Incidence of recreational snowboarding-related spinal injuries over an 11-year period at a ski resort in Niigata, Japan.

BACKGROUND: There is limited knowledge regarding the incidence of recreational snowboarding-related spinal injuries. OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the incidence and characteristics of recent recreational snowboarding-related spinal injuries and discussed possible preventive measures to reduce the risk of spinal injuries. METHODS: This descriptive epidemiological study was conducted to investigate the incidence and characteristics of snowboarding-related spinal injuries at the Myoko ski resort in Niigata Prefecture, Japan, between 2006 and 2017. The incidence of spinal injuries was calculated as the total number of spinal injuries divided by the number of snowboarding visitors, which was estimated based on the ticket sales and estimates regarding the ratio of the number of skiers to the number of snowboarders reported by seven skiing facilities. RESULTS: In total, 124 (72.5%) males and 47 (27.5%) females suffered spinal injuries. The incidence of spinal injuries was 5.1 (95% CI 4.4 to 5.9) per 100 000 snowboarder visitors. Jumps at terrain parks were the most common factor in 113 (66.1%) spinal injuries, regardless of skill level (29/49 beginners, 78/112 intermediates, 6/10 experts). Overall, 11 (including 9 Frankel A) of 14 (78.6%) cases with residual neurologic deficits were involved with jumps. CONCLUSIONS: In recreational snowboarding, jumping is one of the main causes for serious spinal injuries, regardless of skill level. The incidence of spinal injuries has not decreased over time. Individual efforts and educational interventions thus far have proven insufficient to reduce the incidence of spinal injury. Ski resorts and the ski industry should focus on designing fail-safe jump features to minimise the risk of serious spinal injury.

Risk Factors for Semilunar Valve Insufficiency After the Damus-Kaye-Stansel Procedure.

BACKGROUND: Cardiac function and survival after the Damus-Kaye-Stansel (DKS) procedure are encouraging, but only limited data exist related to postprocedural semilunar valve function. We investigated postprocedural midterm to long-term outcomes and changes in semilunar valve function and identified risk factors of semilunar valve function deterioration. METHODS: Between 1996 and 2012, 63 patients with a single functional ventricle underwent the DKS procedure. Of them, 50 had previously undergone pulmonary artery banding. Cardiac function was measured by catheter examination 5.3 months (interquartile range, 2.6 to 9.7) preoperatively and 1.2 years (interquartile range, 1.0 to 1.4) postoperatively. Echocardiographic examination of the semilunar valve was performed concurrently with the catheter examination and at the last follow-up (5.3 years [interquartile range, 3.1 to 9.2] postoperatively). RESULTS: The overall survival rate at 1, 5, and 10 years postoperatively was 0.97, 0.92, and 0.89, respectively. Aortic and pulmonary valve regurgitation grade 1 year postoperatively and at the last follow-up increased compared with the preoperative grade. There was no significant difference between regurgitation at 1 year and the last follow-up. The duration from pulmonary artery banding to the DKS procedure was longer in the group with at least mild regurgitation (n = 6) than in the group with less than mild regurgitation (n = 54). CONCLUSIONS: Although the duration from pulmonary artery banding to the DKS procedure was associated with postoperative regurgitation, neither postprocedural aortic nor pulmonary valve regurgitation increased over time, and there were no deleterious effects on the clinical conditions.

Prognosis in tetralogy of Fallot with absent pulmonary valve.

