[Vascular Prosthesis Perforation Caused by a Stent Graft Inserted into the Innominate Artery after Total Aortic Arch Replacement].

The patient was a 60-year-old woman who underwent thoracoabdominal aorta replacement for type B aortic dissection three years ago and aortic root replacement and total aortic arch replacement due to asymptomatic type A aortic dissection two years previously. Her clinical course was uneventful until follow-up computed tomography (CT) disclosed anastomotic insufficiency in the innominate artery and left main coronary artery stenosis owing to hematoma. Emergent percutaneous coronary intervention and stent graft insertion into the innominate artery were performed successfully. Seven months later, however, CT scan revealed a perforation in the posterior wall of the artificial graft damaged by the edge of the implanted stent graft. The patient underwent open surgery and perforation of artificial graft was sutured and redundant stent graft edge was resected. Artificial graft damage by stent graft placement is rare to date, but may increase in the future in accordance with broader application of endovascular treatment.

Leaflet escape in an Edwards TEKNA mitral prosthesis.

In almost every type of artificial valve, structural failure has been described. We are reporting on a case of a sudden leaflet escape of an Edwards TEKNA mitral valve prosthesis 12 years after implantation. The patient had a sudden onset of dyspnea and severe pulmonary edema with subsequent cardiogenic shock. An emergency mitral replacement was successfully performed. A multi-detector computed tomography scanning and three-dimensional imaging showed two fragments that had embolized in the terminal aorta and the left common iliac artery. The patient presented visual field abnormality, and postoperative head computed tomography showed watershed cerebral infarction. The escaped leaflet that fractured transversely was removed, following the patient's recovery, during cardiac surgery.

A Case of Tandem Plug Embolization for an Aberrant Right Subclavian Artery during Debranching Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair.

Aberrant right subclavian artery embolization is problematic in debranching thoracic endovascular aortic repair, because concomitant bypass grafting to the right upper arm may hinder complete embolization. We report a case of a thoracic aortic aneurysm with aberrant right subclavian artery successfully treated with debranching thoracic endovascular aortic repair and bypass grafting. Although endoleakage was found from aberrant right subclavian artery after single use of Amplatzer vascular plug, additional deployment of Amplatzer vascular plug II completely eliminated residual endoleakage. This simple technique is useful for the aberrant right subclavian artery embolization in debranching thoracic endovascular aortic repair.

Resection of Kommerell Diverticulum After the Arterial Switch for TGA With Bilateral PDAs and Right Aortic Arch.

We present a very rare case of bilateral ductus arteriosus in transposition of the great arteries with right aortic arch and aberrant retroesophageal left subclavian artery (SCA). Around 1 month after the successful arterial switch operation, the baby showed wheezing and retractive breathing. The computed tomography revealed that trachea and esophagus were sandwiched between the posterior displaced ascending aorta and the origin of the retroesophageal aberrant left SCA, the so-called Kommerell diverticulum (KD). This compression was successfully relieved by resection of the KD and division of the retroesophageal aberrant SCA through right thoracotomy.

More than 20-year experience of Bentall operation with mechanical prostheses for chronic aortic root aneurysm.

OBJECTIVES: Long-term results of Bentall operations with mechanical prostheses were analyzed and evaluated over 30 years. METHODS: Seventy-one patients aged 50.2 ± 1.8 years old underwent an elective Bentall operation from 1975 to 2013 for chronic aortic root aneurysm, while 129 patients aged 51.6 ± 1.3 underwent isolated AVR with a mechanical valve for pure aortic regurgitation. The follow-up was completed for a total of 2,336-patient-years in 99.5% of these patients. RESULTS: No significant differences were observed in the hospital mortality (2.8 and 0.78%), actuarial survival rate (43.3 ± 9.9 and 50.0 ± 9.2%), freedom from valve-related death (84.9 ± 6.8 and 68.1 ± 11%), and freedom from valve-related morbidity (43.7 ± 19 and 40.1 ± 15%) at 30 years between the two groups. No significant differences were observed in the valve-related events; however, a higher incidence of rupture of aortic aneurysm was observed in the Bentall group (P = 0.0005). CONCLUSIONS: Both our short- and long-term results of Bentall operation with mechanical prostheses were satisfactory at 30 years after the surgery and were comparable with those of simple AVR. However, to prevent rupture of the aortic aneurysm, special care should be taken after the primary Bentall operations.

