A 40-year-old man was admitted because of coronary heart disease with a totally calcified ascending aorta and Leriche's syndrome. Establishing a cardiopulmonary bypass seemed to be difficult because neither the ascending aorta nor femoral artery was suitable as a cannulation site. It was not until a prosthetic conduit for revascularization of the lower extremities was anastomosed to the right axillary artery in preparation for the conversion from off-pump to on-pump that off-pump CABG was performed. Subsequently revascularization of the lower extremities was completed. The patient had a satisfactory postoperative course. Off-pump CABG is useful for patients with a severely calcified ascending aorta and occlusive lesions below the descending aorta.

We report 3 surgical cases of aortic graft replacement with reconstruction of an aberrant subclavian artery (ASA) for Kommerell diverticulum (KD) and ASA. Cases 1 and 2 both had a right aortic arch, KD and a left ASA. In these 2 cases, we performed distal aortic arch replacement and in-situ reconstruction of the left ASA via a right thoracotomy. Case 3 had an aortic arch aneurysm, KD and a right ASA. In this patient, we chose median sternotomy and total aortic arch replacement, using 2 pieces of artificial grafts with 1 and 4 branches, respectively. The right ASA was reconstructed by end-to-side anastomosis between the right axillary artery and the side branch of the graft with 1 branch. In all 3 cases, cardiopulmonary bypass and deep hypothermia with a rectal temperature under 18°C were used in aortic graft replacement. In addition to deep hypothermia, either antegrade or retrograde cerebral perfusion was introduced, depending on the surgical situation, to provide additional brain protection. Selective ASA perfusion was performed in all patients during aortic graft replacement. In Case 1, aortic anastomosis was achieved while clamping, and cerebral perfusion was maintained via a cannula for aortic return at the ascending aorta. In Cases 2 and 3, aortic anastomosis was performed under deep hypothermic circulatory arrest, using retrograde and antegrade cerebral perfusion respectively in Cases 2 and 3. The postoperative course was uneventful in all 3 patients.

It is well known that patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) have a high incidence of coronary artery disease (CAD), and that the major cause of death in patients undergoing aneurysmectomy is acute myocardial infarction. A total of 53 patients (mean age, 71 years) underwent elective repair of AAA between January 1991 and November 1999. In an attempt to reduce early and late mortality caused by myocardial infarction, coronary angiography (CAG) was performed in all cases. Significant CAD was found in 23 patients (43%), with triple vessel disease in 1 patient (2%), double vessel disease in 5 patients (9%), single vessel disease in 16 patients (30%) and left main in 1 patient (2%). Ten patients (19%) in whom CAD was detected by CAG had no history of CAD and displayed no ischemic findings on ECG. In 4 patients (8%), AAA repair was performed 2 (mean) months after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) was performed in 8 patients (23%) 19 days (mean) prior to AAA surgery. No patient had a perioperative myocardial infarction either following coronary revascularization (CABG and PTCA) or AAA resection. Moreover, there was only one operative death after abdominal aneurysmectomy (2%), in a patient who was 70 years old with chronic hemodialysis and who died due to multiple organ failure caused by uncontrollable adhesional ileus. The results of this study emphasize the importance of preoperative routine coronary angiography following coronary artery revascularization to enhance the operative outcome of AAA repair.

We reviewed 223 cases of surgical treatment for abdominal aortic aneurysm in octogenarians in this hospital between 1981 and 2000, and investigated the characteristic features, complications, and indications of the operation. The cases were divided into two age groups. Group O included 23 cases of octogenarians, and Group Y included 200 cases of patients under 80 years old. The average age was 68.6 years old in group Y (33-79 years old), and 83 years old in group O (80-93 years old). The hospital mortality rate was 0% in elective operation cases. In emergency operation case, Group O had a hospital mortality rate of 57.1%, significantly higher than the 6.1% for group Y. The hospital mortality rate was 17% in group O and 0.5% in group Y. The rate of emergency operation case was significantly higher in group O (30.4%) compared to group Y (16.5%). As for the preoperative complications, group O had more cases of renal dysfunction, COPD and gastrointestinal complication. As for the coronary artery disease and other cardiovascular complications, there were no significant differences between the groups. In the postoperative complication, group O had more cases of ileus, pneumonia, and cardiovascular disease. These complications were fatal in group O. These results suggest that surgical treatment for abdominal aortic aneurysm was performed safely in both groups for elective operations. Because the results of emergency operations are poor, early diagnosis and treatment seem to be important for the improvement of operative results.

