Characteristics and timing of recurrence during postoperative surveillance after curative resection for lung adenocarcinoma.

PURPOSE: To establish the most effective methods of postoperative surveillance to detect early recurrence of lung adenocarcinoma. METHODS: The subjects of this retrospective study were 485 patients with p-stage I-III lung adenocarcinoma, who underwent postoperative surveillance. We examined the sites and detection modes of recurrence and calculated the recurrence-free probabilities. Patients with stage I disease were divided into low- and high-risk recurrence groups using a risk score calculated by assigning points proportional to risk factor regression coefficients. RESULTS: Of the 112 patients with recurrence, 86 had intrathoracic recurrence. Routine computed tomography (CT) revealed recurrence in 60 patients. The recurrence-free probability curves showed that 95% of recurrences were identified within the first 4 years after resection in patients with stage II/III disease. In patients with stage I disease, the predictors of recurrence included male sex, positive pleural lavage cytology, moderate-to-poor differentiation, and visceral pleural invasion. Postoperative recurrences were detected throughout the follow-up period in the high-risk group. CONCLUSIONS: Routine chest CT plays an important role in the postoperative surveillance of lung adenocarcinoma. We recommend intensive follow-up during the early post-resection period for patients with advanced stage disease and long-term follow-up for high-risk patients with stage I disease.

[Endovascular Repair for Acute Phase of Retrograde Type A Aortic Dissection with an Entry in the Descending Aorta].

OBJECTIVE: Endovascular repair for retrograde type A aortic dissection with an entry in the descending aorta (RAAD) is challenging. We present early and mid- term results of endovascular repair for acute phase of RAAD by using commercially-available device. METHODS: From April 2012 to June 2014, 10 consecutive patients with acute phase of RAAD underwent endovascular repair in our hospital. Of them, 9 patients had emergency surgery within 24 hours after the onset. The other one patient had urgent surgery 3 days after the onset. In all patients, the entry tear was covered with TAG or conformable TAG. RESULTS: Technical success was achieved in all patients. No in-hospital mortality was experienced. In all patients, follow-up computed tomography images showed significant remodeling in the ascending aorta 3 months after surgery. During a median follow-up period of 19.5 months, no patients died and no re-intervention occurred. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with acute phase of RAAD, endovascular repair with commercially-available device can be safely performed and it provides sufficient remodeling in the ascending aorta early after surgery. This technique is an alternative to open repair in these patients.

Surgical Resection for Solitary Myocardial Metastasis of Gastric Cancer.

Six years after primary surgical treatment for gastric cancer, fluoro-deoxy-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography was performed in a 72-year-old man, and demonstrated an increased fluoro-deoxy-glucose uptake in the apex of the left ventricle. Magnetic resonance imaging also revealed a solitary small myocardial tumor. Under cardiopulmonary bypass, tumorectomy was performed with a macroscopically sufficient margin. Histopathologic examination showed adenocarcinoma with poor differentiation developed in the myocardium and pericardial fat; these findings were compatible with the previously resected gastric cancer. The postoperative course was uneventful; the patient has been alive for 29 months without any evidence of local recurrence or cardiac events.

[Adult endocardial blood cyst; report of a case].

We report herein a rare case of endocardial blood cyst (EBC) in an adult patient. A 63-year-old asymptomatic woman underwent echocardiography, which incidentally detected a cardiac tumor in the right atrium. On echocardiography, the tumor was revealed to be a 30-mm round mass with thin, hyperechogenic walls and heterogeneously hypoechogenic contents. The lesion was attached to the septum. On computed tomography, the tumor appeared partly calcified and showed poor contrast-enhancement. On magnetic resonance imaging, the lesion appeared isointense or slightly hyperintense in T1 and T2-weighted sequences. Myxoma was strongly suspected based on these preoperative imaging findings. The tumor was successfully excised under cardiopulmonary bypass. Gross examination confirmed that the cyst was filled with blood. The cystic walls comprised thin-layered fibrous tissue lined with endocardial cells. No tumor cells were found. The diagnosis of EBC was confirmed based on histopathological examination, and the postoperative course was uneventful.

Floating thrombus originating from an almost normal thoracic aorta.

We present a case of floating thrombus originating from an almost normal thoracic aorta in a 54-year-old man who presented with acute arterial occlusion of his left leg. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging showed two masses in an almost normal aorta after embolectomy for the acute arterial occlusion. Although the embolus was thrombus histologically, malignant tumors could not be ruled out. The masses did not decrease in size after 7 days of anticoagulant therapy, so they were extirpated under cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and TEE guidance. Frozen section examination during CPB indicated that there was no evidence of malignancy in the removed mass. TEE played an important role in the diagnosis and surgery of this condition, and it was useful when deciding on a surgical strategy. Because the treatment strategy for this disease remains controversial, further studies are needed.

