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To evaluate the effectiveness of ultrasound-guided transversus abdominis plane (TAP) and rectus sheath (RS) blocks in pain management and recovery after gynecological single-incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS).Abilateral TAP block (Group A, n = 9), bilateral TAP and RS blocks (Group B, n = 10), and a bilateral RS block (Group C, n = 9) with 40 ml ropivacaine per patient were conducted in 28 patients undergoing SILS for ovarian tumors. A pain score and walking distance in a 6-minute walk test (6MWT) were examined.Pain scores were significantly lower on postoperative day (POD) 3 than on POD 1 in Groups B (p = 0.03) and C (p = 0.02). The walking distance on POD 3 was comparable with that before surgery in Group C (p = 0.75), but shorter in Groups A (p = 0.004) and B (p = 0.02).The RS block alone was the most effective in relieving pain and accelerating general recovery after gynecological SILS.

Sefidrud River is one of the largest rivers in Iran and its basin extends mainly into seven (7) provinces, where typical water resources conflicts exist between the lower and upper reaches as well as between existing and future water rights. It is of the urgent needs for balanced economic development in the basin to mitigate the conflicts and to realize integrated water resources development and management. This paper reports the progress and result of conflict management among the relevant provinces. Firstly the background of the conflict was clarified and the clues to solutions were analyzed from the viewpoint of water use rights, equity/social justice, economic efficiency and reliability of data and information. Secondly, a collaborative and win-win approach was proposed and applied to the conflict management. Finally some direction toward a conflict solution and realization of the IWRM concept was proposed for the provinces.

It is well known that mobile or large left atrial myxoma may lead to valve obstruction and insufficiency, and affect transmitral valve flow. A 50-year-old woman with a huge left atrial myxoma occluding the mitral valve was reported. The tumor was diagnosed by preoperative echocardiogram and mitral regurgitation was minimum. During the operation and after the myxoma resection, a severe mitral regurgitation, which was not observed during the preoperative echocardiogram, was noticed. Mitral valve defect was corrected by an annuloplasty ring, and the patient had an uneventful recovery. Our case suggests that careful evaluation of mitral valve during a myxoma resection operation is recommended.

Rupture of type III aortic dissection into the bilateral pleural space is very rare. A 62-year-old man was transferred to our department because of aortic dissection for emergency operation. computed tomography (CT) scan revealed rupture of type III aortic dissection into the bilateral pleural space. He underwent successful prosthetic graft replacement through left thoracotomy and removal of a massive amount of blood from the right pleural space by chest tube drainage. The postoperative course was uneventful after 2 days of respiratory support.

Successful simultaneous operation for cardiac and lung disease was performed in a 71-year-old man with lung carcinoma and ischemic heart disease. Chest CT scan revealed a mass in the right lower lobe and absence of mediastinal lymphadenopathy. Coronary angiography revealed significant stenosis of the left anterior descending artery, circumflex artery and right coronary artery. We performed concomitant video-assisted right lower lobectomy with mediastinal lymph node dissection as a form of less invasive surgery and triple coronary artery bypass grafting under cardiopulmonary bypass. Curative surgery for lung carcinoma and complete revascularization for ischemic heart disease were completed. The postoperative course was uneventful.

This study was performed to evaluate the advantages of video-assisted minithoracotomy over conventional posterolateral thoracotomy for performing lobectomy of lung carcinomas. Thirty-two patients with clinical T1N0M0 non-small cell lung carcinoma underwent lobectomy with R2a mediastinal lymphadenectomy. Of these, sixteen patients underwent posterolateral thoracotomy (between April 1994 and November 1995: T group), and sixteen patients underwent video-assisted thoracic surgery (between December 1997 and April 1999: V group). No significant differences were found in the two groups with respect to the total number of mediastinal lymph nodes dissected (T group: 16.9 +/- 8.7. V group: 14.3 +/- 7.2) or operative time (T group: 182.3 +/- 48.8 min, V group: 174.9 +/- 28.8 min). The intraoperative blood loss was significantly less in the V group (T group: 222.3 +/- 107.1 ml, V group: 143.3 +/- 92.6 ml, p0.05), and the postoperative max CPK was also less (T group: 1,484 +/- 496, V group: 785 +/- 327, p0.0001). Duration of chest tube drainage (T group: 11.3 +/- 3.6 days, V group: 7.9 +/- 2.7 days) and the requirement of epidural analgesia (T group: 6.7 +/- 2.2 days, V group: 5.0 +/- 0.8 days) were less in the V group (p0.01), and the length of postoperative hospitalization as also shorter in the V group (T group: 26.3 +/- 8.3 days, V group: 20.6 +/- 4.1 days, p0.05). In conclusion, video-assisted minithoracotomy is less invasive than posterolateral thoracotomy for performing lobectomy of lung carcinomas, and has an advantage in that it improves the postoperative quality of life.

