluate ultrasound vs computed tomographic angiography surveillance after endovascular aneurysm repair.

Objective:

To present a case of Paget's disease of bone unmasked after vascular reperfusion.

Methods:

In this case study, we review the presentation, evaluation, diagnosis, and management of a patient with Paget's disease and peripheral vascular disease

Results:

A 79-year-old-woman with a history of coronary artery heart disease and recent finding of a T5 compression fracture was hospitalized for evaluation of right lower extremity claudication. Angiography demonstrated a focal complete occlusion of the distal right femoral and popliteal arteries. A self-expanding stent was placed in the distal femoral and popliteal arteries. Approximately 48 hours after the procedure, the patient developed severe right lower leg pain. On endocrine evaluation, the patient was found to have clinical signs suggesting Paget's disease of bone which was subsequently confirmed by imaging.

Conclusion:

This patient's development of severe pain following reperfusion of distal femoral and popliteal arteries is in keeping with the known and aforementioned hypervascularity of pagetic bone. The finding of increased warmth over an area of skeletal deformation should always raise the possibility of Paget's disease of bone.

Endovascular treatment for peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is increasingly used and also continuously applied to more severe vascular pathology. Only few studies report on systemic complications during these procedures, but it is important to address these risks. We report the results of a recent national audit on cardio- and cerebrovascular complications after endovascular procedures for PAD.Data from the Swedish Vascular Registry (Swedvasc) were retrieved on all infrainguinal endovascular procedures performed between May 2008 and December 2011. A total of 9187 cases were analysed regarding the prevalence of myocardial infarction and major stroke within 30 days post-intervention. A literature review in PubMed and Cochrane databases was conducted.The risk of myocardial infarction was 0.3% in intermittent claudication, 1.2% in critical limb ischaemia and 1% in acute limb ischaemia. Corresponding risk of major stroke was 0.4%, 0.3% and 1.4%. Thrombolytic therapy was associated with a threefold risk of major stroke. Only a few studies relevant to the subject were found during the literature review.In this population-based study we found a low risk of cardiac complications, but catheter-administered thrombolytic therapy entailed a non-negligible risk of major stroke.

The aim of this study was to compare externally supported thin wall knitted polyester (P-EXS) and externally unsupported thin wall knitted polyester (P-non-EXS) for above-knee (AK) femoro-popliteal bypass grafting.A prospective multicenter randomised clinical trial.Between 1999 and 2008, 265 AK femoro-popliteal bypass grafts (6 mm in diameter) were performed, including 136 P-EXS and 129 P-non-EXS. The selection of patients was based on the presence of disabling claudication or critical ischaemia. Follow-up took place at 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months and included clinical examination and duplex ultrasonography. The main end points of this study were primary patency rates at one and two years. Secondary end points were mortality, and primary assisted and secondary patency rates. Cumulative patency rates were calculated with life-table analysis and log-rank testing.The 1-year primary, primary assisted and secondary patency rates were 65%, 70% and 84%, respectively, for P-EXS and 76% (p = 0.05), 82% (p = 0.03) and 88% (p = 0.35), respectively, for P-non-EXS. Two-year primary, primary assisted and secondary patency rates were 45%, 57% and 70%, respectively, for P-EXS and 62% (p = 0.003), 75% (p = 0.005) and 84% (p = 0.02), respectively, for P-non-EXS. The overall mortality rate after two years was 11.3%.In above-knee femoro-popliteal bypass grafting patency rates of externally supported knitted polyester grafts were inferior to their unsupported counterpart. ISRCTN: At the time this study started this number was not the standard.

Thirty-day unplanned readmission after lower extremity bypass represents a large cost burden and is a logical target for cost-containment strategies. We undertook this study to evaluate factors associated with unplanned readmission after lower extremity bypass.This is a retrospective analysis from a prospective institutional registry. All lower extremity bypasses for occlusive disease from January 1995 to July 2011 were included. The primary end point was 30-day unplanned readmission. Secondary end points included graft patency and limb salvage.Of 1543 lower extremity bypasses performed, 84.5% were for critical limb ischemia and 15.5% were patients with intermittent claudication. Twenty-seven patients (1.7%) died in-house and were excluded from further analysis. Of 1516 lower extremity bypasses analyzed, 42 (2.8%) were in patients with a planned readmission within 30 days, and 349 (23.0%), in patients with an unplanned readmission. Most unplanned readmissions were wound related (62.9%). By multivariable analysis, preoperative predictive factors for unplanned readmission were dialysis dependence (odds ratio [OR], 1.73; P = .004), tissue loss indication (OR, 1.62; P = .0004), and history of congestive heart failure (OR, 1.43; P = .03). Postoperative predictors included distal inflow source (OR, 1.38; P = .016), in-hospital wound infection (OR, 8.30; P < .0001), in-hospital graft failure (OR, 3.20; P < .0001), and myocardial infarction (OR, 1.96; P < .04). Neither index length of stay nor discharge disposition independently predicted unplanned readmission. Unplanned readmission was associated with loss of assisted primary patency (hazard ratio, 1.39; 95% confidence interval, 1.08-1.80; P = .01) and long-term limb loss (hazard ratio, 1.68; 95% confidence interval, 1.23-2.29; P = .001).Thirty-day unplanned readmission is a frequent occurrence after lower extremity bypass (23.0%). Stratifying patients by risk factors associated with unplanned readmission is essential for quality improvement and equitable resource allocation when disease-specific bundling strategies are being derived.

Presented in the article are two clinical case reports concerning remote results of successful surgical management of thrombotic occlusions of femoropopliteal bypass grafts treated by a combined method. The first stage of surgical treatment in both cases in the roentgen-equipped operation room consisted in open thrombectomy of the shunt, with the second stage being endovascular recanalization - in the first case balloon angioplasty of the proximal and distal anastomosis and in the second case - balloon angioplasty and stenting of the distal anastomosis, distal arterial bed.