Outcomes of thoracic endovascular aortic repair using fenestrated stent grafts in patients with thoracic aortic distal arch aneurysms.

OBJECTIVES: Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) for aortic arch aneurysms is challenging because of anatomical restrictions and the presence of cervical branches. Revascularization of the cervical branch is required when conventional commercial stent grafts are used. TEVAR using fenestrated stent grafts (FSG) often does not require additional procedures to revascularize cervical branches. This study aimed to evaluate the features and initial and midterm outcomes of TEVAR using fenestrated stent grafts. METHODS: From April 2007 to December 2016, 101 consecutive patients underwent TEVAR using fenestrated stent grafts for distal aortic arch aneurysms at a single centre. Technical success, complications, freedom from aneurysm-related death, secondary intervention and aneurysm progression were retrospectively investigated. RESULTS: All the patients underwent TEVAR using fenestrated stent grafts. The 30-day mortality rate was zero. Cerebral infarction, access route problems and spinal cord injury occurred in 4, 3 and 2 patients, respectively. Each type of endoleak was observed in 38 of the 101 patients during the course of the study; 20/38 patients had minor type 1 endoleaks at the time of discharge. The endoleak disappeared in 2 patients and showed no significant change in 8 patients; however, the aneurysm expanded over time in 10 patients. Additional treatment was performed in 8 of the 10 patients with type 1 endoleaks and dilatation of the aneurysm. The rate of freedom from aneurysm-related death during the observation period was 98%. CONCLUSIONS: TEVAR with FSG is a simple procedure, with few complications. Additional treatment has been observed to reduce aneurysm-related deaths, even in patients with endoleaks and enlarged aneurysms. Based on this study, the outcomes of endovascular repair of aortic arch aneurysms using a fenestrated stent graft seem acceptable.

Acute aortic thrombosis in the ascending aorta after cisplatin-based chemotherapy for esophageal cancer: a case report.

BACKGROUND: The risk of thrombus development is considered to be increased by malignant tumors and chemotherapy. In addition, thrombosis of the ascending aorta is rare. We report a case of ascending aortic thrombectomy in a patient with esophageal cancer who developed ascending aortic thrombus after starting neoadjuvant chemotherapy, including operative findings and surgical treatment. CASE PRESENTATION: A 63-year-old man with esophageal cancer was administered chemotherapy comprising cisplatin plus 5-fluorouracil. A week after completing 1 cycle of chemotherapy, computed tomography angiography showed acute aortic thrombosis at the ascending aorta. The risk of embolization appeared high because the thrombosis was floating, so we performed emergency ascending aortic thrombectomy. The postoperative course was good and uncomplicated. A month after this surgery, the patient underwent surgery for esophageal cancer. As of 1 year after the cancer surgery, neither cancer nor thrombosis has recurred. CONCLUSION: We describe a case of acute aortic thrombosis in the ascending aorta after cisplatin-based chemotherapy, that was treated by aortic thrombectomy. The treatment strategy should depend on thrombus location and the condition of the patient, but surgical treatment should be considered where possible to achieve better prognosis.

Platypnea-orthodeoxia Syndrome in a Patient with an Atrial Septal Defect: The Diagnosis and Choice of Treatment.

A 77-year-old woman developed dyspnea over three years which occurred during sitting, standing or walking. Her physical examination, chest X-ray, ECG and cardiac catheterization results were all normal. A marked fall in arterial oxygen saturation was observed on sitting or standing. Transesophageal echocardiography showed an increase of right to left shunt flow on sitting. The patient was diagnosed with platypnea-orthodeoxia syndrome and underwent the surgical closure of an atrial septal defect of 19 mm in diameter. After the surgery, the patient's POS symptoms were completely resolved. She was discharged and followed at the outpatient clinic. Her post-treatment course was uneventful.

[Surgical Outcomes of Aortic Root Repair in Type A Acute Aortic Dissection].

