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We experienced the rare case of an elderly woman with uncorrected tetralogy of Fallot. She also had significant mitral and tricuspid regurgitation with deteriorated ventricular function and ischemic coronary artery disease. We performed a radical repair of the tetralogy of Fallot, valvular operations for the mitral and tricuspid regurgitation, and coronary artery bypass grafting. Although mechanical circulatory support was required postoperatively, she recovered well to New York Heart Association functional class II.

A 61-year-old woman underwent right axillobifemoral bypass using a reinforced expanded polytetrafluoroethylene T-shaped graft for high aortic occlusion. One year later, anastomotic pseudoaneurysm of the axillary artery was noted. We performed pseudoaneurysmectomy and graft interposition at the same anastomotic site through an infraclavicular approach. Unfortunately, the pseudoaneurysm recurred four months later. Therefore, we performed a second reoperation through a supraclavicular approach, in addition to the infraclavicular one. We were able to achieve better exposure from the axillary artery to the distal part of the subclavian artery, and reconstruct the bypass with secure and safe arterial clamping and reanastomosis.

症例は55歳の男性. 平成17年10月中旬に胸部不快感のため近医受診し, 発作性上室性頻拍と診断され内科的に加療されるも心房細動に移行したため当院循環器内科に紹介となった. EPSにてKENT束を持つ潜在性WPW症候群と診断されたが, 心臓超音波検査で僧帽弁後尖に付着する腫瘍を認められ, 手術目的で当科紹介となった. 準緊急的に腫瘍切除, 僧帽弁形成術および副伝導路切断術を施行した. 病理組織学的検査で乳頭状弾性線維腫と診断された. 術後は洞調律で経過し, EPSにてKENT束の離断を確認した. 現在, 不整脈や腫瘍の再発を認めず, 同時手術は有用であった.

われわれは,大動脈弁原発の乳頭状弾性線維腫の1例を経験したので報告する.症例は71歳,女性.畑仕事中に倒れ当院へ緊急搬送され脳梗塞の診断で入院加療されていたが,心エコーにて大動脈弁左冠尖に3×10mm大の疣贅エコーあり,当科紹介となった.全身状態の改善を待ち手術を施行.人工心肺下に手術を行った.左冠尖弁尖に約10mm大の茎を有するイソギンキャク様の腫瘍を認めた.腫瘍切除のみ行い大動脈は温存した.病理組織学的に乳頭状弾性線維腫と診断された.術後は合併症なく順調に経過した.心臓原発の腫瘍は稀であり,その7割は良性腫瘍である.しかし乳頭状弾性線維腫は脳梗塞や心筋梗塞といった重大な合併症をきたしうるため,発見次第早期に摘出をすることが推奨されている.

A 59-year-old man had undergone aortic root replacement for annuloaortic ectasia (AAE) and aortic regurgitation (AR) 18 years before. The computed tomography (CT) showed a pseudoaneurysm of ascending aorta 4 years after the 1st operation. Re-aortic root replacement was done 15 years after the 1st operation because of the pseudoaneurysm. However, 3 years after the 2nd operation, the patient suffered from fever and another pseudoaneurysm was revealed by CT. Echocardiography showed a vegetation attached to the aortic valve. The 3rd operation was successfully performed using rifampicin-soaked vascular prosthesis. The postoperative course was uneventful. Thus, graft infection was effectively treated with a rifampicin-soaked vascular prosthesis.

Intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) assessment of coronary artery graft anastomosed to posterior descending artery (PDA) was evaluated. Twenty-one patients with a saphenous vein (SV) graft (n=17) or right gastroepiploic artery (RGEA) graft (n=4) anastomosed to the PDA were examined. In the transgastric mid short-axis view, the graft was depicted as an echo-free zone between the right ventricle and diaphragm. The depth, diameter, angle for Doppler measurement, and angle-corrected blood flow velocity were determined. The graft was visualized in 20 cases (95.2%). The diameter of the SV graft was 3.0-6.5 mm (mean 4.0 mm), while that of RGEA graft was 2.2-2.9 mm (mean 2.5 mm), at the depth of 1.2-4.4 cm (mean 2.4 mm) with incident angle of 14-57 degrees (mean 38.6 degrees ). Blood flow was detected in 17 cases but was difficult to detect in three cases (velocity

