Descending mediastinitis managed by sternotomy, taurolidine and delayed closure.

Descending necrotizing mediastinitis is a rare complication of upper respiratory infections. A quick diagnosis and prompt and complete surgical drainage is important for a successful outcome. A 74-year-old man with descending necrotizing mediastinitis needed a sternotomy, multiple washouts, and delayed sternal closure.

Thymic cyst causing superior venacava syndrome relieved by mediastinoscopy--a rare presentation.

Superior venacava obstruction is most often caused by intrathoracic malignant masses. The commonest cause of benign superior venacava obstruction is fibrosing mediastinitis. A thymic cyst causing marked superior venacava obstruction is very rare and has not been reported.

Convulsive syncope after bidirectional Glenn shunts: physiological implications for a neurological event.

Objectives: Neurological complications after cavopulmonary connections like bidirectional Glenn shunt and Fontan connection are occasionally encountered in the postoperative period. We discuss such a case of bilateral bidirectional Glenn shunt which developed convulsive syncope postoperatively.

Case: A 5-year-old cyanotic girl diagnosed as tricuspid atresia with pulmonary stenosis without any spell history underwent bilateral bidirectional Glenn shunt on the way to a subsequent Fontan.

Comparative study of single- and double-patch techniques for sinus venosus atrial septal defect with partial anomalous pulmonary venous connection.

Objective: The correction of sinus venosus atrial septal defect with a partial anomalous pulmonary venous connection to the superior vena cava has been associated with obstruction to the venous return and sinus node dysfunction. We present our follow-up of 2 approaches of managing the lesion and compare their postoperative results.

Methods: Forty patients underwent operation between March 1999 and January 2005, of whom 37 patients (aged 3-50 years) are on follow-up.

Supracardiac total anomalous pulmonary venous connection with a supramitral ring: a rare, surgically correctable anomaly.

Total anomalous pulmonary venous connection is rarely associated with a supramitral ring. This condition should be suspected in any infant having total anomalous pulmonary venous connection with obstruction to the pulmonary venous return. Preoperative echocardiography is usually successful in detecting the lesion.

Evidence of an Eicosanoid Contribution to IL-1 Induction of IL-6 in Human Articular Chondrocytes.

It has been demonstrated previously that interleukin-1 (IL-1) induces articular cartilage explants and chondrocytes in culture to produce elevated levels of inflammatory mediators such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) and prostaglandins. Previous studies have also demonstrated a relationship between IL-6 secretion and the ability of IL-1 to modulate proteoglycan synthesis by chondrocytes. In this study we have utilized an alginate culture system in an effort to investigate a role for eicosanoids in IL-1 induction of IL-6 expression in human articular chondrocytes.