title: Prognosis of arterial aneurysm after surgery in patients with Behçet's disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Despite improvements in therapeutic modalities, the treatment of arterial aneurysms complicating Behçet's disease (BD) is still challenging. This study examined the long-term prognosis after surgery for arterial aneurysms in BD.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study included 9 patients with BD (8 men and 1 woman) who underwent surgery for arterial aneurysms between 1989 and 2008. The outcomes after the surgical intervention were assessed, including procedure-related complications and survival.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The initial surgical procedures were performed for aortic or iliac aneurysms in 5 patients and for lower-extremity aneurysms in 4 patients. There was no operative mortality. The mean follow-up period was 135±69 months, ranging from 53 to 259 months. Patients with aortic or iliac aneurysms underwent graft interposition with Dacron prostheses. Their postoperative courses were uneventful, and all patients were alive during the follow-up with no procedure-related complications. Those treated for lower-extremity aneurysms tended to show perioperative and postoperative complications, including aneurysmal degeneration of the autogenous vein graft in 2 patients. One patient who initially underwent surgery for a popliteal artery aneurysm died due to the rupture of a dissecting aortic aneurysm after serial surgical interventions for multiple aneurysms. Concomitant aortic or iliac aneurysms in 2 patients were followed up without any change in size under medical treatment using colchicine and corticosteroids.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although we cannot draw a firm conclusion because of the small number of cases in the present series, graft interposition can lead to a favorable prognosis in BD patients with aortic or iliac aneurysms, whereas surgical treatment of BD-related lower-extremity aneurysms is frequently associated with short- and long-term postoperative complications. Immunosuppressive therapy might possibly improve treatment outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Tokyo Metropolitan Tama Medical Center, Musashidai, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo, Japan - hosaka-a@umin.ac.jp.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hosaka
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Miyata
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hoshina
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shigematsu
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oshima
mesh_terms: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000368:Aged; D001014:Aortic Aneurysm / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D001528:Behcet Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality; D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis; D019917:Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000401:mortality; D003078:Colchicine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017543:Iliac Aneurysm / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D035002:Lower Extremity / Q000098:blood supply*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011093:Polyethylene Terephthalates; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014680:Veins / Q000637:transplantation
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D011093:Polyethylene Terephthalates; D003078:Colchicine