Endovascular treatment for nontraumatic rupture of the descending thoracic aorta: long-term results.

Background: This study evaluated the long-term results of thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) of nontraumatic rupture of the descending thoracic aorta.

Methods: This was a retrospective and observational single-center study. During the 10-year study period, 21 patients (6 males) with an average age of 66.

Secondary interventions after endovascular thoracic aortic repair.

Background: Endovascular stent grafting of the descending thoracic aorta has evolved rapidly and is now the standard of care for certain patient subsets. However, the durability of this technique is limited by the development of technique-specific complications at mid-term follow-up. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence, techniques, and outcomes of secondary intervention for complications after stent grafting of the descending thoracic aorta.

Patch angioplasty for isolated ostial stenosis of the left main coronary artery.

Background: Conventional coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is recognized as the treatment of choice for left main coronary artery stenosis (LMCA) with excellent results. Patch angioplasty is an alternative method in selected cases for ostial stenosis of the LMCA. However, the long-term outcome data of this surgical technique are lacking.

Perioperative results of the aortic root replacement in strict graft inclusion technique.

Background And Aim: Bleeding may sometimes be a serious problem after the termination of the aortic root replacement. Therefore, the strict graft inclusion technique has been developed to avoid major complications. We present the early results after aortic root replacement in strict graft inclusion technique.

Circumflex coronary artery bypass via the posterior interatrial sulcus and under the venae cavae.

During coronary artery bypass grafting, the length of the graft to the circumflex coronary artery or its end branches can be underestimated because of the posterior location of the circumflex. Herein, we describe a new bypass route--which we consider the shortest--to the ascending aorta. In 2 patients, during proximal anastomosis of the saphenous vein bypass graft (via a route either anterior to the pulmonary artery or the transverse sinus) from the circumflex to the ascending aorta, the vein graft (approximately 5-6 cm in length) proved too short.

Risk of stroke for carotid endarterectomy patients with contralateral carotid occlusion.

The role of a contralateral carotid occlusion in the appearance of neurological complications after carotid endarterectomy (CEA) operations is a matter of some debate. In the North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial, the risk of perioperative stroke was found to be higher in patients with a contralateral carotid occlusion. In a literature survey in 2004, however, a significantly increased risk of perioperative stroke was found in only one out of 17 studies on contralateral carotid occlusion patients.

Genetic testing in patients with aortic aneurysms/dissections: a novel genotype/phenotype correlation?

Objective: Mutations in the genes encoding fibrillin-1 (FBN1) and transforming growth factor beta receptor type II (TGFBR2) are known causes of Marfan syndrome (MFS) and related disorders. However, a sound correlation between the genotype and the cardiovascular phenotype has not yet been established. The objective of the present study was to identify novel mutations in FBN1 and TGFBR2 and to assess whether the type of mutation is linked to a particular clinical subtype of the cardiovascular condition.

Regional hyperthermic fibrinolytic perfusion after unsuccessful venous thrombectomy of extensive deep venous thrombosis.

Objective: Because of the dose-dependent increase in bleeding complications, the intraoperative administration of fibrinolytic agents is limited. This limitation impairs the efficacy of fibrinolytic therapy because low-dose fibrinolysis often fails in the treatment of complex deep venous thrombosis (DVT). The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of intraoperative high-dose fibrinolytic therapy for extended DVT, which was performed with the regional hyperthermic fibrinolytic perfusion (RHFP) technique.