Two Cases of Secondary Hypertension with Rare Aetiology

Secondary Hypertension comprises approximately 5% of Systemic Hypertension1. Renal parenchymal, Renovascular and Endocrine Diseases are amongst the common causes of Secondary Hypertension. Takayasu,s Arteritis is a rare form of Primary Systemic Vasculitis that appears to be commoner in Asia than Europe or North America2 and in contrast to Japanese patients, who have a higher incidence of aortic arch involvement, the series from India reports higher incidences of thoracic and abdominal involvement. In general, patients from Indian subcontinent tend to have greater prevalence of Pan-aortic Disease (both above and below the diaphragm) when compared with the west. In India the women : men ratio is around 1.5:1. Takayasu, s Arteritis most frequently affects young women3. Therapeutic intervention like Percutaneous Transluminal Angioplasty (PTA) and Stenting, By-pass Surgeries or surgical reconstruction should be performed when disease is made inactive by the use of effective immunosuppressive Therapy4

Coarctation of the aorta in a young female treated with left subclavian artery to descending thoracic aorta bypass: a case report / Coarctação de aorta em jovem tratada com artéria subclávia esquerda para bypass de aorta torácica descendente: relato de caso

Abstract Coarctation of the aorta is a rare congenital abnormality, with an incidence of 6-8% of all congenital heart problems. It is usually diagnosed in childhood during routine clinical examination and adults mostly present with hypertension. Various investigations like transthoracic echocardiography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance angiography can help with diagnosis. Prognosis depends on age at presentation and the severity of coarctation. Treatment options available are open and endovascular repair. Extra-anatomical bypass is the preferred option in cases with unfavorable anatomy. Long term follow up is required post repair due to risk of restenosis and aneurysm formation. Here is a case in which a young female presented with hypertension, was diagnosed with coarctation of the aorta, and was treated a left subclavian artery to descending thoracic aorta bypass. Her postoperative course was uneventful and she had improvement in hypertension.

Resumo A coarctação da aorta é uma anomalia congênita rara, com incidência de 6-8% entre todos os problemas cardíacos congênitos. É geralmente diagnosticada na infância durante o exame clínico de rotina, e os adultos normalmente apresentam hipertensão. Diversas investigações, como ecocardiografia transtorácica, tomografia computadorizada e angiorressonância magnética, podem auxiliar no diagnóstico. O prognóstico depende da idade na apresentação e da gravidade da coarctação. As opções de tratamento disponíveis são o reparo aberto e o reparo endovascular. O bypass extra-anatômico é a opção preferida em caso de anatomia desfavorável. O acompanhamento de longo prazo é necessário após o reparo devido ao risco de reestenose e formação de aneurisma. Descrevemos o caso de uma jovem do sexo feminino que apresentou hipertensão, a qual foi diagnosticada como coarctação da aorta. Foi realizada derivação da artéria subclávia esquerda para a aorta torácica descendente. O pós-operatório transcorreu sem intercorrências, e a paciente apresentou melhora da hipertensão.

Balloon-Supported Passage of a Stent-Graft into the Aortic Arch

A 62-year-old man was admitted, and thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) procedure was performed to treat an accidentally detected aortic aneurysm, which was 63 mm in diameter. While performing TEVAR, the passage of the stent-graft introducer system was impossible due to the prolapse of the introducer system into a wide-necked aneurysm; this aneurysm was located at the greater curvature of the proximal descending thoracic aorta. In order to advance the introducer system, a compliant balloon was inflated. Thus, we created an artificial wall in the aneurysm with this inflated balloon. Finally, we were able to advance the introducer system into the target zone.

