[A case of adenocarcinoma of the lung with malignant pleural effusion in elderly patient treated effectively by pemetrexed and carboplatin].

An 83-year-old male with left chest pain and dyspnea was referred to our hospital. A left upper lung tumor(f3. 6 cm in diameter)and pleural effusion in enhanced thoracic CT with suspicion of malignant pleural effusion were pointed out in June, 2009.

Increase in circulating endothelial progenitor cells after aortic aneurysm repair.

Rapid endothelialization of prosthetic vessels is essential to avoid fatal complications. We hypothesized that there may be mobilization of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in patients who received aortic aneurysm repair, and measured the number of CD34-expressing EPCs (CD34(+) cells) in these patients. Blood samples were taken preoperatively, 6, 24, and 48 h, and 7 days after surgery in 13 patients with aortic aneurysm.

When and how does nonstructural mechanical prosthetic heart valve dysfunction occur?

Objective: We discuss the clinical aspects related to mechanical valve dysfunction based upon 20 years' experience of our cases.

Methods: Between January 1982 and December 2001, 21 patients underwent surgical interventions because of mechanical valve dysfunction. Thirteen men and 8 women (mean age 47 +/- 20, range 3-75 years-old), were included.

Isolated traumatic vertebral pseudoaneurysm: report of a case.

We report a case of isolated traumatic pseudoaneurysm of the vertebral artery in a 20-year-old man who suffered blunt injury to the left foreneck and arm in a traffic accident. A chest computed tomography (CT) scan on admission showed an upper mediastinal hematoma, but the patient's vital signs were stable. A CT scan of the head and neck showed a cerebral mass, and an elective cerebral four-vessel angiography was performed, which revealed a pseudoaneurysm in the proximal portion of the left vertebral artery.

Successful surgical treatment of chronic traumatic thoracic aneurysm in two patients.

We successfully treated two patients with chronic traumatic aneurysm of the thoracic aorta. The first, a 40-year-old man involved in an automobile accident 24 years earlier, was treated by thoracic aorta graft replacement via left thoracotomy under femoro-femoral partial bypass. The second, a 57-year-old man with a 3-month history of hoarseness who had suffered blunt chest trauma 17 years earlier, was treated similarly.

Single-center experience with the bicarbon bileaflet prosthetic heart valve in Japan.

We analyzed midterm results using the Bicarbon valve in a single center. Forty-four patients had aortic valve replacement (AVR), 48 had mitral valve replacement (MVR), and 13 had both aortic and mitral valve replacement (DVR). The mean age of the 105 patients was 61.

Diagnosis of arteriovenous malformation of the internal iliac vessels by color Doppler ultrasonography: A case report.

A 13-year-old girl was admitted to the hospital because of cardiomegaly found incidentally at regular medical checkup at her school. Although dilated cardiomyopathy was suspected, the girl showed no symptoms. chest x-ray film showed cardiomegaly (cardiothoracic ratio, 67%), and echocardiogram demonstrated a dilatation of the left ventricle without thinning of the wall.