Gelatin-sealed branched knitted Dacron grafts (Gelseal^®, Vascutek, UK) were implanted in nine patients for surgical reconstruction of the toal aortic arch. Subjects included Stanford A type acute aortic dessection in five, distal aortic arch aneurysm in three, and aneurysm of the ascending aorta and aortic arch associated with aortic valve stenosis in one patient. There was no hospital death and a good postoperative course was obtained. This graft was soft, pliable and very useful for replacement of the aortic arch especially in emergency cases. However, intensive follow-up is necessary because it dilated about 20% in diameter one month after surgery.

A rare case of descending thoracic aortic coarctation caused by fibromuscular dysplasia is reported. A 74-year-old woman was referred to our institution because of congestive heart failure, hypertension, acute renal failure and pressure gradient between upper and lower extremities. Aortography revealed 90% stenosis of the descending mid-thoracic aorta. Descending-descending aortic bypass was performed under femoro-femoral partial cardiopulmonary bypass. The post-operative course was uneventful and the pressure gradient across the coarctation was disappeared. The patient discharged on the 28th postoperative day without any problems. The pathohistological findings revealed fibromuscular dysplasia in the media and intima of the aortic wall.

We performed redo total arch replacement for recurring aortic arch diseases in 2 patients. Case 1: A 76-year-old man with 3 prior surgical interventions for aortic arch diseases was referred to our hospital for the treatment of a ruptured aortic arch pseudoaneurysm. On admission, he frequently coughed up bloody sputum. Emergency total arch replacement was performed in this patient. Case 2: A 77-year-old man who had undergone total arch replacement 9 years previously recently experienced hoarseness. A CT-scan revealed distal aortic arch aneurysm, for which we decided to perform a redo total arch replacement. Surgical strategy was similar for both patients. Cardiopulmonary bypass was established and cooling was started before resternotomy. Redo total arch replacement assisted by antegrade selective cerebral perfusion was performed using 4-branched arch grafts. Although both patients were weaned from mechanical ventilator support, the first patient died of aspiration pneumonia on the 150th postoperative day, while the second one is currently undergoing rehabilitation at our hospital. Hospital mortality is high among patients undergoing redo thoracic aortic replacement requiring resternotomy. In these patients, it is important to pursue an appropriate operative procedure and to minimize pulmonary complications.

We report a successful case of graft replacement for ascending and aortic arch aneurysm which developed 5 years after CABG. A 75-year-old woman, who underwent emergency CABG (LITA-LAD, SVG-RCA) 5 years previously, was admitted to our hospital due to an abnormal shadow on chest roentogenogram. Aortogram and coronary angiogram revealed ascending and aortic arch aneurysm and patent LITA and SVG. Graft replacement of the ascending and total aortic arch was carried out using four branched grafts (Gelweave 26/10/8/8^*8). Cardiopulmonary bypass was established with right axillary arterial perfusion and bicaval cannulation. Cardiac arrest was obtained with cold blood cardioplegia using both retrograde and antegrade techniques. Selective cerebral perfusion was used for brain protection. The patient was discharged without any complication on the 27th postoperative day.

STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective comparative study. PURPOSE: To compare perioperative medical complications after posterior approach spinal instrumentation surgery for osteoporotic vertebral collapse (OVC) between patients with primary osteoporosis and those with secondary osteoporosis. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: With increased aging of society, the demand for instrumentation surgery for an osteoporotic spine has been increasing. However, no studies have compared the rates or severities of perioperative complications after spinal instrumentation surgery between patients with primary osteoporosis and those with secondary osteoporosis. METHODS: Ninety-one patients with OVC aged ≥50 years (23 males and 68 females) who underwent posterior approach vertebral replacement with cages or posterior spinal fusion combined with vertebroplasty were divided into primary (n=56) and secondary (n=35) osteoporosis groups. Bone mineral density (BMD), osteoporosis treatment prior to OVC, operative invasiveness, and perioperative medical complications were compared. RESULTS: Diabetes mellitus (51.4%) was the most common cause of secondary osteoporosis, followed by glucocorticoid use (22.9%). No significant differences were seen in terms of age, gender, BMD, osteoporosis treatment, or operative invasiveness, including the number of levels fused, estimated blood loss, and number of patients requiring transfusion. No significant difference in the incidence of perioperative complications were observed between the primary and secondary osteoporosis groups (16.1% vs. 22.9%). However, surgical site infection (SSI) was significantly more frequently seen in the secondary osteoporosis group (11.4%) than in the primary osteoporosis group (1.8%; p<0.05). One patient in the secondary osteoporosis group developed methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection that ultimately required instrument removal. CONCLUSIONS: The overall incidence of perioperative medical complications after posterior approach spinal instrumentation surgery for OVC was comparable between the primary and secondary osteoporosis groups under conditions of similar background characteristics and operative invasiveness. However, SSI (particularly more severe cases) occurred more frequently in patients with secondary osteoporosis.
Aging ; Bone Density ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus ; Osteoporosis* ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Fusion ; Spine ; Surgical Wound Infection ; Vertebroplasty

STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective study. PURPOSE: To examine the efficacy and safety for a posterior-approach circumferential decompression and shortening reconstruction with a titanium mesh cage for lumbar burst fractures. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: Surgical decompression and reconstruction for severely unstable lumbar burst fractures requires an anterior or combined anteroposterior approach. Furthermore, anterior instrumentation for the lower lumbar is restricted through the presence of major vessels. METHODS: Three patients with an L1 burst fracture, one with an L3 and three with an L4 (5 men, 2 women; mean age, 65.0 years) who underwent circumferential decompression and shortening reconstruction with a titanium mesh cage through a posterior approach alone and a 4-year follow-up were evaluated regarding the clinical and radiological course. RESULTS: Mean operative time was 277 minutes. Mean blood loss was 471 ml. In 6 patients, the Frankel score improved more than one grade after surgery, and the remaining patient was at Frankel E both before and after surgery. Mean preoperative visual analogue scale was 7.0, improving to 0.7 postoperatively. Local kyphosis improved from 15.7degrees before surgery to -11.0degrees after surgery. In 3 cases regarding the mid to lower lumbar patients, local kyphosis increased more than 10degrees by 3 months following surgery, due to subsidence of the cages. One patient developed severe tilting and subsidence of the cage, requiring additional surgery. CONCLUSIONS: The results concerning this small series suggest the feasibility, efficacy, and safety of this treatment for unstable lumbar burst fractures. This technique from a posterior approach alone offers several advantages over traditional anterior or combined anteroposterior approaches.
Decompression ; Decompression, Surgical ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Kyphosis ; Male ; Operative Time ; Retrospective Studies ; Titanium

Background/Aims: Thiopurines are key drugs for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD). Recently, NUDT15 polymorphism (R139C, c.415C > T) has been shown to be associated with thiopurineinduced adverse events in Asian populations. In patients with the C/T genotype, low-dose thiopurine treatment is recommended, but its long-term efficacy and tolerability remain unclear. This study aimed to uncover the long-term efficacy and appropriate dosage of thiopurine for IBD patients with the C/T genotype. Methods: A total of 210 patients with IBD (103 UC and 107 CD) determined to have NUDT15 R139C variants were enrolled. Clinical data were retrospectively reviewed from medical records. Results: Of 46 patients (21.9%) with the C/T genotype, 30 patients (65.2%) were treated with thiopurines. Three of whom (10.0%) discontinued thiopurine treatment due to adverse events and 27 of whom continued. The median maintenance dosage of 6-mercaptopurine was 0.25 mg/kg/day (range, 0.19–0.36 mg/kg/day), and 6-thioguanine nucleotides level was 230 (104–298) pmol/8 × 108 red blood cells. Cumulative thiopurine continuation rates for 120 months for patients with the C/C and C/T genotypes were not significantly different (P= 0.895). Cumulative non-relapse rates in the patients with UC treated with thiopurine monotherapy and surgery-free rates in CD patients treated with combination therapy (thiopurines and anti-tumor necrosis factor-α agents) for maintenance remission were not significantly different at 60 months (C/C vs. C/T, P= 0.339 and P= 0.422, respectively). Conclusions Low-dose thiopurine treatment is an effective and acceptable treatment for patients with C/T genotype.