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Pulmonary artery dissection is rare but highly lethal. Recent reports suggest that surgical repair of pulmonary artery dissection may yield good outcomes in selected patients, although postoperative right ventricular failure and death have been described. Currently, only one patient over age 60 years old has been reported to survive open surgical repair of pulmonary artery dissection. Here, we present the case of a sexagenarian with pulmonary artery hypertension complicated by a dissected pulmonary artery aneurysm which was successfully repaired using a composite valve-tube graft under a beating-heart strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Psoas muscle abscess can be misdiagnosed for other etiologies, such as appendicitis. • The current management of a Crohn's abscess is debated. • Treatment is influenced by abscess size, quantity of abscesses, and response to antibiotics and/or percutaneous drainage. • Our patient, whose abscess was managed with the novel use of omental packing, has not demonstrated abscess recurrence. Intra-abdominal abscesses associated with Crohn's disease (CD) can rarely occur in the psoas muscle. An intra-psoas abscess is prone to misdiagnosis because its location mimics other diseases, like appendicitis and diverticulitis [ 1 ]. We present the case of a 25-year-old female with an 11-year history of CD, previously well-controlled on Remicade, who presented with right lower quadrant (RLQ) pain and CT findings of a right psoas abscess initially attributed to perforated appendicitis. Two percutaneous drainages pre-ileocecectomy, laparoscopic ileocecectomy, three percutaneous drainages post-ileocolectomy, and evidence of a recurrent abscess prompted diagnostic laparoscopy. The abscess was unroofed and debrided. A flap of omentum was used to fill the abscess cavity. A comprehensive literature search was performed using the terms 'Crohn's abscess', 'intra-psoas abscess', and 'omental patches' in Medline and on PubMed. We attribute the abscess' recurrence to possible epithelialization of the abscess cavity. Intra-psoas abscesses, albeit rare, are a known manifestation of CD. Percutaneous drainage is the initial standard of care, although diagnosis can be difficult given its association with several diseases, which can delay definitive treatment. We summarize a recently proposed and agreed upon treatment scheme for the management of the Crohn's patient with an abdominal abscess. We also propose the novel technique of omental packing in abscess management. Clinician awareness must be heightened for perforating CD in the setting of abscess refractory to either multiple drainage procedures, although care should be taken to individualize treatment to each CD patient who presents with an abdominal abscess. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 42-year-old male patient presented with intermittent abdominal pain and gastrointestinal discomfort present for 4 years. Work-up included ultrasound and computed tomography, which identified a fat-containing splenic mass 5.6 cm in size. Due to recurrent symptoms, the patient sought medical care again. Subsequent images showed an increase in size to 7.6 cm, which was concerning for neoplasm. This was removed via open splenectomy, which was challenging due to intra-abdominal adhesions despite never having had any abdominal surgery. The patient's recovery was uncomplicated. Pathologic assessment indicated that the mass was a myelolipoma. Extra-adrenal myelolipomas are rare and typically found within the retroperitoneum but are extremely rare within the spleen. This case report adds the 6th such case to the literature and demonstrates the need for it to remain in the differential diagnosis of patients with fatty splenic masses, as well as that splenectomy is an appropriate treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The desire of patients to avoid anticoagulation, together with the potential of valve-in-valve (VIV) transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), have resulted in the increasing use of bioprosthetic valves for aortic valve replacement (AVR). While patient-prosthesis mismatch (PPM) is known to be an adverse risk after AVR, few studies have addressed the effect of PPM on valve durability. This study evaluates the role of valve size and hemodynamics on long term durability after AVR with a Magna bioprosthesis., Methods: We performed a retrospective, single-center evaluation of patients who underwent a surgical AVR procedure between June 2004 through December 2022 using the Magna bioprosthesis. Perioperative information and long-term follow-up data were sourced from the institution's Society for Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Registry and outcomes database. Cumulative incidence of freedom from reintervention were estimated accounting for competing events. Group comparisons used Gray's test., Results: Among 2,100 patients, the mean patient age was 69 years (range, 22-95 years), of whom 98% had native aortic valve disease, 32.5% had concomitant coronary bypass grafting, and 19% had mitral valve surgery. Median follow-up was 5.8 (1.9-9.4) years, during which 116 reinterventions were performed, including 74 explants and 42 VIV procedures. Nine hundred and twenty-eight patients died prior to reintervention. Incidence of all cause reintervention was 1.2%, 4.5%, and 11.7% at 5, 10, and 15 years, respectively. Smaller valve size was associated with worse survival (P<0.001), but not with reintervention. Higher mean gradient at implant was associated with increased late reintervention [sub-distribution hazard ratio: 1.016; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.005 to 1.028; P=0.0047, n=1,661]., Conclusions: While reintervention rates are low for the Magna prosthesis at 15 years, the analysis is confounded by the competing risk of death. PPM, as reflected physiologically by elevated post-operative valve gradients, portends an increased risk of intervention. Further study is necessary to elucidate the mechanism of early stenosis in patients who progress to reintervention., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (2024 Annals of Cardiothoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.)

A 24-year-old man with Marfan syndrome and heart failure from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy was referred to our institution in cardiogenic shock for advanced therapies. He was supported by a femoral intra-aortic balloon pump, then bridged to orthotopic heart transplantation. This is a report of an orthotopic heart transplantation in a patient with both Marfan syndrome and heart failure from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy., (© 2024 The Authors.)