Cerebral abscess following the self-extraction of teeth in patient with Ebstein's anomaly: a case report.

Background: Antibiotic prophylaxis before invasive treatments, including dental extractions, is still recommended for patients at high risk of infective endocarditis. However, the risk from self-extraction of teeth in daily life of patients with intellectual disabilities is uncertain.

Case Presentation: A 6-year-old patient with Ebstein's anomaly developed cerebral abscess, which appeared associated with infective endocarditis of dental origin.

Extensibility of autologous pericardium roll conduit in non-confluent pulmonary artery: a case report.

Background: There is great discussion about non-confluent pulmonary artery (PA) reconstruction, and several materials have been used. Autologous pericardium is considered feasible for infectious resistance, autoimmune response, extensibility, and growth potential.

Case Presentation: The patient was born at 39 weeks (body mass = 2550 g).

Neo-aortic insufficiency late after staged reconstruction for hypoplastic left heart syndrome: impact of differences in initial palliative procedures.

The neo-aortic insufficiency in patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome is an important sequela. We assessed the risks of the neo-aortic valve deterioration by the difference of initial palliations: Group I underwent primary Norwood (Nw) with systemic-to-pulmonary artery shunt (SPS), Group II underwent bilateral pulmonary artery banding (bPAB) and subsequent Nw with SPS (bPAB-Nw/SPS), Group III underwent bPAB and subsequent Nw with bidirectional Glenn (BDG) procedure (bPAB-Nw/BDG). The neo-aortic valve z score changes over time did not reach statistical significance in all groups (p = 0.

Rapid growth of pulmonary artery after intrapulmonary artery septation.

Intrapulmonary artery septation is employed in patients with unbalanced pulmonary artery growth. A baby girl received a systemic pulmonary shunt in the neonatal period and bilateral Glenn shunts in early infancy. Once the Glenn shunts were established, the right pulmonary artery became hypoplastic.

Pulmonary vein obstruction after primary sutureless pericardial repair of a total anomalous pulmonary venous connection.

Total anomalous pulmonary venous connection is a rare congenital heart disease. The development of pulmonary venous obstruction is one of the major risk factors for poor outcomes after surgical repair. Sutureless pericardial repair for a total anomalous pulmonary venous connection was introduced to decrease the risk of pulmonary venous obstruction after surgical repair, and favourable outcomes have been reported.

Valve-sparing reimplantation for neoaortic root dilatation and regurgitation with an unbalanced cusp after the arterial switch operation.

A 13-year-old male presented with neoaortic root dilatation and severe aortic valve regurgitation 13 years following an arterial switch operation. The valve cusps were unbalanced due to an enlarged non-coronary cusp. A valve-sparing reimplantation with a cusp plication was performed which resulted in a competent valve with trivial regurgitation.

Successful staged Fontan completion for a tricuspid atresia patient with left ventricular non-compaction.

We report a case of Fontan completion for a tricuspid atresia (TA) patient with left ventricular non-compaction (LVNC). The patient was diagnosed with TA (Ia) with LVNC by fetal echocardiography. Because the unfavourable prognosis of LVNC was anticipated, Imidapril as well as Carvedilol were administered to improve cardiac function, from the early stages of infancy.

[Impacts of bilateral pulmonary artery banding on the surgical and long-term outcomes in hypoplastic left heart syndrome( HLHS) and its variants].

Although Norwood-type operation is a fundamental procedure for hypoplastic left heart syndrome and its variants, the surgical risk is still high even in the high volume center. Bilateral pulmonary artery (PA) banding( BPAB) is an alternative procedure to avoid the risk in the neonatal period. We clarified the impacts of BPAB on the surgical and long-term outcomes in HLHS and its variants.

Current status of the hybrid approach for the treatment of hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

The hybrid approach for hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), consisting of bilateral pulmonary artery banding and ductal stenting, has emerged as an alternative to the traditional Norwood approach. This approach defers open heart surgery to beyond the neonatal period, which is believed to reduce postoperative mortality and morbidity and improve neurological development as compared with the conventional approach. However, there have been no scientific studies supporting these hypotheses.

Spontaneous dissection of the arterial duct during continuous infusion of prostaglandin E1 in a neonate with aortic arch interruption.

We report a 3-day-old boy with double outlet of the right ventricle and interruption of the aortic arch who developed spontaneous dissection of the arterial duct (DA) despite use of continuous infusion of lipo-prostaglandin E1 (PGE1). Transthoracic echocardiography demonstrated the spontaneous dissecting aneurysm of DA, which was confirmed by histology at the modified Norwood procedure done at age of 18 days. This is the first report of spontaneous dissection of DA in a neonate receiving PGE1, suggesting a new closing mechanism of DA.

[Re-aortic valve operations in children].

We have performed aortic valve replacement (AVR) with mechanical valve, with/without annular enlargement in pediatric patients with left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (LVOT). Twenty-two patients underwent mechanical AVR between May 1993 and December 2012. The cumulative survival rates by the Kaplan-Meier method were 95% in 5 year, and 95% in 10 year.