Operative modification for the prevention of device-related infection during NIPRO extracorporeal left ventricular assist device implantation.

An operative modification in which the NIPRO left ventricular assist device (LVAD) cannulas are passed through the intraperitoneal cavity is performed as the first-choice standard technique in our institution. Eighteen consecutive patients who underwent NIPRO LVAD implantation as heart transplantation candidates were enrolled in this study. The cannulas were passed through the intraperitoneal cavity in 11 patients (Group IP) and the extraperitoneal space in 7 patients (Group EP). A device-related major infection was defined as bloodstream infection and/or abscess formation in the deep tissue space. Device-related major infection occurred in 6 patients in Group IP and in 6 patients in Group EP. Of these patients, 3 patients in Group IP and 5 patients in Group EP suffered from uncontrollable bloodstream infection and finally died of development into multiple organ failure and/or cerebrovascular accidents. The actuarial rates of freedom from device-related major infection at 6 months after LVAD implantation were 100 % in Group IP and 38 % in Group EP, respectively (p = 0.02). Moreover, the actuarial survival rates after the initial device-related major infection in Group IP could be significantly higher than in Group EP (83 and 67 % at 6 months, p = 0.03). We demonstrated that this operative modification can contribute to prevention of progression of superficial skin infection to critical infection and to extension of the survival duration after the initial device-related major infection.

Single-institution, 22-year follow-up of 786 CarboMedics mechanical valves used for both primary surgery and reoperation.

OBJECTIVES: The long-term (>20 years) results for CarboMedics mechanical valves (Sorin Group, Milano, Italy) used for both primary surgery and reoperation have never been reported or compared. METHODS: Since 1990, a total of 787 CarboMedics valves have been implanted in 694 patients for aortic valve replacement, including 19 redo cases in 220 patients; for mitral valve replacement, including 108 redo cases in 381 patents; and for double (aortic and mitral) valve replacement, including 29 redo cases in 93 patients. The follow-up data were complete for 7201 patient-years in 99.3% of the patients. RESULTS: The hospital mortality rate of the aortic, mitral, and double valve replacement groups was 0.9%, 3.7%, and 4.3%, respectively. The corresponding freedom from valve-related morbidity rates in each group were 66.0%, 40.6%, and 48.0% at 20 years (P = .0206). A higher incidence of paravalvular leakage was observed in the mitral and double valve replacement groups than in the aortic valve replacement group (P = .0019). Of the cases of mitral paravalvular leakage after single mitral valve replacement, 97% occurred after redo single mitral valve replacement; 73% of the cases of mitral paravalvular leakage after double valve replacement occurred after redo double valve replacement. CONCLUSIONS: CarboMedics mechanical valves used for both primary surgery and reoperation for aortic, mitral, and double valve replacement can achieve satisfactory early and long-term results, even 20 years after surgery. Care should be taken, however, to prevent paravalvular leakage in the mitral position during reoperation.

The novel EuroSCORE II algorithm predicts the hospital mortality of thoracic aortic surgery in 461 consecutive Japanese patients better than both the original additive and logistic EuroSCORE algorithms.

OBJECTIVES: The European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE) II was developed to improve the overestimation of surgical risk associated with the original (additive and logistic) EuroSCOREs. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the significance of the EuroSCORE II by comparing its performance with that of the original EuroSCOREs in Japanese patients undergoing surgery on the thoracic aorta. METHODS: We have calculated the predicted mortalities according to the additive EuroSCORE, logistic EuroSCORE and EuroSCORE II algorithms in 461 patients who underwent surgery on the thoracic aorta during a period of 20 years (1993-2013). RESULTS: The actual in-hospital mortality rates in the low- (additive EuroSCORE of 3-6), moderate- (7-11) and high-risk (≥11) groups (followed by overall mortality) were 1.3, 6.2 and 14.4% (7.2% overall), respectively. Among the three different risk groups, the expected mortality rates were 5.5 ± 0.6, 9.1 ± 0.7 and 13.5 ± 0.2% (9.5 ± 0.1% overall) by the additive EuroSCORE algorithm, 5.3 ± 0.1, 16 ± 0.4 and 42.4 ± 1.3% (19.9 ± 0.7% overall) by the logistic EuroSCORE algorithm and 1.6 ± 0.1, 5.2 ± 0.2 and 18.5 ± 1.3% (7.4 ± 0.4% overall) by the EuroSCORE II algorithm, indicating poor prediction (P < 0.0001) of the mortality in the high-risk group, especially by the logistic EuroSCORE. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves of the additive EuroSCORE, logistic EuroSCORE and EuroSCORE II algorithms were 0.6937, 0.7169 and 0.7697, respectively. Thus, the mortality expected by the EuroSCORE II more closely matched the actual mortality in all three risk groups. In contrast, the mortality expected by the logistic EuroSCORE overestimated the risks in the moderate- (P = 0.0002) and high-risk (P < 0.0001) patient groups. CONCLUSIONS: Although all of the original EuroSCOREs and EuroSCORE II appreciably predicted the surgical mortality for thoracic aortic surgery in Japanese patients, the EuroSCORE II best predicted the mortalities in all risk groups.

