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Background Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) has been widely introduced. However, unestablished transfemoral approach due to true lumen obliteration disables endovascular option. Case summary A 74-year-old male with a history of 15-year-ago type B aortic dissection presented with chronic bilateral lower extremity claudication. CT angiography revealed that a large entry tear was located at distal to the left subclavian artery. The thoracic aneurysmal degeneration progressed and eventually required repair. True lumen of infrarenal aorta to bilateral common iliac arteries was totally collapsed by false lumen, and the re-entry tear was open at external iliac artery. Initially, we performed recanalization to the collapsed true lumen. Bidirectional approach was taken from right brachial and bifemoral arteries. The covered endovascular reconstruction of aortic bifurcation (CERAB) technique and double D-shape moulding technique (DDMT) was performed to create covered stent configuration. As secondary treatment, 1-debranching TEVAR with axillary artery bypass was successfully performed by utilizing femoral approach. Discussion This case demonstrated feasibility of two-stage endovascular therapy for thoracic aneurysmal degeneration concomitant with true lumen obliteration. This combined technique of CERAB and DDMT was absolutely effective to minimize type Ⅲ endoleak in infrarenal segment. Hybrid endovascular treatment offered minimally invasive therapy to the patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Endovascular treatment (EVT) is a well-established treatment for patients with chronic limb-threatening ischaemia, and below-the-knee (BTK) artery is its main target, although the re-intervention rate is still high. Understanding of the characteristics of BTK artery atherosclerosis would be required to overcome this issue. In this case series, we elucidated the characteristics of non-stenotic BTK artery atherosclerosis in the patients who received EVT of the superficial femoral artery (SFA) using optical frequency domain imaging (OFDI) and angioscopy. Case summary We presented five patients who underwent EVT of SFA and subsequent observation of ipsilateral BTK artery using OFDI and angioscopy. Patients one and two had advanced atherosclerosis; however, patients three, four, and five had only mild atherosclerosis. Discussion All patients had multiple risk factors for atherosclerosis and stenosis/occlusion of the SFA and ipsilateral BTK arteries. Furthermore, some patients had several other atherosclerotic vascular diseases suggesting the presence of advanced systemic atherosclerosis. On the other hand, some patients with multiple BTK artery stenosis/occlusion did not have advanced atherosclerosis in the examined BTK artery. The absence of significant atherosclerosis in a BTK artery in patients with multiple stenoses or occlusion in other ipsilateral BTK arteries may suggest some mechanism of vessel occlusion other than atherosclerosis. Further investigations are needed to clarify the mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Angioscopy plays an important role providing much information regarding vessel surfaces as macro-pathology in living patients. However, its viewing field is sometimes limited due to insufficient removal of blood flow and a catheter that cannot be controlled to view the intended direction. Angioscopy from a retrograde approach was found to overcome these limitations. Case summary A 68-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with acute intermittent claudication for 2 weeks. He was diagnosed with acute limb ischaemia (ALI) in his left superficial femoral artery, and revascularization by endovascular treatment was attempted. A bi-directional approach was needed for successful revascularization with thrombus aspiration and angioplasty. Subsequent angioscopic examination from the retrograde approach visualized a clear and adequate image of the vessel and helped identify the aetiology of the case as on-site thrombosis at an atherosclerotic lesion. Discussion It is important to understand the aetiology of ALI in each case for the management of the patient. Angioscopy can be a useful modality to identify the aetiology. It was found that retrograde angioscopy has several advantages over antegrade angioscopy in clear visualization and intentional control of the angioscopy catheter. This methodology may help us identify the aetiology of ALI by evaluating the vessel walls of patients with peripheral artery disease more precisely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]