Effects of multiple moxibustion on platelet aggregation, blood coagulation and fibrinolytic activity in mice have been studied. Male ddY mice (5 weeks old) were used as experimental animals. 15mg of moxa was divided into 6 cones and mice were treated by each 3 cones at right and left LV-14. The experimental schedules of multiple moxibustions were 5, 10 and 15 treatments of twice a week. The electronic aggregometer was suitable for measuring platelet aggregation using whole blood. However, no significant changes on platelet counts, platelet aggregation and ATP release induced by collagen (final concentration: 2μg/ml) and ADP (final concentration: 20μM) were found after multiple moxibustions. 15 treatments of moxibustion induced the increase in fibrinogen contents and the decrease tendency of factor XIII activity. While 10 treatments of moxibustion showed the increase in PLG content and α2 PI activity. These results suggested that multiple moxibustions induce the reasonable reaction to keep a good homeostasis on blood coagulation and fibrinolytic system in mice.

Acupuncture to Gaohuang carries a risk of causing pneumothorax because it reaches the lungs at deep portion. This study was designed to consider a safe depth for acupuncture to Gaohuang.
1) We inserted a needle to Gaohuang on both sides of a cadaver to examine the location of the needle tip and measure the distance from the body surface of the left Gaohuang to the pleura. The tip was located at the fifth intercostal region on both sides, and the distance was 44 mm with a rib thickness of 10 mm. 2) Using 104 students, we inserted a needle to the left Gaohuang until the tip reached the rib, and measured the distance between the bodysurface and rib. The minimal distance was 14 mm. 3) We inserted a needle to Gaohuang on both sides of two males and took CT-radiographs to examine the location of the needle tip and measure the distance from the body surface of Gaohuang to the pleura. In a man of standard body size, the needle reached the rib on the left and the intercostal region on the right. The thickness of the left rib was 10.9 mm, and the distance from body surface to pleura was 33.6 mm on the left and 28.4 mm on the right. In a man of thin body size, the needle reached the rib on both sides, with the rib thickness was 9.8 mm on the left and 8.8 mm on the right. The distance from body surface to pleura was 29.4 mm on the left and 31.8 mm on the right. The above results showed that needle insertion within 19 mm (the minimal value of the measured distance between the body surface and rib + the half thickness of the rib) is safe.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm and cystic kidneys are both common diseases that have been increasingly detected due to the development of medical screening instruments, such as computed tomography and ultrasonography. We occasionally intraoperatively encounter abdominal aortic aneurysms accompanying cystic renal lesions. However, there have been extremely few reports about abdominal aortic aneurysms complicated by cystic renal disease. Large renal cysts or polycystic kidneys are at risk of rupture or intraoperative hemorrhage, and can hinder the surgical treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysm. Therefore, there is a significant need for surgeons to be able to preoperatively determine the potential of an interruption of the procedure, for example, due to a cystic lesion. In this paper, we report a case of a 77-year-old man with abdominal aortic aneurysm who complained of abdominal fullness due to the presence of large cystic lesions in both kidneys. Preoperatively we aspirated 1, 550ml percutaneously from bilateral renal cysts under ultrasonographic guidance, but did not instill sclerosing agents, such as ethanol. Three days after the percutaneous aspiration, surgical treatment of the abdominal aortic aneurysm (5.2cm in diameter), the left common iliac arterial aneurysm and the right common iliac arterial aneurysm (3.0 and 2.6cm in diameter) was performed through a median abdominal incision with a retroperitoneal approach. The arterial prosthesis used was a Y-shaped woven double velour vascular graft. The postoperative course was uneventful and the patient was discharged 14 days after the vascular reconstruction procedure. Our experience suggests that percutaneous aspiration of large renal cysts that might hinder the surgical procedure for abdominal aortic aneurysm is useful.

A 52-year old woman was referred to our hospital because of abdominal pain and restlessness. A chest contrast-enhanced CT showed huge pericardial effusion and intraluminal defects in the main pulmonary artery. We could not make a diagnosis based on the cytology of the pericardial effusion and histopathology of the mass with a sample taken by a catheter. Therefore, we undertook biopsies of the mass by median sternotomy, which led to the diagnosis of pulmonary intimal sarcoma. The tumor resection was performed to release the right ventricular outflow stenosis. We tried to resect the tumor as much as possible, and reconstructed the pulmonary artery and aortic root. She was discharged to home and survived 5 months after surgery.