Extensive thoracoabdominal aortic electro septotomy: A case report of a novel approach in the treatment of chronic aortic dissections.

Treatment of post-dissection arch and thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms presents significant therapeutic challenges. True lumen collapse or take off of aortic branches from the false lumen makes endograft alignment difficult, if not impossible. We present herein the first successful case of an extensive thoracoabdominal electro aortic septotomy of the entire dissection membrane from the aortic arch down to the aortic bifurcation during an open redo aortic arch replacement employing the frozen elephant trunk technique. The procedure was performed on a 59 years old female patient presenting with a progressive post-dissection aortic aneurysm during follow-up with a maximum diameter of 6 cm 11 years after operating on an acute type A aortic dissection. Due to the extensive longitudinal aortic electric septotomy, we created a new "common lumen" for subsequent endovascular completion of the repair.

Transapical electrosurgical laceration and stabilization of mitral clips followed by transcatheter mitral valve replacement-A one-stop shop.

Objective: Electrosurgical laceration and stabilization of mitral clips (ELASTA-CLIP) is a bail-out technique to recreate a single-orifice mitral valve after transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) with subsequent transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR). This technique is a novel option for patients with significant residual mitral regurgitation after TEER with high risk for conventional surgery. The original ELASTA CLIP procedure features a transseptal approach, whereas the TMVR with the Tendyne bioprosthesis has a transapical access. Hereby we tested the hypothesis that a modified transapical ELASTA CLIP technique can be safely applied transapically allowing a straightforward one-stop shop access strategy. Methods: We developed the procedural steps in a porcine passive-beating heart model and applied the modified technique with subsequent TMVR in 2 consecutive patients with severe mitral regurgitation after previous TEER. Patients were followed up to 30 days. Results: The modified transapical ELASTA CLIP procedure was successful in both patients. The mean total procedure time was 118 minutes, and the mean fluoroscopy duration 22 minutes. At 30 days' follow-up, both patients were alive without bleeding complications, reintervention, or prosthetic valve dysfunction. Conclusions: The modified transapical ELASTA CLIP procedure is technically feasible and safe at 30 days. Procedure times are lower compared with previous reports of the original transseptal approach.

Perirectal intraperitoneal splenosis: A case report of MRI with laparoscopic correlation.

Splenosis is a benign acquired condition, which appears after rupture of the spleen and heterotopic auto-transplantation. Mostly found as an incidental finding on cross-sectional imaging, definitive diagnosis is frequently made histologically after resection or tissue sampling. We report a case of a 36-year-old male patient who presented with increased susceptibility to infections, chronic fatigue, and a history of traumatic splenic rupture. Cross-sectional imaging showed perirectal formations within the mesorectal fascia, and extraperitoneal splenosis was suspected. Due to the radiologically unclear entity of the masses, diagnostic laparoscopy with tissue sampling was performed. Intraoperatively the masses turned out to be intraperitoneal. Histological workup showed splenic tissue, consistent with intraperitoneal splenosis after splenic rupture. In this article we want to discuss important imaging findings and their differentials, as well as clinical implications for this rare entity.