• Costello Gibbs posted an update 6 hours, 15 minutes ago

    Cholesterol embolism is associated with not only organ ischemia due to microembolism, but also immunological mechanisms. Thus, cholesterol embolism due to aorta-derived cholesterin may have led to the delayed pulmonary hemorrhage. Differentiation from re-rupture due to endoleaks is important.A 65-year-old man, with a history of hypertension, presented with dizziness and emesis and was admitted to a local hospital. He was a moderate smoker, but he did not take any hormone-based medication. Magnetic resonance imaging showed scattered cerebral infarction in the bilateral cerebral hemisphere and right cerebellar hemisphere. There were no abnormal findings in Holter monitor and echography of heart, carotid artery, and leg vein and then, antiplatelet therapy was initiated. After that, both computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a floating pedunculated mass in the ascending aorta measuring 10×8×14 mm. He was admitted to our hospital 15 days after the symptom onset. Laboratory tests including immunological and coagulation studies were within normal. this website Computed tomography showed on the second day of the admission that the mass spontaneously disappeared, thus canceling the schedule of surgery. He received an oral anticoagulant and discharged uneventfully. During a follow-up period of 6 months, there is no recurrence of the thrombus in the aorta and thromboembolic events.We experienced a surgical case of Stanford type A acute aortic dissection with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) associated with ectopic kidney. Computerized tomography did not detect any ulcer-like projections, but 3 days later, it appeared, and emergency surgery was performed. Second-stage surgery was selected and done later to repair AAA. The right kidney was an ectopic pelvic kidney. The renal arteries had branched off from the left common iliac artery, and the renal artery lumen narrowed. With a 4 Fr catheter, cold Ringer’s solution was given to protect the kidneys during surgery. The patient showed no deterioration of kidney function and made good progress. After rehabilitation, the patient had no complications and was discharged from the hospital.A 67-year-old woman was admitted with exertional dyspnea. She had undergone mitral valve replacement with Björk-Shiley prosthetic valve (convexo-concave type) 36 years previously for stenosis and regurgitation in another institute. An echocardiography showed a severe degree of aortic stenosis, and the implanted mitral valve function is normal. We performed aortic valve replacement with a bioprosthetic valve and no prophylactic reoperation for the implanted mitral valve. The postoperative courses were uneventful. The patient was discharged from the hospital in good clinical condition. Postoperative echocardiography showed the prosthetic valves were normal. The close follow-up should be needed to prevent fatal valve dysfunction.Meningitis has not been described to the same extent as other neurological complications of infective endocarditis(IE). The appropriate selection and dosing of antibiotics for patients with IE and meningitis do not exist. Herein, we described an instructive surgical case of mitral valve endocarditis and meningitis caused in a patient with atopic dermatitis, that was successfully treated using a multi-disciplinary approach.Carcinoid arising from a mature cystic teratoma of the mediastinum is extremely rare. A 30-year-old man complaining of chest pain was admitted to our hospital for abnormal shadow in right mediastinum on chest tomography. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) suggested mature teratoma. Complete resection under video-assisted thoracotomy was performed. The postoperative course was uneventful. Histological diagnosis was mature cystic teratoma containing 3 mm component of carcinoid in the capsule. There were no pathological findings of necrosis and MIB-1-index was 1 %. No recurrence has been observed for 7 months after surgery.This is a 3-case report of successful descending thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic surgery by preserving the spinal perfusion artery (SPA) identified preoperatively. In Case 1, an 85-year-old woman, computed tomography (CT) showed Crawford type Ⅴ thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm (TAAA60 mm) and a SPA originated from L2. In Case 2, a 76-year-old man, CT revealed type Ⅳ TAAA( 58 mm) and a SPA originated from Th11. In Case 3, a 74-year-old man, CT detected an infectious pseudoaneurysm(44 mm) in the descending thoracic aorta with 2 SPAs originating from Th10 and L2. The ranges of graft replacement were Th7-Th12, Th12-L4, and Th8-Th10, respectively, while preserving all SPAs. All patients recovered well without postoperative neurological deficits. Although the protective effect of the SPA preservation against the spinal cord ischemia is still controversial, preoperative identification of the SPA was useful for planning a surgical strategy for descending thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic repair surgery.A man was diagnosed with a left upper mediastinal mass. The mass was located near the left subclavian vein, phrenic nerve, vagus nerve, left subclavian artery, and left brachiocephalic vein. He underwent a robotic surgery without additional approaches such as cervical approach on transmanubrial approach. Robotic surgery enabled to remove the tumor safely due to the highly flexible robot forceps under a 3-dimensional visual field. Robotic surgery may be effective for tumors in the upper mediastinum, where important blood vessels and nerves are closely present.We evaluated the blood pressure( BP) lowering effect and possible suppression of aortic enlargement by olmesartan (OLM) in patients with thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm. In this single center prospective, forced titration study, 50 patients were registered between 2008 and 2011. After all patients received any of OLM 10, 20, and 40 mg/day as an initial dose, the dosage of OLM was titrated up to 40 mg as needed during follow-up period. Home BP (HBPs), aortic aneurysm size assessed by computed tomography (CT) scan, indices of renal function were recorded at 3- and 6-months follow-up. Depending on whether 40 mg/day of prescription was continued for more than 4 months or not, the patients were divided into 2 groupsless than 40 mg ( less then 40 mg) and 40 mg groups. Morning HBPs tended to decrease in both groups, and the percent changes in BPs were essentially the same regardless of dosage. The absolute value of aortic diameter tended to slightly enlarge only in less then 40 mg group. Also in the less then 40 mg group, the absolute differences in aortic diameter between those at the time of study registration and each follow-up were 0.