[Mitral Valve Plasty Late after Tetrology of Fallot Repair:Report of a Case].

The case was a 32-year-old man. Blalock-Taussig shunt was performed at five months-old for tetralogy of Fallot, and intracardiac repair was performed at four years-old. He was admitted with a diagnosis of infective endocarditis. Preoperative echocardiography showed vegetations on the mitral valve and severe mitral regurgitation. Severe right heart pressure load findings, pulmonary valve stenosis and regurgitation, and residual ventricular septal defect were also observed. The surgery included mitral valve repair, reconstruction of the right ventricular outflow tract, pulmonary valve replacement, and closure of the ventricular septal defect. The postoperative course was favorable. The cause of mitral regurgitation was an abnormal chordae tendineae attached to the interventricular septum and valve destruction by infective endocarditis.

[Vegetation Developed in the Artificial Graft of Ascending Aorta:Report of a Case].

The case was a 65-year-old woman. She underwent graft replacement of ascending aorta because she developed Stanford type A acute aortic dissection in November 2016. After six months she had a fever, so she underwent contrast-enhanced computed tomography and echocardiography at the previous hospital. An abnormal shadow was found in the artificial blood vessel, and the blood culture test was positive. The abnormal shadow was suspected to be a vegetation and was referred to our department. Vegetation was highly mobile and emergency surgery was performed considering the risk of embolism. Intraoperative findings showed that vegetation was attached to the anastomotic site of the artificial blood vessel. She was transferred to a rehabilitation hospital 57 days after the operation and is currently rehabilitating.

Association of carotid ultrasonography with perioperative stroke after thoracic aortic aneurysm treatment: a retrospective study.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to verify whether carotid ultrasonography (CUS) findings could be associated with the occurrence of perioperative stroke after thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) treatment. METHODS: Patients with TAAs who were treated by either total arch replacement or thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) were retrospectively enrolled. Left subclavian artery (LSA) embolization and bypass surgery of the left common carotid artery (CCA) to the LSA before TEVAR were additionally performed for some patients. CUS was performed before TAA treatment to evaluate carotid atherosclerosis and flow velocities of bilateral cervical arteries. After dividing patients into those with and without perioperative stroke, their background, atherosclerotic risk factors, history of stroke, TAA location and size, treatment procedures, and CUS parameters were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Of the 60 patients (18 women, 42 men; mean age 73.5 ± 10.2 years) with TAA, four (7.5%) developed perioperative stroke. There were no significant differences in the patients' characteristics and their TAAs between those with and without perioperative stroke. For the CUS parameters, end-diastolic velocity (EDV) of bilateral CCAs was significantly decreased in perioperative stroke patients (with vs without stroke; right: 9.2 ± 1.8 vs. 14.5 ± 4.6 cm/s, P = 0.025, left: 9.1 ± 0.3 vs. 15.0 ± 4.5 cm/s, P = 0.012), whereas the resistance index (RI) of bilateral CCAs was significantly elevated (right: 0.76 vs. 0.87, P = 0.008, left: 0.76 vs. 0.87, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Lower EDV and higher RI of bilateral CCAs were significantly associated with perioperative stroke after TAA treatment. Thus, CUS findings may help predict the occurrence of perioperative stroke.

Hybrid zone zero debranching thoracic endovascular aortic repair of ascending aortic injury after surgery and radiotherapy for breast cancer.

Thoracic endovascular aortic repair of the ascending aorta remains challenging. We have reported the case of an 81-year-old woman with ascending aortic injury who underwent a life-saving hybrid repair. The patient had previously undergone extended radical mastectomy and postoperative radiotherapy for breast cancer, which had resulted in a right thoracic wall defect and bone exposure and osteonecrosis of the sternum. Therefore, the ascending aorta was directly compressed by the sternum at the level of the brachiocephalic artery bifurcation, causing persistent bleeding from the thoracic wall. Hybrid zone 0 debranching thoracic endovascular aortic repair with a left subclavian artery inflow was emergently performed and achieved hemostasis.

Transgraft embolization by using long needle for the treatment of type II endoleaks after endovascular abdominal aortic repair.

We used a long custom needle (LCN) to improve transgraft embolization (TGE) in 10 reported cases that underwent TGE with LCN for type II endoleak (T2E) treatment after endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair. TGE was performed with a LCN enabling the usage of microcatheter and embolization coils in 10 cases with T2E after endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair. Embolization was successfully achieved in the nidus in all 10 cases. The aneurysmal sac diameter significantly decreased by TGE, and none of the 7 of 10 cases exhibited recurrence of sac expansion or T2E throughout the 2-year follow-up period.

[Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting and Biventricular Pacing for Severe Heart Failure due to Dilated Cardiomyopathy].

