[Subclavian-aortic Bypass for Management of Aortic Coarctation in Adults:Report of a Case].

A 57-year-old man presented to the hospital with dyspnea. A diagnosis of hypertensive heart failure was made, and treatment was initiated. However, his ankle-brachial index had decreased to 0.61 on the right and 0.56 on the left side, and he had intermittent claudication with decreased renal function( serum creatinine, 1.73 mg/dl). Thoracoabdominal contrast-enhanced computed tomography showed severe stenosis with a diameter of 2.2 mm in the distal arch and marked development of collateral vessels, and a diagnosis of aortic stenosis was made. Vascular catheterization revealed a pressure gradient of 60 mmHg between the upper and lower extremities. We performed a left-sided open thoracotomy and left subclavian-descending aortic bypass( 16 mm J Graft, Shield). The patient recovered without postoperative complications, and the pressure gradient between the upper and lower extremities eventually decreased to 6 mmHg.

Pulmonary valve myxoma requiring pulmonary valve replacement: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Most cardiac myxomas occur in the atria. Myxomas arising from the heart valves are rare, and there are only a few reports of myxomas arising from the pulmonary valve. Complete resection and prevention of embolization at the time of the first surgery are important to prevent the recurrence of myxomas. CASE PRESENTATION: An 82-year-old female was scheduled to undergo surgery for a fracture of the right femoral neck. The preoperative echocardiography showed a mass in the right ventricular outflow tract. The mass was 36 × 30 mm in size and entered into the pulmonary artery during systole. Cardiac synchronous computed tomography showed a stalked bifurcated mass near the pulmonary valve, which was suspected to be a myxoma. Surgical findings showed a lumen-occupying tumor when the main pulmonary artery was incised. Since the tumor was a single mass with a stalk on the pulmonary valve (right and left pulmonary valve cusps), tumor resection and pulmonary valve replacement (bioprosthetic valve) were performed. A right prosthetic femoral head insertion was performed on postoperative day 36, and the patient was transferred to the hospital on postoperative day 44. However, 1 year later, the patient developed a large myxoma (recurrence) that completely occluded the right pulmonary artery and died of right heart failure. CONCLUSIONS: We report the case of a patient with a very rare myxoma arising from the pulmonary valve, which was treated with tumor resection and pulmonary valve replacement surgery; however, the patient developed another myxoma 12 months later and this tumor was larger than the primary tumor. The surgical margins were indistinct, and there was a high possibility of residual tumor in the pulmonary artery wall; hence, an extended resection should have been considered. The recurrence of myxoma, in this case, suggests that it is important to completely resect the primary tumor during the first surgery and to prevent intraoperative embolization.

Thrombosed abdominal aortic aneurysm associated with an extensively "shaggy" aorta repaired anatomically via a thoracoabdominal approach with supraceliac aortic clamping: report of a case.

A 76-year-old man with a history of multiple laparotomies and severe coronary artery disease was referred to our hospital after the sudden development of pain and numbness in the lower extremities. Computed tomography showed a thrombosed abdominal aortic aneurysm and diffuse aortic atherosclerosis; compatible with a "shaggy aorta." A good response to thrombolytic therapy permitted elective scheduling of abdominal aortic surgery after coronary artery bypass grafting. We operated via an extended left retroperitoneal approach through a thoracoabdominal incision. Epiaortic ultrasonography revealed that only the supraceliac aorta was free of mobile thrombi and had minimal plaque; we therefore placed a proximal aortic cross-clamp there. Anatomic aortic reconstruction was then performed successfully using an aorto-biiliac graft to restore adequate distal blood flow. There were no vital-organ ischemic complications, and the postoperative course was satisfactory.

Measurement of glucose metabolism in rat spinal cord slices with dynamic positron autoradiography.

We attempted to measure the regional metabolic rate of glucose (MRglc) in sliced spinal cords in vitro. The thoracic spinal cord of a mature Wister rat was cut into 400-mum slices in oxygenated and cooled (1-4 degrees C) Krebs-Ringer solution. After at least 60 min of preincubation, the spinal cord slices were transferred into double polystyrene chambers and incubated in Krebs-Ringer solution at 36 degrees C, bubbled with 5% O(2)/5% CO(2) gas. To measure MRglc, we used the dynamic positron autoradiography technique (dPAT) with F-18-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose ([(18)F]FDG) and the net influx constant of [(18)F]FDG as an index. Uptake curves of [(18)F]FDG were well fitted by straight lines for more than 7 h after the slicing of the spinal cord (linear regression coefficient, r=0.99), indicating a constant uptake of glucose by the spinal cord tissue. The slope (K), which denotes MRglc, is affected by tetrodotoxin, and high K(+) (50 mM) or Ca(2+)-free, high Mg(2+) solution. After 10 min of hypoxia, the K value following reoxygenation was similar to the unloaded control value, but after 45 min of hypoxia, the K value was markedly lower than the unloaded control value, and after >90 min of reoxygenation it was nearly 0. Our results indicate that the living spinal cord slices used retained an activity-dependent metabolism to some extent. This technique may provide a new approach for measuring MRglc in sliced living spinal cord tissue in vitro and for quantifying the dynamic changes in MRglc in response to various interventions such as hypoxia.

