A 59-year-old male suffered dyspnea and ischemia of the lower limbs due to myocardial infarction (occlusion of the right coronary artery and 99% stenosis with delay in the left anterior descending artery) and juxtarenal aortic occlusion, respectively. Juxtarenal aorto-femoral bypass operation using a Y-shaped prosthesis and coronary arterial bypass grafting using the left internal thoracic artery (LITA) and right gastroepiploic artery (RGEA) were performed simultaneously. As the left internal thoracic artery was the route of collateral blood flow to the left lower limb, aorto-femoral bypass was initially made prior to aorto-coronary bypass operation. Because of complete obstruction of the abdominal aorta and juxtarenal lumbar arteries, neither hemodynamic changes nor bleeding occurred during the reconstruction of the abdominal aortic occlusion in spite of severe coronary disease. This procedure was useful for protection of limb ischemia and shortage of extracorporeal circulation time, in addition to producing a route for insertion of an intraaortic balloon pumping catheter.

The saphenopopliteal junction (SPJ) is found at various levels and has various patterns compared with the saphenofemoral junction. Although this can cause difficulty in the surgical treatment of varicose veins and affect the outcome, there have been few reports on preoperative assessment of the small saphenous vein (SSV) regarding this point. This study was undertaken to evaluate three-dimensional CT venography with dual-route injection for the preoperative assessment of a small saphenous-type varicose vein. We examined a total of 15 legs in 15 patients with a small saphenous-type varicose vein, which were preoperatively evaluated by CT venography and then surgically treated. The patients included 4 men and 11 women with ages ranging from 50 to 80 years old (mean age, 66 years). The grading of varicose veins according to the CEAP classification was C2, C3, C4, and C5 in 3, 4, 6 and 2 legs, respectively. The CT imaging was performed with contrast medium diluted ten-fold, which was injected into the great and small saphenous veins simultaneously. CT venography clearly visualized the lower extremity veins. Whereas the popliteal vein coursed deep above the level of the femoral intercondylar groove, it followed a shallow course below the level of the knee joint. In 11 legs (74%), the SPJ was located in the shallow portion, whereas it was in the deep portion in 4 legs (26%). Among the former group, the SSV was connected to the great saphenous vein via the Giacomini vein in 2 cases, and the gastrocnemius vein was connected to the SSV before the SPJ in 3 cases. Among the latter group, a localized large venous aneurysm with thrombus before its termination was found in one case. In another case, the SSV showed branched termination in the deep portion. Our three-dimensional CT venography with dual-route injection provides more accurate information on venous anatomy in the lower extremity. The accuracy of images acquired by CT venography with dual-route injection was verified by intraoperative findings. Although Doppler ultrasound is essential for examining the presence of regurgitation in the veins and locating the course of a varicose vein in the surgical field, all 15 cases had scheduled surgery under local anesthesia based on accurate preoperative diagnosis. This study suggests that CT venography with dual-route injection is beneficial in preventing undesired complications during surgery and avoiding additional procedures for recurrent varicose veins.

We have recently seen an increasing number of patients with osteoporosis of the type that occurs as a chronic illness in the elderly, and particularly in elderly female patients. It is important not only to treat pain but to follow-up with treatments to prevent further bone mass loss. To measure bone mass in patients with osteoporosis, we employed Digital Imaging Processing (DIP). In this study, the authors examined changes in the bone mass of patients in long-term therapy with Keishi-ka-Jutsubu-to and Gosha-Jinki-Gan. As a comparative-control group, or non-treatment group, we selected 11 patients who had been diagnosed as having osteporosis in an outpatient clinic, and whose bone mass had been measured with DIP. These patients discontinued treatment, but returned to the outpatient clinic six months to one year later. The average duration of non-treatment in the control group was 9.8 months. Metacarpal index (MCI) and metacarpal bone mineral density (m-BMD) at the first visit were 0.40±0.07 and 2.22±0.38, but 10 months later they were 0.36±0.05 and 1.97±0.38, which represents a significant decrease.
In 20 cases given Keishi-ka-Jutsubu-to, the initial bone mass data were: MCI, 0.39±0.08; m-BMD, 2.07±0.32. Measurements performed after three, six, and nine months of treatment showed no difference or increase from the initial values.
In 12 cases given Gosha-Jinki-Gan, the initial data were: MCI, 0.40±0.07; m-BMD, 2.06±0.27. Measurements performed after three, six and nine months of treatment showed no difference from the initial values.
The severity of pain was equally reduced by treatment with Kampo formulation or NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) by four weeks, but after eight weeks low back pain in patients treated with the Kampo formulation was significantly reduced compared with low back pain in the group treated with NSAIDs.

A 51-year-old man was admitted with symptoms of sudden back pain and abdominal pain. Echocardiography and aortagraphy demonstrated enlargement of the aortic annulus, aortic regurgitation and Stanford type B aortic dissection. Since an entry of the aortic dissection was located at the root of the left subclavian artery, a one-stage operation consisting of aortic root replacement and total arch replacement was scheduled. The aortic root replacement using Piehler's modification was first performed followed by total arch replacement combining with the closure of the entry in the distal aortic arch was followed under selective cerebral perfusion. All procedures were complished through median sternotomy. The postoperative course was uneventful and aortography showed good reconstruction of the coronary arteries and the cervical arteries and thrombo-exclusion of the false lumen in the descending aorta. This method was useful for in this case of annulo aortic ectasia with Stanford type B aortic dissection.

