Eight cases of isolated iliac artery aneurysms treated between January 1991 and December 1997 were reviewed. All patients were men and their ages ranged from 51 to 85 years (mean 69.6 years). The incidence rate relative to abdominal aortic aneurysm during the same period was 9.3%. The location of the iliac artery aneurysms was the common iliac artery in 6 patients and common and internal iliac artery in 2 patients. Rupture occurred in 3 patients (37.5%). Aneurysms ranged in size from 25mm to 55mm (mean 39.1mm) in 5 non-ruptured cases and from 50mm to 90mm (mean 71.7mm) in 3 ruptured cases (p<0.05). The operative procedures for common iliac artery aneurysms were aneurysmorrhaphy with prosthetic graft replacement in 7 patients and with common iliac-external iliac artery anastomosis in 1 patient. For internal iliac artery aneurysms, obliterative endoaneurysmorraphy was performed in 2 patients. Hartmann's operation with sigmoid colostomy was concomitantly performed in 1 case of rupture. Seven patients had good postoperative courses, however, one case of rupture that underwent Hartmann's operation died of multiple organ failure on the 13th postoperative day. Early diagnosis and elective surgery before rupture are recommended.

A 37-year-old woman had a permanent transvenous cardiac pacemaker inserted previously in the left subclavian region to treat complete atrioventricular heart block. As infection occurred in the left subclavian subcutaneous pacemaker pocket after generator replacement, the generator was removed and a new permanent transvenous cardiac pacemaker was inserted in the right subclavian region. After two months, she developed fever and productive cough, and was admitted to our hospital. Echocardiography showed vegetation on the pacemaker electrodes and the tricuspid valve. Chest-computed tomography showed scattered bilateral peripheral nodules with various degrees of cavitation. We diagnosed right-sided infective endocarditis (IE) with septic pulmonary emboli (SPE) and performed cardiac surgery. We observed vegetation on the pacemaker electrodes and the tricuspid valve. The vegetation, the electrodes, and the generator were all removed and a permanent epicardial pacemaker was inserted subcutaneously in the left subcostal region. Methicillin sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) was isolated from cultures of vegetation. Postoperative antibiotic therapy was performed and SPE was completely cured. We removed the pacemaker and the electrodes, and performed postoperative antibiotic therapy.

A 69-year-old woman, who had undergone a right nephrectomy for renal tuberculosis in her teens, was admitted with a low grade fever, anorexia and progressive dyspnea. Transthoracic echocardiography showed cardiac tamponade and chest CT revealed an enlarged ascending aorta. She was treated with pericardiocentesis. Specimens of pericardial effusion failed to demonstrate any acid-fast bacilli, but they did reveal a high level of adnosine deaminase (72 IU/l). A diagnosis of tuberculous pericarditis was considered, and antituberculous chemotherapy was started. However, he presented with severe back pain 32 days later and CT revealed type A acute aortic dissection. We therefore replaced the ascending aorta and aortic root. A histopathological examination of the ascending aorta revealed evidence of a granulomatous inflammatory reaction with Langhans giant cells. She thereafter received antituberculous chemotherapy with 4 drugs for 2 months, with continued rifampicin and isoniazid treatment. There was no evidence of any graft infection after 70 days.

We report the case of a 55-year-old woman with aortitis syndrome. She was admitted to our hospital because of repeated chest pain and syncope. An electrocardiogram and the laboratory data suggested acute myocardial infarction, and coronary angiography showed severe bilateral coronary ostial stenosis. No valvular disease was observed. Aortitis syndrome was suspected because of the stenosis of the brachiocephalic artery in addition to the bilateral coronary ostial stenosis, while the patient did not have elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). Coronary artery bypass grafting was performed, and the patient's postoperative course was uneventful. However, she again experienced chest pain 9 months after surgery due to aortic regurgitation (AR) and diffuse narrowing change of the left internal thoracic artery graft. Aortic valve replacement and Re-CABG was performed, and the patient was treated with steroid therapy postoperatively. The postoperative course was uneventful, but the patient thereafter died due to bleeding of a malignant adrenal tumor at 21 months after the second surgery.

In order to reduce the blood transfusion volume in open heart surgery, the new blood autotransfusion technique using cardiotomy reservoir unit BCR 3538, which was configured to serve also as a receptacle for postoperative mediastrinal drainage, was introduced. To investigate the utility and the problem in this system, every clotting factor, platelets' function and the extent of the hemolysis were measured serially both in patients' arterial blood and the shed mediastinal blood. The bank blood transfusion was significantly reduced to 250ml±330ml by this system compared to the 1080ml±820ml in the cases of usual system (p<0.01). Every clotting factor recovered well in patients' arterial blood after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). In the reservoir blood, the clotting factor IX, XI, XII were extremely suppressed at 1h CPB, and 3h after the CPB, every clotting factor except fibrinogen (42±28mg/dl) showed the quite higher activity, such as factor VIII 400%, IX 365%, XI 72%, XII 267%. Namely, the anticoagulability of the reservoir blood was maintained due to the effect of the residual heparin at 1h after the CPB, and due to the contact defibrinogation of the shed mediastinal blood at 3h after CPB. The free hemoglobin level was extremely high on the reservoir blood at 3h after CPB. In 6 cases, the autologous blood retransfusion was abandoned by clott formation in the unit because of the contamination of the intraoperatively used fibrin glue. From this study, the autologous blood transfusion using cardiotomy reservoir BCR 3538 was useful not only for saving the transfusion of the bank blood but also the hemostasis after CPB. But to reduce the hemolysis in this system, and to establish the safety against the other clotting material such as fibrin glue were the problems which should be resolved in future. I appreciate the kind support of Alexander von Humboldt Foundation for this study.

