[A TUBERCULOUS PSEUDO-ANEURYSM OF THE ABDOMINAL AORTA COMPLICATED BY MILIARY TUBERCULOSIS].

A 66-year-old man was transferred to our hospital on November 2010 owing to a diagnosis of miliary tuberculosis. Treatment was initially started with INH, RFP, PZA, and EB. However, PZA and EB were discontinued because of their adverse effects. Subsequently, chest radiographic and laboratory findings gradually improved. However, the patient experienced lumbago, which exacerbated towards the end of March 2011. An abdominal CT scan showed an abdominal mass at the L3-L5 level between the abdominal aorta and lumbar vertebra. On the basis of the findings of abdominal ultrasonography, MRI, and PET-CT, infectious abdominal aortic aneurysm was highly suspected. Therefore, vascular graft replacement surgery was performed at the beginning of May 2011. The result of histopathological analysis showed the presence of acid-fast bacteria in the aneurysm and the lymph nodes around it, revealing that the aneurysm was due to systemic miliary tuberculosis. After the surgery, the patient was administered LVFX in addition to INH and RFP for 18 months and showed no recurrence.

[Repair of Cardiac and Pulmonary Damage caused by Stabbing with a Kitchen Knife;Report of a Case].

A 51-year-old woman was stabbed in the chest with a kitchen knife. Twenty minutes after arrival at our hospital by ambulance, she was transferred to the operating room, and a cardiopulmonary bypass was established from the right femoral artery and vein, and a median sternotomy was performed. The knife had damaged the surface of the heart and penetrated the lingular segment of the left lung. Both wounds were directly sutured. Chest X-rays taken after closing the chest showed bleeding in the left lung probably because of the administration of heparin. Bleeding was controlled by lingulectomy. The postoperative course was uneventful.

Which type of secondary tricuspid regurgitation accompanying mitral valve disease should be surgically treated?

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine changes in severity of secondary tricuspid regurgitation (TR) accompanying mitral valve disease, and to identify factors predicting failure of improvement in TR after mitral valve surgery. METHODS: We studied 99 patients who had TR of grade ≥2+ preoperatively, 47 with tricuspid annuloplasty (TAP Group) performed concurrently, and 52 with mitral surgery alone (nTAP Group). Predictors of failure of improvement in TR in the nTAP Group were analyzed. RESULTS: The mean follow-up period was 4.6 ± 2.7 years. There was a significant difference between the TAP and nTAP Groups in TR improvement (93.6% vs. 67.3% respectively, p <0.001) and in change of TR grade (-2.1 ± 1.0 vs. -0.9 ± 1.0 respectively, p <0.001). Univariate analysis in the nTAP Group identified rheumatic etiology, atrial fibrillation, mitral stenosis (MS), and large left atrium prior to surgery as risk factors for failure of improvement. In multivariate analysis atrial fibrillation was identified as a predictor of failure of improvement (p = 0.004). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that TAP should be performed concurrently with mitral valve surgery in patients with secondary TR of grade ≥2+, especially those having atrial fibrillation, even if TR is not severe.

Time-dependent change in fresh autologous pericardium applied for posterior mitral annuloplasty: degree of calcification and its influence on the repaired mitral valve.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the degree of calcification of fresh autologous pericardium applied for posterior mitral annuloplasty and its influence on the repaired mitral valve. METHODS: Thirty-nine patients (31 degenerative and 8 infective endocarditis; mean age at surgery: 62 ± 11 years) were enrolled in this study. Sixteen-slice multi-detector computed tomography was performed to identify calcification of autologous pericardium. The mean clinical follow-up was 4.6 ± 2.6 years (maximum 8.8 years) and the mean computed tomography follow-up period was 3.6 ± 2.5 years (maximum 7.6 years) after surgery. RESULTS: Pericardial calcification was detected in 15 patients. The earliest detection of calcification was 2.5 years after surgery. There was a weak correlation between pericardial calcification and postoperative years (Pearson's product correlation coefficient: 0.476; p = 0.0019). However, severe calcification of autologous pericardium did not occur in any case. There was no association between pericardial calcification and recurrent mitral regurgitation (p = 0.1145). The mean mitral valve orifice area and the mean transmitral pressure gradient in the 15 patients with calcification were 3.0 ± 0.6 cm(2) and 2.1 ± 1.0 mmHg, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Calcification of the fresh autologous pericardium increased with postoperative years. It had no adverse effects on repaired mitral valve in the short-term follow-up period. We will report the findings once again when the follow-up reaches 10 years.

