[Aortic arch and valve replacement in a hemodialysis patient with a porcelain aorta;report of a case].

We report a case of thoracic aortic aneurysm and aortic valve stenosis with chronic renal failure requiring hemodialysis. A 75-year-old man complained of back pain and hoarseness. He had been on dialysis for 15 years.

Asymptomatic papillary fibroelastoma of the mitral valve.

We report an asymptomatic case of a papillary fibroelastoma adherent to the mitral anterior leaflet. Transthoracic echocardiography of an 85-year-old man with chronic atrial fibrillation and no thromboembolic episodes, revealed a cardiac tumor on the mitral valve. Transesophageal echocardiography demonstrated typical findings for a papillary fibroelastoma.

Clinical experience with the Bicarbon heart valve prosthesis.

Background: We have previously reported mid-term results of a study, which ended in January 2000, on the Bicarbon valve. The study concluded that the valve showed excellent clinical results, associated with a low incidence of valve-related complications. In the present study, the same patients were prospectively followed for an additional 5 years.

Twenty-two year experience with the omniscience prosthetic heart valve.

This study was designed to evaluate the long-term clinical results of the Omniscience tilting disc valve. Omniscience valves were implanted in 51 patients (mean age, 50 +/- 10 years); 18 had aortic valve, 24 had mitral valve, and 9 had both aortic and mitral valve replacements. Oral warfarin potassium and dipyridamole were prescribed as our anticoagulant therapy.

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.

A repair of funnel chest without sternal dissection in aortic root replacement.

A 46-year-old man with Marfan syndrome was admitted for repair of annuloaortic etasia and funnel chest. Before median sternotomy, seven transverse skin incisions were made for resection of deformed ribs. The convex portions at the costochondral junctions of the right 4 approximately 7th and left 5 approximately 7th ribs were removed.

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.

Management of anomalous right coronary arteries encountered during aortic valve surgery.

We experienced three cases with anomalous right coronary arteries during aortic valve surgery. By rotating a Freestyle bioprosthesis by a subcoronary technique, the anomalous artery was secured in one patient. The anomalous artery was injured during the routine aortotomy incision in another patient; a saphenous vein graft was interposed between the ascending aorta and the separated artery.