A 49-year-old woman with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) underwent grafting for abdominal aortic aneurysm. She had been receiving steroid therapy for 23 years. The abdominal aneurysm was a saccular type, 7cm in width. It had thick mural thrombi with focal calcification, however, no inflammatory findings were recognized around it. Replacement with 16mm Dacron tube graft was performed. The postoperative course was uneventful. Pathological examination showed only atherosclerotic change with no specific inflammation in the aneurysmal wall. It is rare that SLE patients have aortic aneurysm. However, SLE patients should be carefully followed because of their premature atherosclerotis.

The UBE woven 150cc WYK graft is a non-sealed graft that became available commercially in January 2005, and does not need to be preclotted before implantation. Subjects in this study comprised 50 patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms or common iliac arterial aneurysms, who received prosthetic Y grafts in our institution. Subjects were divided into 2 groups: the U group (n=26), with implantation of the UBE graft, and the I group (n=24) who received implantation of an INTERGARD^TM woven Y graft. Intraoperative bleeding, inflammatory response and duration of postoperative hospitalization were evaluated in each group. Significant differences were noted between C-reactive protein levels, frequency of recurrence of fever and duration of postoperative hospitalization. No differences were noted between intraoperative bleeding and time. The UBE woven 150cc WYK graft, compared with the INTERGARD^TM woven Y graft, required no extra time for implantation and appeared to offer advantages such reduced immunoreaction after surgery. However, follow-up for sufficient late-phase evaluation of the grafts is required.

This time the statistics for injuries and disorders due to sports in the five-year period up to 1985 were taken, evaluated and compared with those of the last five-year period. The following results were obtained :
1. There were 1, 300 cases of injuries and disorders due to sports in the five-year period up to 1985, which was 4.4% of the total number of outpatients in the department of orthopaedics.
2. Sex : There were more male patients, but the rate of female patients has been increasing lately.
3. Age : Patients in their teens or twenties accounted for about 70%.
4. Body Side : There was no significant difference between incidence of injury on the right side of body or the left, but cases of injuries on both sides have been increasing recently.
5. Kind of Sport : The largest number of trauma were due to skiing, although the number of trauma resulting from playing tennis has been high in the past five-years of investigation.
6. Time of Injury ; Most patients were injured during practice, followed by recreation and game.
7. Position of Truma : Most cases were injuries to their knee joints from skiing.

We investigated the muscle energetics using ³¹P nuclear magnetic resonance (³¹P NMR) spectroscopy, muscle cross-sectional area by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), isokinetic strength, maximal anaerobic power and 40-sec maximal cycling test (40 seconds power) in All Japan soccer players (JPN: n=6), Olympic and Youth representatives (OL: n=6), and Japan Soccer League players (JSL: n=5) . There was no significant difference in muscle energy metabolism measured by ³¹P NMR between the JPN and the OL or JSL players at rest, during exercise, or in the recovery period. The total muscle cross-sectional area was significantly larger in the JPN players than in the OL players at the upper (70%) and the middle (50%) parts of the thigh (p<0.05) and than in the JSL players in the upper (p<0.01), middle (p< 0.05), and lower (30%) parts (p<0.01) . The isokinetic strength in left leg extension at 180 deg/sec was significantly greater in the JPN players than in the OL players (p<0.05) . Muscle strength was also greater in extension of both legs at 450 deg/sec (left p<0.05, right p<0.01) in the JPN players than in the JSL players. The maximum anaerobic power was significantly greater in the JPN players than in the OL players (p<0.05) and the JSL players (p<0.05), and the anaerobic power per kilogram of body weight was significantly higher in the JPN players than in the JSL players (p<0.01) . There was no significant difference in the 40 seconds power among the three groups. These results suggest that the JPN players have greater muscle power than the OL or JSL players because of the differences in the muscle mass.

This time the statistics for injuries and disorders due to sports in the five-year period up to 1985 were taken, evaluated and compared with those of the last five-year period. The following results were obtained :
1. There were 1, 300 cases of injuries and disorders due to sports in the five-year period up to 1985, which was 4.4% of the total number of outpatients in the department of orthopaedics.
2. Sex : There were more male patients, but the rate of female patients has been increasing lately.
3. Age : Patients in their teens or twenties accounted for about 70%.
4. Body Side : There was no significant difference between incidence of injury on the right side of body or the left, but cases of injuries on both sides have been increasing recently.
5. Kind of Sport : The largest number of trauma were due to skiing, although the number of trauma resulting from playing tennis has been high in the past five-years of investigation.
6. Time of Injury ; Most patients were injured during practice, followed by recreation and game.
7. Position of Truma : Most cases were injuries to their knee joints from skiing.