Long-term effect of gene therapy for chronic ischemic myocardium using platelet-derived endothelial cell growth factor in dogs.

BACKGROUND: We previously reported the 2-week benefits of platelet-derived endothelial cell growth factor (PD-ECGF) gene therapy in chronically ischemic myocardium. However, the long-term effects and safety using this gene have not been reported. METHODS: Chronic myocardial ischemia was created in 24 dogs by stenosing the origin of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) using an ameroid constrictor. Two weeks later, the PD-ECGF gene, the LacZ gene, or saline was infused directly into the myocardium in the LAD area. The myocardial blood volume and myocardial function were examined prior to ischemia, immediately before gene injection, and for 6 months following injection, and then the organs were harvested for histological and molecular examination. RESULTS: PD-ECGF gene treatment significantly attenuated endocardial infarction at 6 months. Myocardial blood volume and myocardial function decreased in all three groups after ameroid implantation, but recovered after 2 weeks in the PD-ECGF-treated group, and maintained a higher level of function during the examination period. Histological analysis demonstrated that angiogenesis and arteriogenesis occurred after PD-ECGF gene treatment. There was a decreased expression of the pro-apoptotic proteins, active caspase-3 and Bax, and the number of apoptotic myocardial cells was lower in the PD-ECGF-treated group. Histological examination demonstrated that no abnormal histological changes or neoplasms were found in any organs. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that gene targeting of ischemic myocardium using PD-ECGF generated long-term improvement in cardiac function by causing angiogenesis, arteriogenesis and inhibiting apoptosis, but did not induce neoplasms in the remote organs, and may be a promising therapy.

Thymidine phosphorylase gene transfer inhibits vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation by upregulating heme oxygenase-1 and p27KIP1.

OBJECTIVE: Thymidine phosphorylase (TP) reportedly promotes endothelial cell migration and induces heme oxygenase (HO)-1 expression. However, its effect on vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) is poorly understood. In this study, we examined the effect of TP on VSMCs in vitro and in vivo. METHODS AND RESULTS: Phagemid vector encoding human TP gene was transfected into rat VSMCs, and a clone overexpressing TP was selected (C2). C2 showed a slower migration and proliferation than VSMCs cloned with empty vector (pC) under basal, serum-stimulated, and hypoxic conditions. This decrease in proliferation correlated with TP-induced HO-1 expression and was reversed by inhibitors of either TP or HO activity. Furthermore, in C2, the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor (p27KIP1) was much more abundant than in pC, and the cell cycle was arrested at the G1 phase. TP or HO activity inhibitors decreased p27(KIP1) expression in C2 to the level seen in pC. Adventitial TP gene delivery significantly reduced neointimal VSMC migration and neointima formation in balloon-injured rat carotid arteries. CONCLUSIONS: TP overexpression upregulated HO-1 expression and consequently increased p27(KIP1) in cultured VSMCs, and inhibited VSMC migration and proliferation in vitro and in vivo. TP represents a promising target for treating vascular obstructive disease.

Clinical efficacy of thrombus aspiration on 5-year clinical outcomes in patients with ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.

BACKGROUND: Adjunctive thrombus aspiration (TA) during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) was reported to promote better coronary and myocardial reperfusion. However, long-term mortality benefit of TA remains controversial. The objective of this study is to investigate the clinical impact of TA on long-term clinical outcomes in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary PCI. METHODS AND RESULTS: The CREDO-Kyoto AMI Registry is a large-scale cohort study of acute myocardial infarction patients undergoing coronary revascularization in 2005-2007 at 26 hospitals in Japan. Among 5429 patients enrolled in the registry, the current study population consisted of 3536 patients who arrived at the hospital within 12 hours after the symptom onset and underwent primary PCI. Clinical outcomes were compared between the 2 patient groups with or without TA. During primary PCI procedures, 2239 out of 3536 (63%) patients underwent TA (TA group). The cumulative 5-year incidence of all-cause death was significantly lower in the TA group than in the non-TA group (18.5% versus 23.9%, log-rank P<0.001). After adjusting for confounders, however, the risk for all-cause death in the TA group was not significantly lower than that in the non-TA group (hazard ratio: 0.90, 95% CI: 0.76 to 1.06, P=0.21). The adjusted risks for cardiac death, myocardial infarction, stroke, and target-lesion revascularization were also not significantly different between the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS: Adjunctive TA during primary PCI was not associated with better 5-year mortality in STEMI patients.

Retroperitoneal laparoscopic management of a lymphocele after abdominal aortic surgery: a case report.

A retroperitoneal lymphocele is a rare complication of abdominal aortic surgery. We present a case of 77-year-old man who developed a retroperitoneal lymphocele 14 days after undergoing graft replacement for an abdominal aortic aneurysm. Paracentesis showed a white and turbid fluid that was determined to be chyle. Conservative therapy, including percutaneous drainage, fasting, and total parenteral nutrition, was unsuccessful. Retroperitoneal laparoscopic ligation of the leaking lymphatics was performed on postoperative day 33. The postoperative course was satisfactory. The laparoscopic approach to retroperitoneal lymphocele treatment after abdominal aortic repair is a safe and minimally invasive therapeutic method.