Atrial thrombus after total anomalous pulmonary venous connection repair.

A 6-year-old boy had previously undergone total anomalous pulmonary venous connection repair and postoperative pulmonary vein stenosis release. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed blood stasis caused by a collision between the inflow from the pulmonary veins and the outflow from the left atrial appendage. A surgical specimen revealed evidence of advanced thrombus attachment.

Establishment of the improved colonization of Escherichia coli laboratory strain in the intestine mediated by single gene deletion.

In light of the emerging importance of the gut microbiome in human health, there is a need to improve the colonization efficiency of therapeutic bacteria called probiotics. Despite their recognized potential, artificially administered bacteria exhibit poor colonization in the intestine, limiting their therapeutic efficacy. Addressing this challenge requires innovative strategies; however, reported examples are limited.

Biventricular function in preterm infants with patent ductus arteriosus ligation: A three-dimensional echocardiographic study.

Background: The detailed hemodynamics after patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) ligation in preterm infants remain unknown. We aimed to clarify the effect of surgical ligation on left ventricular (LV) and right ventricular (RV) volume and function.

Methods: Echocardiography was performed in 41 preterm infants (median gestational age: 25 weeks) before and after PDA ligation.

Tricuspid atresia 1c accompanying neonatal encephalopathy treated with pulmonary trunk banding and therapeutic hypothermia.

The influence of therapeutic hypothermia, known to improve neurodevelopmental outcomes in neonatal encephalopathy, remains unknown in newborns with severe congenital heart diseases. We report a neonate with tricuspid atresia type 1c suffering from moderate neonatal encephalopathy. A burst suppression pattern on amplitude-integrated electroencephalography recovered after inducing moderate therapeutic hypothermia, but exacerbated pulmonary overcirculation still persisted even after the rewarming.

[Left Main Trunk Orifice Reconstruction Using Aortic flap and Autologous Pulmonary Arterial Patch for Severe Left Main Trunk Stenosis After Arterial Switch Operation].

A 6-year-old boy with left main trunk (LMT) stenosis, who had undergone arterial switch operation (ASO) for transposition of the great arteries( TGA) before 6 years, underwent LMT orifice reconstruction. Coronary angiography showed severe stenosis of LMT, already when he was hospitalized with heart failure after 3 months of ASO. He was stable with oral treatment, therefore we performed the LMT reconstruction, before starting school, in terms of the risk of coronary ischemic event.

Staged definitive repair for pulmonary atresia and ventricular septal defect 40 years after palliative surgery: a case report.

We present a very rare case of pulmonary atresia and ventricular septal defect with staged definitive repair more than 40 years after palliative surgery. The patient, a 43-year-old male, had undergone a Waterston operation at the age of one and had been untreated since then. Two years ago, he underwent an urgent surgery for impending rupture of a huge pulmonary artery aneurysm.

Cosmetic and shoulder functional outcomes in posterolateral minithoracotomy atrial septal defect closure: A retrospective study.

Background And Aim: Transcatheter device closure has become the first treatment option for atrial septal defects (ASD). Surgical ASD closure, although still implemented, is cosmetically inferior to transcatheter closure. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility as well as short- and long-term clinical outcomes of the right posterolateral minithoracotomy approach for surgical ASD closure.

[Midterm Outcomes of Pulmonary Valve Leaflet Augmentation using Fresh Autologous Pericardium for Transannular Patch Repair of Tetralogy of Fallot].

Background: Although valve sparing (VS) for patients with smaller pulmonary valves has been increasing, transannular patch repair( TAP) accounts for more than half of the total tetralogy of Fallot corrections worldwide. We use fresh autologous pericardial patches to perform a modified TAP procedure with pulmonary valve leaflet augmentation as proposed by Sung et al. We aimed to explore the early and midterm outcomes of this procedure.

Usefulness of Prolonged PR Interval to Predict Atrial Tachyarrhythmia Development Following Surgical Repair of Tetralogy of Fallot.

Atrial tachyarrhythmias (ATAs), which may occur after tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) surgery, can cause sudden cardiac death. However, ATAs may also develop in response to electrical substrates. This study aims to examine the predictive factors for ATAs by identifying electrical substrates in the atrium obtained from 12-lead electrocardiogram in patients who underwent TOF repair.

Perioperative junctional ectopic tachycardia associated with congenital heart disease: risk factors and appropriate interventions.

The risk factors and the appropriate interventions for perioperative junctional ectopic tachycardia (JET) in congenital heart disease (CHD) surgery have not been sufficiently investigated despite the severity of this complication. This study aimed to examine the risk factors and interventions for perioperative JET. From 2013 to 2020, 1062 surgeries for CHD (median patient age: 4.

Tubular Pouch Technique Using Aortic Tissues for Single Coronary Artery Transfer.

