Single-Stage Surgical Treatment of Acute Type A Aortic Dissection and Blunt Abdominal Trauma: A Case Report.

A 53-year-old man suddenly developed chest and back pain while driving, resulting in an accident. Computed tomography revealed acute type A aortic dissection with malperfusion of the left lower extremity, retroperitoneal extravasation, hematoma in the anterior mediastinum, and ascites in the rectovesical pouch. Exploratory laparotomy before aortic repair revealed intestinal perforation and retroperitoneal bleeding, which were repaired, and an ascending aortic replacement was performed. Visceral trauma with active bleeding should be treated with priority, even if the need for systemic heparinization accompanies acute type A aortic dissection during surgery for aortic dissection.

A Giant Cardiac Cavernous Hemangioma Involving the Left Atrial Roof in an Elderly Woman.

Cardiac tumors are relatively rare, with primary hemangiomas being a particularly rare benign neoplasm. Herein, we report a case of a symptomatic cardiac tumor detected via echocardiography in an 82-year-old woman. Although we performed advanced imaging examinations for her heart, we could not diagnose the tumor before surgery. Eventually, a tumor involving the left atrial roof was detected, and it was completely resected to relieve her symptoms and establish a precise diagnosis. Histopathological examination indicated a cardiac cavernous hemangioma. The patient exhibited an uneventful recovery without any complications.

Selection of a Surgical Treatment Approach for Aortic Coarctation in Adolescents and Adults.

PURPOSE: Coarctation of the aorta (CoA) in adolescents and adults is relatively rare. Several operative techniques for CoA in adolescents and adults have been reported, but there is still no consensus. This study aims to highlight the use of individual patient characteristics to select optimal treatment strategies for CoA in adolescents and adults. METHODS: Surgical repair of CoA was performed in five patients (mean age: 34 ± 14 years, range: 13-58 years). All patients had primary CoA, and one had aneurysm above the CoA. One patient had undergone previous aortic valve replacement (AVR) and graft replacement of the ascending aorta. One patient underwent resection of the coarctation without cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) followed by direct end-to-end anastomosis. Three patients underwent CoA resection with an interposition graft through a lateral thoracotomy with partial CPB. One patient underwent AVR with extra-anatomical bypass (ascending-descending aorta). RESULTS: No in-hospital deaths occurred, and there were no complications. During the follow-up period, there has been no recurrence of CoA. CONCLUSION: CoA in adolescents and adults is associated with different issues from those encountered in infant patients, and comprehensive surgery should be performed in all cases.

Comparison of mitral competence after mitral repair with papillary muscle approximation versus papillary muscle relocation for functional mitral regurgitation.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the surgical results of papillary muscle approximation (PMA) and papillary muscle relocation (PMR) for functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) and to compare the effects of both procedures on the change in mitral regurgitation (MR) and echocardiogram parameters associated with tethering. Eighteen patients with moderate-to-severe FMR (MR grade ≥2) who underwent PMA or PMR were retrospectively analyzed. Underlying diseases were ischemic cardiomyopathy, idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy, and aortic valve disease for seven, six, and five patients, respectively. Eleven patients underwent PMA and seven patients underwent PMR. Mitral annuloplasty and surgical ventricular restoration were performed concomitantly for 18 and 6 patients, respectively. None of these patients died in the hospital. Three patients died during the late period; two of these deaths were cardiac related. The rate of 3 years of freedom from cardiac-related death was 89%. After a mean follow-up of 33 months, MR grade was significantly improved compared with preoperative values (3.0 ± 0.8 to 0.7 ± 1.2; p < 0.01). Recurrence of MR grade ≥2 occurred in three patients and the rate of 3 years of freedom from recurrence of MR grade ≥2 was 87%. During follow-up, tenting height (1.1 ± 0.2 to 0.7 ± 0.2 cm; p < 0.01), tenting area (2.2 ± 0.7 to 0.9 ± 0.5 cm2; p < 0.01), and anterior leaflet tethering angle (39° ± 11° to 26° ± 8°; p < 0.01) were significantly improved compared with preoperative values. Posterior leaflet tethering angle significantly deteriorated from 40° ± 7° to 53° ± 15° (p < 0.01); however, it did not further deteriorate compared with the early postoperative value of 55° ± 16° (p = 0.7). There was no difference in echocardiogram parameters associated with tethering between PMA and PMR throughout the observation period. Both methods were associated with lasting relief of MR and reverse left ventricular remodeling. There was no difference between PMA and PMR regarding the effect on mitral valve competence. Both methods allowed durable mitral repair and good clinical outcomes.

