Total replacement of the aortic root in patients with anomalous origin of the coronary arteries has not been reported. We report a 63-year-old male with anomalous origin of the right coronary artery from the left sinus of Valsalva in whom aortic root replacement was performed to correct a 60mm aortic root aneurysm and a grade 4/4 aortic regurgitation. In this operation with a composite graft (a 24mm Gelseal graft with a 23mm St. Jude Medical prosthesis), modified reconstruction of the coronary arteries was necessary not only because both coronary ostia were in close proximity but also because the proximal portion of the right coronary artery was intramural. We used a modification of Piehler's technique in which both coronary ostia were simultaneously anastomosed to a beveled 10mm Gelseal graft. In this anastomosis, a small piece of the autologous pericardium was interposed between the graft and the aortic wall surrounding the ostium of the right coronary artery to protect the intramural artery from injury. This modification in reconstructing the coronary arteries was technically easy and effective in the special setting of the anomalous origin of the coronary arteries.

In coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), a portable suction unit was used in the superior mediastinum to evaluate whether it is effective in decreasing the amount of mediastinal hematoma and the incidence of hematoma-related postoperative complications. Out of 179 consecutive patients who underwent CABG at the Matsuyama Red Cross Hospital, in 97 patients (Group 1), two drainage tubes were placed as usual in the inferior mediastinum, while in 82 patients (Group 2), a small drainage tube of the portable suction unit was additionally placed in the superior mediastinum. The total amount of postoperative drainage in Group 2 was larger than that in Group 1 but there was no statistically significant difference. The postoperative mediastinothoracic ratio expressed in comparison with the preoperative value was 134±22% in Group 1 and 123±15% in Group 2 on the first postoperative day (POD), and 133±20% and 122±14%, respectively on the seventh POD (p<0.001). Regarding postoperative complications, there were two cases of mediastinitis and five cases of late cardiac tamponade in Group 1 but none in Group 2. The difference in the incidence of these complications between the two groups was statistically significant (p<0.02). We conclude that the portable suction unit effectively decreased the amount of mediastinal hematomas and the incidence of mediastinitis and cardiac tamponade following CABG.

Objective: Human papillomavirus subtypes are predictive indicators of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) progression. While colposcopy is also an essential part of cervical cancer prevention, its accuracy and reproducibility are limited because of subjective evaluation. This study aimed to develop an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm that can accurately detect the optimal lesion associated with prognosis using colposcopic images of CIN2 patients by utilizing objective AI diagnosis. Methods: We identified colposcopic findings associated with the prognosis of patients with CIN2. We developed a convolutional neural network that can automatically detect the rate of high-grade lesions in the uterovaginal area in 12 segments. We finally evaluated the detection accuracy of our AI algorithm compared with the scores by multiple gynecologic oncologists. Results: High-grade lesion occupancy in the uterovaginal area detected by senior colposcopists was significantly correlated with the prognosis of patients with CIN2. The detection rate for high-grade lesions in 12 segments of the uterovaginal area by the AI system was 62.1% for recall, and the overall correct response rate was 89.7%. Moreover, the percentage of high-grade lesions detected by the AI system was significantly correlated with the rate detected by multiple gynecologic senior oncologists (r=0.61). Conclusion Our novel AI algorithm can accurately determine high-grade lesions associated with prognosis on colposcopic images, and these results provide an insight into the additional utility of colposcopy for the management of patients with CIN2.