BACKGROUND/AIMS The placement of self expandable metal stent (SEMS) is one of the palliative therapeutic options for patients with unresectable malignant biliary obstruction. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of a covered SEMS versus the conventional plastic stent. METHODS We retrospectively evaluated 44 patients with unresectable malignant biliary obstruction who were tr...

BACKGROUND Outcomes of emergency coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) due to left main coronary (LMT) disease remain unclear. This study aimed to assess prognoses for patients undergoing emergency CABG for ACS due to LMT disease. METHODS One hundred and four patients undergoing emergency CABG for ACS due to LMT disease were retrospectively reviewed. All pat...

BACKGROUND Our aim was to investigate the effects of lipid-lowering treatment (LLT) on graft patency in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) patients. METHODS A total of 209 CABG patients (95 men, 45%) with a total cholesterol level above 200 mg/dL and a low-density lipoprotein level above 100 mg/dL were included. Patients were divided into 2 groups on the basis of administration of LLT aft...

Introduction: Acknowledging the superior long term patency of infrainguinal saphenous bypass to distal popliteal artery, debate continues regarding the choice of alternative conduits and possible surgical adjuncts to improve infl ow and graft salvage. The objective of this retrospective study was to determine the effectiveness of proximal anastomotic patch as adjunct to open surgical below the ...

PURPOSE This study reports our midterm results with arteriovenous axillary loop grafts (AVALG) and evaluates their role in construction of vascular access for patients on chronic hemodialysis. METHODS The clinical data of 27 patients who underwent construction of an AVALG for hemodialysis access at our institution between July 2002 and December 2006 were analyzed retrospectively. Outcome meas...

Between 1975 and 2003, a total of 4010 patients have undergone microscopic vasectomy reversal by 1 surgeon at 1 institution. Of these cases, 3904 had available records and 1735 were successfully contacted to obtain reliable long-term data. A total of 1556 (89.7%) were able to establish a pregnancy in their female partner, resulting in 2111 pregnancies. When there was no sperm in the vas fluid a...

BACKGROUND The eSVS® external venous nitinol mesh (Kips Bay Medical, Minneapolis, USA) was designed to improve long-term patency of coronary saphenous vein grafts (SVG) by preventing pressure-induced wall stress and reactive neo-intimal hyperplasia. We present one-year-patency rates of meshed SVGs assessed by coronary computed tomographic angiography (cCTA). PATIENTS AND METHODS Data from con...

Results The most frequent cause of superior vena cava syndrome was lung cancer. Endovascular treatment of the syndrome was accomplished via stent placement with or without angioplasty. The technical success of the method was very high (96.75%) and the corresponding clinical success was similarly high (94%). Primary patency was 87.4% on average, while secondary patency was 93.5%. The rate of syn...

OBJECTIVE Evaluation of long-term results of percutaneous treatment of central vein stenoses or occlusions in patients with haemodialysis shunt. MATERIALS AND METHODS In 26 patients with haemodialysis shunts and confirmed central vein stenosis or occlusion, 28 primary percutaneous transluminal angioplasties (PTA) and 5 repeated PTAs (re-PTA) were performed; in three patients a stent was impla...