Type a dissection after implantation of a stent-graft triggered by an intramural hematoma.

Purpose: To describe an unusual case of multiple aneurysm disease in a patient who developed stent-graft-associated type A dissection.

Case Report: A 72-year-old man presented with pericardial tamponade, which was treated with pericardial drainage. A small intramural hematoma of the ascending aorta was found originating from a proximal descending thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA); he also had an infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA).

Modulation of graft arteriosclerosis in a rat carotid transplantation model.

Background: Venous autografts used in cardiovascular surgery tend to deteriorate over time due to arteriosclerotic complications. Cadaveric vascular allografts represent a possible alternative for this application, but donor endothelial cells (ECs) and antigen presenting cells of the graft trigger alloresponses mediated by MHC class I (MHC I) antigen, leading to graft failure. Vascular allograft rejection might be prevented by reducing cell surface expression of MHC I and thereby lowering the immunogenicity of the grafts.

Triage of patients with suspected coronary artery disease using multislice computed tomography.

Rationale And Objectives: Several studies have shown that multislice computed tomography (MSCT) has a high sensitivity and specificity for detecting coronary artery stenoses. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether MSCT can reliably triage patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) to coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), or no revascularization.

Materials And Methods: A total of 123 patients with suspected CAD who were referred for conventional coronary angiography (CATH) additionally underwent MSCT (16*0.

Decline of surface MHC I by adenoviral gene transfer of anti-MHC I intrabodies in human endothelial cells-new perspectives for the generation of universal donor cells for tissue transplantation.

Background: The seeding of small-calibre vascular polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) grafts with endothelial cells provides an increase in biocompatibility of the graft surface. The harvest and ex vivo culture of autologous endothelial cells is highly delicate. Allogeneic human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) could be a potential cell source-however, rejection might occur due to major histocompatibility complex (MHC) I mismatches.

Left Ventricular Thrombus After Pregnancy: Choice of Surgical Access Using Dynamic Three-Dimensional Echocardiography.

Two idiopathic thrombi loosely attached to the left ventricular wall were detected by dynamic three-dimensional echocardiography. Because the thrombi were shown to be lobulated and extremely mobile, urgent surgical treatment was mandatory. Three-dimensional image reconstruction enhanced appreciation of left ventricular thrombi by enabling accurate imaging of the spatial relationship between the thrombus, the myocardial wall, and the valvular apparatus, so that the most advantageous surgical access could be chosen.