Use of Transcatheter Valves for Open Surgical Mitral Valve Replacement. Australian Experience.

Background: Mitral valve procedures remain a surgical challenge in the presence of extensive annular calcification, which presents a formidable technical challenge. Aggressive debridement is limited by risk of serious complications and the technical complexity of pericardial patch reconstruction of the debrided area.

Methods: An open surgical approach with a transcatheter valve allows the valve to be placed under direct visualisation to facilitate positioning and to evaluate the likelihood of both perivalvular leakage and atrioventricular disruption.

Giant solitary fibrous tumor of the pleura.

Solitary fibrous tumors are rare mesenchymal tumors accounting for <5% of all neoplasms in the pleura and other sites. A 45-year-old man reported to us with cough and dyspnea. Radiological investigations revealed a giant mass displacing the mediastinum to the left.

Unusual case of chondroblastic osteosarcoma of the rib in an adult.

Primary osteosarcoma arising from the ribs is very rare. An unusual case of a primary chondroblastic osteosarcoma of the rib in a 30-year-old woman is described here. The patient underwent wide excision of the tumor along with the involved rib, followed by chemotherapy.