Abdominal Stent Grafting With Coil Embolization for an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Sac With a Short Neck.

A 68-year-old man underwent endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair for a two-humped abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) with a short neck. The abdominal aorta had severe calcification, suggesting a high risk for type Ia endoleak. Initially, a catheter was placed in the aneurysm sac, followed by stent graft deployment. Then, coils were inserted into the aneurysm neck. Subsequently, the type Ia endoleak was resolved. One year after the surgery, no evidence of endoleak was observed, and the aneurysm size had decreased by 10 mm. Therefore, this procedure may be effective for short-neck AAAs.

A Rare Case of Partial Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Connection.

Partial anomalous pulmonary venous connection (PAPVC), in which the right and left lower pulmonary veins drain into the coronary sinus (CS), is very rare, and only one case has been reported previously. The diagnosis of PAPVC is difficult, as the symptoms may be not specific. Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) angiography and MRI help in the diagnosis of congenital cardiac anomalies. Our case, who underwent closure of atrial septal defect (ASD) 31 years prior, presented with chest tightness and palpitation. MDCT angiography revealed PAPVC with both lower pulmonary veins draining into the CS. We performed surgical repair of PAPVC by the cut-back method. The postoperative course was uneventful.

[Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery for a Left Atrial Myxoma with Atrial Septal Defect:Report of a Case].

A 48-year-old woman presented with abnormal electrocardiogram was diagnosed as having a left atrial tumor by echocardiography. She was asymptomatic and had no history of cardiac abnormality. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed a relatively hyperechoic and heterogenous tumor with the diameter of 5~6 cm originated from the left atrial septum but could not detect atrial septal defect. Transesophageal echocardiography showed atrial septal defect of fossa ovalis but failed to uncover shunt flow behind the tumor. We diagnosed as left atrial myxoma complicated with atrial septal defect, and an operation was performed through small right intercostal thoracotomy. The tumor was excised and the atrial septal defect was completely repaired after pulmonary vein isolation. The post-operative course was uneventful. Cardiac myxoma coexisting atrial septal defect is rare, and preoperative transesophageal echocardiography is considered essential for the diagnosis of coexistent lesions especially in the patients minimally invasive cardiac surgery is planned.was uneventful. Cardiac myxoma coexisting atrial septal defect is rare, and preoperative transesophageal echocardiography is considered essential for the diagnosis of coexistent lesions especially in the patients minimally invasive cardiac surgery is planned.

Racemose hemangioma revealed by massive intraoperative hemorrhage: A case report.

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE: Bronchial arterial racemose hemangioma is considered to be a type of pulmonary arteriovenous malformation (PAVM). We encountered an extremely rare case of racemose hemangioma, which was identified because of massive bleeding during lung cancer surgery. CASE PRESENTATION: A 71-year-old man was suspected of having lung cancer and underwent a right upper lobectomy. During the dissection of the peribronchial connective tissue around the upper lobe bronchus, a sudden massive hemorrhage occurred after separation of the pulmonary artery and vein. Hemostasis was difficult to achieve with compression hemostasis and the point of bleeding was unknown; thus, we were called in to search for the source of the bleeding, which was identified as the bronchial artery. Postoperatively, a racemose hemangioma was diagnosed via preoperative chest computed tomography and imaging analysis with the Ziostation2® (Ziosoft Inc. Tokyo, Japan). CLINICAL DISCUSSION: Racemose hemangioma has weaker blood vessel walls than normal blood vessels. Once bleeding occurs, it is very difficult to stop. However, once the bleeding point was identified, hemostasis via suturing and cutting was possible. CONCLUSION: As hemorrhaging from a racemose hemangioma is very difficult to stop, preoperative imaging retrieval is very important.

IgG4-related Disease with a Cardiac Mass Causing Cerebral Infarction.

Immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a systemic inflammatory disease characterized by infiltration of extensive IgG4-positive plasma cells and lymphocytes. Although IgG4-RD has been observed in almost all organs, it rarely affects the myocardium. Cardiovascular lesions of IgG4-RD appear as aortic (aortic aneurysm and aortitis) and pericardial (constrictive pericarditis) lesions as well as pseudotumors around the coronary arteries. We herein report a case of IgG4-RD with a cardiac mass in the right atrium involving a sinus node. This condition caused arrhythmia and repeated strokes. We successfully treated the patient through resection of the cardiac mass, catheter ablation and immunosuppressive therapy.

[Impending Paradoxical Embolization in a Patient with a Thrombus Straddling the Patent Foramen Ovale].

The patent foramen ovale (PFO) is known as a risk of paradoxical embolism in patients with deep venous thromboses. However, PFO is usually found after systemic embolic symptoms become apparent. A 60-year-old male had complained of dyspnea for two weeks. Ultrasound echocardiography showed a thrombus straddling PFO, and venous echography showed blood clots in the right popliteal and soleus veins. Contrast computed tomography revealed multiple pulmonary embolisms and a thrombus in the right atrium expanding to the left atrium through the atrial septum. The straddling thrombus in the atrium and pulmonary thrombi were extirpated under circulatory arrest with deep hypothermia. An inferior vena cava filter was inserted intravenously four days after surgery. The patient was discharged on the 19th postoperative day without any signs of thromboembolism. Prompt surgery is considered important to prevent thromboembolism in the case of impending paradoxical embolism.

Double D Technique: An Innovative Modified Bifurcated Stent Graft Deployment Strategy for an Isolated Common Iliac Artery Aneurysm With a Challenging Renal Artery Anatomy.

PURPOSE: Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) for an isolated common iliac artery aneurysm (iCIAA) sometimes requires a bifurcated stent graft (SG). In EVAR, it is essential to preserve the renal artery (RA). However, this is challenging in cases of anatomical variation. The double D technique (DDT) can be used in anatomically inadequate cases with a commercially approved bifurcated SG. Here, we report the repair of iCIAA in the presence of a challenging RA anatomy, through EVAR using the DDT. CASE REPORT: An 84-year-old woman was diagnosed with a maximal 35-mm diameter left iCIAA and a nonaneurysmal aorta by computed tomography (CT), which also showed that the right RA arose 50-mm above the aortic bifurcation. The DDT was chosen because commercially approved bifurcated SGs typically require a distance of >70 mm from the proximal position to the aortic bifurcation. Postoperative CT showed excellent results with no endoleaks or SG kinking and occlusion, as well as preservation of robust blood flow to the right RA. CONCLUSION: Endovascular aneurysm repair using the DDT can be an alternative option for treatment of iCIAA with a challenging RA anatomy.

Mini open stent grafting with half sternotomy for aortic arch aneurysm.

BACKGROUND: Open stent grafting is an alternative of graft replacement and thoracic endovascular aortic repair for aortic arch aneurysm. We have performed open stent grafting with half sternotomy (mini-OSG) to reduce in-hospital stay and recovery time of patients and herein report seven cases of mini-OSG for aortic aneurysm and dissection. CASE PRESENTATION: The patients' mean age was 66 years. Cardiopulmonary bypass was performed conventionally, and an open stent graft was inserted via an aortotomy on the aortic arch during circulatory arrest. No mortality occurred. The mean operation time was 387 min, and the mean blood loss was 587 ml. The patients were weaned from the ventilator 7.1 h postoperatively. No pseudoaneurysm or endoleakage was observed during the 2- to 20-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Mini-OSG might be less invasive, although further studies and intensive follow-up are needed.

Hemolytic characteristics of three suctioning systems for use with a newly developed cardiopulmonary bypass system.

INTRODUCTION: We have been developing a closed-circuit cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) system ("Dihead CPB") for application during coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and valve surgery. To strive for minimal hemolysis during Dihead CPB, we compared the hemolysis caused by three different suction systems and performed a clinical study with the newly applied suction system. MATERIALS & METHODS: We evaluated the hemolysis caused by roller-pump suction, the SmartSuction® Harmony® and wall suction systems with respect to suction speed and compared the systems by means of in vitro studies. A clinical study was also performed on 15 volunteers to assess hemolysis and the adequacy of the newly applied suction system with Dihead CPB. RESULTS: Pressure inside the suction cannula was -22.5 ± 0.1 mmHg at a maximum flow of 1.5 L/min for roller-pump suction and -43.4 ± 0.1 mmHg at -150 mmHg of the set vacuum pressure of wall suction. With the SmartSuction, the pressure inside the cannula varied from -76.3 ± 1.0 to -130.3 ± 1.5 mmHg, depending on suctioning conditions. Suction speed (to suction 50 ml of blood) was fastest with the SmartSuction (69.7 ± 3.58 s) whereas, with roller suction, it was 117.3 ± 8.47 s and with wall suction 96.9 ± 7.10 s. The SmartSuction had the highest hemolysis rate (2.00 ± 0.33%) vs. 0.61 ± 0.10% for roller suction and 0.41 ± 0.11% for wall suction (p<0.001). The clinical study with wall suction showed no significant increase in plasma free hemoglobin during or after CPB compared with before surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Wall suction had less hemolysis than roller suction or the SmartSuction in the in vitro study and the clinical study with wall suction showed efficient suction speed and acceptable hemolysis, suggesting that Dihead CPB with wall suction is feasible for CABG.

[Successful Treatment with Aortic Stent Graft and Transcatheter Embolization for Bronchial Artery Aneurysm].

We report a case of bronchial artery aneurysm (BAA) successfully treated with a combination of transcatheter embolization and stent graft. A 50-year-old woman was referred to our hospital for further examination of a hemispherical bulging lesion on the middle esophagus detected by gastroscopy. Computed tomography (CT) revealed BAA with a 15 mm-diameter arising from the descending aorta on the left side of the esophagus. We performed transcatheter embolization combined with a stent graft because of a short neck. Postoperative course was uneventful. Follow-up CT showed complete isolation of the blood flow into the BAA. BAA is rare and often found incidentally by diagnostic imaging as shown in our case. Prompt treatment with complete isolation of blood inflow is required because the rupture of BAA is life-threatening.

Open stent graft repair with upper-half Sternotomy for blunt thoracic aortic injury: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Thoracic endovascular aortic repair is now widely applied to the treatment of blunt aortic injury. However, its long-term outcomes remain unclear. Endoleakage and migration might occur in the long term, especially when younger patients undergo endovascular aortic repair. In open stent grafting, the proximal end of the open stent graft is directly sutured to the native aorta, which may reduce the risk of endoleakage and migration. We applied open stent grafting to the treatment of blunt aortic injury in the subacute phase and herein report the patient's clinical course. CASE PRESENTATION: A 20-year-old man with a developmental disorder collided with a steel tower while skiing. He was transferred to our hospital by helicopter. X-ray examination and computed tomography revealed fractures of left humeral head and femoral neck and aortic isthmus dissection. We did not perform an acute-phase operation because of the presence of multiple trauma and instead performed open stent grafting with an upper-half sternotomy 42 days after the injury. He recovered uneventfully without psychological problems other than his preexisting developmental disorder. No endoleakage or aneurysm was observed during an 18-month follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: Open stent grafting might be an alternative to open surgery and thoracic endovascular aortic repair for blunt chest trauma, although intensive follow-up is needed.

Biventricular support using a centrifugal pump in a 6 year old with fulminant myocarditis.

We experienced a case of ventricular assist with both a pulsatile-flow and a continuous-flow pump in a pediatric patient, and herein report the clinical course and characteristics of the pumps. A 6-year-old female was diagnosed with fulminant myocarditis and transferred to our hospital for mechanical support. After 12 days of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, we implanted a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) and a right ventricular assist device (RVAD) using centrifugal Gyro pumps with a membrane oxygenator in a paracorporeal fashion. The membrane oxygenator was removed on postoperative day (POD) 4, and the patient was weaned from the respirator on POD 6. The LVAD was exchanged on POD 13 and 17, and the RVAD was exchanged on POD 14 because of thrombus formation inside the pumps. The RVAD was removed on POD 25. On POD 32, the patient experienced cerebral infarction and the centrifugal Gyro pump was switched to an extracorporeal pulsatile pump. No thromboembolic event occurred after pump conversion, although continuous administration of vasodilators was required to avoid hypertension. She underwent successfully heart transplantation in the USA after 8 months of ventricular support. A centrifugal pump is considered useful for pediatric patients, as pump flow and blood pressure can be relatively easily controlled in the postoperative acute phase compared with the pulsatile pump. However, special care should be taken to monitor for thrombus formation when support length becomes longer than 13 days, and a switch to a pulsatile pump should be considered once the hemodynamic status stabilizes.

Hemolytic anemia caused by aortic flap and inversion of felt strip after ascending aorta replacement.

BACKGROUNDS: Hemolysis related to a kinked prosthetic graft or inner felt strip is a very rare complication after aortic surgery. We describe herein a case of hemolytic anemia that developed due to aortic flap of the dissection and inversion of an inner felt strip that was applied at the proximal anastomosis of a replaced ascending aorta 10 years previously. CASE PRESENTATION: A 74-year-old woman presented with consistent hemolytic anemia 10 years after replacement of the ascending aorta to treat Stanford type A acute aortic dissection. The cause of hemolysis was attributed to mechanical injury of red blood cells at a site of stenosis caused by aortic flap of the dissection and inversion of the felt strip used for the proximal anastomosis. Repeated resection of the strip and graft replacement of the ascending aorta resolved this problem. CONCLUSIONS: We considered that blood flow disrupted by a jet of blood at the site of the proximal inner felt strip was the cause of severe hemolysis, we describe rare hemolytic anemia at the site of aortic flap and inverted felt strip after replacement of the ascending aorta.

Pseudoaneurysm of graft-graft anastomosis of a hand-sewn branched graft: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Pseudoaneurysm of graft-graft anastomosis is an extremely rare but potentially fatal complication after thoracic aorta replacement with a prosthetic graft. We report a case of pseudoaneurysm at the graft-graft anastomosis of a hand-sewn branched graft. CASE PRESENTATION: A 65-year-old man underwent total arch replacement with a hand-sewn branched graft for Stanford type A acute aortic dissection 22 years ago. During follow-up, serial CT scans showed a pseudoaneurysm on the branched graft which warranted reintervention. Surgical repair involved direct suture of multiple bleeding points which were found at the sites of the hand-sewn branches anastomosis. The postoperative course was uneventful, and no signs of bleeding were observed by CT after the reoperation. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term follow-up is essential to detect late complications at the site of hand-sewn anastomosis.

Patch detachment after mitral valve repair with posterior leaflet augmentation: a case report.

Mitral valve (MV) repair is indicated for patients with severe MR. We report a case of acute MR caused by patch detachment after posterior leaflet augmentation in MV repair. A 65-year-old male underwent MV repair with posterior leaflet augmentation and coronary artery bypass graft 1 month prior to this study. An inverted T-shaped incision was made on the posterior mitral leaflet (PML), and a piece of autologous fresh pericardium was sewn in the PML defect. Seven days after hospital discharge, he started feeling chest pain and presented with pulseless electrical activity. Ultrasonic cardiography showed severe mitral regurgitation (MR), which was suggestive of acute MR. We performed emergency reoperation. The edge of the autologous pericardial patch was detached from the anterior papillary muscle, and MV replacement was performed. He was discharged from the hospital 55 days after the reoperation and returned to his normal daily life. We conclude that avoidance of tension focalization during MV repair may be important.

Pseudoaneurysm fistulated into the right atrium after double valve replacement.

We discuss a rare case of an ascending aorta pseudoaneurysm fistulating into the right atrium following prior aortic and mitral valve replacement. Transthoracic echocardiography and computed tomography revealed a pseudoaneurysm of the ascending aorta attached to the right atrium with fistulous communication. The pseudoaneurysm arose from the center of the former aortotomy. Emergency remedian sternotomy was performed without aneurysmal injury and with exposure of the left femoral artery and femoral vein. Aneurysmal resection and ascending aorta repair were performed without complication. Exposing peripheral vessels, and initiating cardiopulmonary bypass only after reentry, might be effective in resternotomy to approach ascending aorta pseudoaneurysms.

[Graft Replacement for Adult Aortic Coarctation].

Case 1:a 47-year-old woman who complained of sweating, finger tremor, and chest pain was diagnosed with coarctation of the aorta and hyperthyroidism. She had been diagnosed with hypertension at 25 years of age but had not undergone further examination. Graft replacement was performed without cardiopulmonary or temporary bypass. Case 2:a 30-year-old woman was diagnosed with coarctation during infertility treatment. Although health screening had revealed hypertension 8 years previously, no further assessment took place. She underwent graft replacement with partial cardiopulmonary bypass. In both cases, we conducted a clamp test to decide whether cardiopulmonary or partial bypass was necessary for graft replacement. Blood pressure discrepancy between upper and lower extremities disappeared immediately after surgery, and no ischemic complications were observed. Hypertension in young adults should prompt further scrutiny for anatomical disorders such as coarctation. A clamp test is considered helpful regarding the surgical approach to graft replacement for coarctation.

Early and midterm results of transapical and right axillary artery cannulation for acute aortic dissection.

BACKGROUND: We combined transapical cannulation and right axillary artery cannulation in the repair of acute type A aortic dissection in order to reduce mortality and morbidity in the presence of risk of malperfusion. Early and midterm outcomes were evaluated. METHODS: Between October 2009 and March 2012, 23 aortic dissection patients (age, 54.3 ± 13.5 years) received graft replacement using a combination of transapical and right axillary artery cannulation. Preoperative malperfusion was present in 16 patients (69.6%). Cardiopulmonary bypass was initiated with axillary artery cannulation applied via the right axilla and right atrial drainage, then aotric cannulation applied via the left ventricular apex. We retrospectively investigated mortality and morbidity as well as cardiac function, which were evaluated echocardiographically during hospitalization and once a year postoperatively. RESULTS: All patients received total arch replacement. In-hospital mortality was 4.3%, and no patient developed intraoperative malperfusion. Intraoperative stroke occurred in one patient (4.3%), and three patients (13.0%) suffered from delayed stroke (10-24 days). These delayed strokes might have resulted from cardiogenic thrombus, although no intracardiac thrombus was found. Mean ejection fraction was 66.1 ± 10.9% in the early postoperative period and 73.1 ± 8.7% midterm. There was no left ventricular asynergy or intracardiac thrombus seen on either early or midterm echocardiography. CONCLUSION: Transapical cannulation with right axillary artery cannulation is a safe and effective procedure that can reduce operative risk associated with aortic dissection. Although transapical cannulation does not appear to impair cardiac function, it may confer a risk of delayed stroke.

[Left atrium thrombus after mitral valve replacement presented with syncope; report of a case].

Left atrial free ball thrombus (LABT) after mitral valve replacement (MVR) is very rare, and sudden death may occur by thrombus impaction to the mitral valve orifice. A 81-year-old woman who underwent MVR and tricuspid annuloplasty ten years ago presented with syncope. She was admitted to a hospital, and echocardiography revealed a LABT. When she took sitting position, she fainted. The free ball thrombus possibly impacted mitral valve orifice. She was transferred to our hospital and an emergent operation was performed. There was a LABT of 4 cm in diameter, which was removed. Postoperative course was uneventful. There are 12case reports which described LABT after MVR, and anticoagulant therapy was insufficient in most of those cases. Strict anticoagulant therapy is important to prevent left atrial thrombus after MVR.

Pericoronary pseudotumor caused by helicobacter cinaedi.

Cardiac tumors and tumor-like lesions are uncommon; most are true neoplasms. We here report a case of a pericoronary tumor-like lesion surrounding the right coronary artery in a 39-year-old man who presented with fever and chest pain. Although clarithromycin was administered for 1 week, his fever persisted. Helicobacter cinaedi (H. cinaedi) was isolated from blood cultures and found to be sensitive to ceftriaxone. A computed tomography scan showed a tumor-like lesion with no (18)F-fl uorodeoxyglucose uptake surrounding the right coronary artery. After administration of ceftriaxone, the tumor-like lesion diminished in size according to meticulous computed tomography examinations. We therefore concluded that it was caused by H. cinaedi infection. The patient has been followed up closely for 1 year and remains asymptomatic.