[Mediastinal teratoma with malignant transformation of the somatic component. Clinical report].

Mediastinal germ cell tumours (M-GCT) are rare forms of neoplasms compared with other tumours of the same location. They are classified in seminomas, malignant non-seminomatous GCT and teratomas. The malignant transformation of the somatic component of the teratoma, with sarcomatous or carcinomatous degeneration, is even more uncommon.

[Post-partum spontaneous coronary artery dissection. Clinical report].

The authors report the clinical case of a 32 years old woman who suffered a spontaneous dissection of the common trunk, anterior descending, intermediary and circumflex coronary arteries, on the 6th post partum day. The diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction was made, through ECG and enzymatic studies and the patient was transferred to a Coronary Unit. Coronary angiography disclosed those lesions and the patient underwent a triple coronary bypass graft, under extracorporeal circulation.

Cardiac Surgery in very high-risk patients.

Purpose: To assess the results obtained in very high-risk patients, which are those patients with an EUROSCORE greater than 13 points.

Material And Methods: From September 2001 to September 2003, thirty-three very high-risk patients were operated on in our department, which represents 1.6% of all the surgical activity during that period of time, being 17 male and 16 female, with an average of 69 years old (maximum 86 and minimum 32).

[Comparative study of Toronto SPV prosthesis and bileaflet mechanical aortic prosthesis with 2D-Doppler echocardiography].

Aim: The aim of this study was to make a noninvasive comparison, by means of Doppler echocardiography, of the hemodynamic performance of biological stentless xenografts and mechanical bileaflet (MB) prostheses (P) in aortic position.

Methods: We studied 20 patients (pts) with normofunctional (nf) aortic Toronto (T) Stentless Porcine valves (SPV)--Group I--8 males, aged 69 +/- 12 years, 32 +/- 9 months after surgery, and 30 pts with nf MB aortic P (Carbomedics or St. Jude Medical)--Group II--17 males (p = NS vs G I), aged 61 +/- 12 years (p < 0.

[Experience of the exclusive use of arteries in myocardial revascularization].

Objectives: To present the initial experience of a surgical team from Santa Marta Hospital using exclusive arterial grafts on coronary bypass surgery.

Setting: Cardiology and Cardiothoracic Departments.

Population And Methods: From November 1987 to May 1994, 176 consecutive patients were submitted to surgical myocardial revascularization with the exclusive use of arterial grafts.