Twenty-six nonrandomized patients undergoing emergent coronary artery bypass operation were assigned to either the cold group (traditional intermittent cold blood cardioplegia and slight hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass (n = 7) or the warm group (intermittent warm blood cardioplegia and normothermic cardiopulmonary bypass) (n = 19). Preoperative variables were similar in both groups except the number of renal dysfunction patients were greater in the cold group. The time from removal of the aortic crossclamp to discontinuation of cardiopulmonary bypass was significantly shorter in the warm group and the incidence of heartbeat spontaniously converted to normal sinus rhythm after removal of the aortic crossclamp was higher in the warm group. The warm group showed good results concerning postoperative blood loss volume, change of base excess, time required for awakening and extubation. Significant differences were found in the hospital mortality rates between the groups (cold: 57.1%, warm: 5.3%). This study suggested a beneficial influence of warm heart surgery on postoperative hemodynamics, metabolic recovery and hospital mortality in emergent coronary artery bypass grafting.

A 77-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with congestive hepatic dysfunction and combined valvular disease. In addition to aortic stenosis, mitral stenosis, and tricuspid regurgitation, multi-organ dysfunction consisting of hepatic cirrhosis, pulmonary dysfunction and renal dysfunction were found. In consideration of the patient's anxiety for surgical treatment, we performed aortic valve replacement, open mitral commissurotomy and tricuspid annuloplasty. Although the patient required hemofiltration for 2 days and an assist of catecholamines for 1 month, she improved better and was discharged at 2 months after surgery. As preoperative assessment of preliminary function of other organs is difficult in the elderly, indications for surgery and optimal surgical procedures must be investigated in each case.

A 72-year-old man underwent a three-stage operation for aneurysms of the distal aortic arch, descending thoracic aorta, and infrarenal abdominal aorta. Graft replacement of the abdominal aortic aneurysm was performed as an emergency because of suspicion of impending rupture. Operations for the aneurysms of the thoracic descending aorta and distal aortic arch were performed 2 months and 4 months later, respectively. The patient was well 16 months after discharge from the hospital. This is the first report of the successful three-stage surgical treatment of three isolated aortic aneurysms. The therapeutic principles for multifocal aortic aneurysms remain controversial. The strategy of surgical treatment for multifocal aortic aneurysms is discussed and previous literature is reviewed.

The use of mitral valvuloplasty for the repair of mitral valve prolapse in members of a family has been reported only rarely. Patient 1 was a 71-year-old man, and patient 2 the son of patient 1 was a 47-year-old man. Both patients had a grade 3/4 mitral valve regurgitation due to tendon rupture of the posterior leaflet. The procedure was quadrangular resection of the posterior leaflet with annulorrhaphy and ring annuloplasty. The results were good in both cases. Histopathological analysis of a specimen resected from the mitral valve revealed myxomatous degeneration in both cases. These case reports suggest that there is a genetic basis for mitral valve prolapse.

A 81-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of hoarseness. Chest CT scan and aortogram showed distal arch aneurysm measuring 7.5 cm in diameter. Under deep hypothermia and selective cerebral perfusion, the distal aortic arch aneurysm was completely replaced with a woven Dacron graft with three limbs for the arch vessels. After the aortic cross clamp was released, severe low output syndrome (LOS) continued because of perioperative myocardial infarction. Then, a coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) to the left anterior descending artery (LAD) was performed, after which the cardiopulmonary bypass was easily weaned under intra-aortic balloon counterpulsation (IABP) assistance. The postoperative course was uneventful. The perioperative myocardial infarction was thought to be induced by left coronary spasm, as comparison of the preoperative and postoperative coronary arteriograms showed no change.

