Safety and efficacy of transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement with LuX-Valve in patients with severe tricuspid regurgitation / 中华心血管病杂志

Objectives: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of LuX-Valve on the treatment of severe tricuspid regurgitation (TR). Methods: This is a prospective observational study. From September 2018 to March 2019, 12 patients with severe TR, who were not suitable for surgery, received LuX-Valve implantation in Changhai Hospital. LuX-Valve was implanted under general anesthesia and the guidance of transesophageal echocardiography and X-ray fluoroscopy. Access to the tricuspid valve was achieved via a minimally invasive thoracotomy and transatrial approach. Main endpoints were surgery success and device success. Surgery success was defined as successful implanting the device and withdrawing the delivery system, positioning the valve correctly and stably without severe or life-threatening adverse events. Device success was defined as satisfied valve function (TR severity reduction ≥ 2 grades, tricuspid gradient ≤ 6 mmHg (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa)), absence of malposition, valve failure and reintervention, major adverse events including device related mortality, embolization, conduction system disturbances and new onset shunt across ventricular septum at day 30 post implantation. Results: A total of 12 patients with severe to torrential TR were included in this study. The age was (68.5±6.9) years and 7 were female. All patients had typical right heart failure symptoms. Procedural success was achieved in all cases, there was no intraprocedural mortality or transfer to open surgery. TR significantly improved after LuX-Valve implantation (none/trivial in 8 patients, mild in 3 patients and moderate in 1 patient). The average device time was (9.2±4.2) minutes. Intensive care unit duration was 3.0 (2.0, 4.8) days. One patient died at postoperative day 18 due to non-surgery and device reasons. Transthoracic echocardiography at 30 days after operation showed that TR was significantly reduced (none/trivial in 8 patients, mild in 2 patients and moderate in 1 patient) and device success was achieved in 11 cases. All survived patients experienced a significant improvement in life quality with significantly improvement in New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification (Ⅰ and Ⅱ: 6/11 post operation vs. 0/11 before operation, P=0.012) and there were no device related complications in this patient cohort. Conclusions: LuX-Valve implantation is feasible, safe and effective for the treatment of patients with severe TR.

Expression patterns of ectodysplasin and ectodysplasin receptor during early dental development in zebrafish / 华西口腔医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#This study aims to study the expression patterns of ectodysplasin (EDA) and ectodysplasin receptor (EDAR) during the early development of zebrafish and provide a foundation for further research of the Eda signaling pathway in tooth development.@*METHODS@#Total RNA was extracted from zebrafish embryos at 48 hours postfertilization (hpf) and then reverse transcribed for cDNA library generation. The corresponding RNA polymerase was selected for the synthesis of the digoxin-labeled antisense mRNA probe of zebrafish pharyngeal tooth specific marker dlx2b and Eda signaling-associated genes eda and edar in vitro. The three sequences were ligated into a pGEMT vector with a TA cloning kit, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was applied to linearize the plasmid. The resultant PCR sequences were used as templates for synthesizing Dig-labeled mRNA probe dlx2b, eda, and edar. Zebrafish embryos were collected at 36, 48, 56, 60, 72, and 84 hpf, then whole mount in situ hybridization was performed for the detection of eda and edar expression patterns. Then, their expression patterns at 72 hpf were compared with the expression pattern of dlx2b.@*RESULTS@#The mRNA antisense probes of dlx2b, eda, and edar were successfully obtained. The positive signals of eda and edar were observed in zebrafish pharyngeal tooth region at 48-72 hpf and thus conform to the signals of dlx2b in the positive regions.@*CONCLUSIONS@#The ligand eda and edar, which are associated with the Eda signaling pathway, are strongly expressed only at the pharyngeal tooth region in zebrafish from tooth initiation to the morphogenesis stage. Thus, the Eda signaling pathway may be involved in the regulation of the early development of zebrafish pharyngeal teeth.

