We set out to assess our treatment strategy of acute aortic dissection associated with atherosclerotic aortic aneurysm, and to assess its results. A total of 228 patients with acute aortic dissection were admitted to our hospital between 1994 and 2009. Among these, 30 cases were associated with atherosclerotic aortic aneurysm and we retrospectively analyzed their patient data. Of these, 5 patients received diagnoses of Stanford A dissection and 25 patients demonstrated Stanford B. Coexisting aneurysms consisted of postabdominal aortic replacement in 9 patients, ascending aortic aneurysm in 1, arch aortic aneurysm in 6, descending aortic aneurysm in 2, thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm in 3, and abdominal aortic aneurysm in 9. Patients were divided into 3 groups based on the relationship between aneurysm and dissection : acute aortic dissection occurred after graft replacement of an aortic aneurysm (Group 1, n=9), dissection coexisted with aneurysm in a different segment of the aorta (Group 2, n=8), and dissection extended to or involved the aneurysm (Group 3, n=13). Our treatment strategy for all patients excluding those with aortic rupture or malperfusion is described below. In the cases of Stanford A dissection, emergency ascending aortic replacement or total arch replacement was performed. In cases of Stanford B, patients were treated conservatively in the acute phase. Surgery for the coexisting aortic aneurysm was then performed in the chronic phase, if the aneurysm was large. We think that the interval between dissection onset and aneurysm surgery should be extended to at least 1 month, because the aortic wall was too fragile to perform anastomosis in the acute phase in the present cases. As a result, there were 2 hospital deaths in Group 3, but there was no aortic rupture during treatment in the acute phase in any of these 3 groups. There were no vascular-related deaths during follow up. Our treatment strategy obtained favorable outcomes.

ImmunoglobulinG4 (IgG4)-related sclerosing disease can occur in various organs, rarely in cardiovascular lesions. We report a case of IgG4-related cardiac tumor which was concomitant with aortic dissection. A 72-year-old woman visited our hospital with chief complaints of difficulty swallowing and weight loss. A tumor was found in the pericardium adjacent to the left ventricle on echocardiography, and a dissecting aneurysm of the ascending aorta with a maximum of 60 mm in the short diameter was noted on contrast CT. There had been no episodes related to the onset of aortic dissection such as chest pain, and chronic dissection was also identified on diagnostic imaging. A tumor biopsy was performed via a left lateral thoracotomy for tumor tissue diagnosis. Histopathologically, the tumor showed no malignant findings and we identified infiltration of IgG4-positive plasmacytes. The IgG4 level in blood exceeded the reference level, but no findings of IgG4-related disease were observed in other organs. Coronary artery CT showed the left circumflex branch of the coronary artery to run over the tumor. It was thus judged to be difficult to surgically resect the tumor. Oral steroid administration was started to reduce the size of the tumor. However, due to an enlarging trend of the aortic aneurysm involving the ascending aorta on CT at 1 month, the patient underwent ascending aorta replacement. Although infiltration of IgG4-positive plasmacytes was found in the outer lining of the resected arterial wall, the association between IgG4 and the onset of aortic dissection was unclear.

Isolated left-side inferior vena cava is rare, there being only four cases associated with abdominal aortic aneurysm reported so far in the Japanese literature. A 72-year-old man was admitted to our hospital for the evaluation of an abdominal pulsatile mass. CT scan revealed abdominal aortic aneurysm with isolated left-sided inferior vena cava. Aneurysmectomy and bifurcated graft replacement was performed with retracting inferior vena cava. The postoperative course was uneventful.

A case of 38-year-old woman with corrected transposition of great arteries is reported. She was admitted for acute cardiac failure caused by not only the left-side atrioventricular regurgitation for the ruptured chordae tendineae, but also the right-side one. We have to perform double valve replacement emergently due to the progression of biventricular failure. Very few reports have described a surgical repair of the right-sided valve replacement. The postoperative course was favorable.

A 72 year-old man underwent coronary angiography (CAG) with a diagnosis of unstable angina pectoris, and 90% stenosis of the LMT was found. Since idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (IIP) had been diagnosed previously, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) was performed. However, his unstable angina recurred after about 2 months restenosis of the LMT to 90% was shown by CAG, and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) was performed. In the preoperative chest X-ray, diffuse granular opacities were seen in both lower lungfields, and Velcro rales were heard by ausculation. A spirogram could not be obtained because of his unstable angina, but the PaO₂ was a reasonable 70mmHg when breathing room air. In consideration of the age of the patient, a double coronary artery bypass grafting using a saphenous vein graft (SVG) was performed to minimize duration of anesthesia. His PaO₂ showed a transient decrease after the end of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), but the perioperative hemodynamics and respiratory status were stable and extubation was performed on the 1st postoperative day. No aggravation of his IIP occurred postoperatively and he was discharged on the 29th postoperative day.