We carried out a retrospective evaluation of the early and long-term outcomes of aortic root reconstruction for type A acute aortic dissection. Between January 2001 and March 2015, a total of 21 patients underwent aortic root reconstruction. Bentall operation was performed in 9 patients( B group) and Patch plasty of sinus of Valsalva patients was performed in 12 patients (V group). There were 3 in-hospital deaths due in the B group and 1 death due in the V group. Overall survival in the V group was 72.9% and was not significantly different from survival in the B group(66.7%). In conclusion, our study demonstrated good early and long-term outcomes for patch plasty of sinus of Valsalva for type A acute aortic dissection. There was no postoperative patch-related complication in the V group. Thus, a patch plasty of sinus of Valsalva for type A acute aortic issection may be acceptable.

Early and midterm outcomes of triple patch technique for postinfarction ventricular septal defects.

OBJECTIVE: Early and midterm outcomes were evaluated in patients who had postinfarction ventricular septal defect (VSD) and underwent VSD repair using the triple patch technique. METHODS: Twenty-one patients underwent VSD repair for postinfarction VSD between April 2004 and September 2015. A retrospective analysis of all in-hospital and postdischarge data was performed. In addition, we compared pre- and perioperative variables between survivors and nonsurvivors. RESULTS: Thirty-day mortality was 23.8% (5 patients). Three patients died due to low output syndrome and 2 patients died due to sepsis. All of these patients were in cardiogenic shock preoperatively. Although 3 patients had a small residual shunt after surgery, the residual shunt disappeared 6 months after surgery in 1 patient and has been decreasing gradually in another. The mean follow-up was 43.5 ± 36.1 months. Overall survival rates (Kaplan-Meier method) at 3 and 8 years were 70.8% and 57.9%, respectively. Compared with survivors, nonsurvivors had a higher incidence of preoperative cardiogenic shock, higher incidence of chronic kidney disease and end-organ failure, and longer aortic crossclamp times during surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Early and midterm outcomes of modified infarct exclusion using the triple patch technique are acceptable. This technique is safe and simple, and may be useful for reducing postoperative residual shunt.

Evaluation of the Relationship between Current Internal 137Cs Exposure in Residents and Soil Contamination West of Chernobyl in Northern Ukraine.

After the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident, the residents living around the Chernobyl were revealed to have been internally exposed to 137Cs through the intake of contaminated local foods. To evaluate the current situation of internal 137Cs exposure and the relationship between the 137Cs soil contamination and internal exposure in residents, we investigated the 137Cs body burden in residents who were living in 10 selected cities from the northern part of the Zhitomir region, Ukraine, and collected soil samples from three family farms and wild forests of each city to measured 137Cs concentrations. The total number of study participants was 36,862, of which 68.9% of them were female. After 2010, the annual effective doses were less than 0.1 mSv in over 90% of the residents. The 137Cs body burden was significantly higher in autumn than other seasons (p < 0.001) and in residents living in more contaminated areas (p < 0.001). We also found a significant correlation between the proportion of residents in each city with an estimated annual exposure dose exceeding 0.1 mSv and 137Cs concentration of soil samples from family farms (r = 0.828, p = 0.003). In conclusion, more than 25 years after the Chernobyl accident, the internal exposure doses to residents living in contaminated areas of northern Ukraine is limited but still related to 137Cs soil contamination. Furthermore, the consumption of local foods is considered to be the cause of internal exposure.

[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.

Development of recombinant chicken IgY from single chain fragment of variable region for diagnosis of BSE.

We generated two recombinant chicken IgYs, designated Ab3-15 and Ab4-19, against mammalian prion protein (PrP) from the single chain fragment of variable region (scFv) antibodies. These two antibodies recognized PrP(Sc) from bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle and were more sensitive than the corresponding scFv antibodies. These antibodies also recognized PrP(Sc) from other scrapie-infected mammals. These results indicate that Ab3-15 and Ab4-19 are useful for diagnosis of BSE as well as other prion diseases.