Increased expression of mineralocorticoid receptor and 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 in human atria during atrial fibrillation.

BACKGROUND: Atrialfibrillation (AF) is associated with the activation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system in the atria. It is not clear whether the expression of a mineralocorticoid receptor (MR), or 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (11betaHSD2), conferring aldosterone specificity to the MR, in patients with AF is altered. HYPOTHESIS: Patients with AF may be associated with increased expression of MR and 11betaHSD2 in the atria. METHODS: Atrial tissue samples of 25 patients with rheumatic heart valve disease undergoing a valve replacement operation were examined. A total of 13 patients had chronic persistent AF (>6 mo) and 12 patients had no history of AF. The MR and 11betaHSD2 expression were analyzed at the mRNA and protein level. The localization of MR and 11betaHSD2 in atrial tissue was performed using specific immunohistochemistry staining. RESULTS: The results of real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) showed that AF groups, in comparison with sinus rhythm, had a higher mRNA expression level of MR or 11betaHSD2 (all P < 0.01). Both the MR and 11betaHSD2 protein expression level in atrial tissue were also significantly increased in patients with AF compared with patients with sinus rhythm (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). The immunohistochemical staining of MR or 11betaHSD2 demonstrated that MR and 11betaHSD2 predominately located in the cytoplasm of myocardial cells in the atrium and the intensity and density of immunostaining appeared to be increased in the atria of patients with AF compared to those without AF. CONCLUSIONS: Increasing expression of MR and 11betaHSD2 in the atria during AF is one of the molecular mechanisms for development of atrial interstitial fibrosis in patients with AF. These findings may have an important impact on the treatment of AF with aldosterone antagonists.

Clinical analysis of the edge-to-edge technique for mitral regurgitation due to myxomatous degeneration / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVES</b>To explore the feature of the edge-to-edge technique and its effect for mitral regurgitation due to myxomatous degeneration.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The in-patient data and follow-up outcomes of 58 patients after the edge-to-edge technique for mitral regurgitation due to myxomatous degeneration from January 2000 to January 2009 were analyzed retrospectively. Of the 58 patients, 32 patients were male and 26 patients were female, and the age range was from 43 years to 65 years with a mean of (56 ± 6) years, and moderate mitral regurgitation was observed in 18 patients and severe regurgitation in 40 patients, and the prolapse of the anterior leaflet was observed in 50 patients and the prolapse of the bileaflet in 8 patients. The edge-to-edge technique was performed in all patients and the annuloplasty was performed in 44 patients.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There was no perioperative death and serious complication. Postoperative transthoracic echocardiography of all the survivors indicated that the dimensions of left atrial and left ventricular were obviously decreased (P < 0.05) and mitral insufficiency was obviously improved (no regurgitation was observed in 9 patients and trace regurgitation in 30 patients and mild regurgitation in 19 patients) and there was no mitral stenosis. Totally 58 patients were followed up from 24 months to 95 months with a mean of (58 ± 20) months. During the follow-up, there were 2 deaths for noncardiac factors. Freedom from recurrent moderate or severe mitral regurgitation at 5 years after operations was 91.9%. According to undergoing combined annuloplasty or not, 58 patients were divided into the edge-to-edge technique group (14 cases) and the edge-to-edge technique + annuloplasty group (44 cases), and the survival analysis shows there was significant difference on freedom from long-term recurrent moderate or severe mitral regurgitation after operations between two groups (χ(2) = 4.034, P = 0.045) and long-term effect of the latter group was better.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The edge-to-edge technique can be conveniently used and bring about satisfactory perioperative and long-term effects for mitral regurgitation due to myxomatous degeneration. The combination of the edge-to-edge technique and the annuloplasty can improve the long-term effect significantly.</p>

