OBJECTIVE: To quantify neointimal hyperplasia in iliac arteries after stent implantation, correlating clinical, arterial factors and stent material. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the period from June/2003 to August/ 2005, 60 patients were submitted to percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and stenting. Among these patients, 30 were followed-up with intravascular ultrasonography. Data were analyzed in a laboratory of quantitative analysis by means of a specific software. RESULTS: Sixteen (53.3%) patients were men, and 14 (46.7%), women, and the mean age was 60.3 years. Arterial hypertension was observed in 22 patients (73.3%), smoking in 18 (62.1%), hyperlipidemia in 20 (66.7%), and diabetes in 9 (30%). A total of 20 nitinol stents (66.7%) and 10 stainless steel stents (33.3%) were implanted. Four patients were classified as TASC A (13.3%), 15 TASC B (50%) and 11 TASC C (36.7%). The neointimal hyperplasia volume ranged from 49.02 mm³ to 112.87 mm³ (mean, 80.33 mm³). The rate of intrastent obstruction ranged from 18% to 47% (mean, 27.4%). The clinical outcomes achieved with stenting were sustained through the follow-up. CONCLUSION: Neointimal hyperplasia is a common finding after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and stenting, but in the present study the stenosis rate was never higher than 50%. There was no statistically significant difference in intrastent stenosis rates in relation to stents materials, clinical and arterial risk factors.

Keywords: Stent, Iliac artery, Interventional ultrasonography, Hyperplasia

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate immediate and mid-term outcomes in a series of patients submitted to endovascular repair of infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm in a reference center for cardiovascular medicine. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present retrospective study included a series of patients treated in the period from January 2009 to July 2010, and evaluated demographic characteristics, technical success, therapeutic success, morbimortality, immediate complications and perioperative reintervention rate in a one-year follow-up. RESULTS: The authors evaluated 102 consecutive patients with a mean age of 72 ± 9 years (79% were men). Technical success was observed in 97.1% of cases, and therapeutic success, in 81%. Perioperative mortality was 0.9% and one-year mortality rate was 7.8%. Reintervention was necessary in 18.8% of the patients during follow-up. CONCLUSION: The outcomes observed in the present study justify performing such a procedure in patients with suitable anatomy.

Keywords: Aneurysm; Vascular graft; Atherosclerosis.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze treatment outcomes in a consecutive series of patients submitted to endovascular treatment of thoracic aortic disease. Technical success, therapeutic success, morbimortality, rate of perioperative complications and reinterventions were taken into consideration. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present retrospective study was developed in a reference center in the period from January 2010 to July 2011, involving patients submitted to endovascular treatment of thoracic aortic disease. The study population was divided into two groups: group 1 (G1) - true thoracic aortic aneurysms, aortic ulcer and pseudoaneurysm; group 2 (G2) - chronic type B aortic dissection. RESULTS: Out of a total of 55 patients, 29 belonged to the G1 and 26 to the G2 group. Mean ages were 66.8 ± 10 and 56.4 ± 7 years, respectively. The technical and therapeutic success reached respectively 86.3% and 68.6% in G1 and 100% and 74% in G2. The perioperative mortality rate was 10.3% in G1 and 19.3% in G2. The reintervention rate was 10.3% in G1 and 15.3% in G2. CONCLUSION: In the present study, the endovascular treatment of thoracic aortic disease proved to be a feasible method associated with acceptable rate of complications.

Keywords: Aneurysm; Vascular graft; Atherosclerosis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association of conventional angiography (AG) with computed tomography angiography (CTA) as compared with CTA only, preoperatively, in the treatment of aortic diseases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective study involving patients submitted to endovascular treatment of aortic diseases, in the period from January 2009 to July 2010, with use of preoperative CTA + conventional AG or CTA only. The patients were divided into two groups, namely: G1 - thoracic aortic diseases; and G2 - abdominal aortic diseases. G1 was subdivided into 1A (preoperative AG + CTA) and 1B (preoperative CTA). G2 was subdivided into 2C (CTA + AG) and 2D (CTA only). RESULTS: The authors evaluated 156 patients. In subgroups 1A and 1B, the rate of technical success was, respectively, 100% and 94.7% (p = 1.0); and the rate of therapeutic success was, respectively, 81% and 58% (p = 0.13). A higher number of complications were observed in subgroup 1B (p = 0.057). The accuracy in the calculation of the prosthesis was higher in subgroup 1A (p = 0.065). In their turn, the rate of technical success in subgroups 2C and 2D was, respectively, 92.3% and 98.6% (p = 0.17). The rate of therapeutic success was 73% and 98.6% (p = 0.79). CONCLUSION: Preoperative conventional AG should be reserved for cases where CTA cannot provide all the information in the planning of a therapeutic intervention.

Keywords: Aneurysm; Vascular prosthesis; Angiography.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of using highly compressible calibrated microspheres in uterine artery embolization (UAE) for the treatment of uterine fibroids. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a prospective multicenter study. Thirty-two women with symptomatic uterine fibroids were selected for UAE between January 2019 and March 2020. The participants completed the Uterine Fibroid Symptom and Quality of Life (UFS-QOL) questionnaire, underwent contrast-enhanced pelvic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and were submitted to anti-Müllerian hormone measurement, subsequently undergoing UAE with Embosoft microspheres. After six months, the patients again completed the UFS-QOL questionnaire and underwent pelvic MRI. RESULTS: The most common symptoms were abnormal uterine bleeding (in 81.3% of the cases), pelvic pain (in 81.3%), and compression (in 46.9%). Of the 32 patients evaluated, 12 (37.5%) had anemia due to abnormal uterine bleeding. Thirty patients completed the study. Among those patients, we observed median reductions of 21.4% in uterine volume and 15.9% in dominant fibroid volume. We identified no adverse events that could be attributed to the material itself, although there were events attributed to the UAE procedure in general. CONCLUSION: For the treatment of uterine fibroids, UAE using Embosoft microspheres shows satisfactory results, providing reductions in uterine and dominant fibroid volumes, with a low rate of adverse events, and improving patient quality of life, as well as demonstrating safety and efficacy.

Keywords: Leiomyoma; Uterine artery; Uterine artery embolization; Microspheres.