[Clinical experience with surgical management of atrial myxoma].

Clinical data (symptoms, diagnostic tools, surgical and histological findings, postoperative course and present status) of 26 patients with cardiac myxomas were reviewed. All myxomas were of left atrial localization. The diagnosis was confirmed by cardiac catheterization and angiography (until late seventies) and echocardiography.

[Arterial revascularization of the heart and intraoperative balloon angioplasty].

Authors report a combined method currently introduced in their practice in surgical treatment of ischemic heart disease. Besides the solely arterial revascularisation of the heart, successful intraoperative balloon dilatation of the recipient LAD stenosis was carried out. Main steps of the method's history, indication and the required tools are described.

[Coronary revascularization in post-infarction patients].

Authors report the type of revascularization, the result of noninvasive and invasive investigations carried out 6-9 months after surgery, improvement of functional status of 56 postinfarction patients with recurrent angina pectoris. They conclude, that recoronarography performed in 12 patients revealed diminished patency rate compared to the estimated predictive one, especially in those, where complete revascularization was considered to have been carried out. Ejection fraction, wall motion score by ventriculography and echocardiography did not seem to improve significantly.

[Surgical management of aneurysm of the ascending aorta associated with aortic valve insufficiency].

Out of 318 aortic valve replacements performed between July 1, 1984 and June 30, 1989, aneurysm of the ascending aorta was found in 17 cases. In 7 of these cases employment of conduit was required due to the dimension of the aneurysm. In 5 cases they performed Bentall procedure: aortic valve replacement combined with conduit of the ascending aorta with the replantation of the coronaries.

Endocavital cooling in intraoperative myocardial protection during extracorporeal circulation.

The possible protective effect of endocavital cooling with a balloon left ventricular vent was studied by post cross clamp time rhythm, ECG, DC shock need, dynamics of temperature changes in the interventricular septum, and positive inotropic support requirement in 60 extracorporeal operations (18 aortic valve replacement, 26 aortocoronary bypass and 16 combined procedures) performed by the same team of surgeons with an identical technique and anaesthetic protocol. The results were compared to the data of 60 similar procedures carried out earlier by the same team but without the balloon technique. We conclude that endocavital cooling may have certain additive effects to chemical cardioplegia, especially in cases with left ventricular hypertrophy, multiple coronary stenoses, and in combined procedures.