A total of 961 patients underwent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) between 1982 and 1991, and we investigated perioperative cerebral infarction. The average age of operation in these case was 65±4 years. There was 9 patients with hypertension, 7 with diabetes mellitus and 5 with hyperlipidemia. Concerning cerebral infarction, there were 3 patients with multiple infarction, 6 with infarction of the mid cerebral artery area, 1 with infarction of posterior cerebral artery area, 1 with infarction of posterior cerebral artery area, 1 with infarction of pons and 1 with infarction of the ophthalmic artery. The courses of infarction involved atherosclerosis, hypoperfusion during cardiopulmonary bypass, thrombosis due to arterial fibrillation and thrombus on the left ventricular wall. Three patients who had critical cerebral infarction died after CABG. We consider that avoid perioperative cerebral infarction preoperative atherosclerosis, thrombus and to choose the proper procedure of the operation.

Coronary artery bypass grafting using hypothermic circulatory arrest and ventricular fibrillation without aortic cross clamping in 6 patients with severely calcified aortas is described. The use of hypothermic circulatory arrest or ventricular fibrillation has not been established in coronary artery bypass grafting. We recently used aortic no-touch technique in 6 patients. All patients were supported and cooled with cardiopulmonary bypass, and circulatory arrest was performed in 3 patients. With the exception of one hemodialysis patient, 5 patients survived without neurological deficit. We think the aortic no-touch technique is safe and reliable in coronary artery bypass grafting with severe calcified aortas.

The effectiveness of recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) was evaluated in elderly patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting. A total of 133 patients were divided into three groups: those who were 70 years of age or older and received rHuEPO (group I; n=32), those who were also 70 years of age or older but did not receive rHuEPO (group II; n=35), and those who were 60 years or younger and received rHuEPO (group III; n=66). In 87.5% of group I, 42.9% of group II, and 98.5% of group III, homologous blood transfusion could be avoided. The percentage of patients without homologous blood transfusion was significantly higher in group I than in group II (p<0.001). The rate of homologous blood transfusion was significantly higher in group I than in group III (p<0.05), but rHuEPO had equal effects in terms of increase in hemoglobin level in the two groups. Furthermore, in patients without anemia, the rate of homologous blood transfusion was almost the same in the two groups. In conclusion, the administration of rHuEPO enables even elderly patients to undergo coronary artery bypass grafting without homologous blood transfusion.

An investigation on the efficacy of preoperative autologous blood donation in open-heart surgery was made using frozen red blood cells and MAP red blood cells in cooperation with the Red Cross Blood Center. In 109 cases which received the donation, the rate of cases which received no homologous blood transfusion was 93.6% (35.3% in the cases without donation). Even in the cases of redo operation or aortic surgery, in which extensive blood loss is expected, 75% of those given a donation of 1600-2000ml frozen blood required no homologous blood transfusion. The hemoglobin concentration in the cases which received blood donation for more than 4 weeks did not decrease, indicating that safe donation is feasible. The aforementioned frozen and MAP blood preparations can be preserved for a long period so that blood donation can be started even before deciding on the date of operation. Also, its usefulness is not affected by the postponement of the operation. Furthermore, there was no problem in safety with respect to transfer, treatment, and storage of the autologous blood in cooperation with the Red Cross Blood Center, suggesting that this is useful as a preoperative donation method, especially in small- and middle-scale hospitals, which have no separate blood centers. However, there were 2 cases in which aggravated symptoms were noted after blood collection. Therefore, it is important to carefully select cases for autologous blood donation in open-heart surgery and it is desirable to set up appropriate donation schedules.

A 25-year-old man was admitted with high fever and heart murmur. Echocardiogram showed left ventricular chamber dilatation and vegetations attached to the aortic valve. Blood cultures obtained on admission revealed Streptococcus viridans. Despite adequate antibiotic therapy, congestive heart failure progressively worsened and large splenic abscesses were detected by computed tomography. Urgent aortic valve replacement and splenectomy were performed. The aortic valve was bicuspid and markedly destroyed. Pathology of the spleen showed findings consistent with large infarct and abscesses due to septic emboli. The postoperative course was uneventful.