Left ventricular performance after aortic valve replacement in patients with low ejection fraction.

The operative validity of aortic valve replacement (AVR) for high-risk patients with impaired left ventricular (LV) function is controversial. We measured LV contractility, afterload, and efficiency by use of transthoracic echocardiography data obtained before, after, and approximately 1 year after isolated AVR for 335 patients with aortic stenosis (AS group; n = 160), aortic regurgitation (AR group; n = 116), or aortic stenosis and regurgitation (ASR group; n = 59). Two subgroups were created: LV ejection fraction (EF) of ≥50 % (normal-EF subgroup) and <50 % (low-EF subgroup). Contractility decreased after AVR in the normal-EF AS and normal-EF AR subgroups, but did not change after AVR in the low-EF subgroups. Afterload decreased after AVR in the AS group and increased in the AR group. LV efficiency was unchanged after AVR in the normal-EF AS and ASR subgroups, worsened in the normal-EF AR subgroup, improved in the low-EF AS and ASR subgroups, and did not improve in the low-EF AR subgroup. LV contractility and efficiency improved during the 1-year period after AVR for all patients and subgroups, but the improvements in the low-EF AR subgroup were not as good as those in the low-EF AS and ASR subgroups. Improvements in LV contractility and efficiency after AVR can be expected for patients with low EF. However, contractility and efficiency did not improve after AVR for patients with AR and low EF. Low mortality and morbidity of AVR likely conceal a latent problem among patients with AR.

Mechanical prosthesis is reasonable for mitral valve replacement in patients approximately 65 years of age.

BACKGROUND: The long-term results of mitral valve replacement (MVR; n = 631) with a bileaflet mechanical prosthesis or a Carpentier-Edwards Perimount bioprosthesis were evaluated in Japanese patients of different age groups. METHODS: A total of 507 bileaflet mechanical prostheses and 124 bioprostheses have been implanted since 1982 at our institution. Follow-up was completed for 6,598 patient-years in 98.4% of the cases. RESULTS: Among the patients 70 years of age and older, the rate of freedom from valve-related death and valve-related morbidity at 10 years after surgery were significantly better in the bioprostheses group (93.3% ± 6.4% and 83.7% ± 8.7%, respectively; n = 35) than in the mechanical prostheses group (71.1% ± 8.0% and 60.9% ± 8.9%, respectively; n = 82), and neither structural valve deterioration (SVD) nor resulting re-MVR were observed for bioprostheses. In contrast, among the patients 64 years and younger, no significant differences were observed in long-term survival between the mechanical prostheses group (n = 347) and the bioprostheses group (n = 76), while significantly lower rates of freedom from SVD and re-MVR were observed in the bioprostheses group compared with those obtained in the mechanical prostheses group. As for the controversial intermediate-age group of 65 to 69 years, the general tendencies were similar to those observed in the group 64 years and younger. CONCLUSIONS: Based on our comparative evaluation, bioprostheses should be chosen for MVR in patients 70 years of age and older, whereas mechanical prostheses were better in the patients 64 years of age and younger. The use of bioprostheses in Japanese patients 65 to 69 years of age is not preferable for preventing SVD and subsequent re-MVR.

A case of conversion of a NIPRO ventricular assist system to an EVAHEART left ventricular assist system.

