We report a case of 76 year-old woman who had previously undergone coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) with the right internal thoracic artery (RITA) bypassed to the left anterior descending artery. Six years after CABG, she developed acute type A aortic dissection, and she was medically treated because the false lumen was thrombosed and it was considered that surgical intervention would be high risk for the patent RITA graft crossing between the sternum and the ascending aorta. During follow-up, her aortic aneurysm enlarged to 57 mm in diameter, and finally she was referred to our hospital for surgical intervention. In this case, preservation of the patent RITA graft was thought to be critical because the RITA graft was the only blood source for the left anterior descending artery. Prior to re-median sternotomy, we performed a right anterior minithoracotomy to make sufficient space between the sternum and the RITA graft, and then instituted peripheral cardiopulmonary bypass to decompress the heart. After re-sternotomy, we ensured minimum dissection of the RITA graft, and we successfully accomplished graft replacement of the ascending aorta to the aortic arch without injuring the patent RITA graft. In cases with a patent RITA graft and an ascending aortic aneurysm close to the sternum, our strategy is considered to be efficient for re-median sternotomy.

Background : Connective tissue disease (CTD) is an idiopathic autoimmune disorder which causes systemic chronic inflammation. Inflammation causes various cardiovascular diseases. Systemic steroid use, which is usually the sole treatment for CTD, also causes arteriosclerosis. Although cardiovascular surgery is often necessary in patients with CTD, preexisting multiple organ dysfunction related to CTD, in addition to systemic administration of steroids or other immunosuppressants, is thought to increase the risk of surgery. However, little is known about how the disease process of CTD influences early and late cardiovascular surgery outcomes. Methods : To better understand these issues, we reviewed 31 patients with CTD (study group) and compared their outcomes to those of other patients (control group) who underwent cardiovascular surgery at our institution between April 2008 and November 2013. Results : There were 26 women and 5 men, and the average age was 64.4±16.7 years. CTD types included rheumatoid arthritis in 7 patients, systemic lupus erhythematosus in 6, aortitis syndrome in 6, polymyalgia rheumatica in 3, scleroderma in 3, polymyositis in 3, and others. The procedures included 10 valve cases, 10 coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) or CABG-valve combination cases, and 11 isolated or complicated thoracic aortic surgery cases. Prior to undergoing these procedures, 24 patients (77.4%) were treated with steroids and/or immunosuppressant, and 6 patients had been diagnosed with interstitial pneumonia in the study group. Moreover, the rate of peripheral artery disease and carotid artery stenosis in the study group was significantly higher than that in the control group. There were no perioperative deaths in the study group. There were no significant differences in terms of major complications such as ischemic events, infection, acute kidney injury, lung injury, and others between the groups. We conducted a follow-up survey for the study group with an average period of 27.8±16.0 months. During the follow-up period, there were 4 late deaths. In addition, 8 patients required readmission, 6 for cardiovascular events and 2 for poor wound healing. All the survivors in the study group showed improved cardiac function and were in the NYHA functional class I and II. Conclusion : Cardiovascular surgery for patients with CTD can provide acceptable early and mid-term results.

OBJECTIVEExposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) is considered to have culminated between 1950 and 1970 in Japan, and exposure through diet, the major exposure route, has decreased significantly over the last 10 years. The primary goal of the present study was to investigate the long-term trends and congener profiles of serum and dietary levels of PCBs using historical samples.

METHODSUsing banked samples collected in 1980, 1995, and 2003 surveys, we determined the daily intakes and serum concentrations of 13 PCB congeners (#74, #99, #118, #138, #146, #153, #156, #163, #164, #170, #180, #182, and #187) in women.

RESULTSThe total daily PCB intake [ng/day, geometric mean (geometric standard deviation)] decreased significantly from 523 (2.5) in 1980 to 63 (3.2) in 2003. The serum total PCB level (ng/g lipid) in women <40 years of age decreased significantly from 185 (1.8) in 1980 to 68 (1.8) in 2003. In contrast, the level in women >50 years of age increased significantly from 125 (1.7) in 1980 to 242 (1.7) in 2003. Specifically, the serum concentrations of hexa (#138, #146, #153, #156, #163, and #164) and hepta (#170, #180, #182, and #187) congeners increased significantly. A comparison of the serum PCB levels of women born from 1940 to 1953 revealed that their serum total PCB level was significantly higher in the 2003 survey [242 (1.7), n = 9] than in the 1995 [128 (2.0), n = 17] surveys. This increase in the total PCB level was attributable to increases in the hepta congener groups.

CONCLUSIONPresent results suggest a decreased rate of elimination of hepta congeners with aging in females, rather than a birth-generation phenomenon.

A 34-year-old man was referred to our hospital for primary tricuspid regurgitation. An echocardiogram showed severe tricuspid regurgitation caused by the prolapse of the anterior leaflet due to chordal rupture and enlargement of the tricuspid annulus. A large cleft on the anterior leaflet and a divided leaflet near the septal leaflet with a ruptured chorda were observed during surgery. We attached an artificial chorda from the anterior papillary muscle of the right ventricle to the prolapsed leaflet. We then repaired the large cleft with interrupted 6-0 polypropylene sutures and performed tricuspid annuloplasty. The prolapse of the anterior leaflet disappeared, and an intraoperative transesophageal echocardiogram revealed improvement of tricuspid regurgitation. The technique of mitral valve repair can be used even for a complex pathology of congenital cleft, chordal rupture, and annular enlargement of the tricuspid valve.