SCS treatment of non-reconstructable critical leg ischaemia provides a significantly better limb survival rate compared with conservative treatment. Patient selection based on TcpO2 and the results of trial screening further increase the probability of limb survival after SCS therapy.

SCI is equally rare following open aortic surgery or EVAR. Microembolism is the probable cause. SCI should be mentioned when taking informed consent.

The addition of SCS to standard conservative treatment improves limb salvage, ischaemic pain and the general clinical situation in patients with inoperable chronic critical leg ischaemia. These benefits should be weighed against the cost and the (minor) complications associated with the technique.

The overall incidence of proximal endoleak after EVAS is 3.1% after a mean follow-up period of 16 months, with 1.5% occurring within 30 days. Their occurrence is related to patient selection and stent positioning. Early detection and classification is crucial to avoid the potential of sac rupture.

The ASCEND Registry supports a proof of concept for the use of polymer technology and EVAS with parallel grafts in managing patients with complex aortic disease. The future role of chEVAS will be defined by studies that assess mid- to long-term durability.

Endovascular aneurysm sealing is associated with a blunted systematic inflammatory response compared with EVAR. Polyester stent-grafts induce the greatest periprocedural inflammatory response.

No abstract

The decision to treat retinal breaks and degenerations prophylactically should be made with an awareness of the incidence of complications associated with argon laser photocoagulation (ALP). We evaluated retrospectively 2,000 eyes with retinal breaks and degenerations treated with ALP, with follow-up from 6 to 84 months (mean 46 months). The only complications during photocoagulation were petectal intra- and p re retinal hemorrhages, which absorbed after a few days. Complications after treatment were limited to epiretinal membrane formation in the macular area in four eyes (0.2%). The applied laser energy in three of these four eyes was significantly greater (mean 34.4 mJ) than in the total 2,000 eyes (mean 7.2 ml). This finding supports the observation by other authors that extensive photocoagulation is associated with an increased incidence of epiretinal membrane formation.