Bridge to bridge (BTB) is a promising strategy for the treatment of end-stage heart failure that involves the left ventricular assist system (LVAS). We describe our experience with the conversion of an extracorporeal ventricular assist system (VAS), the NIPRO VAS, to an implantable LVAS, the EVAHEART LVAS. A 32-year-old man underwent a NIPRO VAS implantation as a bridge to decision for a condition consistent with Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support profile 1. He was later diagnosed with secondary cardiomyopathy due to cardiac sarcoidosis. During the period in which he had NIPRO VAS support, no significant bacterial cultures were obtained from the cannula-piercing site, and no systemic infection occurred. Approximately 5 months after the NIPRO VAS implantation, he underwent an EVAHEART LVAS implantation as a BTB. The procedure required technical modifications, including the anastomosis of outflow grafts, trimming of the apical cuff, and creation of a pump pocket. The operation was completed uneventfully. The patient completed the discharge program for awaiting heart transplantation at home. Approximately 6 months after the EVAHEART LVAS implantation, he continues to do well without any complications, including infection, and visits our hospital as an outpatient. Conversion to an implantable LVAS can be beneficial in carefully selected patients after ascertaining the operative indications and operation timing.

Follicular carcinoma of the thyroid with massive invasion into the cervical and mediastinum great veins: our own experience and literature review.

Thyroid carcinomas with massive intralumen invasion of the great veins are extremely rare and reported to have poor prognosis. We report a case of a poorly differentiated follicular carcinoma of the thyroid with extensive invasion into the bilateral internal jugular veins, brachiocephalic vein, and superior vena cava. All of the seven major drainage veins from the thyroid were involved by tumor thrombus. The patient was successfully treated by surgical resection including removal of the tumor thrombus and repair of the great veins. The importance of preoperative radiological findings, treatment, and outcome are discussed along with a literature review.

Left atrioventricular valve regurgitation after correction of atrioventricular septal defects.

PURPOSE: Progressive regurgitation of the left atrioventricular valve (AV) remains a major postoperative problem in the repair of atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD). The aim of this study was to review a case series of AVSD repair and reoperation for significant left AV valve regurgitation from this institution. METHODS: Forty-nine patients underwent initial repair of AVSD between February 1990 and March 2011, and 4 of them underwent reoperation for left AV valve regurgitation. Another 5 patients, who had received initial repair of AVSD before 1990, underwent reoperation of the left AV valve during the same period. This study retrospectively reviewed all cases of AVSD operation, and considered the causes of the left AV valve incompetence, and furthermore addressed how to manage most effectively this problem. RESULTS: There were 4 early deaths (8.6%) and no late deaths after initial repair of AVSD. No death was observed after reoperation of the left AV valve. Six patients underwent re-repair of left AV valve, but three patients needed prosthetic valve replacement. An additional cleft closure and commissuroplasty were performed on the 6 re-repaired cases. No significant AV valve regurgitation was observed among the 6 re-repaired cases. The actuarial survival was 92% at 10 and 15 years after AVSD repair. Freedom from reoperation of the left AV valve was 81% at 10 and 15 years for the patients who survived the initial repair during the study period. Freedom from significant left AV valve regurgitation was 46% at 10 years for all patients who survived the initial repair during the study period. A partial ring annuloplasty using Gore-Tex graft was applied to the last 2 cases, and this employment yielded encouraging results. CONCLUSION: The results were acceptable in terms of the mortality and reoperation free ratio, but the freedom from significant left AV valve regurgitation was disappointing. The outcome of reoperation for significant left AV valve regurgitation was also satisfactory. The application of Gore-Tex graft partial annuloplasty of the left AV valve appears to be a potentially useful and effective treatment modality.

Pulmonary valve replacement long after repair of tetralogy of Fallot.

PURPOSE: Pulmonary valve replacement long after repair of tetralogy of Fallot can improve cardiac function, functional status, and arrhythmia propensity. This has not been reported in Japan. We aim to evaluate the effects of pulmonary valve replacement in repaired tetralogy of Fallot. METHODS: Nineteen patients underwent pulmonary valve replacement after repair of tetralogy of Fallot, excluding Rastelli type operation, between August 1981 and August 2011. The results of the pulmonary valve replacement were assessed by analyzing preoperative and postoperative cardiothoracic ratio, cardiac function, functional status, QRS duration and durability of the prosthetic valves. RESULTS: There were neither operative nor late deaths. The Cardiothoracic ratio significantly improved from 61.0 ± 5.2 % preoperatively to 56.2 ± 4.8 % postoperatively (P < 0.001). The New York Heart association functional class significantly improved from 2.4 ± 0.8 preoperatively to 1.2 ± 0.4 postoperatively as well. Left ventricular ejection fraction showed significant improvement. QRS duration showed significant reduction. The freedom redo pulmonary valve replacement at 20 years was 100 %. CONCLUSION: Pulmonary valve replacement long after repair of previous tetralogy of Fallot had clinical benefits with low mortality. We recommend bioprosthesis for pulmonary valve replacement when adult-sized valve can be accommodated.

