No abstract

Adventitial cystic disease of the popliteal artery is explored. The results of correspondence with authors reporting this condition are elaborated upon. This has provided an opportunity to discuss the history of the condition, the findings in 115 cases which have come to the attention of the Correspondence Office dealing with this entity, and the results of treatment. A discussion of the suspected etiology of the condition is presented. The condition remains one of unknown etiology which can be treated by cyst evacuation or aspiration when the popliteal artery is patent and which is best treated by arterial reconstruction when the artery is occluded. The results of such treatment are good but are dependent upon technical excellence of the operative procedure.

This review brings the total number of biliary cysts reported in the world literature to 955. Eighty-one per cent of patients are females and 61% were discovered before age ten. The classical triad of right upper quadrant pain, right upper quandrant mass, and juandice is present in 38% of cases. The duration of symptoms prior to diagnosis ranged from less than one week to more than 40 years. The etiology is multifaceted and evidence of the existence of both acquired and congenital cysts is presented. The most useful diagnostic tool is fiberoptic endoscopy with retrograde contrast injection of the common bile duct and pancreatic duct. The incidence of biliary carcinoma in patients with biliary cysts is found to be 2.5%; 24 cases have been reported. Considerable controversy has existed concerning the best operative procedure for biliary cysts; no treatment or medical treatment yielding a 97% mortality rate. In an analysis of 235 patients presented since 1968 with an average followup of 5.2 years, the best procedure appears to be excision with either choledochocholedocostomy or Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy. The operative mortality for all procedures is now 3 to 4%.

During a 32-month period, 79 extremities in 76 children (age 1 day-13 years, mean = 31 months) were evaluated with regard to iatrogenic vascular injuries. Prospectively, 42 children were studied pre- and post-cardiac catheterization. Ten of these children sustained vascular injuries (incidence = 24%). Thirty-four additional children were referred because of 35 iatrogenic vascular injuries as a result of transfemoral cardiac catheterization (n = 20), umbilical artery catheterization (n = 10), or recent surgery (n = 5). All 45 injuries were evaluated by lower extremity segmental Doppler pressure measurements in addition to routine physical examination at the time of injury and at frequent follow-up. An ankle/brachial pressure index (ABI) less than 0.9 was considered abnormal. Selected children (ABI less than 0.9 for greater than 30 days) underwent orthoroentgenograms to assess limb growth. The average ABI immediately following injury was 0.34 +/- 0.33. Thirty-four injuries were treated nonoperatively. Twelve injuries were excluded from further study due to death (n = 7) or being lost to follow-yp (n = 5). A return of ABI to normal was seen from 1 day to 2 years in 93% of children treated with heparin (n = 14) compared to 63% of children who were simply observed (n = 8) (p less than 0.10). The initial severity of ischemia did not correlate with the subsequent rate of improvement. Only patients with absent femoral pulses were selected for operative intervention, which consisted of aortic thrombectomy (n = 2), femorofemoral bypass (n = 2), femoral artery patch angioplasty (n = 1), or femoral artery thrombectomy (n = 7) with no mortality. Nine patients had immediate return of a normal ABI after surgery. A delayed return of ABI to normal occurred in the other two. Nine per cent of surgically treated children and 23% of nonsurgically treated children developed leg length discrepancies (0.5-3.0 cm) as a result of ischemia lasting greater than 30 days. Overall, 91% of the children in this series eventually regained normal circulation following injury and no child lost a limb. This study indicates that iatrogenic pediatric vascular injuries are common and can result in significant limb growth impairment. Immediate operative intervention is highly successful when the injury is proximal to the common femoral artery bifurcation and avoids the prolonged ischemia seen with nonoperative therapy. For more distal occlusions, heparin therapy provides better results than simple observation. Although therapeutic intervention for these injuries is generally successful, a limb length discrepancy rate of 14% mandates that indications for invasive vascular monitoring and diagnostic procedures be strict.