BACKGROUND: Tetralogy of Fallot with absent pulmonary valve (TF/APV) is a rare and severe congenital heart disease with high mortality. The aim of this study was to assess whether TF/APV prognosis is related to fetal and postnatal clinical course and pulmonary artery (PA) configuration. METHODS: The fetal and postnatal echocardiograms and clinical outcomes of 13 patients with TF/APV (diagnosed antenatally in 9 patients and postnatally in 4) were reviewed, and divided into two groups: group A (n = 6), alive; and group D (n = 7), dead. RESULTS: Fetal period: group A, polyhydramnios n = 0, hydrops fetalis (HF) n = 0, patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) n = 2; group D, polyhydramnios n = 3, HF n = 2, PDA n = 0. Postnatal period: group A, five patients underwent intracardiac repair, including one requiring artificial ventilation (AV). A further AV patient required three operations before extubation. Postoperative courses were all good. Group D, excluding the two intrauterine fetal deaths, four patients required AV (three of whom died neonatally or in early childhood) and one underwent intracardiac repair. PA configuration: all group A patients had bulbous expansion of left and right PA (clover type). Three patients in group D had bulbous expansion of main PA (balloon type). CONCLUSIONS: PDA was a factor associated with good prognosis. Hydramnion and HF were factors associated with poor prognosis. Given that there was a higher rate of postnatal AV and poorer prognosis in balloon type than in clover type PA (P < 0.05), PA configuration is also considered an important factor to predict postnatal outcome in TF/APV.

Pulmonary artery rupture after bilateral pulmonary artery banding in a neonate with Loeys-Dietz syndrome and an interrupted aortic arch complex: report of a case.

Loeys-Dietz syndrome (LDS) is a recognized connective tissue disorder characterized by progressive aortic aneurysm and dissection. Patients are at high risk of aortic dissection or rupture at an early age, but to our knowledge, surgery on the great arteries has never been attempted in the neonatal period. We report a case of LDS with dilated pulmonary arteries and an interrupted aortic arch complex in a neonate. We performed bilateral pulmonary artery banding, but 12 days after the procedure, the infant died of rupture of the distal portion of the banding sites following massive dilatation.

Evaluation of bilateral pulmonary artery banding for initial palliation in single-ventricle neonates and infants: risk factors for mortality before the bidirectional Glenn procedure.

OBJECTIVES: Bilateral pulmonary artery banding is considered as 'first-stage' palliation for neonates who have hypoplastic left heart syndrome. This study aimed to identify risk factors that influence outcome before the bidirectional Glenn operation. METHODS: This retrospective evaluation involved 30 consecutive patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, or a variant, who underwent bilateral pulmonary artery banding between August 2005 and December 2011 at our institution. Clinical echocardiographic, operative and catheter examination data were reviewed. RESULTS: This study included 9 patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome and 21 patients with variants. Bilateral pulmonary artery banding was performed at a median age of 7 days. Finally, 19 patients had the bidirectional Glenn operation performed (Group A), and the remaining 11 patients died before the bidirectional Glenn procedure (Group NA). Catheter evaluations before the bidirectional Glenn procedure were carried out at 97 ± 34 days. The mean pulmonary venous wedge pressure was significantly lower (Group A: 13.1 ± 3.1 mmHg vs Group NA: 22.9 ± 3.7 mmHg, P <0.01), systemic ventricular ejection fraction was higher (54.4 ± 10.7 vs 41.7 ± 9.9%, P <0.05), systemic ventricular end-diastolic pressure was lower (6.1 ± 2.4 vs 10.5 ± 3.6 mmHg, P <0.05) and the rate of patients with more than mild systemic atrioventricular valve regurgitation was lower in Group A than in Group NA (15.7 vs 62.5%, P <0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that mean pulmonary venous wedge pressure was the most significant predictor of attaining the bidirectional Glenn anastomosis (odds ratio: 2.35, P <0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative atrioventricular valve regurgitation, cardiac function and mean pulmonary venous wedge pressure are closely correlated with mortality after bilateral pulmonary artery banding. Additional treatments, including operations, are considered to maintain cardiac function and not to raise pulmonary venous wedge pressure before the bidirectional Glenn procedure.

Contractility-afterload mismatch in patients with protein-losing enteropathy after the Fontan operation.