Risk factors for postoperative recurrence of cardiac myxoma and the clinical managements: a report of 5 cases in one center and review of literature / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Recurrence or metastasis of myxomas is not rare and can lead to malignancy. We aimed to analyze the risk factors for postoperative cardiac myxoma recurrence and to summarize its clinical characteristics, treatments and classification.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The clinical data of 5 patients with recurrent cardiac myxoma were retrospectively analyzed and our clinical experience was summarized. Moreover, the relevant literatures were reviewed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>All the five cases of primary myxomas were derived from atypical positions. One patient had early distant metastasis, one had family history, and two suffered malignant recurrence. The recurrence interval was (2.30 ± 2.16) years and the recurrent tumors were all found in different chambers from those of the corresponding primary tumors. Re-operation was performed after recurrence. One patient died of heart failure after malignant recurrence, and the other 4 cases had satisfactory therapeutic outcomes after re-operations. Our experience advocated a clinical classification of "typical" and "atypical" cardiac myxoma, the typical myxomas referred to the tumors locating at the left atria, with single pedicle, rooted at or around the fossa ovalis, involving no genetic causes, and the atypical myxomas included the familial tumors, tumors stemming from multiple chambers, rooted in abnormal positions of the left atrium, with evident genetic mutation, or with malignant tendency.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Postoperative follow-up is of vital importance for patients with myxomas characterized by multi-chamber distribution, early distant metastasis, atypical origin, and family history. Once recurs, re-operation is necessary and should be performed immediately.</p>

Methods and results of surgical treatment for aortic root pathology due to Stanford A aortic dissection / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effectiveness of surgical approaches, outcomes and prognosis of aortic root pathology due to Stanford A aortic dissection.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Retrospective analysis the clinical data of 161 patients (122 male and 39 female, mean age of (44 ± 21) years) underwent surgical treatment for Stanford A aortic dissection between January 2001 and June 2011. There were 146 patients of acute aortic dissection and 15 patients of chronic aortic dissection. All the patients had aortic root pathologies that included commissural prolapsed in 140 cases, more than moderate aortic insufficiency in 75 cases, aortic sinus intima rupture in 15 cases, right and/or left coronary artery tearing in 8 cases, right and/or left coronary artery dissection in 16 cases, aortic root aneurysm in 31 cases.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Aortic root replacement (Bentall procedures) were used in 72 cases, aortic root remodeling (including aortic valve replacement) in 80 cases, aortic root reimplantation (David procedure) in 9 cases. The cardiopulmonary bypass time was shorter in aortic root remodeling group ((193 ± 42) minutes) than the other two groups ((210 ± 61) minutes, (197 ± 34) minutes, F = 3.22, P = 0.04). The in-hospital mortality was 8.1% (13 cases), 5 cases (6.9%) in aortic root replacement group, 7 cases (8.8%) in aortic root remodeling group, 1 case in aortic root reimplantation. The cause of death included respiratory failure (4 cases), permanent neurological deficits (3 cases), multiple organ failure (4 cases), acute renal failure (2 cases). The survivors were followed up for 6 months to 6 years. There was no patient required reoperation for aortic root pathologies. There was no statistically significant difference between aortic root remodeling group and reimplantation group (P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The surgical treatment for aortic root pathology due to Stanford A aortic dissection is challenging. Appropriate procedures according to the specialty of aortic root pathology can be performed with favorable functional results.</p>