Major factors of homologous blood transfusion in valvular heart operation with intraoperative autologous blood predonation in cases with difficulty in preoperative predonation.

Intraoperative autologous blood predonation is reported to be useful for the prevention of homologous blood transfusion in cardiac operations, especially in on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). However, CABG is now performed more often off-pump than on-pump. We analyzed the major factors of homologous blood transfusion in 25 consecutive cases of valvular heart operation with intraoperative autologous blood predonation except those with preoperative autologous blood donation. Homologous blood was not transfused in 18 cases, but was in 7 cases only after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). The homologous transfusion was not correlated with body weight, CPB dilution or duration, or preoperative hematocrit level, but was found to correlate with age (r2=0.289, p=0.0413), bleeding output (r2=0.197, p=0.0485), and predonation blood volume (r2=0.436, p=0.0152). In conclusion, suitable intraoperative predonation may reduce the necessity for homologous blood transfusion in valvular heart operations.

Supplementation of C1-esterase inhibitor concentrates for a patient suffering from hereditary angioedema undergoing complex open-heart surgery.

Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is an autosomal dominantly inherited deficiency of C1-inhibitor, and it is an extremely rare condition. During surgery, oedema can be induced by a variety of stresses, and a high mortality rate has been reported. Since open-heart surgery involves cardiopulmonary bypass, the inflammatory response and complement activity are increased, meaning that an even greater risk can be anticipated. Perhaps for this reason, the only reports to date of cases of open-heart surgery have been cases of short-term cardiopulmonary bypass or off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). We provide the first report of long-term cardiopulmonary bypass (longer than 5h) for open-heart surgery in a patient with HAE that did not result in any postoperative decline in respiratory function, systemic oedema, laryngeal oedema or similar complications, and a favourable outcome was obtained.

A case of biatrial multiple myxomas with glandular structure.

A 45-year-old male, who had been indicated by brain magnetic resonance imaging to have cerebral infarctions, was found by echocardiography to have a tumor in the left atrium. He had experienced several of the constitutional disturbances associated with myxoma. At the ages of 19 and 35 he had had two episodes associated with embolisms, and at the later one he was diagnosed as having multiple cerebral aneurysms. He received an urgent operation in which three left atrial tumors and one right atrial tumor were resected. Histologically, the tumors were myxomas, and the left atrial main tumor had glandular structure. In view of his clinical history, this patient seems to have had cardiac myxomas for a long period. The multiple growths that occurred in this case may be a good argument for allowing this condition to last for so long. To our knowledge, the present case was the first report of cardiac myxoma with glandular structure in Japan.

A reduced priming system.

Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), an integral part of valve surgery, is known to cause hemodilution, which can lead to a need for blood transfusion as well as a systemic inflammatory reaction. Our aim was to evaluate a reduced priming (RP) system for CPB with regard to clinical outcomes in patients undergoing valve surgery. Eleven patients were assigned to the new system with an RP volume. The RP system allowed for reduced hemodilution and a possible reduction in the necessity for blood transfusions.

Marked decrease of plasma VEGF after implantation of autologous bone marrow mononuclear cells in a patient with critical limb ischemia--a case report.

The authors performed autologous bone marrow mononuclear cells implantation (BMI) in a 79-year-old man with critical limb ischemia. After BMI, the resting pain of the ischemic leg improved gradually. They measured the plasma concentrations of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), and serum hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) in the blood from bilateral femoral veins. Before BMI, the plasma VEGF and bFGF concentrations were much greater in the ischemic leg than in the other lower limb, but decreased to the same concentrations as those in the contralateral lower extremity after BMI. The large concentrations of the angiogenic factors VEGF and bFGF in plasma indicate the severity and extent of the leg ischemia. BMI resulted in lower levels of VEGF and bFGF, and this fall is the hallmark of the effectiveness of BMI in the treatment of peripheral artery disease.

A single-stage operation for abdominal aortic aneurysm with concomitant colorectal carcinoma.

The coexistence of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and colorectal carcinoma needs special operative consideration. A single-stage operation for concomitant AAA and colorectal carcinoma has been thought to increase the risk of vascular prosthetic graft infection. We report two patients who received a single-stage operation for AAA and colorectal carcinoma. The first patient had a fusiform aneurysm of the infrarenal aorta. The second patient had a saccular aneurysm of the infrarenal aorta and a fusiform aneurysm of the left internal iliac artery. Both patients had left-sided colorectal carcinoma classified as Dukes' stage B. The two patients underwent a single-stage operation with Hartmann's procedure to avoid graft infection caused by anastomotic leakage. They tolerated the operation and had no postoperative complications including graft infection. A single-stage operation for concomitant AAA and left-sided colorectal carcinoma could be safely performed with Hartmann's procedure in two cases.

