[Beating heart surgical treatment of atrio-esophageal fistula after radiofrequency ablation of atrial fibrillation].

Atrio-esophageal fistula (AEF) is a rare (0.02-0.1%) complication of radiofrequency ablation for atrial fibrillation and is associated with high mortality.

Postangioplasty aneurysm of right coronary artery.

Background: Coronary artery aneurysms are an uncommon disease whose incidence ranges from 0.3% to 5.3%.

Pericardiectomy for constrictive pericarditis.

Chronic constrictive pericarditis results from inflammation and fibrosis of the pericardium. This situation eventually leads to impairment of diastolic filling and right heart failure. Once the diagnosis is made, because the disease is basically irreversible, a pericardiectomy is the mandatory treatment.

CT angio for the evaluation of graft patency.

Invasive coronary angiography (ICA) is the traditional method for the follow-up of graft patency in coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) patients. Nevertheless, the advent of multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) opened new perspectives for using a noninvasive, equally reliable method to study CABG patients. This review article will analyze the current feasibility of modern multi-slice MDCT, as well as its future perspectives.

Nine years' experience with the chordal cutting technique in ischemic mitral regurgitation.

Objectives: The optimal surgical management of chronic ischemic mitral regurgitation has not yet been clearly defined. Among the various approaches proposed, the excision of strut (or main) chordae, along with complete annuloplasty to relieve tethering, has been the one preferred by our institution to treat this particular subset of mitral disease.

Methods: Between October 2004 and May 2013, 11 patients underwent surgery for chronic ischemic mitral regurgitation.

Cardiac tamponade caused by a migrating sewing needle.

: Penetrating injuries of the heart caused by migrating needles have been rarely described. They usually occur accidentally or are self-inflicted in the setting of an underlying psychiatric disorder. We present an unusual case of cardiac tamponade caused by a sewing needle that migrated to the heart from the chest wall through the lung.

Posterior mitral leaflet: new anatomical insight and review of nomenclature (mitral valve anatomy).

Objectives: Previous studies described single components of the mitral valve, but somewhat lacked the spatial analysis of their relationship. Moreover, further information is necessary regarding reconstructive surgery. The current work aimed at in-depth analysis of the anatomy of the posterior mitral leaflet (PML) and its changes due to degenerative disease, completing the already existing anatomical information about PML and proposing a reorganization of the actual terminology.

Aortic valve repair after blunt chest trauma: repair of traumatic aortic valve rupture.

A frequent reason of admission to the emergency room is blunt chest trauma following car accidents. Chest injuries may cause a wide range of cardiac lesions, extending from myocardial contusion, to heart or great vessels rupture, to valvular lesions. We present a case of aortic valve rupture after blunt chest trauma.

Partial obstruction of the inferior vena cava after surgery for left atrial myxoma.

We present a case of iatrogenic partial obstruction of the inferior vena cava after removal of a left atrial myxoma. The closure occurred subsequent to repair of a discontinuity between the right atrium and inferior vena cava caused by excessive traction on frail tissues.

Noninvasive midterm follow-up of radial artery bypass grafts with 16-slice computed tomography.

Background: The standard invasive procedure to evaluate graft patency is selective coronary angiography. The recent introduction of a new generation of multidetector row computed tomography made possible the noninvasive study of grafts with excellent results in terms of visualization and resolution. We used computed tomography to study all patients with a radial artery graft operated on in 2002.

[Surgical myocardial revascularization in patients over and under 70 years of age: results and prognostic factors].

Background: The increase in mean age has made older patients candidates to myocardial revascularization. This study is focused to evaluate hospital mortality and major postoperative complications in two groups of patients < or = 70 or > 70 years. The possible confounder effect of other important risk factors has been studied in multivariate models.