Strategy of dealing with left subclavian artery in total arch replacement combined with stented elephant trunk implantation for Stanford type A aortic dissection / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To summarize the experiences of ligating left subclavian artery (LSA) in total arch replacement and stented elephant trunk implantation for Stanford type A aortic dissection patients with difficulty in exposing the LSA.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Total arch replacement and stented elephant trunk implantation were performed on 79 consecutive patients from January 2008 to June 2010. Twenty-nine cases of the cohort undertook LSA ligation due to bad exposure. There were 21 males and 8 females patients, aged from 19 to 55 years with a mean of (44 ± 12) years. There were 12 acute dissections, 4 sub-acute dissections and 13 chronic dissections. Based on thoroughly evaluation of the Willis' circle and bilateral vertebral arteries through pre-operative imaging and intra-operative circulative parameters, if the collateral circulation was considered sufficient, LSA was ligated directly and only the innominate artery and carotid artery were reconstructed; if considered insufficient, an additional bypass from ascending aorta to left axillary artery was performed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>All the 29 operations were completed successfully. There was one patient died from pulmonary infection and the others recovered well.Blood pressure of left arms were lower than right postoperatively [(78 ± 17) mmHg vs. (126 ± 24) mmHg, 1 mmHg = 0.133 kPa, P < 0.01], but oxygen saturation, skin temperature and strength of the left hand were normal compared to the right. All the survived patients have been followed 1 - 27 months and none of them presented with any symptoms of left subclavian artery steal syndrome and ischemia of left arms.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Ligation of LSA under strict evaluation of collateral circulation could be safe in Type A dissection patients with bad exposure due to big ascending aortic aneurysm and will simplify the procedure significantly.</p>

Congenital quadricuspid aortic valve: analysis of 11 surgical cases / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Congenital quadricuspid aortic valve is rarely seen during aortic valve replacement (AVR). The diagnosis and treatment of the disease were reported in 11 cases.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Eleven patients (nine men and two women, mean age 33.4 years) with quadricuspid aortic valve were retrospectively evaluated. Medical records, echocardiograms and surgical treatment were reviewed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In accordance with the Hurwitz and Roberts classification, the patients were classified as type A (n = 2), type B (n = 7), type F (n = 1) and type G (n = 1). Three patients were associated with other heart diseases, including infective endocarditis and mitral prolaps, left superior vena cava, aortic aneurysm. All had aortic regurgitation (AR) except two with aortic stenosis (AS), detected by color-flow Doppler echocardiography. The congenital quadricuspid aortic valve deformity in seven patients was diagnosed by echocardiography. All patients underwent successful aortic valve replacement.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Quadricuspid aortic valve is a rare cause of aortic insufficiency, while echocardiography plays an important role in diagnosing the disease. Aortic valve replacement is the major therapy for the disease.</p>

Cell transplantation in treatment of bradyarrhythmias: An update / 第二军医大学学报

The deepening of our understanding on the cardiac electrophysiology mechanism and the progress on cell transplantation technique have expanded our view in treating various kinds of cardiac diseases. Over the past few years literatures have reported many kinds of cell transplantation techniques for treating various types of bradyarrhythmias, such as complete heart block and sinoatrial node dysfunction, and impressive achievements have been made by far. This review discusses the advantages and flaws of the existing strategies and the future of biological pacemakers.

Reoperative valve replacement in patients undergoing cardiac reoperation: a report of 104 cases / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To review the experience of reoperative valve replacement for 104 patients.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>From January 2002 to December 2009, 104 patients underwent heart valve replacement in reoperations, accounting for 2.92% of the total patient population (3557 cases) who had valve replacement during this period. In this group, 53 male and 51 female patients were included with a median age of 46 years (ranged from 13 to 72 years). The reasons of reoperation included 28 cases suffered from another valve lesion after valve replacement, 10 cases suffered from valve lesion after mitral valvuloplasty, 19 cases suffered from perivalvular leakage after valve replacement, 18 cases suffered from valve lesion after previous correction of congenital heart defect, 7 cases suffered from bioprosthetic valve decline, 10 cases suffered from prosthetic valve endocarditis, 9 cases suffered from dysfunction of machine valve, and 3 cases suffered from other causes. The re-operations were mitral and aortic valve replacement in 2 cases, mitral valve replacement in 59 cases, aortic valve replacement in 24 cases, tricuspid valve replacement in 16 cases, and Bentall's operation in 3 cases. The interval from first operation to next operation was 1 month-19 years.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There were 8 early deaths from heart failure, renal failure and multiple organ failure (early mortality 7.69%). Major complications were intraoperative hemorrhage in 2 cases, re-exploration for mediastinal bleeding in 2 cases and sternotomy surgical site infection in 1 case. Complete follow-up (3 months-7 years and 2 months) was available for all patients. Two patients died, one patient died of intracranial hemorrhage, and another cause was unknown.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Satisfactory short-term and long-term results can be obtained in reoperative valve replacement with appropriate timing of operation control, satisfactory myocardial protection, accurate surgical procedure and suitable perioperative treatment.</p>

