Isolated unilateral absence of the pulmonary artery without any intracardiac anomaly is a rare congenital cardiovascular disorder. We performed a successful anatomical repair after systemic-to-pulmonary shunt. The patient was a 1-day-old boy who was transferred to our institution because of continuous murmur. Cardiac echography revealed anomalous origin of the right pulmonary artery from the ascending aorta (AORPA). This aorto-right pulmonary arterial blood flow, however, disappeared in the following 2 days. We altered the diagnosis to right unilateral absence of pulmonary artery (UAPA) from AORPA. A right systemic-to-pulmonary shunt using a 3 mm polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) graft was placed, aiming for growth of the right pulmonary artery at the age of 8 days. Forty days after the initial surgery, he underwent a definitive procedure. The right pulmonary artery was anatomically reconstructed with an 8-mm PTFE graft. He was discharged in excellent condition on postoperative day 41. Cardiac catheterization, 1 year later, showed the surgically created right pulmonary artery was patent. A pulmonary perfusion scintigraphy showed satisfactory blood distribution in the right lung.

Giant left atrium (LA) in association with mitral valve disease is a significant risk factor for mortality and morbidity. It may cause obstruction of the bronchus, pulmonary artery, inferior vena caval orifice, or left ventricle, and has also required prolonged hospital stay. We describe our experience of left atrial reduction by means of circular LA resection concomitant with mitral valve plasty in 2 children with severe mitral regurgitation (MR) and giant LA. Case 1 was a 1-year-old boy, who had severe MR and giant LA, presenting with left bronchial obstruction. He underwent mitral valve plasty and circular LA resection. His LA volume, which was calculated using enhanced chest CT examination, was decreased by 23% postoperatively, comparing that before the operation. The cardiothoracic ratio on chest X-ray changed from 60% to 49%, and his sequential symptoms from giant LA disappeared. His postoperative course was uneventful and he was discharged on postoperative day 21. Case 2 was a 12-year-old girl with severe MR and giant LA. Her LA together with the sternum and spine compressed the right atrium and caused right heart failure. She underwent mitral valve plasty and circular LA resection. Her LA volume was decreased by preoperative 22%. Cardiothoracic ratio on chest X-ray changed from 63% to 57%. Her sequential symptoms from giant LA disappeared. Her postoperative course was uneventful and she was discharged 28 days after the operation. The circular LA resection technique reduced LA volume effectively, and the patients became free of clinical symptoms. Even in children, this procedure should be indicated in selective cases who presented clinical symptoms caused by the expanded LA.

A 56-year-old man felt something abnormal in his right upper leg and 2 weeks later, sudden severe pain occurred. He was admitted to our department, on the suspicion of peripheral artery aneurysm. Arteriography showed a right deep femoral artery aneurysm. We successfully treated him with transcatheter embolization. Selective angiography of the deep femoral artery after the embolization disclosed complete occlusion of the aneurysm. We concluded that this minimally invasive treatment by transcatheter embolization for aneurysm of the deep femoral artery may be the first treatment of choice rather than operative resection.

Continuous retrograde cerebral perfusion (CRCP) during hypothermic circulatory arrest is a useful adjunct for brain protection during aortic arch surgery. According to our experience, no correlation was observed between perfusion pressure and flow rate. Internal jugular vein valves can restrict the flow of CRCP. We performed a study of internal jugular valves, morphologically in autopsy specimens and functionally in clinical patients. Apparently good venous valves were observed in 18 out of 30 cases (60%) on the right side and in 10 out of 29 cases (34%) on the left side. Of 32 autopsy cases, all but one had venous valves at the venous angle. Angiography of the right brachiocephalic vein revealed internal jugular vein valves in only 15 of 38 patients (39%), and in 34 of the 38 patients (89%) some regurgitation of the valve was demonstrated. In 4 patients (11%), no regurgitation was observed. These results show that internal jugular vein valves can restrict the flow of CRCP in some cases and this may be one possible cause of the lack of correlation between perfusion pressure and flow rate.

We report the successful repair of impending rupture of a pseudoaneurysm of the brachiocephalic artery (BCA) in a 70-year-old man. He had undergone a mediastinal tumor resection through a median sternotomy in 1995. Pathological examination revealed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Two years later, he underwent radiation therapy of 65 Gray for metastasis to the supraclavicular lymph nodes. On January 18, 2000, plastic surgeons planned to perform a pectoralis major musculocutaneous flap to repair a radiation skin ulcer. During the operation, the BCA was lacerated, possibly in an area of radiation tissue damage. We performed a prosthetic graft (10-mm Gelseal^TM) replacement of the BCA. The right subclavian artery had to be ligated. Postoperative digital subtraction angiography (DSA) showed excellent reconstruction of the artery. Magnetic resonance angiography of the brain showed a deficit in the anterior communicating artery and stenosis of the posterior communicating artery, which indicated that the reconstruction procedure was reasonable. Seven months later, on August 18, 2000, the patient was transferred to our hospital because of swelling of the right neck and oozing from the previous cutaneous wound. CT scan and DSA demonstrated the presence of a pseudoaneurysm of the proximal anastomosis site, which required emergency surgery. Before this third sternotomy, a saphenous vein graft was interposed between both external carotid arteries. Removal of the prosthetic graft and resection of the pseudoaneurysm were performed under mild hypothermia and cardiopulmonary bypass with left common carotid arterial perfusion. Then, the wound was closed completely using a left pectoralis major musculocutaneous flap. The postoperative course was uneventful and DSA showed good patency of the graft and intracranial arteries. The patient was discharged without neurological complications. We conclude that prior reconstruction of the carotid artery is a safe and effective procedure for patients with aneurysmal changes in the BCA, especially in the case of re-operation.