Thirty two years-old man with arthralgia in both hands was given with non-steroid anti-inflammatory drug and followed. The symptoms persisted, and hematuria and signs of infection were getting apparent. The patient was referred to our hospital with increasing dyspnea. The patient presented acute heart failure, acute renal insufficiency and respiratory failure. Echocardiography revealed vegetation and regurgitation in the aortic and mitral valve. Blood culture demonstrated α-Streptococcus. CT revealed enlargement of the aortic root. The patient was diagnosed with infectious endocarditis, and referred for surgery. At surgery, the aortic valve and mitral valve were severely destroyed. Aortic root and mitral valve replacement were performed. Pathological findings demonstrated valve destruction as a result of endocarditis due to active rheumatic fever. Clumps of bacteria were not noted around the valves. This is a rare adult case with valve destruction by acute rheumatic fever.

A 20-year-old man suddenly complained of back pain and bilateral lower limb weakness. Computed tomography showed acute type B aortic dissection. The patent false lumen extended from distal arch to the left common iliac artery. The true lumen was severely compressed by the false lumen and both legs were ischemic. He underwent emergency fenestration of the abdominal aorta and stenting of the left iliac artery. Although the lower limbs ischemia was improved, he developed myonephropathic metabolic syndrome and received plasma exchange, continuous hemodialysis and endotoxin absorption therapy. Thirteen days after the operation, intestinal ischemia occurred and he underwent emergency bowel resection with creation of a stoma. Development of dissection to the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) and the malperfusion of SMA by severe compression of the true lumen were thought to cause intestinal ischemia.

A 67-year-old man was given a diagnosis of lung cancer and thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA). We first performed thoracic endovascular repair (TEVAR), and then right lower lobectomy for lung cancer. TEVAR shortened the operation time and yielded less operative damage. Therefore, TEVAR can be an effective choice for simultaneous surgery of TAA and lung cancer.

Spinal cord ischemia is a very rare and unpredictable complication in surgery of infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms. A 65-year-old man who had a history of CABG (LITA-LAD, LITA-Y composite RA-OM) underwent resection of an abdominal aortic aneurysm. Postoperatively, he developed paraplegia and hypoesthesia with associated fecal incontinence. Reduction of collateral flows of patent lumbar arteries probably caused serious ischemia of the spinal cord. A standard infra-renal abdominal aorta surgery still has the risk of postoperative paraplegia, which should be incorporated in the preoperative informed consent.

Objective: There have been few reports in English medical journals analyzing patients with difficulty moving. Herein, we conducted a retrospective survey of emergency patients admitted to our hospital with the chief complaint of difficulty moving, to clarify the clinical characteristics of the frequency, causative disease, and outcome in these patients.Patients and Methods: Between August 2017 and October 2021, we surveyed the patient database maintained by our department, covering cases in which the main complaint at the time of patient transport by ambulance to our hospital was difficulty moving.Results: In 111 cases, the patient’s primary complaint was difficulty moving or adynamia. Patients included 59 males and 52 females, with a mean age of 76.3 years old. The most frequent diagnosis in these patients was rhabdomyolysis, followed by infection, body temperature abnormalities, electrolyte disorder, blood glucose abnormality, hypoxia, and renal failure. Trauma and various other diseases, such as stroke and malignancy, were also found to be causative diseases. After discharge from the hospital, the number of patients with a dependent status was greater than those with an independent status.Conclusion: Patients with difficulty moving were primarily elderly, and had a variety of causative diseases. Therefore, multiple approaches are required to manage these patients.