Atrial fibrillation is common in adults with atrial septal defect. A right atrial separation procedure was performed for the ablation of atrial fibrillation during the concomitant repair of atrial septal defect. The operation was performed under cardiopulmonary bypass. A Y-shape incision was made in the right atrium, followed by cryoablation of the tricuspid annulus and the atrial septum. After the operation, all three patients recovered and maintained a normal sinus rhythm during follow-up periods of 12, 4, and 1 months. This is a simple and effective procedure for the elimination of chronic atrial fibrillation associated with atrial septal defects in adults.

A 34-year-old woman was referred to us because of severe aortic regurgitation and annuloaortic ectasia. She also showed a high level of CRP and stenosis of cervical arteries and aortitis syndrome was diagnosed. A translocated Bentall's procedure was performed after administration of corticosteroid. An SJM valve prosthesis was translocated from 1cm above the distal end of the graft and this composite graft was anastomosed to the aortic annulus with buttress sutures reinforced with Dacron felt. Both coronary orifices were reconstructed with small sized Dacron grafts, interposed from the coronary orifices to the composite graft. There was not any complication postoperatively. This procedure is preferable in cases with aortitis syndrome, because it decreases risk of prosthetic detachment in the aortic valve position.

A 61-year-old man was admitted with acute cardiac failure associated with atypical aortic coarctation and severe left ventricular hypertrophy. Angiography and MRI showed that all branches from the aortic arch were occluded, and that cerebral circulation was supplied via collateral flow from small aortic branches either proximal or distal to the coarctation and by the right vertebral artery receiving retrograde flow from the right internal thoracic and right thoracodorsal arteries. Cerebral CT revealed massive cerebral infarction in the perfusion area of the right mid-cerebral artery. Aortitis syndrome was diagnosed from these findings, and ascending-abdominal aortic bypass grafting with aorto-right subclavian bypass was performed after successful conservative treatment for cardiac failure. Because of remarkable increase in the aortic blood pressure on partial clamping of the ascending aorta, proximal aortic anastomosis was performed under extracorporeal circulation. Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) was used to monitor the intraoperative cerebral circulation. The perfusion flow rate was maintained in order not to reduce the regional brain oxygen saturation below the critical level. No cerebral complication was encountered postoperatively. Cases of aortitis syndrome with occlusion of all arch branches are rare. NIRS was suggested to be useful to evaluate cerebral circulation during operation in such cases in which cerebral blood flow can be severely affected.

A 53-year-old woman had dyspnea on effort since half a year previously and was categorized as NYHA II. She had suffered from chronic atrial fibrillation (AF) for three years. She had undergone aortic valve replacement using a Starr-Edwards ball valve (SEV) for aortic regurgitation and mitral commissurotomy for mitral stenosis 29 years previously. Echocardiography revealed mitral stenosis with an orifice area of 0.9cm² and neither dysfunction of the SEV nor abnormal findings on the valve itself. She underwent mitral valve replacement and left atrial maze procedure for AF. Because of the intraoperative findings of the cloth wear-covered SEV cage, redo aortic valve replacement was performed simultaneously. St. Jude Medical valves were used for valve prostheses. There was no complication and the ECG returned to sinus rhythm postoperatively. These has been no report of a patient with such a long period between SEV implantation and replacement in Japan. This experience made us realize again the importance of attention to the cloth wear covered cage during long term follow up for SEV.

Gelatin-resorcin-formalin (GRF) glue has been generally applied in the surgical treatment of acute aortic dissection. Recently, midterm or late redissection and false anastomotic aneurysm following the use of this adhesive have been reported in several articles and the toxicity of its component has been suggested to be involved in this complication. We herein report 2 cases of aortic root redissection a few years after the initial surgery for type A acute aortic dissection. In another hospital, a 57-year-old man had undergone total arch replacement for acute dissection in which the proximal end was repaired using GRF glue. The aortic root was revealed to be redissected by computed tomography (CT) 2 years after the intervention and continued to enlarge since then. This aortic complication was treated by composite graft replacement. The intraoperative findings of marked degeneration in dissected root tissue were impressive. The other patient was a 71-year-old man. He had undergone prosthetic replacement of the ascending aorta associated with aortic valve resuspension using GRF glue for acute dissection. Three years later, symptoms of cardiac failure due to aortic regurgitation (AR) occurred and necessitated surgical correction. The AR was due to the redissection of the non-coronary cusp sinus. Repair of the coronary sinus and aortic valve replacement was performed. The postoperative course was uneventful in both cases. Other papers have cautioned that this tissue adhesive should not be used in aortic valve resuspension. Intensive long-term follow-up is required for aortic dissection patients surgically treated using this glue.

A 73-year-old man underwent initial below-knee femoro-popliteal bypass (FPBK) using an autologous saphenous vein graft (SVG). Six years later, a sudden leg pain developed in his right lower extremity and an emergency angiography disclosed total occlusion of the external iliac artery as well as SVG. Because sufficient arterial perfusion was not obtained even after emergent thrombectomy, redo FPBK was performed using a synthetic graft. For the distal anastomosis, we reused a segment of the previous patent SVG that had been still open at the distal anastomotic site. After cutting down the SVG at the non-thrombosed part, which was 1cm long from the distal anastomosis, 6mm ringed expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) graft was anastomosed to the stump in an end-to-end fashion. The proximal anastomosis was completed between the ePTFE graft and common femoral artery in an end-to-side fashion. The postoperative angiography demonstrated no stenosis of the distal anastomotic site and no occlusion of previous SVG. In a patient requiring redo FPBK, if previous SVG is not completely thrombosed at the distal anastomotic site, reutilizing the graft is one of the options to complete the redo operation in a safe and simple way. Because the long term patency of this type of composite graft has not been established, further careful observation is needed.