Descending necrotizing mediastinitis (DNM) is extremely rare and one of the most lethal forms of mediastinitis, even in the era of antibiotics. We have recently treated a 65-year-old man who was diagnosed as having a fistula to the right main bronchus caused by DNM secondary to a peritonsillar abscess. Surgical treatment consisted in closing the right bronchial fistula and covering it with the latissimus dorsi muscle flap and mediastinal drainage through thoracotomy. Postoperative course was uneventful. This is the second known reported case of a successful operation for DNM with bronchial fistula.

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the lung presenting in childhood is extremely uncommon. A 7-year-old girl was referred to our hospital with complaint of persistent cough and abnormal shadow on the chest roentgenogram. Bronchoscopic biopsy revealed a bronchial mucoepidermoid carcinoma and a left pneumonectomy was performed. The histopathological examination revealed intermediate grade malignancy without any metastasis in mediastinal lymph nodes. She is now doing well without any evidence of recurrence 2 years after the operation.

A 52-year-old woman was diagnosed by echocardiography to have a fistula of the right coronary artery (RCA) and the right atrium (RA). Aortography demonstrated a remarkably dilated and undulating fistulous tract originating from the region corresponding to the orifice of the normal RCA. The fistulous tract detoured to the posterior wall of the RA, and forming 2 aneurysms there, opened to the RA. A RCA of normal size originating midway of the fistulous tract was also observed. The patient was operated on under cardio-pulmonary bypass. Aortocoronary saphenous vein graft to the RCA having normal diameter was performed, and the RCA was ligated in the proximal side of the anastomosis. The orifice of the fistulous tract from the aorta was closed with a patch and the entrances into the RA were also closed by pledgetted mattress sutures. The post operative course was uneventful and the patient is now doing well without any complaints.

We evaluated the residual false lumen of type I and IIIb dissecting aneurysm by CT, MRI and angiography postoperatively. The 19 patients with type I dissecting aneurysm were included eleven men and eight women, the average age was 55.8 +/- 10.2 years old. The 20 patients with type IIIb dissecting aneurysm were included sixteen men and four women, the average age was 56.2 +/- 8.5 years old. The rate of distal patent false lumen was 52.6% of type I and 35% of type IIIb dissecting aneurysm after graft replacement surgery. In type I dissecting aneurysm, the rate of distal patent false lumen was 40% of acute stage vs 66.7% of chronic stage, 66.7% of ascending and partial arch replacement vs 46.2% of ascending and total arch replacement, and 90% of graft inclusion technique vs 11.1% of graft exclusion technique. The distal patent false lumen was the lowest (12.5%) with type I dissecting aneurysm of ascending and total arch replacement using graft exclusion technique. In type IIIb dissecting aneurysm, the rate of patent false lumen was 66.7% of acute stage vs 29.4% of chronic stage, 30% of graft exclusion technique vs 40% of graft inclusion technique. The size of false lumen preoperatively were larger (11.1 +/- 4.5 cm2) in patients with distal patent false lumen than that (6.7 +/- 3.2 cm2) of in patients with distal occlusive false lumen.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Between March 1991 and August 1991, six consecutive patients underwent the replacement of the both ascending aorta and total aortic arch using a prosthetic graft with three branches for acute type A aortic dissection involving the aortic arch. Preoperative complications included cardiac tamponade in 5 cases, aortic regurgitation in 2, and shock state in 3. All operations were performed with the aid of extracorporeal circulation, selective cerebral perfusion, and open aortic anastomosis within 3 days after the onset. One patient died of rupture of the aortic anastomosis secondary to mediastinitis two weeks after the operation. All patients gained their own consciousness after the operation without any serious cerebral complications. The present data suggest that acute type A aortic dissection involving the aortic arch could be treated by replacing both the ascending aorta and aortic arch using a prosthetic graft with three branches with an aid of the extracorporeal circulation, selective cerebral perfusion and open distal anastomosis.