Atrial 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 expression in rheumatic heart disease patients with or without atrial fibrillation / 中华心血管病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the mRNA and protein expressions of 11beta-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (11betaHSD2) in patients with atrial fibrillation.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Right and left atrial lateral wall tissue samples were obtained during mitral/aortic valve replacement operation from 25 patients with rheumatic heart valve disease (12 in sinus rhythm and 13 in chronic atrial fibrillation). Realtime quantitative PCR and Western blot were used to determine the mRNA and protein expressions of 11betaHSD2 in atria specimens. The distribution of 11betaHSD2 in human atrial tissue was analyzed by specific immunohistochemical staining. Echocardiography examination was performed before operation.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The left atrial diameters were significantly higher in the atrial fibrillation group as compared to sinus rhythm group (P < 0.01). Similarly, mRNA expression of 11betaHSD2 (0.86 +/- 0.14 vs 0.33 +/- 0.12 in right atria, 0.95 +/- 0.15 vs 0.37 +/- 0.10 in left atria, all P < 0.01) and protein expression of 11betaHSD2 (1.18 +/- 0.64 vs 0.71 +/- 0.21 in right atria, P < 0.01; and 1.36 +/- 0.58 vs 0.85 +/- 0.15 in left atria, P < 0.05) were also significantly upregulated in atrial fibrillation groups than those in sinus rhythm groups. The mRNA and protein expressions of 11betaHSD2 were similar between left atria and right atria both in fibrillation and sinus groups (all P > 0.05). The special immunohistochemical staining demonstrated that 11betaHSD2 was abundant in the human atrial myocardium and located mainly in the cytoplasm.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>These findings suggested that upregulated 11betaHSD2 might be associated to the development and persistence of atrial fibrillation.</p>

Aortic valve replacement: the experiences of 1026 cases / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the changes in pathogenic causes and the prognosis of aortic valve replacement (AVR).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The clinical data of 1026 patients undergoing AVR from December 1980 to December 2006 were analyzed retrospectively. The mortality, morbidity, changes in pathogenic causes and risk factors were analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The postoperative mortality and complication morbidity were 4.3% and 10.6% respectively within 30 days followed operation. Main causes of operative death were heart failure, multi organ failure and endocarditis. The major risk factors for operative death were left ventricle ejection fraction less than 0.4, endocarditis, valve regurgitation and emergency operation before AVR. Late mortality was 0.54% patient-year (3.4%), most of whom died of heart failure, endocarditis and arrhythmias. Patients underwent reoperation 0.22% patient-year (1.4%), with the causes of endocarditis and perivalvular fistula.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Morbidity of rheumatic damage in aortic valve has decreased, while valve degeneration has increased gradually in the recent years. Avoiding prosthesis-patient mismatch, good postoperatively guide and prevention of endocarditis can improve the prognosis of AVR.</p>