Effect of preoperative left ventricular diastolic dysfunction on mid-term outcomes after surgical ventricular restoration for ischemic cardiomyopathy.

OBJECTIVES: The impact of surgical ventricular restoration (SVR) on survival and major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) is still controversial. The purposes of this study were to analyze our surgical experience with SVR for ischemic cardiomyopathy and to determine the effect of preoperative left ventricular diastolic dysfunction on mid-term outcomes after SVR. METHODS AND RESULTS: Between April 2010 and May 2016, 19 patients underwent SVR. The mean age was 60 ± 11 years and the mean New York Heart Association functional class was 2.9 ± 0.8. Preoperative mean left ventricular end systolic volume index (LVESVI) and ejection fraction (LVEF) were 134 ± 56 mL/m2 and 24 ± 7%, respectively. The early-to-late mitral valve flow ratio (E/A) on echocardiogram was 2.4 ± 1.8 and 9 patients had E/A ≥2, excluding 2 patients with atrial fibrillation. The mean follow-up period was 29 ± 16 months. One patient died of heart failure at 6 months postoperative; the overall survival rate at 3 years was 95%. MACEs requiring hospitalization occurred in 10 patients; E/A ≥2, or restrictive filling pattern, was the only significant predictor of MACE in multivariate analysis. Reverse remodeling was associated with E/A <2, but not E/A ≥2. There was also a significant difference between patients with E/A <2 vs. ≥2 with respect to MACE-free survival rates at 3 years (100 vs. 10%; p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: The degree of preoperative diastolic dysfunction can influence the outcome after SVR. Patients with E/A ≥2 may not be good candidates for SVR.

The adjustable slipknot technique for implanting neochordae in the repair of mitral valve prolapse.

The adjustable slipknot technique is a novel procedure for implanting neochordae. The neochorda acts like a lasso. The procedure facilitates accurate assessment of the length of the neochordae. We performed repairs for 30 of 31 (97.7%) patients using this technique. Less than mild residual regurgitation was observed in all patients at hospital discharge.

Epidermal growth factor receptor mutations in Japanese men with lung adenocarcinomas.

BACKGROUND: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations play a vital role in the prognosis of patients with lung adenocarcinoma. Such somatic mutations are more common in women who are non-smokers with adenocarcinoma and are of Asian origin. However, to our knowledge, there are few studies that have focused on men. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and eighty-four consecutive patients (90 men and 94 women) of resected lung adenocarcinoma were studied retrospectively. RESULTS: EGFR mutations were positive in 48.9% and negative (wild type) in 51.1%. Overall mutation was significant in women (66.0% vs. 32.2%) compared with men (p<0.001). For overall patients, EGFR mutation status was associated with gender, pStage, pT status, lepidic dominant histologic subtype, pure or mixed ground-glass nodule type on computed tomography and smoking status. However, in men, EGFR mutation status was only associated with lepidic dominant histologic subtype and not the other variables. Interestingly, the Brinkman index of men with mutant EGFR also did not differ from that for the wild type (680.0±619.3 vs. 813.1±552.1 p=0.1077). CONCLUSIONS: The clinical characteristics of men with lung adenocarcinoma related to EGFR mutation are not always similar to that of overall patients. Especially we failed to find the relationship between EGFR mutations and smoking status in men.