Systolic anterior motion after mitral valve repair: predicting factors and management.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine the mechanism of systolic anterior motion (SAM) after mitral valve (MV) repair by analyzing the clinical data of patients with MV repair. METHODS: A total of 104 MV repairs were performed for patients with isolated degenerative posterior leaflet prolapse. Eight patients (7.7%) developed SAM with severe mitral regurgitation. We compared the preoperative and intraoperative findings of the two groups (8 patients in the SAM group, 96 in the non-SAM group) and reported the clinical courses of the SAM patients. RESULTS: Preoperative left ventricular end-diastolic and end-systolic diameters were significantly smaller and the preoperative left ventricular ejection fraction was significantly greater in the SAM group than in the non-SAM group. The number of patients with a sigmoid septum and the number with anterior leaflet-septal contact (LSC) during diastole were significantly larger in the SAM group. Incidence of billowing posterior leaflet, prolapsed segments, and operative techniques were comparable for the two groups. SAM improved with correction of hemodynamic status in four patients. In four other patients secondary cardiopulmonary bypass was required to resolve SAM. SAM resolved with additional repairs in two patients, whereas the other two required MV replacement. Of the six patients in whom conservative treatment or re-repair was successful, one had recurrent SAM 3 months after surgery. CONCLUSION: The sigmoid septum and LSC may predict SAM after MV repair. A strict follow-up is imperative for patients with persistent or recurrent SAM.

A case of pulmonary infective endarteritis associated with patent ductus arteriosus: surgical closure under circulatory arrest.

A 35-year-old man was admitted to the hospital with prolonged high-grade fever. Chest computed tomography revealed multiple pulmonary infiltrations in both lungs, suggesting septic emboli. Echocardiography revealed patent ductus arteriosus and mobile large vegetations in the pulmonary artery. Because of uncontrollable infection and the imminent possibility of massive pulmonary embolism, he underwent transpulmonary surgical closure of the ductus and resection of the vegetations under hypothermic circulatory arrest using cardiopulmonary bypass. We report a rare case of open heart surgery in a patient with pulmonary infective endarteritis associated with patent ductus arteriosus.

The efficacy of human atrial natriuretic peptide in patients with renal dysfunction undergoing cardiac surgery.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of carperitide (human atrial natriuretic peptide [h-ANP]) in perioperative management in patients with renal dysfunction, especially its kidney-protecting effects. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The subjects were 18 patients who underwent elective cardiac surgery using cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) with a preoperative serum creatinine (Cr) level of 1.2 mg/dl or more. The subjects were prospectively assigned to 2 groups: an h-ANP-treated group (Group H, n = 10) and a non-h-ANP-treated group (Group N, n = 8). At the beginning of surgery, h-ANP administration was initiated and continued for 5 days or more. The central dose was 0.02 microg/kg/min. The primary end point included the serum Cr level and creatinine clearance (Ccr). RESULTS: In Group H, Cr level significantly decreased after surgery compared to the preoperative level. The Ccr values were significantly higher 2 and 3 days after surgery than the preoperative values. And the intraoperative urine volume significantly increased. In Group H, an increase in urinary N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) level the day after surgery was significantly inhibited in comparison with Group N. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that in patients with renal dysfunction before cardiac surgery, continuous low-dose h-ANP therapy maintains renal function, preventing its deterioration.