Systemic lupus erythematosus is an autoimmune disease associated with mild valvular regurgitation. However, there have been no detailed reports of infective endocarditis in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Here, we describe a case of a 55-year-old woman without any cardiac abnormalities who was diagnosed with lupus nephritis by renal biopsy; she contracted infective endocarditis while receiving immunosuppressive therapy. Our case emphasizes that special consideration of the occurrence of infective endocarditis, and its early diagnosis and treatment are mandatory for patient survival. We propose that echocardiography should be performed before treating patients with systemic lupus erythematosus who have an uncertain cardiac status.

We reviewed twenty patients with mechanical prosthetic heart valves who underwent noncardiac operations which were performed in the presence of continual anticoagulant therapy. Prosthetic valves used were the SJM valve in nineteen patients and the Björk-Shiley valve in one. Twenty dental extractions in ten patients were performed with no reduction of warfarin, or the mean thrombotest value of 16%. Seven nonlaparotomy operations (polypectomy of the vocal cord in one patient, total hip joint replacement in one, insertion of a CAPD tube in one, pacemaker implantation in one, cataract operation in two and repair of tibial fracture in one) and three laparotomy operations (partial gastrectomy in two and hysterectomy in one) were performed under the thrombotest value of around 40% with partial reduction of warfarin. There was no difficulty in hemostasis during these operations. The only hemorrhagic complication in this series was bleeding from the abdominal wound in one patient two days after the gastrectomy when subcutaneous injections of heparin prolonged the ACT over 200sec. There were no thromboembolic complications. We conclude that dental extractions in patients with prosthetic heart valves can be safely performed with no reduction of warfarin and that the coagulability of thrombotest value of 40% is sufficient for hemostasis even in laparotomy operations.

Objective To investigate the characteristics and prognosis of acute and chronic pancreatic pseudocysts and to identify the predictive factors of interventional treatment of pancreatic pseudocysts. Methods From January 1995 to December 2004, 36 patients with pancreatic pseudocysts at Nippon Medical School were studied retrospectively. Group 1 included 9 patients with acute pancreatitis associated pseudocysts which resolved spontaneously. Group 2 included 9 patients with acute pancreatitis associated pseudocysts and symptoms persisted or with complications which requiring interventional treatment. Group 3 included 9 patients with chronic pancreatitis associated pseudocysts which resolved spontaneously. Group 4 included 9 patients with chronic pancreatitis associated pseudocysts with symptoms persisted or with complications which requiring interventional treatment. Results Among the 36 patients, there were 13 women and 23 men. The etiology of pancreatitis due to alcohol was 18(50.0%) cases, biliary tract disease 8(22.2%)cases, others 10(27.8%) cases. The average duration of follow up was (24. 2 ± 18.5) months. The majority of pseudocysts (32/36, 88.9%) were not communicated with the main pancreatic duct;the number and location of the 4 groups of pseudocysts were not significantly different;the biggest diameter of pancreatic pseudocysts in group 3 was the smallest, all below 4 cm, which was significantly less than those in other 3 groups (P < 0.05) ;the majority of volume of pancreatic pseudocysts in group 1 and 3 was not increased, while it was increased in group 2 and 4.

A 54-year-old man developed cardiogenic shock after acute myocardial infarction. Urgent coronary angiogram revealed complete occlusion at proximal portion of the right coronary artery and severe stenosis at just proximal site of the left anterior descending branch. Following thrombolytic therapy was not successful and he was sent to the operating room for coronary artery bypass surgery under external cardiac massage after 6hr from the onset. Three aorto-coronary bypasses were made to left anterior descending branch, first diagonal branch and right coronary artery using saphenous vein grafts by aortic cross-clamping of 67min. He fell into severe low cardiac output syndrome and could not be weaned from the cardiopulmonary bypass even by catecholamine infusions and IABP support. Veno-arterial bypass consisted of centrifugal pump and membranous artificial oxygenator was instituted. Venous blood was drained from the right atrium using percutaneous cannula via the right femoral vein and oxygenated blood was returned to the right subclavian artery. Hemodynamics recovered dramatically and after 71hr of this assisted circulation he was weaned from veno-arterial bypass. Activated coagulation time was maintained within 180-200sec. During this period, the centrifugal pump and oxygenator was not necessary to change and no clot was seen in the bypass system. He discharged from our hospital after 2 mo, postoperatively and now he is doing well as NYHA class-II 8 mo. postoperatively.