This study aimed to clarify the relationship between onset of protein-losing enteropathy (PLE) and Fontan circulation, with special reference to the development of contractility-afterload mismatch. The PLE group comprised 9 patients who experienced PLE after undergoing the Fontan operation, and the control group consisted of 32 patients had did not experienced PLE more than 10 years after the Fontan operation. The study compared the pre- and postoperative values of arterial elastance (Ea), end-systolic elastance (Ees), and contractility-afterload mismatch (Ea/Ees). Furthermore, the variations in the values were examined during the preoperative, postoperative, and midterm postoperative periods in seven PLE patients who underwent cardiac catheterization at the onset of PLE and during the pre- and postintervention periods in three PLE patients who underwent surgical intervention to improve the Fontan circulation after the onset of PLE. Comparison of the values obtained before and after Fontan operations showed that the Ea values increased significantly in the PLE group. However, the pre- and postoperative Ees values did not differ in the two groups. During the postoperative period, Ea/Ees increased significantly, and the Ea and Ea/Ees values increased continuously until the onset of PLE in the PLE group. In the patients who underwent surgical intervention to improve the Fontan circulation after the onset of PLE, the Ea/Ees decreased significantly, and the serum albumin levels improved after the intervention. Contractility-afterload mismatch, mainly caused by the increase in the afterload of the systemic ventricle, may have an important role in the development of PLE after the Fontan operation.

Use of the Damus-Kaye-Stansel procedure prevents increased ventricular strain in Fontan candidates.

OBJECTIVES: In Fontan candidates, we have recently been aggressively performing the Damus-Kaye-Stansel procedure (DKS) to prevent increased afterload on the systemic ventricle. The present study investigated the efficacy of the DKS procedure in terms of the ventricular function following a Fontan operation. METHODS: Patients undergoing a Fontan operation were divided into three groups: DKS performed at the time of the bidirectional Glenn or Fontan operation (DKS group, n = 25); DKS not performed at any stage due to mild pulmonary stenosis (PS) (PS group, n = 23) and DKS not performed due to pulmonary atresia (PA) or severe PS (PA group, n = 24). Ventricular function, afterload on the systemic ventricle and atrioventricular valve regurgitation were compared between groups. RESULTS: Cardiac catheterization before a Glenn or Fontan operation and at 1-year following the Fontan revealed significantly decreased ventricular end-diastolic pressure in the DKS group. The ventricular ejection fraction was significantly deteriorated in the PS group. Effective arterial elastance, as an index of total ventricular afterload, was increased after a Fontan in all groups, with a substantial increase in the PS group. As an index of ventricular mechanical efficiency, ventriculoarterial coupling was significantly increased only in the PS group. Cardiac ultrasonography revealed atrioventricular valve regurgitation above grade 3 persisting in many patients from the PS group. Semilunar valve function after DKS operation did not progress to moderate or worse in any patients. CONCLUSIONS: The proactive performance of the DKS procedure prevents increased ventricular afterload, avoiding deterioration of cardiac function and contributing to improved long-term results following a Fontan operation.

Outcomes of one-lung Fontan operation: a retrospective multicenter study in Japan.

BACKGROUND: The Fontan operation for patients with one available lung is an extremely challenging situation. However, few reports are available on this procedure. The purpose of this study was to describe outcomes of one-lung Fontan operation. METHODS: A retrospective multicenter study was performed. Twelve of 1,142 patients whose data were recorded here underwent one-lung Fontan operation between September 1989 and October 2009. Preoperative, operative, and postoperative data were reviewed. RESULTS: Median age at operation was 3.5 years (range, 1.0 to 22.8), the preoperative mean pulmonary pressure was 11.5±3.3 mm Hg (range, 7.0 to 18.0), the ventricular ejection fraction was 58%±13% (range, 39 to 76), and end-diastolic ventricular pressure was 7.5±3.5 mm Hg (range, 1.0 to 12.0). The available lung was right in 9 patients and left in 3 patients. Eleven patients underwent a two-staged Fontan completion. Extracardiac conduit total cavopulmonary connection, intraatrial extracardiac conduit total cavopulmonary connection, and atriopulmonary connection were performed in 10 patients, 1 patient, and 1 patient, respectively. The estimated actuarial survival was 83% at 1 year, 73% at 5 years, and 73% at 10 years. Impaired ventricular function was found to be a significant risk factor for mortality by univariate analysis (43.0%±9.5% versus 64.0%±9.5%, p<0.01), but not by multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: One-lung Fontan operation can be performed with an acceptable midterm to long-term mortality rate in patients without impaired ventricular function. Thus, absence of one lung itself is not a contraindication to the Fontan operation.