Clinical application of bone marrow implantation in patients with arteriosclerosis obliterans, and the association between efficacy and the number of implanted bone marrow cells.

BACKGROUND: There have been a number of recent reports on the use of autologous bone marrow implantation (BMI) in the treatment of peripheral arterial disease, with a clinical response rate of approximately 70%. However, the factors that influence efficacy have not yet been clarified. We have analyzed the relationship between the number of implanted bone marrow cells and the clinical efficacy of BMI. METHODS AND RESULTS: Eight patients with arteriosclerosis obliterans were treated with BMI. Bone marrow was aspirated from the ilium (500-1,000 ml), the mononuclear cells were separated and then were implanted. The clinical effectiveness of BMI was evaluated by assessing changes in the ankle-brachial pressure index (ABI) and the transcutaneous oxygen pressure (TcO2) between the pre-treatment baseline, with follow-up testing at 4 weeks. These changes were defined as DeltaABI and DeltaTcO2. The mean number of CD34-positive cells was 1.04+/-0.60 x10(6) /kg body weight. There was a strong correlation between the number of CD34-positive cells and DeltaABI (r=0.754, p=0.028). CONCLUSIONS: It is likely that the number of implanted CD34-positive cells is one of the primary factors that influence the clinical efficacy of BMI.

Preoperative respiratory physiotherapy for a patient with severe respiratory dysfunction and annuloaortic ectasia.

A 23-year-old man with Marfan syndrome, who had undergone surgery for pectus excavatum and scoliosis and who had severe respiratory dysfunction, was referred for surgical repair of annuloaortic ectasia. The preoperative pulmonary function test revealed severe obstructive and restrictive respiratory dysfunction, with forced expiratory volume in one second of 650 ml and vital capacity of 1,220 ml. These parameters improved after 4 months respiratory physiotherapy. A modified Bentall's procedure was performed after respiratory physiotherapy. A tracheostomy made on the 7th postoperative day (POD) appeared to improve respiratory condition and he was weaned off mechanical ventilation on the 14th POD. The lower limits of pulmonary function for open heart surgery have not been established clearly; however, our case will help elucidate these limits of respiratory function for open heart surgery. Preoperative respiratory physiotherapy improved parameters of pulmonary function test and may decrease the morbidity of postoperative pulmonary complications in a patient with severe respiratory dysfunction.

Therapeutic role of pericardiocentesis for acute necrotizing eosinophilic myocarditis with cardiac tamponade.

We describe a patient with acute necrotizing eosinophilic myocarditis who recovered rapidly after pericardial drainage and without corticosteroid therapy. The 25-year- old man was referred to our hospital with suspected acute myocardial infarction on the basis of severe epigastralgia, abnormal Q waves and ST elevation on electrocardiography, and an increase in cardiac enzymes. Echocardiography disclosed pericardial effusion that compressed the right ventricle, left ventricular dysfunction in conjunction with posterolateral hypokinesis, and a thickened ventricular wall but no mural thrombus. The eosinophil count in the peripheral blood was slightly increased. Coronary angiography showed normal arteries and thus prompted an endomyocardial biopsy. The patient was transferred to the intensive care unit with a clinical diagnosis of myocarditis associated with cardiac tamponade. Emergency pericardiocentesis relieved symptoms immediately. The cells in the pericardial effusion were mainly eosinophils; interleukin 5 and interleukin 13 levels were predominantly elevated, and the effusion was drained for 5 days. The biopsy specimen revealed necrotizing eosinophilic myocarditis. Left ventricular function recovered within a week without corticosteroid therapy. No relapse was observed as of 8 months after diagnosis.

Intensive imaging assessment for successful minimally invasive cardiac surgery.

To clarify special imaging assessment that is useful for minimally invasive cardiac surgery (MICS), we examined 141 cases of MICS operations with ministernotomy or minithoracotomy. In the 141 patients, 62 valve, 42 coronary, 37 congenital heart, and 2 other procedures were successfully completed without conversion to full sternotomy. Preoperative chest x-ray, computed tomography, and/or magnetic resonance imaging were necessary for determining the level of ministernotomy, especially in aortic valve operations. Transthoracic echocardiography was useful for selecting procedures of mitral valve or intracardiac repair through the MICS approach. Intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography was essential for continuous monitoring of cardiac function, intracardiac flow, air bubbles, and so forth. The above results suggest that intensive imaging assessment might be very important for successful MICS operations with ministernotomy or minithoracotomy and that extensive indications for this technique exist for various cardiovascular diseases.