Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0004153 (atherosclerosis)
 77,401 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Aneurysms of the cervical vertebral artery (VA) are uncommon; they are often caused by trauma or spontaneous dissection. A fusiform aneurysm without evidence of atherosclerosis or dissection has not been reported previously. A 46-year-old man presented with a pontine infarct. Imaging revealed a fusiform aneurysm of the left VA at the C5-6 level, with occlusion of the basilar artery. Associated minor anomalies included fusion of the vertebral bodies of C5 and C6, cervical rib and platybasia. The left VA arose directly from the aortic arch and entered the transverse foramen at the C4 level. Hyperextension and left lateral flexion of the neck caused kinking of the VA proximal to the aneurysm. Turbulent flow in the aneurysm lumen was noted on angiography.
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PMID:Stroke due to a fusiform aneurysm of the cervical vertebral artery: case report. 949 82

Injury to the popliteal artery during total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a devastating complication. Although infrequent, these injuries can result in the need for further surgery, including revascularization or possibly even amputation. Several mechanisms are capable of producing direct trauma to the popliteal artery, including the use of posterior ret ractors. We investigated the proximity of the popliteal artery to the tibial joint surface during TKA to identify crucial steps in the procedure at which the artery was at highest risk for injury. TKA was performed on cadaveric specimens, and serial intraoperative arteriograms were taken throughout the procedure, demonstrating the potential for arterial injury by the instrumentation. Additionally, 50 transverse magnetic resonance imaging scans of unrelated knees were analyzed for the position of the popliteal artery relative to the midline of the tibial plateau as well as at a level 5 to 10 mm below this, at the site of a typical resection during TKA. All of the arteriograms showed the artery to be a lateral structure at the joint line. Additionally a posterior retractor placed the artery at risk when it was placed in a position lateral to the posterior cruciate ligament or when it was injudiciously inserted more than 1 cm into the soft tissues. Hyperextension of the knee, which might occur during preparation of the patella, produced dramatic tenting of the artery over the posterior joint line. These results demonstrate that the popliteal artery is at significant risk during TKA, particularly if posterior retractors are placed in a position lateral to the midline of the joint. Both hyperflexion and especially hyperextension produced severe deformities and kinking of the artery and would particularly jeopardize an artery with atherosclerosis. Our findings suggest that the popliteal artery may be at least risk during TKA if posterior retractors are placed medial to the midline of the tibial plateau and if care is taken to avoid extremes of both flexion and extension.
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PMID:Injury to the popliteal artery and its anatomic location in total knee arthroplasty. 1053 54

Hyperextension of the head can cause injury to the vessels at the base of the brain. These lacerations are believed to be caused by stretching of the vessels due to the abrupt movement of the head and rotational acceleration of the brain within the cranium, and they usually occur in the intracranial portions of the vessels, producing a subarachnoid hemorrhage. This is the case of a 35-year-old man who received a blow to the face that forcefully hyperextended and rotated his head to the left. Autopsy revealed an intracranial right internal carotid laceration extending from a calcified atherosclerotic plaque. This unusual injury may be due to a combination of blunt force applied to the head and the alteration of the vessel's structural and functional capacities secondary to atherosclerosis.
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PMID:Hyperextension and rotation of head causing internal carotid artery laceration with basilar subarachnoid hematoma. 1464 Feb 86