We report a case of successful surgical treatment for an aortic anastomotic false aneurysm associated with a graft-duodenal fistula after abdominal aortic aneurysm repair. A 63-year-old man was admitted with melena and an aortic anastomotic false aneurysm after prosthetic graft replacement 8 years previously. CT scan demonstrated an aneurysm with a maximum diameter of 70mm at the proximal anastomotis of the prosthetic graft. Gastroduodenoscopy revealed no bleeding site in the stomach or the first and second portions of the duodenum. Therefore, we performed an emergency operation under a diagnosis of an aortic anastomotic false aneurysm associated with a graft-duodenal fistula. The aneurysm was replaced with interposition of a new prosthetic graft via a thoracoabdominal approach. The fistula was repaired by covering the duodenum with the jejunum through a left pararectal laparotomy. The postoperative course was uneventful, and there was no evidence of graft infection at 14 months after the operation.

The approach for the heart and proximal aorta in a patient with a tracheostomy poses difficult problems such as mediastinitis and inadequate operative exposure. We report a case of successful surgical treatment for type A aortic dissection in a patient with tracheostomy using a Y shaped skin incision and median full-sternotomy. A 63-year-old woman with a tracheostomy was referred to our hospital because of type A thrombosed aortic dissection and cardiac tamponade. At first we treated the patient conseservatively, but follow-up CT taken on the 20th day after onset revealed that false lumen of the ascending aorta was patent and the size of ascending aorta had increased to 6cm in diameter. We therefore performed hemiarch replacement (24mm Hemashield gold graft) through a Y shaped skin incision and median full-sternotomy. The postoperative course was uneventful and she was discharged on the 19th postoperative day.

This study examined the relationship between riding posture and muscle activities during passive exercise on horseback-riding simulation equipment. The effects of passive training on the prototypes were also determined. Three prototypes with tilted seat (A110, A130, and A140) were developed with an attempt to change the angle between trunk and leg to 110, 130, and 140 degrees, respectively. Twelve female aged 42.7±2.3 years performed passive exercise on the three prototypes and isometric maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) tests. Electromyogram of nine muscles in the trunk and lower limb were recorded. On A110, back muscle showed the largest activity (22%MVC ; p<0.01 ; repeated measures ANOVA). Contrastingly on A140, abdominal muscle and knee extensor showed the largest activity (40%MVC and 26%MVC ; p<0.01). Passive training on the prototypes for 30 minutes/day, 4 times/week, 8 weeks produced enhancement of muscle strength in trunk and hip. Riding posture is an effective factor to control physical effects without increasing the velocity on horseback-riding simulation equipment.

This case report describes a 20-year-old man, who was a drug abuser, and was treated surgically for tricuspid valve endocarditis. He presented with fever, caused by tricuspid valve endocarditis with a lung abscess. Blood culture detected Staphylococcus aureus and cardiac ultrasonography showed tricuspid insufficiency and tricuspid valve vegetation. He was treated with intravenous antibacterial agents, but the inflammation signs did not improve. He had a large number of puncture scars, as a consequence of self-injection of drugs in his lower arm. He underwent tricuspid valve plasty, and recovered successfully. He was discharged 2 weeks after surgery, and we instructed him to return for follow-up examination in our hospital. However, he did not return to our hospital because he was arrested for drug possession. In such cases, it is necessary to consider the operative method relative to reuse of drugs in the postoperative management of medication.

We report a case of successful operation for multiple giant aneurysms with a right coronary artery fistula from the right coronary artery to the left atrium. A 35-years-old woman was found to have a right coronary artery aneurysm with a maximum diameter of 85mm, and two other coronary artery aneurysms with maximum diameters of 40 mm along the coronary fistula, which arose from the proximal right coronary artery, traversed the root of the left atrium, and drained into the left atrium. Surgical treatment was indicated to relieve symptoms and to prevent possible rupture of the aneurysms. She underwent resection of coronary artery aneurysms, closure of orifices of the fistula and coronary bypass grafting to the right coronary artery with cardiopulmonary bypass. Her postoperative course was uneventful, and she was discharged in good condition.

We report two cases of pseudoaneurysms occurring at the anastomotic sites that had to be repaired several times after the original Bentall and Cabrol procedure. Case 1. A 62-year-old man had surgery to repair pseudoaneurysms at the anastomotic sites of the distal ascending aorta and right coronary artery 22 years after undergoing the original Bentall procedure. The anastomosis of the left coronary artery was normal at the time of the operation ; however, he was given a diagnosis of a pseudoaneurysm at the anastomotic site of the left coronary artery 2 years after the operation. Case 2. A 61-year-old man with Marfan syndrome underwent surgery twice to repair pseudoaneurysms at the anastomotic sites of the aortic annulus and the left coronary artery 2 and 11 years, respectively, after the original Cabrol procedure. In addition, 23 years after the Cabrol procedure, he was given a diagnosis of a pseudoaneurysm at the anastomotic site of the distal ascending aorta. Their pseudoaneurysms were successfully treated by the reanastomosis of new grafts. Computed tomography detected no recurrence of the pseudoaneurysm in the follow-up period. However, continual close observation for the recurrence of a pseudoaneurysm in the remaining anastomotic sites is necessary.