Cardiovascular surgical experiences of IVC tumor and thrombus: Operative strategies Based on 51 consecutive patients.

BACKGROUND: The only beneficial treatment option for the management of inferior vena cava (IVC) tumor thrombus is complete tumor removal. The aim of this study was to report our experience in surgical and clinical outcomes in patients with tumor thrombosis in IVC. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of patients who underwent surgical resection of IVC tumor at our institution over the past 10 years was performed. The patients were identified using a prospectively maintained database. RESULTS: We identified 51 patients, the mean age was 53.4 ± 16.8 years, and 25.4% were female. They were divided into three groups based on tumor thrombosis level. Twenty patients (39.2%) required sternotomy, and cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) was used in 19 (37.2%) patients, and 2 (3.9%) cases underwent coronary artery bypass graft. The perioperative complications were severe bleeding (3 patients), pulmonary embolism (2 patients), and duodenal perforation (1 patient). Three (5.8%) in-hospital deaths occurred, and all were due to severe abdominal bleeding. After a mean follow-up time of 46.5 ± 42.0 months, 29 (56.9%) patients were alive. The mean survival time was 75.2 ± 8.4 months. In multivariate analysis, higher age (p = 0.033) and male gender (p = 0.033) proved to be independent prognostic factors. CONCLUSIONS: Tumor thrombus extending to the IVC is a rare and challenging event. Although using CPB may be safe and result in long-term survival with acceptable function, excessive bleeding during surgery may limit the use of this method.

The role and value of low-dose computed tomography scan compared to esophagoscopy in the diagnosis of foreign body ingestion in adults.

BACKGROUND: Information regarding computed tomography (CT) scan as a first-line screening tool for diagnosis of foreign body (FB) ingestion is limited to a few studies. This study aimed to discuss the role of low-dose CT scan in diagnosing FB ingestion and its complications in adults, along with its diagnostic values compared to X-ray and esophagoscopy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective, cross-sectional study, all hospital records of adult patients diagnosed with foreign body ingestion from March 2014 to February 2019 were reviewed. RESULTS: Among a total of 114 patients, 41 (36.0%) and 86 patients (85.1%) had positive findings in favor of FB in chest radiographs and CT scans, respectively. Esophagoscopy showed the presence of a foreign body in a total of 95 (83.3%) cases, perforation in 14 cases (12.3%), and laceration in nine cases (7.9%). Also, 12 patients (10.5%) had no findings in their esophagoscopy. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of chest X-ray were 39.2%, 91.7%, 97.6%, and 15.1%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of CT were reported to be 96.62% and 100%, respectively. The positive predictive value of the CT method was 100%, and its negative predictive value was 80.0%. CONCLUSION: CT scan can be the preliminary tool for the diagnosis of FB ingestion. It can decrease hospital stay and hospital costs by avoiding unnecessary endoscopy. Due to the insufficiency of X-ray, low-dose CT can be used as a first-line diagnostic tool, especially in cases with ingestion of radiolucent FBs.

Great saphenous vein aneurysm mimicking inguinal hernia: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Diagnosis of venous aneurysm may be difficult and can be misjudged as mass-like lesions, including hernias. Here we present the case of a patient with a great saphenous vein aneurysm misdiagnosed and operated as an inguinal hernia. CASE PRESENTATION: A 39-year-old Middle Eastern/Persian male presented with left inguinal bulging 15 years ago, which was misdiagnosed and operated on with a diagnosis of inguinal hernia. He was referred to our clinic, in which color Doppler sonography revealed left-sided saphenofemoral junction incompetence with severe flow reversal during the Valsalva maneuver, in favor of a great saphenous vein aneurysm. Ligation of left saphenofemoral junction and stripping of saphenous vein, and stab avulsion phlebotomy of left lower extremity varicose veins, were done. He was discharged the next day after the operation with an uneventful postoperative course or complication on follow-up. CONCLUSION: Venous aneurysms can be misdiagnosed as other, more common, mass-like lesions, such as inguinal hernias. Therefore, our report emphasizes the consideration of thorough assessment and utilization of color duplex sonography to prevent further misdiagnosis and unnecessary intervention and operations.