Operative results of the anterolateral thoracotomy with partial sternotomy approach for chronic-type B aortic dissection involving the aortic arch.

Objectives: There are various treatment strategies for chronic-type B aortic dissection involving the aortic arch. Our aim was to review our surgical experience in the anterolateral thoracotomy with the partial sternotomy approach for chronic-type B aortic dissection involving the aortic arch. Methods: From January 2000 to October 2015, 39 patients underwent the single-stage open surgery for chronic-type B aortic dissection involving the aortic arch using the anterolateral thoracotomy with partial sternotomy approach. Results: Among the 39 patients, 32 were men (82.1%; mean age at surgery, 61.3 ± 11.9 years), with a mean dissecting aortic aneurysm diameter of 50.21 ± 12.20 mm; 28 patients (71.8%) had patent false lumens of the descending aorta. The median interval from dissection occurrence until surgery was 34.05 ± 52.34 months. Twenty-one patients underwent descending aortic replacement plus total aortic arch replacement and 18 underwent descending aortic replacement (plus partial aortic arch replacement). Overall in-hospital mortality and postoperative stroke rates were 5.1% (2 patients) and 10.3% (4 patients), respectively. Survival rates at 1, 3 and 5 years were 94.7%, 94.7% and 90.2%, respectively. Aortic event-free rates at 1, 3 and 5 years were 90.9%, 90.9% and 80.2%, respectively. Conclusions: The anterolateral thoracotomy with partial sternotomy approach is a useful surgical procedure with acceptable outcomes for chronic-type B aortic dissection cases involving the aortic arch, when aortic remodelling using thoracic endovascular aortic repair cannot be performed.

Successful arterial switch operation for post-Mustard pulmonary venous obstruction and secondary pulmonary hypertension.

A 16-year-old girl presented with dyspnea 15 years after the Mustard operation for transposition of the great arteries with intact ventricular septum. An echocardiogram revealed secondary pulmonary hypertension due to pulmonary venous obstruction. Cardiac catheterization showed the left (pulmonary) ventricular pressure was over the systemic level. We performed a successful one-stage switch conversion. The patient is doing well 1 year after the switch conversion.

Coil embolization of a patent ductus venosus in a 52-day-old girl with congenital heart disease.

We present the case of 52-day-old girl with a common atrioventricular canal. Severe liver dysfunction persisted following complete repair of the cardiac defect. A patent ductus venosus appeared to be the source of the hemodynamic disturbance responsible for hepatic dysfunction. Given her critical condition, coil embolization of the ductus venosus was performed, after which the patient improved rapidly. The ductus venosus should be tested for patency when liver dysfunction persists after the corrective cardiac surgery, and coil embolization is the treatment of choice in gravely ill children.

Coronary artery bypass grafting with left inferior epigastric artery as collateral.

We report a case of co-existent coronary and peripheral vascular disease with collaterals to the lower extremities in a 72-year-old female. The patient had triple-vessel coronary artery disease, an occlusion of the bilateral iliac arteries, and the left internal mammary-inferior epigastric artery collateral pathway was a major route to the lower extremities. Coronary artery bypass grafting and right axillo-bifemoral bypass were performed. The well-developed left inferior epigastric artery was used as a conduit to the circumflex artery.

Left ventricle to pulmonary arterial fistula due to Behçet's disease.

Surgical treatment of aortic regurgitation due to Behçet's disease is difficult. A 57-year-old male with Behçet's disease underwent aortic valve replacement with a mechanical valve for aortic regurgitation in 1995. Due to prosthetic valve detachment, 5 months thereafter he underwent a Bentall type operation with a composite graft. Due to complication of the left ventricle to pulmonary arterial fistula, 6 months later a third operation was performed for closure of the fistula. He is doing well at present 5 years after the third operation. Left ventricle to pulmonary arterial fistula is an exceedingly rare complication and has not been reported in the literature.

Peripheral pseudoaneurysm in active Behçet's disease: surgical and perioperative therapeutic strategies.

Since aneurysms in patients with Behçet's disease are often pseudoaneurysmal and adjacent arteries are highly inflammatory, there is not only a risk of rupture but also a high incidence of late surgical complications at anastomotic sites. Furthermore, there is no consensus on perioperative medical therapeutic strategy in patients with active vasculo-Behçet's disease who require surgery. Herein, we present two cases of active Behçet's disease, a 51-year-old male with rupture of the left internal iliac artery who required emergent operation and a 31-year-old male with a rapidly developed pseudoaneurysm in the right superficial femoral artery. Surgical and perioperative therapeutic strategies are also discussed.

Hemodynamic consequences of a swinging, infarcted ventricular septum.

Noonan syndrome presents with dysmorphic facial features, short stature, and cardiac abnormalities (most commonly pulmonic stenosis and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy). This report describes a rare case accompanied by a secundum atrial septal defect (ASD) and a ventricular septal aneurysm causing right ventricular (RV) pressure gradient. A 29-year-old mentally retarded man was admitted to hospital with exertional dyspnea. His somatic features included short stature (148 cm), hypertelorism, a shield chest, and thoracic scoliosis. Echocardiogram showed a secundum ASD with bidirectional shunting and a ventricular septum bulging toward the left ventricle in diastole, and then toward the RV in systole causing obliteration of the RV. The peak pressure gradient measured across the RV outflow by continuous wave Doppler was 30 mmHg. Cardiac catheterization revealed an elevated RV pressure without pulmonary hypertension and confirmed the pressure gradient. Right ventriculography revealed the septal excursion toward the RV in systole, leaving only a small residual cavity in the inflow and outflow regions of the RV. The ASD was closed with an autologous pericardial patch. A thin, fibrous portion of the ventricular septum was resected and replaced with a Dacron patch. From the histological examination, the RV cavity obliteration turned out to be produced by the excursion of the infarcted ventricular septum.