Outcomes of Open Surgical Repair of Descending Thoracic Aortic Disease

BACKGROUND: To determine the predictors of clinical outcomes following surgical descending thoracic aortic (DTA) repair. METHODS: We identified 103 patients (23 females; mean age, 64.1+/-12.3 years) who underwent DTA replacement from 1999 to 2011 using either deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (44%) or partial cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB, 56%). RESULTS: The early mortality rate was 4.9% (n=5). Early major complications occurred in 21 patients (20.3%), which included newly required hemodialysis (9.7%), low cardiac output syndrome (6.8%), pneumonia (7.8%), stroke (6.8%), and multi-organ failure (3.9%). None experienced paraplegia. During a median follow-up of 56.3 months (inter-quartile range, 23.1 to 85.1 months), there were 17 late deaths and one aortic reoperation. Overall survival at 5 and 10 years was 80.9%+/-4.3% and 71.7%+/-5.9%, respectively. Reoperation-free survival at 5 and 10 years was 77.3%+/-4.8% and 70.2%+/-5.8%. Multivariable analysis revealed that age (hazard ratio [HR], 1.10; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.05 to 1.15; p<0.001) and left ventricle (LV) function (HR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.82 to 0.96; p<0.003) were significant and independent predictors of long-term mortality. CPB strategy, however, was not significantly related to mortality (p=0.49). CONCLUSION: Surgical DTA repair was practicable in terms of acceptable perioperative mortality/morbidity as well as favorable long-term survival. Age and LV function were risk factors for long-term mortality, irrespective of the CPB strategy.

Ruptura traumática de la aorta descendente torácica / Traumatic ruptura of the descending thoracic aorta

Los traumatismos torácicos graves (TT), ya sean abiertos o cerrados, pueden ocurrir secundarios a lesiones por arma de fuego, arma blanca, accidentes de tránsito, caídas de altura o compresiones torácicas por aplastamientos, entre otros y se han transformado en una causa importante de morbilidad y mortalidad, pero son las lesiones vasculares directamente responsables de un 20 a un 25 por ciento del total de las muertes, causadas por estos traumatismos. La mayoría de los afectados por estas lesiones son personas jóvenes previamente sanas, fundamentalmente del sexo masculino. Se presenta un caso clínico de un paciente de 38 años de edad, con antecedentes de salud previos, que durante una riña, sufrió una herida en la región posterior del hemitórax derecho, por debajo del borde inferior de la escápula, penetrante en la cavidad torácica, ocasionada por un objeto corto punzante de fabricación artesanal, cuyo pedazo quedó dentro de esta cavidad, lo cual provocó una lesión de alrededor de 3 cm de longitud, aproximadamente a nivel de la aorta descendente torácica. El paciente fue intervenido quirúrgicamente de manera urgente, y se logró suturar la lesión vascular con éxito, proceder que casi nunca es posible debido al alto índice de mortalidad de este tipo de lesiones, pues la mayoría de las personas fallecen antes de su llegada a un centro especializado de salud(AU)

Severe thoracic traumatisms, either open or close, may occur secondary to injuries caused by firearms, knifes, traffic accidents, falls from height or thoracic compression due to crushing, among others. They have become an important cause of mortality and morbidity but they are vascular injuries directly responsible for 20 to 25 percent of the total number of deaths caused by this type of traumatism. Most of the injuries occurred in healthy young people, mainly men. This is the case of a 38 years-old patient with a history of health problems, who in a street fight, suffered an injury in the posterior region of the right hemithorax, below the lower rim of the scapula. It was a penetrating wound in the thoracic cavity caused by a short sharpened object; a piece of this object was trapped into the cavity and caused a 3 cm long injury, at the level of the thoracic descending aorta. The patient was operated on in an emergency situation and the vascular injury was successfully sutured, a procedure that barely has positive results due to the high mortality rate of this type of injuries. Most of the affected people die before arriving to the specialized health center(AU)

Ruptured Aneurysm of Descending Thoracic Aorta due to Salmonella Arteritis: 1 case report / 대한흉부외과학회지

A very rare case of mycotic aneurysm in the descending thoracic aorta due to salmonellosis was treated in our hospital. The patient was a 62 year-old male who 48 days before the operation was admitted to the department of internal medicine complaining of fever, nausia, vomiting, and loose stool. He was treated for 35 days and discharged. Three days after discharge, however, the patient was readmitted to the hospital complaining of right upper quadrant abdominal pain. Fever developed on the third hospital day, and on the eighth hospital day, the patient complained of back pain and epigastric pain. A simple chest x-ray showed evidence of hemothorax in the left plueral space, and therefore, computed tomography of the chest was done. The patient was diagnosed as a ruptured mycotic aneurysm of the descending thoracic aorta, and was transferred to our Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. The aneurysm and infected tissues was widely debrided, and the site was then patched with a Dacron graft. Salmonella choleraesuis was identified in the blood and aneurysm cultures, and antibiotics were administered for 6 weeks according to the sensitivity of the organism. The patient experienced no complication thereafter and for the last three months since the operation, he has been leading a healthy and normal social life.