Difference in right and left cardio-ankle vascular index as a useful marker for evaluation of leg ischemia in patients with lower extremity arterial disease.

Objectives: Cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) is a blood pressure-independent measure of heart-ankle pulse wave velocity and is used as an indicator of arterial stiffness. However, there is a paradox that CAVI is inversely associated with leg ischemia in patients with lower extremity arterial disease (LEAD). The aim of this study was to clarify the significance of the absolute value of left and right difference in CAVI (diff-CAVI).

Paradox of the Relationship between Cardio-Ankle Vascular Index and Ankle-Brachial Index in Patients with Lower Extremity Artery Disease.

Measurements of ankle-brachial index (ABI) and toe-brachial index (TBI) are standard examinations for evaluating arterial blood flow in lower extremities and diagnosing lower extremity artery disease (LEAD). It remains to be clarified whether cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI), a blood pressure-independent parameter of arterial stiffness, is associated with ABI and TBI in patients with LEAD. The subjects were 165 outpatients with LEAD.

Efficacy and Safety of Warfarin for the Treatment of Venous Thromboembolism - A Multicenter Prospective Observational Cohort Study in Japan (AKAFUJI Study).

Background: A large-scale prospective study of the efficacy and safety of warfarin for the treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE) has not been conducted in Japan. Therefore, we conducted a real-world prospective multicenter observational cohort study (AKAFUJI Study; UMIN000014132) to investigate the efficacy and safety of warfarin for VTE.

Methods and results: Between May 2014 and March 2017, 352 patients (mean [±SD] age 67.

Peptides associated with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy as possible biomarkers for severity of lower extremity arterial disease.

Background And Aims: Seven circulating peptides, consisting of 18-28 amino acids, were identified as possible biomarkers of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) in our previous study. However, it is unknown whether these peptides are relevant to cardiovascular disease. The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationships between serum levels of these peptides and leg arterial blood flow in patients with lower extremity arterial disease (LEAD).

Associations of habitual alcohol drinking with HDL cholesterol and D-dimer in patients with peripheral arterial disease.

Background: The risk of cardiovascular disease is lower in light-to-moderate alcohol drinkers than in nondrinkers in the general population. However, it remains to be clarified whether these beneficial effects of alcohol are shown in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD).

Methods: The subjects were 153 male outpatients with PAD and they were divided by frequency of drinking into nondrinkers, occasional drinkers (1-4 days/wk) and regular drinkers (5-7 days/wk).

Association of Serum Uric Acid Levels with Leg Ischemia in Patients with Peripheral Arterial Disease after Treatment.

Aim: We investigated the relationships of serum uric acid levels with the progression of atherosclerosis in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) after treatment.

Methods: Subjects were male patients diagnosed with PAD. Atherosclerosis at the common carotid artery was evaluated based on its intima-media thickness (IMT).

[Recent Knowledge of Smoking and Peripheral Arterial Disease in Lower Extremities].

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is an atherosclerotic obstructive disease of the arteries in lower extremities. Patients with PAD show high rates of mortality from coronary artery disease (CAD) and stroke. Smoking as well as diabetes is an important risk factor for PAD.

[Tricuspid valve endocarditis following osteomyelitis; report of a case].

A 71-year-old man was admitted with complaints of high fever and lumbago. Echocardiography showed vegetation about 16×7 mm in size attached to the tricuspid valve. Magnetic resonance imaging showed osteomyelitis.

[Perforated aneurysm of the non-coronary cusp with aortic regurgitation in a patient with infective endocarditis; report of a case].

This case report describes a 77-year-old man who developed infective endocarditis resulting in perforated aneurysm of the non-coronary cusp with aortic regurgitation. Diagnosis was made by transesophageal echocardiogram and successful surgical valve replacement was performed.

[Mixed type ( type + pseudo) left ventricular aneurysm; report of a case].

True left ventricular aneurysms are thought to arise from the expansion and thinning of the transmural infarct area, whereas false aneurysms result from containment of ventricular rupture by pericardial adhesions. We reported a case of true left ventricular aneurysm with pseudoaneurysm( mixed type aneurysm) which was treated surgically.

[Thoracoabdominal aortic thrombi as a source of peripheral embolization; report of a case].

We reported a case of peripheral embolization arising from diffuse thoracoabdominal aortic thrombi with minimal evidence for atherosclerosis or other aortic pathology. After the patient was treated with anticoagulation therapy, surgical removal of peripheral embolus was performed.

[Residual inferior sinus venosus atrial septal defect after surgical closure of atrial septal defect; report of a case].

Sinus venosus atrial septal defect( SVD) represent 5~10% of atrial septal defect( ASD). In contrast to the more common superior type in which the superior vena cava overrides the pathological interatrial communication, the inferior type with overriding inferior vena cava is extremely rare. We describe a case of residual inferior SVD after surgical closure of ASD.

[Ascending aortic aneurysm associated with von recklinghausen disease].

We report a case of ascending aortic aneurysm complicated with von Recklinghausen disease. A 57-year-old man was referred to our institution for further evaluation of the atrial fibrillation. Computed tomography (CT) revealed an aneurysm of the ascending aorta.

Intramuscular hemangioma in the right ventricle.

Intramuscular cardiac hemangiomas are extremely rare. We describe a 74-year-old man with a tumor occupying the apex of the right ventricle that was incidentally diagnosed by echocardiography. Computed tomography and coronary angiography showed that the tumor arose from the ventricular septum and that the feeding artery was a branch of the right coronary artery.

[Aneurysms of the anterior communicating artery and subclavian artery in association with congenital absence of unilateral internal carotid artery].

We encountered a rare case of unilateral internal carotid arterial defect complicated with anterior communicating aneurysm and subclavian artery aneurysm. The patient was a 56-year-old man in whom cerebral angiography and 3D-CTA revealed defects in the right internal carotid artery and the right carotid canal, and an unruptured aneurysm in the anterior communicating artery. In addition, the patient was also found to have an unruptured aneurysm in the right subclavian artery.

[A case of bilateral extracranial carotid artery aneurysms caused by Takayasu's arteritis].

We describe here successful surgical treatment of a rare case of a rapidly enlarged aneurysm due to Takayasu's arteritis. A 22-year-old woman presented with a 1-month history of hoarseness and left neck pain. Contrast-enhanced computerized tomography showed an unruptured partially thrombosed aneurysm, and angiography revealed a large aneurysm of the common carotid artery.