Splenectomy and Valve Replacement in Patients With Infective Endocarditis and Splenic Abscesses.

In patients with infective endocarditis (IE), splenic involvement is a rare but well-known adverse event. The treatment of patients with IE and splenic abscesses is still challenging and controversial. We report 3 patients with IE and splenic abscesses who underwent successful valve replacement and splenectomy.

One-step laparoscopic and endoscopic treatment of gallbladder and common bile duct stones: our experience of the last 9 years in a retrospective study.

The optimal timing and best method for removal of common bile duct stones (CBDS) associated with gallbladder stones (GBS) is still controversial. The aim of this study is to investigate the outcomes of a single-step procedure combining laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC), intraoperative cholangiography (IOC), and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). Between January 2003 and January 2012, 1972 patients underwent cholecystectomy at our hospital.

Single center experience with the Sorin Bicarbon prosthesis: a 17-year clinical follow-up.

Objective: To evaluate the long-term results of aortic valve replacement (AVR) and mitral valve replacement (MVR) with the Sorin Bicarbon prosthesis (SBP).

Methods: Five hundred seven patients (306 men, 201 women), mean age 62±10 years (range, 21-86 years), received an SBP between 1994 and 2000; AVR was performed in 344 (67%) and MVR in 163 (33%). The main concomitant procedure was coronary artery grafting in 79 patients (16%).

Aortopulmonary fistula after a modified Bentall procedure.

A 68-year-old man presented with aortic pseudoaneurysm and aortopulmonary fistula, due to dehiscence of the left coronary button anastomosis, at three months after surgery for acute aortic dissection using a composite conduit. At reoperation, the pulmonary trunk was repaired by direct suture and the coronary ostial anastomosis with single sutures, reinforced with pericardial pledgets from inside the aortic graft. Aortopulmonary fistula due to pseudoaneurysm formation is an extremely rare complication of operations on the proximal aorta.

Recurrent mitral regurgitation due to ruptured artificial chordae: case report and review of the literature.

The use of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) sutures has become an established method to correct mitral regurgitation due to elongated or ruptured mitral chordae. Mitral valve repair using artificial chordae has demonstrated excellent long-term results, particularly as ePTFE retains its flexibility with time and is highly resistant to mechanical stress. On conducting a literature review, four cases were found of recurrent mitral regurgitation due to the late (6-14 years postoperatively) rupture of ePTFE chordae.

Delayed papillary muscle rupture following repair of post-infarction ventricular septal defect.

Ventricular septal defect (VSD) and papillary muscle rupture are severe complications of myocardial infarction which are usually observed individually although their simultaneous occurrence has been observed in pathological studies. An 82-year-old female underwent repair of a post-infarction VSD and 13 days later required mitral valve replacement due to delayed papillary muscle rupture. Mechanical complications of myocardial infarction can occur in the same patient even in delayed fashion and a two-stage correction may be successfully accomplished.