Aortic arch thrombosis in the neonate.

Aortic arch thrombosis (AAT) of the neonate is rare but life-threatening by fatal compromise associated with thrombotic obstruction of the ascending aorta. We report a neonate with AAT who demonstrated a severe coarctation of the aorta and cerebral hypo-perfusion immediately after birth. Echocardiography confirmed the diagnosis of AAT on the findings of a large thrombus located on the transverse arch and blocking the cervical arterial branches.

Successful staged repair for a rare type of truncus arteriosus with interruption of the aortic arch and abnormal origin of the left coronary artery.

We report a successful staged repair for a quite rare combination of truncus arteriosus (TA), Van Praagh type A4, and abnormal origin of the left coronary artery (CA). Furthermore, the case was complicated by a variant of the chromosomal anomaly in cat-cry syndrome. The presence of interruption of the aortic arch (IAA) and abnormal CA origin has been previously reported to increase mortality.

Outcomes of swing-back aortic arch repair in arterial switch and Norwood operations.

The outcomes of the swing-back technique for aortic arch repair during the arterial switch and Norwood operations are not well reported. Between May 2004 and January 2011, we performed this technique during the arterial switch and Norwood operations in 2 and 4 patients, respectively. The median (range) patient age and body weight were 17 (12-147) days and 3.

Aortic arch reconstruction for interrupted aortic arch using an aberrant right subclavian artery.

An aberrant right subclavian artery can be used in a variety of ways in complex aortic arch reconstructions, including reconstruction of an interrupted aortic arch. Here, we described the case of a 4-month-old female infant with a type B interrupted aortic arch, who underwent arch reconstruction using an aberrant right subclavian artery.

[Successful application of cholangioscope as an intravascular endoscope in hybrid operation for a child].

We performed hybrid operation on a 3-year-old boy with thrombosis in the pulmonary arterial conduit which had been implanted concomitantly at the time of Fontan operation. We used a cholangioscope as a substitute of intravascular endoscope. It visualized the organized thrombus and the suture line in the conduit.

Hyperthemia after cardiac surgery due to ascariasis in a child: report of a case.

Ascaris lumbricoides is the most common parasite affecting humans, especially in countries and regions with lower socio-economic conditions. A 2-year-old female child underwent right pulmonary angioplasty using cardiopulmonary bypass. Serious hyperthermia continued after surgery, and, therefore, a re-exploration of the mediastinum was performed because mediastinitis was suspected.

Fontan completion after Norwood with bidirectional Glenn shunt: their haemodynamics and pulmonary artery configuration.

Objectives: We ranked the haemodynamics and pulmonary artery (PA) configurations of Norwood with bidirectional Glenn shunt (NW-G) patients among the other staged Fontan completion (conventional) patients in this study.

Methods: Between August 2001 and April 2010, 91 consecutive patients completed staged Fontan operations. Among them, NW-G was performed in 11.

Unilateral absence of right proximal pulmonary artery in the setting of severe pulmonary hypertension: considerations for surgical repair and perioperative management.

We report a successfully treated case of unilateral absence of a pulmonary artery, associated with an atrial septal defect and chronic lung disease with severe pulmonary hypertension. Because this severe pulmonary hypertension could jeopardize postoperative hemodynamic, the ingenuity of surgical strategy was required. The atrial septal defect was left open as a safety "pop-off" valve, and prosthetic graft was chosen as a reconstructive material to avoid excessive dilatation from exposure to unpredictable postoperative pulmonary hypertension.

[Persistent fifth aortic arch with coarctation of aorta; report of a case].

Persistent 5th aortic arch (PFA) is a rare congenital cardiac anomaly that was firstly reported by Van Praagh et al, in 1969. A 3-month-old boy was referred to us with no symptom but heart murmur. Cardiac echocardiography and the following 3-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT) scan revealed PFA with coarctation of aorta.

[Evaluation of cerebral oxygenation changes with clamping of the left superior vena cava by near-infrared spectroscopy].

Objective: The left superior vena cava (LSVC) is often complicated with congenital heart defect. Although we simply clamp LSVC during cardio-pulmonary bypass (CPB), appropriateness of this technique has not been clarified. We noninvasively evaluate cerebral tissue oxygenation while the clamping of LSVC under CPB by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS).

Second-Stage Palliation After Bilateral Pulmonary Artery Bands for HLHS and its Variants--Which is Better, Modified Norwood or Norwood Plus Bidirectional Glenn?

Background. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the surgical outcomes and pulmonary artery (PA) development associated with a new strategy wherein the modified Norwood (N) procedure is performed at 1-2 months after bilateral pulmonary artery banding (PAB). Methods.

[Long-term outcome of aortic valve replacement with annular enlargement].

Background: The choice of appropriate treatment in children with aortic valvular lesions remains controversial. The purpose of this study is to assess early and late outcomes of aortic valve replacement with annular enlargement in children.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted in 16 consecutive patients aged 0.