A single coronary artery with a single ostium from sinus 2 (2 R L Cx) is rare and difficult to transfer. A 6-day-old male neonate was diagnosed with dextro-transposition of the great arteries with an intact ventricular septum at birth. Computed tomography revealed the presence of a single coronary artery with a single ostium from sinus 2 (2 R L Cx).

Surgical Angioplasty for a Single Coronary Artery With Myocardial Bridging.

Single coronary artery with myocardial bridging is rare but associated with the risk of sudden cardiac death in children, yet there is no standardized treatment approach. We report a 6-year-old girl with chest pain having a single coronary artery with complete myocardial bridging of the left main coronary artery (modified Lipton type RII-S) branching from the right coronary artery at an acute angle. Coronary angioplasty using an in situ aortic flap and an autologous pulmonary arterial patch combined with myocardial unroofing was successfully performed for the left main coronary artery.

Aberrant Subclavian Artery Bypass for Cerebral Perfusion in Aortic Arch Reconstruction.

When reconstructing an interrupted aortic arch with an aberrant right subclavian artery, careful consideration must be made to protect regional cerebral flow. There are several approaches to cardiopulmonary bypass during aortic arch reconstruction. Here, we describe a case of a 3-month-old female patient with a type B interruption who underwent a right subclavian artery bypass using the right internal thoracic artery to supply sufficient cerebral blood flow throughout the operation.

Re-Norwood operation using femoral artery cannulation.

Re-Norwood operation is technically difficult to perform and is a high risk procedure due to the underlying hypocardiac function. Herein, we describe our successful re-Norwood operation approach in a 6-month old infant with persistent severe cyanosis and aortic re-coarctation. Our procedure was performed using femoral artery cannulation to protect cerebrospinal and lower body perfusion.

Intralobar pulmonary sequestration associated with left main coronary artery obstruction and mitral regurgitation.

A 4-year-old boy with left intralobar pulmonary sequestration associated with left main coronary artery obstruction (LMCAO) and severe mitral regurgitation (MR) was admitted to our hospital. Since the patient presented with dyskinesia of the cardiac apex and increased left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV), left main coronary artery reconstruction and mitral annuloplasty were performed. The enlargement of the left ventricle was improved after sequential surgeries.

[Modified Carpentier Technique is Useful Method for Tricuspid Regurgitation in Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome].

Management of tricuspid regurgitation( TR) before right ventricular dysfunction is critical in patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS);however, appropriate tricuspid valvuloplasty (TVP) is challenging. We report a TVP technique for TR in a 4-year-old girl with HLHS, who had undergone Norwood operation, bidirectional cavopulmonary shunt, and TVP. Preoperative echocardiography revealed the etiology of TR as anterior leaflet prolapse, annulus dilatation, and relative tethering of the septal leaflet.

Impact of the Axillary Approach on Epicardial Pacing Lead Durability in Children.

Background: To avoid lead failure and pocket infection in neonates and infants requiring pacemakers, we used the axillary approach of placing the generator in the axilla and the leads in the intrathoracic space. We describe the technical details of the axillary approach and evaluate the efficacy of this method.

Methods: We assessed 21 patients (7 male) weighing 8 kg or less who underwent epicardial pacemaker implantation with the axillary approach between 2004 and 2018.

Apex rotation as a risk factor for total anomalous pulmonary connection repair in single ventricle.

Background: The high incidence of postoperative pulmonary venous obstruction (PVO) is a major mortality-associated concern in patients with right atrial isomerism and extracardiac total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC). We evaluated new anatomical risk factors for reducing the space behind the heart after TAPVC repair.

Methods: Eighteen patients who underwent TAPVC repair between 2014 and 2020 were enrolled.

Optimization of prediction methods for risk assessment of pathogenic germline variants in the Japanese population.

Predicting pathogenic germline variants (PGVs) in breast cancer patients is important for selecting optimal therapeutics and implementing risk reduction strategies. However, PGV risk factors and the performance of prediction methods in the Japanese population remain unclear. We investigated clinicopathological risk factors using the Tyrer-Cuzick (TC) breast cancer risk evaluation tool to predict BRCA PGVs in unselected Japanese breast cancer patients (n = 1,995).

Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Differential Gene Expression between the Closing Ductus Arteriosus and the Patent Ductus Arteriosus in Humans.

The ductus arteriosus (DA) immediately starts closing after birth. This dynamic process involves DA-specific properties, including highly differentiated smooth muscle, sparse elastic fibers, and intimal thickening (IT). Although several studies have demonstrated DA-specific gene expressions using animal tissues and human fetuses, the transcriptional profiles of the closing DA and the patent DA remain largely unknown.

External Stenting for Bronchomalacia Involving the Bronchus Intermedius.

In recent years, external stenting has been used as a reliable method to relieve airway compression of the trachea and main bronchi in young children with acceptable age-proportional airway growth. However, to our knowledge, little literature supporting this approach for the distal airway has been published. A 1-year-old girl with absent pulmonary valve syndrome who had recurrent respiratory infections was diagnosed with bronchomalacia.