The carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) is an established surrogate marker of vascular risk. We assessed the common femoral artery IMT and its correlation with coronary artery disease (CAD). We also assessed the influence of vascular risk factors on the femoral IMT. Patients (n = 180; mean age 60.4 ± 10.5 years) who had undergone coronary angiography due to symptoms of CAD were enrolled in this study. We found significantly higher values of femoral IMT in patients with CAD than in those without CAD (P = .0000). A strong positive correlation between femoral IMT and the severity of CAD expressed by the Gensini Score (P = .0000) was observed. There was a positive correlation between femoral IMT and levels of triglycerides (P = .017), body mass index (BMI; P = .036), male gender (P = .0000), and smoking (P = .028). There was a negative correlation between femoral IMT and the level of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (P = .001). Femoral IMT could be a novel cardiovascular risk marker.

No abstract

No abstract

Bolesti perifernih arterija i vena Prošireni sažetak Peripheral vascular diseases

No abstract

Uvod: Intramuralni hematom aorte, ulkus aorte, akutna disekcija aorte, ruptura odnosno zadržana ruptura aorte su entiteti koji su objedinjeni u terminu akutnog aortalnog sindroma. Pseudoaneurizma tipično nastaje kao posljedica traume prsnog koša, ali ponekad nastaje spontano.

The aim of the study was to reveal demographic data, laboratory and vein duplex findings in patients hospitalized for venous thrombosis and thromboembolism. Specific interest was focused on usual laboratory findings such as D-dimer, coagulation cascade parameters and thrombophilia investigation and its relationship with the severity of deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Risk factors such as cardiovascular diseases, malignancy, trauma, metabolic parameters and other well known data were analyzed. The increasing incidence of venous thrombosis in ageing population has changed the priority list and the importance of usual risk factors. Patients and Methods:The study included all patients with clinical suspicion for DVT and or/pulmonary embolism (PE), treated in the University Hospital Centre Zagreb through the period of 52 months. Three hundred twenty-four patients with venous thrombosis and/or pulmonary embolism were analyzed. Antropometric, biochemical and lipid parameters, hypercoagulability factors, malignancy, trauma or surgery, cardiovascular disease, DVT family history, previous DVT or PE were evaluated. Patients were grouped according to the vein thrombosis location. Diagnosis of DVT was done with duplex scan. PE was diagnosed on MSCT pulmonary angiography or lung ventilation-perfusion scintigraphy. Results: DVT was diagnosed in 264 (81.5%) and PE in 80 patients (24.7%). Only 46 patients suffering from PE had evidence of venous thrombosis on the limb duplex scan. The femoral and popliteal veins were the most common sites of thrombi. The frequency of patients older than 55

We present a 53-year-old patient who was admitted with high fever, cough and nasal discharge. She received her kidney transplant ten years ago with subsequent taking of common immunosupressive therapy with several past hospitalizations due to respiratory infections and respiratory failure. Twenty years ago, she underwent an urgent neurosurgical procedure due to subarachnoid bleeding with underlying ruptured intracranial anaeurysm. One month before actual hospitalization, the patient was complaining of chest pain. Diagnostic work-up of the infection included native computerised tomography (CT) of the thorax and abdomen with coincidental finding of the ascending aorta and aortic arch anaeurysm. Subsequent CT aortography with reconstructions was performed showing pseudoanaeurysm of the ascending aorta and aortic arch (6.2x2.7cm) anteriorly and laterally of the ascending aorta and arch until the origin of the left common carotid and left subclavian artery with wide communication of the aorta and pseudoanaeurysm. Anaeurysmatic dilatation of the splenic artery was diagnosed as well (2.6 cm). Cardiothoracic operation was planned and coronary angiography (transfemoral) was performed as well with the normal finding of the epicardial coronary arteries but with postprocedural haemorrhagic complication with large ipsilateral haematoma of the rectus abdominis and retroperitoneum requiring percutaneous occlusion with BeadBlock Terumo spheric particles of the inferior epigastric artery with an optimal result. Several heamodialysis procedures were undertaken after all contrast imaging procedures in order to protect the transplanted renal graft. Due to a blood loss, the patient was transfused with seven units of blood altogether. She was treated with meropenem and is afebrile with good general condition pending operation of the aorta.