A 76-year-old woman with Stanford type A acute aortic dissection underwent replacement of the ascending aorta with the use of gelatin-resorcin-formalin glue. The patient suffered sudden cardiogenic shock at home 15 months after surgery and was admitted to the Emergency Center of our hospital. A series of examinations revealed an aortic-root pseudoaneurysm associated with anastomotic disruption. Cardiogenic shock caused by obstruction of the ascending aortic graft due to anastomotic disruption was diagnosed. An intraaortic balloon pump (IABP) was inserted, and the patient's circulatory status improved. On the following day, reanastomosis of the aortic root graft was performed. On day 32 after surgery, the patient was discharged from the hospital in good condition. IABP can stabilize circulatory status and improve cardiogenic shock in the short term in patients with an aortic-root pseudoaneurysm caused by narrowing of the graft lumen, as in the present patient. IABP may thus be a useful ancillary measure before radical operation.

STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective study. PURPOSE: The aims of this study were to investigate the diagnostic value of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) in PET/computed tomography (CT) in the evaluation of spinal metastatic lesions. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: Recent studies described limitations regarding how many lesions with abnormal 18F-FDG PET findings in the bone show corresponding morphologic abnormalities. METHODS: The subjects for this retrospective study were 227 patients with primary malignant tumors, who were suspected of having spinal metastases. They underwent combined whole-body 18F-FDG PET/CT scanning for evaluation of known neoplasms in the whole spine. 99mTc-methylene diphosphonate bone scan was performed within 2 weeks following PET/CT examinations. The final diagnosis of spinal metastasis was established by histopathological examination regarding bone biopsy or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings, and follow-up MRI, CT and 18F-FDG PET for extensively wide lesions with subsequent progression. RESULTS: From a total of 504 spinal lesions in 227 patients, 224 lesions showed discordant image findings. For 122 metastatic lesions with confirmed diagnosis, the sensitivity/specificity of bone scan and FDG PET were 84%/21% and 89%/76%, respectively. In 102 true-positive metastatic lesions, the bone scan depicted predominantly osteosclerotic changes in 36% and osteolytic changes in 19%. In 109 true-positive lesions of FDG PET, osteolytic changes were depicted predominantly in 38% while osteosclerotic changes were portrayed in 15%. CONCLUSIONS: 18F-FDG PET in PET/CT could be used as a substitute for bone scan in the evaluation of spinal metastasis, especially for patients with spinal osteolytic lesions on CT.
Biopsy ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Positron-Emission Tomography and Computed Tomography ; Retrospective Studies ; Spine ; Technetium Tc 99m Medronate

