Anomalous circumflex artery: a benign variant generating a malignant potential after valve surgery.

Coronary artery anomalies are a diverse group of congenital disorders presenting with highly variable clinical manifestations. The anomalous origin of left circumflex artery from the right coronary sinus following a retro-aortic trajectory is a well-recognized anatomic variation. Despite its benign course, it can prove lethal in association with valvular surgery.

Tying the knot: An uncommon complication.

Cardiothoracic procedures require continuous hemodynamic monitoring and a fair proportion of these require the insertion of a pulmonary artery catheter, known also as Swan-Ganz catheter. Given, however, the invasive nature of these procedures, unforeseen complications may ensue. Early recognition and appropriate handling are essential to minimize adverse outcomes.

Cavernous hemangioma of the right atrium.

A 42-year-old woman was diagnosed during the 3rd month of pregnancy with a large right atrial tumor. Three weeks after successful completion of a full-term pregnancy, she was admitted and underwent surgical removal of the tumor. Postoperative course was uneventful and pathology showed cavernous hemangioma.

Large pericardial cyst in an asymptomatic child: a case report.

We present a case report of a nine-year-old asymptomatic girl with a large cystic lesion of the left hemithorax, occupying almost 80% of the left hemithorax, first believed to be a parasitic cyst that was operated and proved to be of parietal pericardial origin. Mediastinal cysts and pericardial cysts in particular are mostly discovered accidentally and so was the case with our patient. The diagnosis included not only clinical examination but also the utilization of computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging.

Hybrid procedures for complex congenital cardiac lesions.

Background: We present an alternative treatment employing a hybrid approach used in 3 patients with congenital heart disease. The goal was to provide optimal therapy by minimizing the potentially harmful effects of methods that accompany conventional surgical procedures.

Methods: Two patients aged 4 and 6 months underwent beating-heart closure of a muscular ventricular septal defect (VSD) with an occluding device.

Mid-term results following surgical treatment of congenital cardiac malformations in adults.

The long term consequences of untreated of residual or recurrent lesions pose unique challenges in the growing population of adults with congenitally malformed hearts. In our unit, 335 patients aged from 18 to 72 years, with a mean age of 35 plus or minus 14 years, presented for correction of congenital cardiac disease from September, 1997, through December, 2006. Of the group, 42 (12.

Surgical closure of an atrial septal defect in an 11-year-old girl with Silver-Russell syndrome.

Silver-Russell syndrome is a congenital disease characterized by severe growth retardation and variable dysmorphic features such as a small triangular face, micrognathia, asymmetry (usually of the limbs), syndactyly and clinodactyly. We report a rare case of a girl with extremely low body weight, short stature and an atrial septal defect, who underwent successful surgical repair of the heart abnormality.

Surgical treatment of the atrial septal defect in adults: effective reduction in cardiac size and excellent overall clinical outcome.

Objective: Atrial septal defect (ASD), one of the commonest congenital heart lesions, is asymptomatic in most cases and therefore remains undiagnosed until adulthood in a significant number of patients. Despite the employment of transcatheter modalities in its treatment, surgery remains a reliable alternative. This study summarizes our experience in surgical correction of ASD in adult patients.

Emergency surgery for embolisation of Amplatzer device into the left atrium.

Occlusion of secundum atrial septal defects (ASD) by means of percutaneous transcatheter systems is increasingly used in clinical practice. A variety of different types and models of septal occluder devices are available nowadays, amongst which the Amplatzer device (Amplatzer Medical, Golden Valley, MN, U.S.

Right axillary artery cannulation for surgical management of the hostile ascending aorta.

Extensive aortic disease, such as atherosclerosis with aneurysms or dissections that involve the ascending aorta, can complicate the choice of a cannulation site for cardiopulmonary bypass. To date, the standard peripheral arterial cannulation site has been the common femoral artery; however, this approach carries the risk of atheroembolism due to retrograde aortic perfusion, or it is undesirable because of severe iliofemoral disease. Arterial perfusion through the axillary artery provides sufficient antegrade aortic flow, is more likely to perfuse the true lumen in the event of dissection, and is associated with fewer atheroembolic complications.

Combined repair of ascending aortic pseudoaneurysm and abdominal aortic aneurysm: in a patient with Marfan syndrome.

Pseudoaneurysms of the ascending aorta after the original inclusion/wrap technique of the Bentall procedure present a difficult surgical management problem and are associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Patients with Marfan syndrome frequently develop aneurysms and dissections that involve multiple aortic segments. We present the case of a Marfan patient who successfully underwent repair of a giant ascending aortic pseudoaneurysm and concomitant repair of an abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Pathological changes of hepatic artery and portal vein, after allyl-alcohol and carbon tetrachloride administration. An experimental study.

Background: Allyl-alcohol (AA) and carbon tetrachloride (CC14) are known to cause peritoneal and pericentral liver necrosis, respectively. This study investigates pathological changes of hepatic artery and portal vein after simultaneous administration of AA and CC14 in rats.

Methods: The study comprised 130 male Wistar rats divided randomly into 2 groups: I (n=10) sham and II (n=120) AA injection (intraperitoneally: 0.

Structural alterations in rat skin and bone collagen fibrils induced by ovariectomy.

In this study, the influence of ovariectomy in rat skin and bone (trabecular and cortical) collagen fibrils is examined using electron microscopy. Structural changes (fibril architecture and diameter) were detected, at the ultrastructural level, in skin and bone specimens from ovariectomized rats. The overall collagen fibril architecture was disturbed as compared with normal animals.

Protection of the gastroduodenal mucosa from the effects of diclofenac sodium: role of highly selective vagotomy and misoprostol.

The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of highly selective vagotomy (HSV) or misoprostol, a prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) analog, for protecting the gastroduodenal mucosa (GDM) from the effects of diclofenac sodium (DS). Fifty mongrel dogs were randomly allocated to five groups. HSV alone was performed in group I dogs (controls) to standardize the operation.