A 22-year-old woman had been treated with a Ross operation for aortic root aneurysm and aortic regurgitation 10 years previously. In the initial Ross operation, a handmade tri-leaflet conduit was used for the right ventricle outflow tract (RVOT) reconstruction. The conduit was prepared preoperatively, by sewing a folded 0.1 mm expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) membrane onto the luminal cavity of the 24 mm woven double velour vascular graft, thereby creating a tri-leaflet valve. During ambulatory follow up after discharge, dilation of the pulmonary autograft had been observed, and its maximal diameter reached 60 mm. Furthermore, preoperative a pressure study revealed a 25 mmHg pressure gradient between the right ventricle and the pulmonary artery. At the time of reoperation, we performed an aortic root replacement combined with RVOT conduit replacement. A 24-mm woven double velour vascular graft integrating a 21-mm On-X mechanical prosthesis was used for aortic root replacement. A handmade ePTFE tri-leaflet conduit, 26 mm in size, was used to replace the previous RVOT conduit. The operation was successful, and the postoperative course was uneventful. The explanted conduit was sent for microscopic examination, which revealed that the graft was covered by a fibrocollagenous membrane. On the contrary, no surface membrane was found on the ePTFE valve. Moreover the microscopic examination showed cystic medionecrosis of the pulmonary autograft. Both dilatation of the pulmonary autograft and RVOT conduit failure were successfully treated at the second operation. However this young patient will require follow-up of the mechanical prosthesis and RVOT conduit for the rest of her life.

A 65-year-old man had received closure of the entry and false lumen Stanford type B acute aortic dissection via left thoratectomy 23 years previously. The patient underwent emergency graft replacement for a ruptured aneurysm of the thoraco-abdominal aorta 10 years previously. Enhanced computed tomography (ECT) revealed that the residual aortic dissection of the distal arch and the descending aorta were dilated. Reoperation via left thoracotomy usually requires a long cardiopulmonary bypass time and intraoperative bleeding. So we selected to perform open stent-grafting through median sternotomy alone, avoiding a left thoracotomy.

An 82-year-old woman fell into a state of shock during the treatment for a urinary tract infection. Computed tomography and transthoracic echocardiography revealed massive pericardial effusion. Pericardiectomy was performed in the operating room and hemorrhagic effusion was observed. Emergent sternotomy was performed, and the bleeding site was located at the posterior portion of the left ventricular outflow. We diagnosed a rupture of a left ventricular outflow tract pseudoaneurysm after infectious endocarditis. A pericardium patch closure of the pseudoaneurysm and an aortic valve replacement were performed. The patient was discharged 35 days after the operation without recurrence of infection. Left ventricular outflow tract pseudoaneurysms is an uncommon complication following infective endocarditis, aortic valve surgery or chest trauma. Transesophageal echocardiography and multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT) is useful for identifying such lesions.

Objective : To examine the relation between psychoactive drugs and the outcome of dysphagia in patients with psychiatric disorders. Methods : We examined 53 inpatients who were prescribed speech therapy in the psychiatry ward of our hospital from January 2011 to April 2012. We categorized the patients into a poor outcome group and a good outcome group by the necessity for alternative nutrition at discharge and analyzed the number and kind of typical antipsychotic, atypical antipsychotic, hypnotic, antidepressant and mood stabilizer, total amount of typical antipsychotic, atypical antipsychotic used at admission and at discharge, sex, psychiatric disorder, central nervous system disease, aspiration pneumonia, duration of hospitalization, psychiatric disorder disease period, speech therapy intervention period and GAF scale at admission. Results : The outcome of dysphagia had a significant relation with the number and kind of antipsychotic used, especially typical antipsychotic used at admission. The good outcome group had a higher total amount of antipsychotic use, especially atypical antipsychotics. Conclusion : Long-term practical oral intake should not comprise antipsychotic polypharmacy, especially typical antipsychotics before onset of dysphagia, but should instead consist of a monopharmacy approach with atypical antipsychotics.

BACKGROUND: Peculiar erythema known as annular erythema associated with Sjogren's syndrome (AESS) can be differentiated from autoimmune annular erythema and subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus, both clinically and histologically. However, there are no detailed investigations on immune competent cells infiltration. OBJECTIVE: Preferential infiltration of interleukin-17-producing T helper (Th17) cells and regulatory T (Treg) cells into the labial salivary gland is reported to play a role in maintaining mucoepithelitis in patients with Sjogren's syndrome. In this study, we evaluated Th17 and Treg cell infiltration into the lesional skin of AESS. METHODS: We analyzed the numbers and infiltration patterns of Th17 and FoxP3 (+) Treg cells in seven cases of AESS using immunohistochemistry. Seven patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), atopic dermatitis (AD) and psoriasis vulgaris (PV), which are representatives of Th17 cell-involved skin disorders, were enrolled as disease controls. RESULTS: Periappendageal and epidermal changes, such as follicular plugging and liquefaction, were evident in the annular erythema of SLE, not AESS, tissue samples. In AESS tissue samples, dense perivascular and periappendageal infiltration of lymph cells was observed in the middle-to-deep dermis, as previously described, in contrast to the superficial infiltration pattern observed in both AD and PV samples. While the total number of infiltrated lymphocytes was similar between AESS and SLE tissue samples, Th17 cells were found to be preferentially infiltrated in the middle-to-deep dermis in AESS samples. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that an increased number and distribution of infiltration of Th17 cells is a preferential feature of AESS, rather than a characteristic feature of annular erythema of SLE.
Dermatitis, Atopic ; Dermis ; Erythema* ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Interleukin-17* ; Lupus Erythematosus, Cutaneous ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic ; Lymphocytes ; Psoriasis ; Salivary Glands ; Sjogren's Syndrome* ; Skin ; T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer* ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory* ; Th17 Cells