Hybrid open-endoluminal technique for repair of thoracoabdominal aneurysm involving the celiac axis.

Purpose: To describe a technique combining endoluminal and open approaches for the repair of thoracoabdominal aneurysms involving the celiac axis.

Case Report: Two patients with type I thoracoabdominal aneurysm and suboptimal cardiac reserve underwent transluminal stent-graft implantation. To achieve satisfactory distal seal, the caudal end of the endograft was circumscribed with a Dacron band that was sutured to the aorta and endograft through a midline incision.

A fenestrated covered suprarenal aortic stent.

Objective: to address the clinical problem of inadequate neck length of abdominal aortic aneurysms in endoluminal surgery.

Design: a covered suprarenal aortic stent was designed with a fenestration to preserve blood flow in a targeted renal artery.

Method And Material: a Dacron-covered stent was accurately cut to size with a fenestration according to pre-imaging studies.

Laparoscopic retroperitoneal left adrenalectomy in a patient with Cushing's syndrome.

A technique for the extraperitoneal removal of the adrenal gland using laparoscopic instrumentation and insufflation is described. A case of Cushing's syndrome in a 42 year old female is presented with successful removal of her adrenal tumour using the laparoscopic method. This is the first report of laparoscopic adrenalectomy employing the extraperitoneal approach.

Life-threatening glossopharyngeal neuralgia.

Glossopharyngeal neuralgia is a rare condition that, on occasions, may be associated with cardiac dysrhythmia. This case report describes the case of an 86-year-old woman whose glossopharyngeal neuralgia was complicated by life-threatening dysrhythmias and who was cured by posterior fossa rhizotomy.

Rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease at the Rotorua Hospital 1971-1982.

The case notes of all patients less than 30 years who had a discharge diagnosis of rheumatic fever or rheumatic heart disease and were admitted to Rotorua Hospital between January 1972 and April 1983 were examined. Information was analysed by computer and a register was begun locally on a card index system which may be computerised in future. There were 237 admissions involving 188 individuals with an average stay of 37 days.