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of spinal correction on respiratory muscle strength in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: Several studies have reported that scoliosis correction in patients with DMD does not improve pulmonary function. In these studies, pulmonary function was evaluated using the traditional spirometric values of percent vital capacity (%VC) and percent forced vital capacity (%FVC). However, traditional spirometry may not be suitable for patients with DMD because the results can be influenced by patient fatigue or level of understanding. Therefore, we evaluated respiratory function focusing on respiratory muscle strength using maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP), maximal expiratory pressure (MEP), and sniff nasal inspiratory pressure (SNIP), in addition to %VC and %FVC. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 16 patients with DMD who underwent spinal correction surgery between 2006 and 2011 at Kitasato University Hospital. All patients were males, and the mean age was 13.5 years. Respiratory muscle strength was evaluated using MIP, MEP, and SNIP. Measurements were obtained preoperatively and at 1 and 6 months postoperatively, and %VC and %FVC were obtained preoperatively and within 6 months postoperatively. RESULTS: The mean preoperative and postoperative %VC values were 54.0% and 51.7%, whereas the mean %FVC values were 53.9% and 53.2%, respectively. The mean MIP, MEP, and SNIP values obtained preoperatively and at 1 and 6 months postoperatively were as follows: MIP, 40.5, 42.7 and 47.2 cm H₂O; MEP, 26.0, 28.0, and 29.0 cm H₂O; and SNIP, 33.4, 33.0, and 33.0 cm H₂O; respectively. The mean MIP and MEP values significantly improved postoperatively. There were no significant differences in SNIP, %VC, or %FVC preand postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: By focusing on respiratory muscle strength, our results suggest that scoliosis correction in patients with DMD might have a favorable effect on respiratory function.
Cohort Studies ; Fatigue ; Humans ; Male ; Muscular Dystrophy, Duchenne* ; Respiratory Muscles* ; Retrospective Studies ; Scoliosis* ; Spirometry ; Vital Capacity

A 70-year-old woman who was bedridden because of right hemiplegia attributable to a history of cerebral hemorrhage underwent surgical thrombectomy for pulmonary embolism four years previously. Symptoms of heart failure appeared one year previously, and she was diagnosed with constrictive pericarditis and had been treated with medication by a previous doctor. In the current situation, she visited the previous doctor with the chief complaint of fever, and pericardial effusion was observed on echocardiography. Cardiac tamponade was suspected and she was transferred to our hospital. She was then diagnosed with purulent pericarditis because purulent fluid was observed during pericardiocentesis drainage. Bacteroides fragilis was isolated from the culture of the abscess. The abscess was resistant to conservative antibiotic therapy ; therefore, we performed a pericardiotomy with a left small thoracotomy. The pleural effusion was found to be negative for culture and the patient exhibited a good postoperative course. Purulent pericarditis is refractory with poor prognosis. An appropriate surgical procedure must be chosen considering the patient's activities of daily living. Here, we report a surgical case wherein we chose the left thoracotomy approach and achieved positive results.

The first case was a 67-year-old woman. She had been given a diagnosis of fulminant myocarditis and received a biventricular assist device as a bridge to recovery. A Nipro ventricular assist device (VAD) was implanted into her left heart. She was also found to have moderate aortic insufficiency before the operation, so she received aortic valve replacement (AVR) with a bioprosthetic valve (CEP Magna Ease 21 mm) at the same time. Her cardiac function recovered gradually. Therefore, a weaning operation was scheduled for three months after the VAD implantation. However, her left ventricle motion was very poor when she was taken off of the extracorporeal circulation after removing the VAD, and transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) revealed severe bioprosthetic valve stenosis. When her heart was stopped again and the bioprosthetic valve was observed, the leaflets of the bioprosthetic valve were fused. Commissural fusion of bioprosthetic valve was able to be released using forceps, and the punnus extending under the leaflet was removed. In this way, the function of the bioprosthetic valve was restored. Her cardiac motion became good, and removal from extracorporeal circulation was easily achieved. She left the hospital 100 days after weaning from the VAD. The second case was a 68-year-old woman. She also had fulminant myocarditis. She underwent biventricular assist device implantation and AVR (CEP Magna Ease 19 mm). Her cardiac function recovered, and a weaning operation was scheduled on the 73rd-postoperative day. Preoperative TEE before the weaning of VAD showed severe bioprosthetic valve stenosis. The commissural fusion of the bioprosthetic valve was released and the punnus extending under the leaflet removed at the same time as the VAD was removed. Re-valve replacement was not required. We should therefore consider the possibility of bioprosthetic valve stenosis when VAD implantation and AVR with a bioprosthetic valve are performed at the same time in patients with an extremely reduced cardiac function.