Successful surgical treatment for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus endocarditis on the ventricular rerouting patch after a Rastelli operation.

We report a very rare case of successful surgical treatment for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus endocarditis on the Dacron patch utilized for ventricular rerouting in a Rastelli operation. Vegetations were found on the right side of the patch associated with a large laceration. The patient underwent removal of the patch followed by reventricular rerouting and replacement of the right ventricle to pulmonary artery conduit. The postoperative course was uneventful. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of postoperative infective endocarditis on this location.

Advantages of the L-incision approach comprising a combination of left anterior thoracotomy and upper half-median sternotomy for aortic arch aneurysms.

Although surgical outcomes of total arch replacement have improved, the strategy for extended arch aneurysms remains controversial. We have applied the L-incision approach (combination of left anterior thoracotomy and upper half-median sternotomy) for total arch replacement for single-stage repair of extensive arch aneurysms. We retrospectively reviewed the operative outcomes of patients who underwent total arch or extended total arch replacement for degenerative aneurysms from 1999 to 2010. Operations were performed via median sternotomy in 47 patients (M group) and the L-incision approach was used in 38 patients (L group). Through the L-incision approach, we were able to complete distal anastomosis below the pulmonary hilus. The L-incision approach has advantages of reducing selective antegrade cerebral perfusion and lower body circulatory arrest times compared with the M group. Recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy and renal dysfunction were less frequent in the L group than those in the M group. Respiratory dysfunction and wound infection were similar between the groups. Hospital mortalities were 5.3% in the L group and 6.4% in the M group. The L-incision approach has similar or better postoperative outcomes compared with the median sternotomy approach. This approach could be useful for single-stage extended total arch replacement with relatively low risk.

Obstructive prosthetic atrioventricular valve thrombosis in a woman with congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries during estrogen replacement therapy for pituitary dysfunction.

A 27-year-old woman was admitted because of breathlessness, orthopnea, and hemoptysis. The present patient was diagnosed with congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries (cc-TGA) and underwent systemic atrioventricular valve replacement for severe insufficiency at 23 years of age. She also had been treated with oral conjugated equine estrogen (Premarin) because of congenital pituitary dysfunction. Despite appropriate anticoagulation therapy with warfarin, echocardiography and fluoroscopy showed stuck leaflets of the prosthetic valve due to thrombosis. She underwent emergent surgical valve replacement. This rare association suggests that oral hormone replacement therapy poses a risk of thrombosis especially in patients with cc-TGA after prosthetic valve replacement.

Atypical presentation of an apical pseudoaneurysm in a patient on prolonged left ventricular mechanical support.

Prolonged support with left ventricular assist system (LVAS) increases the risk of device-related infection. We experienced a rare complication of LVAS: an infectious aneurysm at the apical cannula, which appeared with atypical presentation. A 27-year-old male, who developed acute aggravation of dilated cardiomyopathy, was placed on extra-corporeal type LVAS. Six months later, the patient suffered from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) sepsis that lasted for as long as three months despite intensive antibiotic therapy. At 17 months after the implantation, he presented with obstructive ileus. Monthly assessment with transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) did not document any abnormalities around the ventricle. A contrast computed tomographic (CT) scan revealed a huge apical aneurysm protruding into the preperitoneal space. The aneurysm oppressed the transverse colon, resulting in obstructive ileus. Aneurysmectomy was carried out and MRSA was identified from the resected tissue. We reached the precise diagnosis with a CT-scan, although routine assessment with TTE failed to reveal abnormalities. Knowledge of this complication is essential in LVAS management. This is certainly rare, but possibly occurs in all the patients on prolonged LVAS support. Early and accurate diagnosis together with aggressive intervention would bring favorable outcome in such serious cases.