Temporary decompression of the right ventricle to assess the right ventricle-dependent coronary circulation in pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum.

We repaired a case of pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum in which the blood supply to the left anterior descending coronary artery depended on the right ventricle. At the time of a bidirectional Glenn operation, total cardiopulmonary bypass with venous drainage from the right atrium was performed in order to evaluate the safety of right ventricular decompression required for a planned Fontan operation. We confirmed the dependence of the coronary perfusion on the right ventricle by demonstrating transient depression of the ST segment in the epicardial electrocardiogram during temporary decompression of the right ventricle. To prevent ischemic myocardial damage, we then performed an extracardiac Fontan operation with a temporary venous shunt and without cardiopulmonary bypass.

Renal function at the time of renal biopsy as a predictor of prognosis in patients with primary AL-type amyloidosis.

BACKGROUND: Amyloid light-chain (AL)-type amyloidosis is a plasma cell disorder with a poor prognosis for survival. Although prognostic factors, such as the number of organs involved and heart function or failure in respond to therapy have been clarified based on studies including a large series of patients, there are large interindividual differences in the prognosis of patients with primary AL-type renal amyloidosis. METHODS: To clarify the prognostic factors of AL-type renal amyloidosis, we retrospectively investigated the clinical manifestations, histopathological data, and prognosis of 21 patients with amyloidosis, who had been diagnosed by renal biopsy. RESULTS: Eleven patients died, at a mean observational time of 21.7 months after renal biopsy, whereas the mean observational time was 51.0 months for the 10 patients who survived. The creatinine clearance rate was significantly higher, and the serum creatinine concentration and the grade of interstitial damage were significantly lower in surviving patients (P < 0.05). The presence of amyloid fibrils in organs other than the kidney did not influence prognosis for survival. However, the intraventricular septum was thinner in surviving patients (P < 0.1). Thirteen patients had undergone melphalan-prednisolone therapy, but it did not affect prognosis for survival. Cox proportional hazard regression analysis revealed that the renal function at the time of diagnosis was a significant and independent prognostic factor for survival. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated that renal function at the time of biopsy and renal interstitial damage are the best predictors of survival in AL-type renal amyloidosis.

Arresting dialysis-related amyloidosis: a prospective multicenter controlled trial of direct hemoperfusion with a beta2-microglobulin adsorption column.

We investigated the clinical efficacy of direct hemoperfusion with a beta2-microglobulin (beta2-m) adsorption column for the treatment of patients with dialysis-related amyloidosis. A 2-year prospective controlled study was performed to compare the effects of passaging blood through a (beta2-m) adsorption column (Lixelle) before it is passaged through the dialysis polysulfone membrane on the severity of amyloidosis in these individuals. Patients (n = 22) whose blood went through the Lixelle column prior to dialysis had a higher beta2-m removal rate compared to an equal number of controls, and they showed earlier improvement in their symptoms which included impaired daily activities, joint stiffness, and pain. The appearance of additional bone cysts was prevented in pre-adsorbed patients but not in the controls. Thus, the Lixelle column is useful in preventing the progression of dialysis-related amyloidosis and in ameliorating or arresting the progression of the symptoms of this disorder.

Thrombosis in inferior vena cava (IVC) due to intra-cystic hemorrhage into a hepatic local cyst with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD).