A 57-year-old man was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy and coronary stenosis. His electrocardiogram showed a complete left bundle branch block and a prolonged QRS interval. As appropriate medical therapy improved his symptoms, he did not visit out-patient clinic after discharge. A year later, he presented with exertional chest oppression and was readmitted with severe heart failure. Although medical therapy was provided, his condition did not improve. Left ventricular systolic dysfunction and stenosis of the left anterior descending artery were aggravated. We performed coronary artery bypass grafting and biventricular pacing with surgical epicardial leads, which led to improvement in left ventricular systolic function. We consider that biventricular pacing with surgical epicardial leads is a potential option in cases of open heart surgery requiring cardiac resynchronization therapy for severe left ventricular systolic dysfunction.

[Aortic root and arch replacement late after ascending aortic replacement for acute aortic dissection; report of a case].

Surgical treatment for acute type A aortic dissection remains controversial, especially when the aortic dissection extends to the aortic root and arch. A 73-year-old woman presented with palpitation. She had previously undergone ascending aorta replacement for acute type A aortic dissection with reinforcement of the proximal and distal aortic stumps using gelatin-resorcinol-formaldehyde (GRF) glue, conducted by a different surgical team 7 years ago. Echocardiography and computed tomography revealed dilatation of both ends of the reconstructed aorta, with aortic valve insufficiency. Hence, we performed Bentall procedure, partial aortic arch replacement, and coronary artery bypass grafting. The postsurgical course was uneventful. Redo operations may be avoidable, if, in the initial operation for acute type A aortic dissection with dissected aortic root and arch, surgery is performed without use of GRF glue for reinforcement of stumps. We recommend to perform the Bentall procedure, partial remodeling procedure, or valve-sparing aortic root replacement for reconstruction of the aortic root and arch replacement for repair of the aortic arch.

Segmental arterial mediolysis accompanied by renal infarction and pancreatic enlargement: a case report.

INTRODUCTION: Due to recent advances in imaging diagnostic techniques, there are an increasing number of case reports of segmental arterial mediolysis. However, there are only a limited number of reports on segmental arterial mediolysis-related abnormalities of abdominal organs other than the intestine. This report describes a case of segmental arterial mediolysis accompanied by abnormalities of abdominal organs without clinical symptoms. CASE PRESENTATION: A 52-year-old Japanese man with hematuria and no prior medical history was referred to a urologist and was diagnosed as having urinary bladder cancer. He underwent trans-urethral resection of the bladder tumor and intra-vesical instillation therapy, which was followed by observation. During follow-up, although no abdominal symptoms were observed, an abdominal computed tomography scan revealed a dissection of the superior mesenteric artery. A false lumen partially occluded by a thrombus was located distal to this occlusion. The lumen was irregularly shaped with narrow and wide sections. Similar irregularities were also observed in the wall of the inferior mesenteric artery. Arterial dissection with thromboembolism in the left renal artery and renal infarction was also observed. Follow-up computed tomography after two months revealed an enlargement of the pancreatic tail adjacent to the splenic artery. Follow-up three-dimensional computed tomography showed gradual re-expansion of the true lumen of the superior mesenteric artery, improvement in arterial wall irregularities, and a reduction in the pancreas enlargement and renal infarction. Over the following 15 months, these changes gradually normalized. On the basis of the vascular changes in multiple arterial systems that resolved spontaneously, we considered that the lesions were associated with segmental arterial mediolysis. CONCLUSIONS: We present a rare case of segmental arterial mediolysis accompanied by abnormalities of abdominal organs without clinical symptoms. Three-dimensional computed tomography was useful for follow-up evaluation in our patient.

Safety and efficacy of an ultrashort-acting ß1-blocker on left ventricular dysfunction.

Landiolol hydrochloride, an ultrashort-acting ß1-selective blocker, is a highly regulated drug. This study evaluated the safety and efficacy of this drug for cases of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) with left ventricular dysfunction. Between September 2006 and August 2009, 32 patients with a left ventricular ejection fraction of <40% underwent CABG. Two groups of patients, a group administered landiolol hydrochloride and a control group not administered this drug, were compared. The administration of landiolol hydrochloride was initiated at 1 µg/kg per minute (γ) after cardiopulmonary bypass in on-pump cases and after completion of all the distal anastomoses in off-pump cases. We observed no significant differences between the groups with respect to preoperative patient background or incidences of complications, except for postoperative atrial fibrillation. The heart rate decreased significantly 30 minutes after landiolol hydrochloride administration, but no change was observed in arterial pressure. No change was observed in other parameters; the hemodynamics were stable. The occurrence of atrial fibrillation during the intensive care unit stay (during landiolol hydrochloride administration) was significantly lower in the administration group. The difference remained significant after multiple logistic regression analysis; landiolol hydrochloride was the sole inhibitory factor.

WITHDRAWN: Endoscopic Radial Artery Harvesting: Long-Term Results and Graft Patency Rate.

This article has been withdrawn: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (http://www.elsevier.com/locate/withdrawalpolicy. This article has been withdrawn at the request of the author(s) and/or editor. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause.