Bilateral ovarian vein thrombosis without underlying conditions: A case report.

Ovarian vein thrombosis (OVT) usually occurs on the right side in women with underlying conditions such as pelvic diseases and thrombophilia or during the postpartum period. Here, we present a patient with bilateral OVTs without underlying conditions. A 63-year-old woman without remarkable past or family histories complained of mild lower abdominal pain. Computed tomography revealed bilateral OVTs, with the right-sided thrombus nearly progressing into the inferior vena cava. The presence of symptoms and risk of thrombus extension/pulmonary embolism (PE) led us to administer an oral anticoagulant (rivaroxaban) promptly. Her symptom improved gradually and bilateral OVTs disappeared by 3 months without any evidence of PE. The present case suggests that OVT can occur in a woman without underlying conditions, and the use of an anticoagulant may be a treatment option in such a case.

[Prophylactic Effectiveness of Vacuum-assisted Closure for High-risk Patients Undergoing Cardiovascular Surgery through Median Sternotomy].

Vacuum-assisted closure(VAC) therapy is mainly used for tissue defects. VAC therapy can remove exudate that could impair the healing process. We applied VAC therapy in patients considered at high risk of surgical site infection who underwent cardiovascular surgery via standard median sternotomy. Risk factors included advanced heart failure, obesity, diabetes mellitus, steroid administration, immunosuppressant administration, and chronic renal failure, etc. VAC therapy was used in 134 patients. Only 3 of these patients (2.2%) developed surgical site infection caused by Staphylococcus epidermidis;2 patients fully recovered after prolonged VAC therapy for 2 weeks, and the other required an additional sternal fixation after the sternal wires were removed for wound infection control. No patient developed infective mediastinitis. Prophylactic VAC therapy can reduce postoperative wound infection in high risk patients undergoing open heart surgery via full sternotomy.

[Successful mitral valve replacement in a patient with functional mitral regurgitation induced by cardiac sarcoidosis;report of a case].

We report a case of cardiac sarcoidosis associated with mitral valve regurgitation. A 62-year-old woman with cardiac sarcoidosis was admitted for the treatment of an intractable mitral regurgitation. She had been treated for cardiac sarcoidosis with prednisolone, and she had undergone pacemaker implantation because of advanced complete A-V block 5 years before. However, her hemodynamics deteriorated, and echocardiography revealed severe functional mitral regurgitation, thinning of the ventricular septum, and left ventricular dysfunction. The patient underwent mitral valve replacement with a mechanical prosthetic valve, and her postoperative course was uneventful. She is currently well without exacerbation of heart failure at 2 years after operation. Functional mitral regurgitation is a relatively common complication in patients with cardiac sarcoidosis. Mitral valve replacement should be considered in patients with medically intractable mitral valve dysfunction due to cardiac sarcoidosis.

[Papillary Muscle Rupture after Repair of Ischemic Left Ventricular Free Wall Rupture; Report of a Case].

A 67-year-old man experienced acute inferior myocardial infarction. Echocardiography and computed tomography showed massive pericardial effusion. He underwent emergency operation for ischemic ventricular free wall rupture. During the operation, an oozing type rupture was found on the inferior wall and the bleeding was completely controlled by applying fibrin glue sheets. On the 5th day after the operation, ventricular tachycardia appeared with hemodynamic deterioration. Echocardiography showed a ruptured posteromedial papillary muscle with massive mitral regurgitation. Intra-aortic balloon pumping was introduced and emergency repair operation was performed. The mitral valve was replaced with a bioprosthetic valve. The postoperative course was uneventful.

[Left Ventricular Rupture during Both Mitral and Aortic Valve Replacements].

A 73-year-old woman on hemodialysis was transferred to our hospital for surgical treatment of heart valve disease. She required both mitral and aortic valve replacement with mechanical valves, associated with tricuspid annuloplasty. After aortic de-clamping, a massive hemorrhage from the posterior atrioventricular groove was observed. Under repeated cardiac arrest, the left atrium was reopened, the implanted mitral prosthetic valve was removed and a type I left ventricular rupture (Treasure classification) was diagnosed. The lesion was directly repaired with mattress stitches and running sutures, using reinforcement materials such as a glutaraldehyde-treated bovine pericardium. To avoid mechanical stress by the prosthetic valve on the repaired site, a mechanical valve was implanted using a translocation method. The patient suffered from aspiration pneumonia and disuse atrophy for 3 months. However, she was doing well at 1 year post-operation.

[Surgical Treatment of Prosthetic Valve Endocarditis].

Between 2003 and 2014, at Jichi Medical University Hospital, 11 patients with prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) underwent re-operation. There was 1 in-hospital death and 2 late deaths. The cause of death was cirrhosis, heart failure and sepsis, respectively. Emergency surgery, previous double valve replacement (DVR) and Staphylococcus infection were common risk factors for all 3 cases. Two cases of patients that survived who underwent mitral valve replacement (MVR) and DVR for PVE after DVR were treated with multiple antibiotic courses for bacteremia associated with hemodialysis and colon cancer. One patient who underwent DVR after mitral valve plasty which was complicated with cerebral hemorrhage, had survived and was discharged. Of the aortic PVE patients, 2 cases of aortic valve replacement (AVR) using a mechanical valve, 1 case of aortic root replacement (ARR) using a mechanical valve, and 1 ARR using the homograft, were considered cured and never relapsed. A patient with aortic PVE, who underwent AVR after cesarean section for heart failure in birth period, has received ARR twice with the mechanical valve for recurrent pseudo-aneurysm of the left ventricular outflow tract. Since hemodialysis and colon cancer is a risk factor for recurrent PVE, it is necessary to consider the long-term administration of antibiotics after surgery.

[Successful repair of combined ventricular septal rupture and free wall rupture (double rupture); report of a case].

We report a case of successful surgical repair of combined ventricular septal perforation and blowout free wall cardiac rupture(double rupture) after acute myocardial infarction. The patient was a 59-year old man, who suffered an extensive acute anterior myocardial infarction. Although emergent coronary angiogram and coronary intervention was performed, he collapsed in a state of electro-mechanical dissociation in the catheterization laboratory. He was resuscitated by percutaneous cardiopulmonary support system (PCPS) and transferred to the operation theater. Infarction exclusion using bovine pericardial patch was performed. He was weaned from PCPS on day 5 after surgery and discharged hospital on day 65 with good health.

[Mitral valve repair for active infectious endocarditis].

Between December 2005 and November 2011, 11 patients with mitral valve regurgitation (MVR) resulting from native valve endocarditis underwent mitral valve plasty (MVP). These patients were aged 44.4 ± 11.3 years. The mean follow-up period of the patients was 3.1 ± 0.63 years. Five patients were men. Emergency or urgent surgery was required in 5 patients. Three patients were categorized as New York Heart Association( NYHA) functional class IV. Infection of the mitral valve, occurred in the anterior leaflet in 3 patients, the posterior leaflet in 5 patients, and the anterior-posterior leaflet in 3 patients. Nine patients had a resection suture technique. One patient had chordae replacement with expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE), and 1 patient had replacement using the pericardium. All patients received ring annuloplasty with a partial flexible ring. After surgery, all patients were categorized as NYHA functional class I. There were no valve associated complications, no hospital deaths, no late deaths, and no reoperations. We conclude that MVP is an effective treatment for active infective endocarditis( AIE) with mitral regurgitation.

Chronic aortic dissection with tricuspid regurgitation: report of a case.

Dilatation of aortic root may distort the tricuspid annulus. We experienced a case of chronic aortic dissection presented with tricuspid regurgitation. Chest computed tomography revealed an enlarged ascending aorta displacing the right heart. The patient successfully underwent replacement of the aorta and tricuspid annuloplasty with a prosthetic annulus.

A case of immunoglobulin G4-related aortic diseases.

A 65-year-old man had histories of retroperitoneal fibrosis, membranous nephropathy, and acute coronary syndrome. Chest computed tomography showed an enlarged ascending aorta and type B aortic dissection, and he underwent ascending aorta and arch replacement. A pathological examination of the resected aorta showed immunoglobulin G4-positive plasma cell infiltration.

Late complications after Cabrol technique in a case with Marfan syndrome.

A patient with Marfan syndrome underwent aortic root replacement with the Cabrol technique at 37 years of age. She underwent a surgical repair for an aneurysm in the right coronary at 58 years of age, followed by a surgical repair for a pseudoaneurysm of the left coronary artery at 64 years of age.

Catastrophic myocardial ischemia resulting from a left coronary artery anomaly with an origin in the right sinus of Valsalva.

A congenital left coronary artery anomaly originating from the right aortic sinus is a rare congenital defect associated with the risk of sudden death in young individuals. In most cases, the proximal portion of the anomalous left coronary artery exists between the ascending aorta and pulmonary trunk, and it has an intramural aortic course; this could critically impair the left coronary flow owing to compression of the anomalous left main trunk between the great vessels during exercise. Herein, we report a 14-year-old boy who experienced cardiac collapse due to an acute myocardial infarction after long-distance running. After resuscitation using percutaneous cardiopulmonary support, computed tomography and coronary angiography revealed an anomalous origin of the left main coronary artery in the right sinus of Valsalva and a proximal course between the aorta and pulmonary trunk. The patient was successfully treated using an unroofing procedure of the intramural left coronary artery.

Delayed visceral ischemia induced by type B aortic dissection.

Case: A 56-year-old man presented with a sudden severe abdominal pain 13 days after the onset of type B acute aortic dissection. Chest computed tomography revealed type B aortic dissection, and the true lumen was narrowed by the expanding false lumen. Blood flow through the celiac trunk, superior mesenteric artery, and left renal artery was reduced. Blood flow through the distal abdominal aorta and bilateral femoral arteries was clearly recognized. Laboratory findings such as transaminases were rapidly worsening. Outcome: The patient underwent emergency fenestration of the abdominal aorta and recovered without organ failure. Conclusions: Rapidly worsening laboratory findings led us to emergency operation with successful results. Serial monitoring of laboratory findings is the key for adequate timing of operation.

Fifteen-year experience with the Bicarbon heart valve prosthesis in a single center.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate retrospectively the clinical performance of the Bicarbon valve (Sorin Biomedica Cardio, Saluggia, Italy) implanted at our center in Japan. METHODS: Between January 1997 and December 2011, 415 patients in our institution were implanted with the Bicarbon valve. Nine of these recipients were excluded from the study because they had already undergone valve implantation and received a Bicarbon valve in a different position. The remaining patients were analyzed for evaluation of the postoperative clinical outcomes. Of the 406 patients (mean age 60.2 ± 11.7 years), 179 underwent aortic valve replacement (AVR), 149 mitral valve replacement (MVR), and 78 both aortic and mitral valve replacement (DVR). RESULTS: There were 10 early deaths (2.5 %: 4 in the AVR group and 6 in the MVR group). Three hundred eighty-nine patients were followed up (95.8 % completeness of follow-up) with a mean follow-up of 6.6 ± 4.2 years overall (AVR 6.8 ± 4.2, MVR, 6.7 ± 4.4, and DVR 5.7 ± 3.4 years) and a cumulative follow-up of 2661 patient-years (1214, 1001, and 446 patient-years for AVR, MVR, and DVR, respectively). Ninety-nine patients died (3.7 % per patient-year: 22 valve-related and 77 valve-unrelated deaths). Survival at 10 years was 74.1 ± 4.0 % in the AVR group, 73.7 ± 4.2 % in the MVR group, and 61.0 ± 7.9 % in the DVR group. The linearized incidence of thromboembolic complications, bleeding complications, prosthetic valve endocarditis, paravalvular leaks, and sudden death in all patients was 0.5 %, 0.5 %, 0.2 %, 0.2 %, and 0.4 % per patient-year, respectively. The incidence of valve-related complications and reoperation was 1.6 % and 0.4 %, respectively. No other valve-related complications were observed. CONCLUSIONS: The Bicarbon prosthetic heart valve has shown excellent clinical results and is associated with a low incidence of valve-related complications.