A study was undertaken to evaluate the validity and efficacy of video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) for the diagnosis of indeterminate pulmonary nodules.Between April 2001 and November 2004, 57 adult patients (31 males, 26 females) with a clinical diagnosis of pulmonary nodules by preoperative chest computed tomographic (CT) scanning were included in this study.A definitive tissue diagnosis was obtained in all 57 patients. The mean age of the patients was 66+/-9.8 yrs. The mean size of the tumor was 1.76+/-0.67 cm. 38 patients (67%) had malignant disease. Twenty eight patients (49%) had primary lung cancer and 10 patients (18%) had metastatic lung cancer from an extrathoracic primary neoplasm. The rate of malignancy was 65% in the tumor sizes equal to or less than 2 cm. Among primary lung cancer, most patients had primary adenocarcinoma (24 cases)(86%). Pathologic staging showed T1N0 (stage IA) in 18 cases (69%), T2N0 (stage IB) in 4 cases (15%), T2N1 (stage IIB) in 1 case (4%), and T1N2 (stage IIIA) in 3 cases (12%). In 10 patients (18%) who required preoperative placement of a localization hookwire with a string near the nodule, the rate of malignancy was 70%. In 7 patients with positive positron emission tomography (PET) imaging with F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG), the rate of malignancy was 57% and proved to be falsely positive in 3 cases (43%). There was no operative mortality and no significant morbidity in all cases.We proposed that VATS, which is safe and offers virtually 100% sensitivity and specificity, should be performed for most small (3 cm in diameter) and all indeterminate pulmonary lesions on the basis of these results.

We report on the rare and successful surgical treatment of a case of spontaneous rupture of the ascending thoracic aorta resulting in a mimicking pseudoaneurysm. A 72-year-old male who had complained of sudden onset of severe chest pain was admitted to our hospital. Initially, acute type A closing aortic dissection was suspected because computed tomography (CT) showed a small ulcer-like projection (ULP) in the posterior aspect of the ascending aortic wall, but it also revealed no intimal flap, false lumen or aortic aneurysm. CT and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) indicated a change in the radiographic aspect of the ULP and revealed a mimicking saccular-type pseudoaneurysm and gradual increasing size of the pseudoaneurysm. Surgery was performed after considering the risk of pseudoaneurysmal rupture. We replaced the ascending aorta and diagnosed it as a spontaneous aortic rupture by histological examination of the rupture site after failing to observe an aneurysm or dissection. We discuss these results with reference to the literature, including our pathological and radiographical findings.

A 61-year-old male had complained of cough and dyspnea on effort, with right pleural effusion. Computed tomography demonstrated a calcific pericardium surrounding the entire heart, with thickening of 10 mm. Cardiac catheterization showed no coronary disease, but a dip-and-plateau of the pressure curve of both ventricles. We diagnosed congestive heart failure due to chronic constrictive pericarditis, and performed a subtotal pericardiectomy, using an Ultrasonic Scalpel through a median sternotomy combined with anterior left thoracotomy at the level of the fifth rib, without cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). After the subtotal pericardiectomy, his postoperative recovery was uneventful and his functional status improved. We consider that our surgical technique is a useful method for treatment of chronic constrictive pericarditis, and advocate the use of the Ultrasonic Scalpel for a safe and easy pericardiectomy.

We report a 58-year-old man who underwent surgical treatment of primary lung cancer arising from the wall of a giant bulla. Chest roentgenography and computed tomography revealed multiple emphysematous bullae in the bilateral upper lobes, and a right upper giant bulla with a mass measuring 6 cm arising on the bulla wall. Right upper lobectomy was performed, the postoperative pathological diagnosis was large cell carcinoma arising from the wall of a giant bulla. Although the postoperative course was uneventful and he was discharged, he underwent partial resection of the jejunum for recurrence of carcinoma in the jejunum, and postoperative chemotherapy, and he was alive 20 months after that operation. In general, patients with both pulmonary bullous disease and primary lung cancer have a very poor prognosis, because they receive treatment when the tumor is at an advanced stage. On the basis of our review of the literature, we recommend that middle-age male patients with a giant bulla who smoke should have annual chest roentgenography and/or chest computed tomography to screen for lung cancer arising in or close to the bullous disease, and that a giant bulla should be resected in patients older than 50 years because of the high incidence of coexisting cancer and bulla, to improve the prognosis of this disease.

We report a very rare case of primary malignant lymphoma arising in the pleura with no history of persistent pyothorax. A 72-year-old male was hospitalized with dyspnea on effort and chest CT demonstrated a mass along the right chest wall. Right thoracotomy with complete en bloc resection of the pleural tumor was performed. Immunohistochemical examination of the pleural tumor showed that the histology was marginal zone B-cell malignant lymphoma. We considered that this tumor had originated from the soft tissue in the chest wall based on radiographical and surgical findings. As diagnosis and treatment of pleural malignant lymphoma seems to have been difficult in most cases reported in the literature, it is thought that early active and accurate biopsy with large-bore needles, or, if possible, surgical incision for early diagnosis and aggressive surgery to achieve complete resection combined with radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy would be very important for a good prognosis.