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ABSTRACT: We report the successful surgical treatment of a pseudoaneurysm of the ascending aorta in a 45-year-old man who underwent surgical closure of a ventricular septal defect at the age of 5. A computed tomography scan ordered for the investigation of a pulmonary mass happened to detect a pseudoaneurysm (20 mm diameter). The pseudoaneurysm protruded anteriorly from the ascending aorta at the previous aortic cannulation site. The ascending aorta, including the lesion, was replaced with a prosthetic graft uneventfully. The cause of the pseudoaneurysm was considered iatrogenic, since he had no prior history of postoperative mediastinitis or blunt chest trauma. A computed tomography scan is a useful means to detect a mass on the ascending aorta following cardiac surgery, and it provides important information to help define a surgical strategy.
Annals of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery: official journal of the Association of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeons of Asia 09/2008; 14(4):267-9. · 0.69 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: We report a septic patient who had an infected thrombus that extended from the right internal jugular vein to the right atrium 1 cm below the superior venocaval junction. The thrombus was successfully removed using an off-pump shunt placed between the innominate vein and the right atrium.
The Annals of thoracic surgery 04/2008; 85(3):1113-4. · 3.74 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: We report the case of a 53-year-old woman with Ebstein's anomaly and intractable heart failure who had undergone only tricuspid valve replacement 30 years earlier. She was treated conservatively for 1 month; however, she was placed in the New York Heart Association functional class IV. Therefore, we operated on her with the objective of improving her quality of life and cardiac function. One-and-a-half repair and a second tricuspid valve replacement with right ventriculoplasty were quite effective in ameliorating her critical condition.
The Annals of thoracic surgery 12/2007; 84(5):1745-6. · 3.74 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: We recently demonstrated that calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) released from sensory neurons reduces spinal cord injury (SCI) by inhibiting neutrophil activation through an increase in the endothelial production of prostacyclin (PGI(2)). Carperitide, a synthetic alpha-human atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), reduces ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-induced tissue injury. However, its precise therapeutic mechanism(s) remains to be elucidated. In the present study, we examined whether ANP reduces I/R-induced spinal cord injury by enhancing sensory neuron activation using rats. ANP increased CGRP release and cellular cAMP levels in dorsal root ganglion neurons isolated from rats in vitro. The increase in CGRP release induced by ANP was reversed by pretreatment with capsazepine, an inhibitor of vanilloid receptor-1 activation, or with (9S, 10S, 12R)-2,3,9,10,11,12-hexahydro-10-hydroxy-9-methyl-1-oxo-9,12-epoxy-1H-diindolo[1,2,3-fg:3',2',1'-kl]pyrrolo[3,4-i][1,6]-benzodiazocine-10-carboxylic acid hexyl ester (KT5720), an inhibitor of protein kinase A (PKA), suggesting that ANP might increase CGRP release from sensory neurons by activating PKA through an increase in the cellular cAMP level. Spinal cord ischemia was induced in rats using a balloon catheter placed in the aorta. ANP reduced mortality and motor disturbances by inhibiting reduction of the number of motor neurons in animals subjected to SCI. ANP significantly enhanced I/R-induced increases in spinal cord tissue levels of CGRP and 6-keto-prostaglandin F(1alpha). a stable metabolite of PGI(2). ANP inhibited I/R-induced increases in spinal cord tissue levels of tumor necrosis factor and myeloperoxidase. Pretreatment with 4'-chloro-3-methoxycinnamanilide (SB366791), a specific vanilloid receptor-1 antagonist, and indomethacin reversed the effects of ANP. These results strongly suggest that ANP might reduce I/R-induced SCI in rats by inhibiting neutrophil activation through enhancement of sensory neuron activation.
Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics 09/2007; 322(2):582-90. · 3.83 Impact Factor
