Despite the global impact and advances in understanding the pathophysiology of cerebrovascular diseases, the term “stroke” is not consistently defined in clinical practice, in clinical research, or in assessments of the public health. The classic definition is mainly clinical and does not account for advances in science and technology. The Stroke Council of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association convened a writing group to develop an expert consensus document for an updated definition of stroke for the 21st century. Central nervous system infarction is defined as brain, spinal cord, or retinal cell death attributable to ischemia, based on neuropathological, neuroimaging, and/or clinical evidence of permanent injury. Central nervous system infarction occurs over a clinical spectrum: Ischemic stroke specifically refers to central nervous system infarction accompanied by overt symptoms, while silent infarction by definition causes no known symptoms. Stroke also broadly includes intracerebral hemorrhage and subarachnoid hemorrhage. The updated definition of stroke incorporates clinical and tissue criteria and can be incorporated into practice, research, and assessments of the public health.

In this prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial, ex vivo treatment of lower extremity vein grafts with edifoligide did not confer protection from reintervention for graft failure.

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) represents a spectrum from asymptomatic stenosis to limb-threatening ischemia. The last decade has seen a tremendous increase in the variety of endovascular devices and techniques to treat occlusive disease. Like many evolving technologies, the literature surrounding therapy for endovascular arterial disease consists of mixed-quality manuscripts without clear standardization. Accordingly, critical evaluation of the reported results may be problematic. As such, providers and their patients make treatment decisions without the full benefit of a comparative effectiveness framework. The purpose of this document is to provide a summary for the reporting of endovascular revascularization techniques in the setting of chronic disease. Much of the work in this document is based on prior publications and standards proposed by the Society for Vascular Surgery. We have also made recommendations based on current literature and have attempted to acknowledge shortcomings and areas for future research. The various sections contain summaries of required reporting standards and should serve as a guide for the design of clinical trials and as reference for journal editors and reviewers when considering scientific work pertaining to endovascular therapy for chronic lower extremity arterial disease. An Appendix is provided with commonly used abbreviations in this document.

Background Recent reports have suggested that angioplasty +/− stenting (PTA/S) may have lower perioperative mortality than open surgery for revascularization of acute and chronic mesenteric ischemia (AMI and CMI). It is unclear if there has been nationwide adoption of this methodology or whether there is in fact a mortality benefit. Methods We identified all patients undergoing mesenteric revascularization, either surgical (bypass, endarterectomy, or embolectomy) or PTA/S from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample from 1988–2006. A diagnosis by ICD-9 coding of AMI or CMI was required for inclusion. We evaluated trends in management over this time period and compared in-hospital mortality and complications between surgical bypass and PTA/S for the years 2000–2006. Results From 1988 to 2006 there were 6,342 PTA/S and 16,071 open surgical repairs overall. PTA/S increased steadily over time surpassing all surgery for CMI in 2002. PTA/S for AMI has also increased and surpassed bypass in 2002 but has not surpassed all surgical procedures for AMI even in 2006. Mortality was lower after PTA/S than bypass for both CMI (3.7% vs 13%, P<0.01) and AMI (16% vs 28%, P<0.01). Bowel resection was more common after bypass than PTA/S for CMI (7% vs 3%, P<0.01) and this subgroup showed an increased in-hospital mortality for both repair types (54% and 25%). Conclusion PTA/S in being utilized with increasing frequency for revascularization of both CMI and AMI. Based on lower in-hospital mortality for patients as they are currently being selected, PTA/S is appropriate therapy for selected patients with CMI. Longitudinal data are needed to determine the durability of this benefit. The greater proportion of patients undergoing bowel resection with bypass for AMI suggests a more advanced level of ischemia in this group making comparison with PTA/S difficult. However, PTA/S may be useful in selected patients with AMI and appropriate anatomy. Further data with greater detail regarding symptomatology and anatomy will clarify appropriate patient selection.

Objectives Prior studies of gender differences in AAA repair suggest there may be differences in presentation, suitability for EVAR, and outcomes between men and women. Methods We used the Vascular Study Group of New England database to identify all patients undergoing EVAR or open AAA repair (OAR). We analyzed demographics, comorbidities, and procedural, and perioperative data. Results were compared using Fisher’s exact test and student’s t-test. Multivariable logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards modeling was performed to identify predictors of mortality. Results We identified 4,026 patients who underwent AAA repair (78% male, 54% EVAR). Women were less likely than men to undergo EVAR for intact aneurysms (50% vs. 60% of intact AAA repairs of, P<.001) but not for ruptured aneurysms (26% vs. 20%, P=.23). Women were older (median age 75 vs. 72 years for intact, P<.001; 78 vs. 73 years for rupture, P<.001) with smaller aortic diameters (57 vs. 59mm for elective, P<.001; 71 vs. 79mm for rupture, P<.001). Arterial injury was more common in women (5.4% vs. 2.7%, P=0.013) among patients undergoing EVAR for intact aneurysms and women stayed in the hospital longer (4.3 vs. 2.7 days, P=.018) and had a lower odds of being discharged home, even after adjusting for age.. Among patients undergoing open repair for intact aneurysms, women more frequently experienced leg ischemia/emboli (4% vs. 1%, P=.001) and bowel ischemia (5% vs. 3%, P=.044). Women had higher 30-day mortality after OAR for both intact (4% vs. 2%, P=.03) and rupture (48% vs. 34%, P=.03) repairs. However, 30-day mortality after EVAR was similar for both intact (1% in men vs. 1% in women, P=.57) and rupture (29% in men vs. 27% in women, P=1.00) repairs. Late survival was worse in women than men only for patients undergoing open repair of ruptured aneurysms (HR 1.8, 95% CI 1.0–3.1, P=.04). After controlling for age, type of repair, urgency at presentation (i.e. elective/intact vs. ruptured), comorbidities, and other relevant risk factors, gender was not predictive of 30-day or 1-year mortality. Conclusion Women with AAA are being treated at older ages and smaller diameters, and undergoing rupture repair at smaller diameters than men. Women are more likely to experience perioperative complications as a result of less favorable vascular anatomy. Age >80 years, comorbidity, presentation, and type of repair are more important predictors of mortality than gender.