Experiences on surgical treatment of severe aortic valve stenosis: a report of 171 cases / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To analyze the experiences on surgical treatment of severe aortic valve stenosis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>From December 1990 to December 2006, 171 patients with severe aortic valve stenosis underwent aortic valve replacement (AVR). There were 135 males and 36 females aged from 10 to 75 years old, with a mean of (45.8 +/- 15.6) years old. The intervals between the first episode of exertion dyspnea and administration to operation were 2 months to 52 years. The pathological lesions of the group were rheumatic aortic valve stenosis in 75 cases, calcified aortic stenosis in 66 cases, bicuspid aortic valve in 26 cases and other congenital aortic valve stenosis in 4 cases. One hundred and twenty-four patients underwent AVR, 7 AVR combined with replacement of the ascending aorta, 5 AVR with coronary artery bypass grafting, 19 AVR with mitral valve plasty (MVP), 8 AVR with plasty of the ascending aorta and 8 AVR with enlargement of the aortic root.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The averaged operation time was (4.4 +/- 0.6) h. Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) time was (124.7 +/- 38.5) min and the aorta clamp time was (78.3 +/- 21.7) min. The averaged blood loss during operation was (754.5 +/- 518.4) ml. All the procedures were successfully performed and all patients were weaned off CPB uneventfully. The indication of early complications was 12.3% (21/171), including low cardiac output syndrome in 7 cases, multi-organ failure in 3 cases, endocarditis in 1 case, renal dysfunction in 4 cases, ventricular fibrillation in 1 case, excessive bleeding in 2 cases, III atrial-ventricular block in 2 cases, and mediastinal infection in 1 case. The total mortality was 5.8% (10/171) with the main causes as cardiac failure for 4 cases, arrhythmia for 1 case, multi-organ failure for 4 cases, and infectious endocarditis for 1 case.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Successful management of severe aortic valve stenosis requires sophisticated surgical techniques and experienced peri-operative care. Satisfactory results can be achieved if valve replace surgery is performed adequately.</p>

Surgical treatment of aortic coarctation under normothermia without cardiopulmonary bypass: a report of 15 cases / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the early and mid-term outcome of surgical repair for post-ductal coarctation of the aorta (CoA) under normothermia without cardiopulmonary bypass.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Clinical data from 15 patients (11 males, 4 females, mean age 18 +/- 10 years) undergoing surgical repair for post-ductal CoA under normothermia without cardiopulmonary bypass between January 1999 and December 2004 were analyzed retrospectively. There were 7 isolated cases, 7 cases associated with patent ductus arterious (PDA), 1 case with PDA and ventricular septal defects. Operation was performed under normothermia with partial cross-clamping of descending aorta in 8 cases, compete cross-clamping in 6 cases and temporary shunt in 1 case. Operative techniques adopted prosthetic bypass graft in 9 cases, Gore-Tex patch graft aortoplasty in 4 cases and stenosis resection with end-to-end anastomosis in 2 cases. PDA was ligated at single-stage in 8 cases. Ventricular septal defect was repaired at second stage in 1 case.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>No early and late death. Hypertension occurred in 9 cases during early postoperative period but was normalized gradually in 5 cases without medication during follow-up period, from 6 months to 5 years. The arterial blood pressure of lower extremities increased significantly and no hoarseness, paraplegia occurred after operation. No recoarctation and aneurysm formation were found during follow-up.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Surgical repair of post-ductal CoA under normothermia without cardiopulmonary bypass is safe and effective, which is a procedure of choice for patients with isolated CoA, CoA associated with PDA, or with other intracardiac anomalies that are ready to be repaired at second-stage.</p>