A 36-year-old women with pure unroofed coronary sinus syndrome was reported. The anomalies of the cardiovascular system were absence of the coronary sinus, coronary sinus ASD and persistent left superior vena cava (PLSVC) draining into the left atrium. In this case, the PLSVC was ligated in the pericardium and the atrial septal defect was closed with a Dacron patch. There was no cerebral complication due to the increased intracranial pressure after ligation of the PLSVC. Postoperative coronary arteriography revealed absence of the coronary sinus in the venous phase.

This report is concerned with results of surgical treatment for Marfan's syndrome combined with annulo-aortic ectasia (AAE) and mitral regurgitation (MR). Of the 23 patients with Marfan's syndrome who received Bentall's procedure during 14 year period, seven (30%) of these patients had both AAE and MR. The MR grade of seven patients by cardiac Doppler or left ventriculographic studies were grade 1 in 2, 2 in 1, 3 in 1, and 4 in 3. Atrial fibrillation was present in 4 patients. New York Heart Association Functional Class on admission in these 7 patients were II in 1, III in 4, and IV in 2. The mitral valve was replaced with mechanical valve in 4 patients by left atrial approach whose MR grade were over 3. In the 4 patients the mitral annuli were extremely dilated, both valve leaflets were massively redundant, and all chordae were elongated and turned chordae and vegetation were detected due to infective endocarditis. Only Bentall's procedure was performed in 3 patients whose MR were minimal. There were no early death, but two late deaths. One of them died of cardiac failure 2.3 years after Bentall's procedure because grade 2 MR was increased. Another one died from ventricular arrhythmia 1.6 years after MVR and Bentall's procedure. The remaining 5 patients are doing well for 3 months to 11.5 years after operation. For Marfan's syndrome combined with AAE and MR, early operation is recommended before left ventricular impairment. Mitral valve repair was not performed, both to save time and because anticoagulant therapy was need for aortic valve replacement. Concomitant MVR was to be done for moderate to severe MR.

Long term results were compared in 81 operative survivors with MVR using Hancock valve (Hancock group) and 83 using St. Jude Medical valve (SJM group). The cumulative follow-up was 709.0 patients-year (p-y) and 175.2 p-y in the Hancock and SJM groups. Twenty-four percent of the patients in the Hancock group was permanently anticoagulated, while 100% of patients in the SJM group anticoagulated. The 7-year actuarial survival rate including early mortality was 79.3 +/- 4.6% for the Hancock and 93.9 +/- 3.0% for the SJM group (p less than 0.01). The survival rate was significantly higher in the SJM group than that in the Hancock group. The 7-year actuarial event free rate of the valve-related complications in the Hancock and SJM groups were as follows; thromboembolism 88.6 +/- 3.8% vs 95.0 +/- 2.8% (NS), hemorrhage, 94.0 +/- 3.0% vs 98.7 +/- 1.8% (NS), paravalvular leak 92.6 +/- 3.2% vs 97.4 +/- 1.8% (NS), infection 93.9 +/- 3.0% vs 100% (p less than 0.05), valve malfunction 78.0 +/- 5.2% vs 100% (p less than 0.001), overall valve related complications 58.9 +/- 5.9% vs 91.1 +/- 3.5% (p less than 0.001), reoperation for valve-related complication 83.1 +/- 4.6% vs 100% (p less than 0.01). The event free rate of reoperation for valve related complication in the Hancock group was significantly lower than that in the SJM group. The Hancock valve had the acceptable antithrombogenicity, but had the limited long-term durability.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

A 56-year-old man with submucosal esophageal carcinoma combined with esophageal leiomyoma is presented. He had suffered from progressive dysphagia and vomiting. X-ray and endoscopic examination revealed severe stenosis of the lower esophagus with smooth mucosa, and CT scan demonstrated a circular and localized tumor. The histological diagnosis of esophageal leiomyoma was made by means of surgical biopsy. Resection of the lower esophagus and upper stomach was performed. But the postoperative pathological examination revealed submucosal esophageal squamous cell carcinoma combined with esophageal leiomyoma. The etiology and diagnosis in this case were discussed.