Left ventricular (LV) thrombus is an uncommon primary disease, but following acute myocardial infarction (AMI) it is a common complication associated with a risk of systemic embolism. Especially if the thrombus is ball-shaped, there is a higher risk of systemic embolism. We reviewed 4 cases of thrombectomy including 1 with the acute phase of AMI and another with Takotsubo disease. Between January 2000 and August 2005, 4 consecutive patients underwent thrombectomy for ball-like thrombus in the left ventricle (all men, mean age 53.5 years). We performed thrombectomy through left ventriculotomy. In 3 patients ventriculotomy was repaired with direct closure with double PTFE felt reinforcement, and in the other large acute AMI with the infarction exclusion technique (Komeda-David) because the LV wall was remarkably fragile. All thrombi were ball-like and fresh (mean size 15.8mm). Concomitant coronary artery bypass grafting was performed in 3 cases, the Maze procedure in 2, and mitral annuloplasty (MAP) in 1. All patients survived and have been doing well without any major complications. Surgical thrombectomy is safe and can improve prognosis without systemic embolism. In the acute phase of AMI, the infarction exclusion technique is excellent to prevent bleeding and postoperative remodeling of the left ventricular wall.

A 75-year old woman in whom a left ventricular tumor had been detected by echocardiography 2 years before referral to our hospital, presented with blurry vison for one month. Acute cerebral infarction was diagnosed. We suspected that the infarction was occurred by an embolus from the intraventricular tumor, and resected it through left atrial incision. The resected tumor was 10 mm in size and it resembled a sea anemone. The tumor was pathologically diagnosed as papillary fibroelastoma. The postoperative course was good, with no recurrence for the last 18 months.

The optimal strategy for shaggy aorta syndrome has not been established, however, several case reports are published with the increase of the aged population. We report two men with shaggy aorta syndrome. The one was 75 years old with acute limb ischemia at the left popliteal artery due to the macroembolism from infrarenal Shaggy Aorta. The other was 76 years old with kidney dialysis, who had suffered from blue toe syndrome due to microembolism from the mobile plaque adhering to the infrarenal aortic wall. We successfully performed graft replacement of the abdominal aorta in order to prevent the recurrence of atheromatous embolization from the Shaggy Aorta. They have been free from any embolic event for the last 1 year. The ultrasonogram was useful for preoperative diagnosis and intraoperative management.

Between January and December 2006, 3 patients with aortic abdominal aneurysm (AAA) receiving home oxygen therapy (HOT) and 20 patients without HOT were studied. The 3 patients with HOT were all men, the mean age was 72 years (range, 69-74), and they had been treated with HOT for 37.3 months (1-102) due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with a mean %VC of 96.9% and FEV1.0% of 42.8%. Only the FEV1.0% value in the preoperative data was significantly lower than in patients without HOT. In the 3 patients with HOT, extubation was performed immediately after operation, and minitracheotomy tubes (Mini-trach^®) to control sputum were inserted in the operation room. The minitracheotomy tubes were removed 5 or 6 days after operation. Postoperatively, no one with HOT had any major complications, while in those without HOT one patient had ileus and another had prolonged intubation. There were no significant differences between the 2 groups in operative time, blood loss, blood transfusion, or hospital stay. In conclusion, based on detached preoperative close estimation and careful postoperative supervision, patients receiving HOT can undergo AAA operations as safely as those not receiving HOT.

In two cases of thromboangitis obliterans (TAO) a popliteal-posterior tibial-peroneal artery sequential bypass was attempted through a median approach. The 1st case underwent the operation successfully with non-reversed saphenous vein graft. However, only popliteal-peroneal bypass was carried out in the 2nd patient because the posterior tibial artery was severely affected. In surgery of TAO patients, careful assessment of preoperative angiographic findings is important to select the site of distal anastomosis. We found that the posterior tibial artery and the peroneal artery are easily accessible through the medial route in the proximal half of the lower leg and that peroneal artery revascularization was effective for limb salvage.

A 67-year-old man suffered acute arterial occlusion caused by emboli from aneurysms in a right axillo-bifemoral graft using Cooley double velour knitted Dacron, which was inplanted 10 years and 10 months before the admission. The patient underwent urgent redo surgery; left axillobifemoral bypass with 6mm ringed PTFE graft and right femoropopliteal bypass with in situ saphenous vein were performed successfully. Several clinical experiences by others demonstrated that Cooley double velour knitted Dacron graft, manufactured before June, 1981, might have possible aneurysmogenic factors, therefore cases in which it has been employed should be followed up carefully.

A 36-year-old man was transported to our hospital with severe anterior chest and abdominal pain of sudden onset which was diagnosed as Stanford type B acute aortic dissection with visceral ischemia. Aortogram revealed occlusion of celiac, superior mesenteric and inferior mesenteric arteries with aortic dissection. At first, fenestration of the abdominal aorta above the inferior mesenteric artery was immediately carried out, but the abdominal pain continued. Therefore, bypass grafting for the superior mesenteric artery with saphenous vein was performed the next day. The patient's postoperative course was complicated with acute renal failure and paralytic ileus, which were treated medically and he was discharged in good condition.

We reviewed the results of 14 patients who underwent the operation of thoracic aneurysms using a centrifugal pump. Nine patients had atherosclerotic aneurysms and 5 had aortic dissections. The autotransfusion system (ATS) was used to keep hemodynamic stability by rapid transfusion. The ATS consisted of a roller pump, a 2, 000ml reservoir and a heat exchanger. Two mg/kg of heparin was given to the patients to keep ACT over 400 seconds. All patients survived. Body temperature increased 0.08±0.59°C during bypass with the ATS, and no patients showed hemodynamic instability after aneurysmotomy under the help of the ATS. We conclude that 1) the centrifugal pump is a useful and safe assisting means for the surgery of thoracic aneurysms, 2) the autotransfusion system has advantages as follows: keeping stable circulation and preventing loss of body temperature during bypass.

Pharyngeal perforation is a rare but crucial complication of transesophageal echocardiography during cardiac surgery. We herein report the case of a 72-year-old man with infective endocarditis in the aortic valve, who had a poor performance status due to congestive heart failure and brain infarction. The echo probe of the transesophageal echocardiography was detected in the anterior mediastinum after median sternotomy. Pharyngeal repair after aortic valve replacement with bioprosthetic valve, following omental wrapping was performed simultaneously. The operative course was relatively good, and the patient moved to the general ward 32 days after the surgery.