Ablation of the orifices of the pulmonary veins under direct vision by using the transballoon ultrasound ablation catheter for permanent atrial fibrillation with rheumatic valve disease / 中华心血管病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the effect and possibility of surgical ablation of the pulmonary vein orifices under direct vision with transballoon ultrasound ablation catheter for patients with permanent atrial fibrillation and rheumatic valve disease.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>21 consecutive patients with rheumatic valve disease and permanent atrial fibrillation undergoing mitral valve replacement surgery were enrolled for this study from December 2002 to September 2003. All the cases were divided into 2 groups by whether or not receiving an additive pulmonary vein ablation procedure. The test group [6 male, 5 female, aged (51.55 +/- 7.83) years, atrial fibrillation duration (5.50 +/- 5.40) years, left atrial diameter (7.27 +/- 1.39) cm, LVEF (53.95 +/- 4.54)% and NYHA class II - IV] undertook a surgical isolation of the pulmonary vein orifices by using a transballoon ultrasound ablation catheter addition to routine mitral valve replacement. The control group [3 male, 7 female, aged (53.30 +/- 7.86) years, atrial fibrillation duration (4.50 +/- 3.47) years, left atrial diameter (6.74 +/- 0.62) cm, LVEF (56.91 +/- 3.78)% and NYHA class II - IV] received the valve replacement surgery alone.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There were not any complications in both groups. With an electrical cardioversion 3 months after the surgery, 73% patients in the ultrasound ablation group were free from AF over 1 year while only 10% patients in control group (P=0.003). During an average follow-up duration of (45.92 +/- 4.61) months, 63.6% were in sinus rhythm in ultrasound ablation group while none in the control group. Left atrial volume decreased significantly at 1 year after surgery compared to that at 3 months after surgery in the test group [(97.83 +/- 32.39) cm(3) vs. (150.78 +/- 52.32) cm(3), P<0.05], and the end systolic diameter (LAESD) and end diastolic diameter (LAEDD) also decreased [(4.12 +/- 0.39) cm vs. (5.09 +/- 0.98) cm, P<0.05, respectively], while there were no apparently changes in the control group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Ablation of the orifices of the pulmonary veins under direct vision with transballoon ultrasound ablation catheter during mitral valve surgery seems effective to maintain sinus rhythm after electrical cardioversion and could be performed safely. The function of left atrial and cardiac output improved during long term follow-up of 46 months.</p>

Effect of external stents on prevention of intimal hyperplasia in a canine vein graft model / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>External stents have been used to reduce intimal hyperplasia of vein grafts. The aim of the present study was to define the size of an external stent appropriate for a particular graft by comparing vein grafts with different sizes of external stents.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A series of paired trials was performed to compare femoral vein grafts with different sizes of external stents, where 30 modeled canines were equally divided into three groups: 6-mm external stent vs non-stent control, 4-mm vs 6-mm external stent, and 4-mm vs 8-mm external stent. At day 3 after operation, color Doppler flow imaging (CDFI) was done to observe blood flow in the lumen. Four weeks later, CDFI was re-checked and the veins were harvested, stained and measured.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>All grafts were patent without formation of thrombosis. External stents significantly reduced intimal thickness of the vein grafts with a 6-mm external stent compared with the vein grafts without external stents (P < 0.05). The vein grafts with the 4-mm external stent had similar intimal, medial and adventitial thicknesses compared with those with the 6-mm external stent and the 8-mm external stent.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>External stents can reduce intimal hyperplasia of vein grafts. Stents of different diameters exert the similar effect on prevention of intimal hyperplasia.</p>

Impact of different brain protection techniques upon postoperative temporary neurological dysfunction in aortic surgery with the aid of deep hypothermic circulatory arrest / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To assess impact of different brain protection techniques upon postoperative temporary neurological dysfunction in aortic surgery with the aid of deep hypothermic circulatory arrest.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>From January 2003 to December 2005, 78 patients who met the inclusion criteria entered the present cohort, 43 of whom were under the aid of deep hypothermic circulatory arrest plus retrograde cerebral perfusion (RCP group) and the other 35 under deep hypothermic circulatory arrest plus selective antegrade cerebral perfusion (SCP group). The present and grades of postoperative temporary neurological dysfunction were assessed by independent observers with the same criterion. The impact of duration of deep hypothermic circulatory arrest upon the postoperative temporary neurological dysfunction was also evaluated.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The incidence of postoperative temporary neurological dysfunction was significantly higher in the RCP group than in the SCP group (15, 34.9% vs. 4, 11.4%, P<0.05). And long duration of deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (more than 50 min) has a negative impact on the postoperative temporary neurological dysfunction rate.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Applying selective antegrade cerebral perfusion as the brain protection technique and shortening the duration of deep hypothermic circulatory arrest can reduce the incidence of temporary neurological dysfunction and preserve cerebral function more effectively.</p>