A 76-year-old man with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) was admitted complaining of severe edema of bilateral lower extremities. Computed tomography (CT) of his abdomen revealed an enlarged hepatic cyst with intra-cystic hemorrhage, and massive thrombosis in the inferior vena cava (IVC). The extrinsic mechanical stress on the IVC seemed to induce thrombosis within the IVC, and the thrombosis was likely the cause of severe edema in lower extremities. In this report, we present a rare case of IVC thrombosis due to an enlarged cyst in ADPKD successful treated with anticoagulant therapy.

Management of univentricular heart with systemic ventricular outflow obstruction by pulmonary artery banding and Damus-Kaye-Stansel operation.

BACKGROUND: Some patients with univentricular hearts who are candidates for Fontan operation may develop ventricular outflow tract obstruction after pulmonary artery banding (PAB) or Fontan. However, the indication for Damus-Kaye-Stansel (DKS) operation for these patients has not been clear. To clarify the indication, the changes in the diameter of ventricular outflow tract and the feasibility of DKS operation before or with Fontan were investigated. METHODS: Among the patients with univentricular heart who underwent PAB, 21 patients had probable ventricular outflow obstruction with an aorta arising from the morphologic right ventricle. Diameter of ventricular outflow tract was measured before and after PAB, Glenn, and Fontan operations with or without DKS, and indexed by normal value (%VOT). RESULTS: Six patients died after PAB. In the surviving 15 patients, %VOT decreased significantly from 103% (median, range 75%-153%) to 75% (range 52%-153%) after PAB. Four with very small %VOT (52% to 63%) after PAB needed DKS with bidirectional Glenn or central shunt operation, and 5 with moderately small %VOT (67% to 109%) after PAB needed DKS concomitantly with Fontan. A patient with %VOT of 117% before Fontan required DKS after Fontan. A patient with %VOT of 153% underwent Fontan without DKS and obstruction did not develop after Fontan. The remaining 4 patients were under consideration for Glenn or Fontan operation. CONCLUSIONS: The diameter of the ventricular outflow tract decreased after PAB and Fontan operations. DKS operations might be indicated before Fontan if the indexed diameter of ventricular outflow tract after PAB was below 70% and concomitantly with Fontan if it was below 120%.

Surgical management of congenital cardiac defects in neonates and young infants born with extremely low weight.

Surgical treatment of cardiac defects in infants born with extremely low weight is sometimes required during the neonatal period. Optimal timing of these operations has yet to be clarified. With this in mind, we reviewed our experience of surgical treatment for 29 infants born with extremely low weight between 1994 and 2001. The main surgical procedures were ligation of a patent arterial duct in 26, a Brock procedure in 2, and ligation of an aorto-pulmonary window in 1 infant. The age at operation ranged from 5 to 57 days, with a median of 30 days, and weighed from 506 to 902 g, with a median of 710 g. There were no deaths. For the 2 infants undergoing the Brock procedure, the reduced systemic blood flow also necessitated closure of the arterial duct. For almost all the 26 infants with a patent arterial duct, indomethacin was given as the initial therapy, but the duct had not closed completely. Increased symptomatology just before the operation due to reduced systemic blood flow, such as decreased cerebral blood flow, decreased urine output, and intestinal ischemia, mandated the earlier surgical ligation (r = -0.576, p = 0.004). The youngest infant needed an infusion of catecholamines perioperatively to maintain stable hemodynamic conditions (r = 0.554, p = 0.003). In 4 infants, including the youngest 2, steroids were administered intravenously just after the ligation. Our results suggest that reduced systemic blood flow is the main indication of surgical repair in infants born with extremely low weight. Even for one in whom the supply of pulmonary blood is dependent on the arterial duct, early reconstruction of the pulmonary arterial pathways, using the Brock procedure, followed by ligation of the duct, is required. Acute adrenal insufficiency should not be overlooked just after the surgery, particularly in the youngest patients.