Evaluation of surgical technique and indication on descending aortic aneurysms / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the surgical technique and indication on descending aortic aneurysms.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>From January 1996 to June 2006, 41 patients with descending aortic aneurysm underwent operation, including DeBakey type III dissection in 26, false aneurysm in 6, true aneurysm in 4, and residual or newly complicated type III dissection after the surgery of Marfan syndrome in 5. Operations were performed by left heart bypass in 9, femoral-femoral bypass in 7, pulmonary-femoral bypass in 2, and deep hypothermic circulatory arrest in 23. The whole thoracic descending aorta was replaced in 15, and intercostal arteries were reimplanted in 12.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>One patient died of acute renal failure with the hospital mortality 2.4%. Main complications: respiratory dysfunction in 6, renal dysfunction in 6, recurrent nerve injuries in 4, chylothorax in 2, and no paraplegia.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Surgical intervention of descending aortic aneurysm still has its unique advantages and indications; surgical safety is markedly improved by the use of deep hypothermic circulatory arrest.</p>

Study on expression of mineralocorticoid receptor in human atria during atrial fibrillation / 中华心血管病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the mRNA and protein expression of mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) in patients with atrial fibrillation.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Twenty-five patients with rheumatic heart valve disease, 12 in sinus rhythm and 13 in chronic atrial fibrillation (>or= 6 months), underwent transthoracic echocardiography and right and left atrial lateral wall tissue samples were obtained from these patients during mitral/aortic valve replacement operation. Realtime quantitative PCR and Western blot were used to determine the mRNA and protein expression of MR in atria specimens. The distribution of MR in human atria was analyzed by specific immunohistochemical staining.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The left atrial diameters increased markedly in atrial fibrillation group compared with that in sinus rhythm group (P<0.01). And the results showed that the level of mRNA and protein of MR were increased significantly in atrial fibrillation group compared with those in sinus rhythm group (P<0.01 or 0.05), whereas the expression of mRNA and protein of MR were found to be no difference between left atria and right atria both in fibrillation and sinus groups (all P>0.05). The special immunohistochemical staining demonstrated that MR was abundant in the human atrial myocardium and MRs were located mainly in the cytoplasm of atrial cells, which were more evident in atrial fibrillation group than those in sinus rhythm group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>These findings suggested that MRs were upregulated in atrial fibrillation and aldosterone antagonists may be effective in treating atrial fibrillation.</p>

Clinical application of modified "elephant trunk" stent-graft in treatment of type Stanford A aortic dissection / 第二军医大学学报

Objective: To investigate the procedures and outcomes of modified "elephant trunk" stent-graft technique in the treatment of aortic dissection. Methods: Twenty patients (aged 23-71 years, mean 50.7 years) suffered from type Standford A aortic dissection (acute 14, chronic 6) were included in our study. During deep hypothermic circulatory arrest(DHCA), retrograde cerebral perfusion(RCP) or selected antegrade cerebral perfusion(SCP) was used to protect the brain. All patients received modified "elephant trunk" stent-graft(ascending aorta and semi-arch replacement combined with transluminal stent-graft of the descending aorta). Concomitant operations included 11 Bentall's procedures and 2 Cabrol's procedures. Circulatory arrest time ranged from 36 to 86 min (mean 34.5 min). Results: Two patients died after operation (10%). Survival patients were followed up for 3 to 24 months and no subsequent death occurred during the fellow-up period. Multi-detector row computed tomography angiography of aorta was performed in 10 patients 3 months after surgery. Complete thrombosis of the false lumen in descending aorta was found in 8 cases and partial thrombosis was found in 2 cases. Conclusion: Our modified "elephant trunk" stent-graft is a simple method with short circulatory arrest time. It has a similar outcome as standard "elephant trunk" stent-graft. The long-time false lumen occlusion rate of descending aorta demands further clinical follow-up investigation.