Totally endoscopic robotic repair of coronary sinus atrial septal defect with concomitant tricuspid annuloplasty.

Background: The coronary sinus type of atrial septal defect is rare. Standard treatment typically involves intracardiac repair using conventional sternotomy or thoracotomy incisions; however, robotic technology can offer a feasible alternative due to its ability to provide a high-quality surgical view of this anomaly.

Case Presentation: A 72-year-old man presented with asymptomatic atrial septal defect.

Additional left atrial plication improves postoperative cardiovascular events in atrial functional mitral regurgitation.

Background: Left atrial (LA) plication is a procedure used to correct an LA that expands posteriorly due to remodeling. This study aimed to determine the efficacy of additional LA plication in reducing postoperative cardiovascular events (CVEs) after mitral valve (MV) repair in atrial functional mitral regurgitation (MR) patients.

Methods: Between October 2008 and August 2023, MV repair with or without LA plication in 74 patients was studied.

Three-dimensional computed tomography analysis of the mitral annulus for mitral annuloplasty in 100 cases of robotic mitral valve repair.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of preoperative computed tomography in assessing mitral annulus anatomy and the posterior annular plication rate in mitral valve repair with annuloplasty.

Methods: From July 2018 to August 2023, we performed robotic mitral valve repair with ring annuloplasty using a semi-rigid ring in 100 patients. Preoperative anatomical assessment of the mitral annulus was conducted by three-dimensional computed tomography.

[Outcomes of Modified Bentall Procedure with French Cuff Technique].

Background: We evaluated early and mid-term outcomes of modified Bentall procedure with French cuff technique for aortic root disease.

Methods: Between 2017 and 2024, 45 patients underwent modified Bentall procedure with French cuff technique. We excluded patients who had cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Delayed traumatic aortic valve perforation after blunt chest trauma.

Background: Aortic valve perforation is a rare complication of blunt chest trauma. We report a case of delayed aortic insufficiency presenting several months after trauma.

Case Presentation: A 17-year-old male presented to the emergency department with traumatic brain injuries and blunt chest trauma, but no evidence of cardiac injuries.

Vascular access site complications after transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve implantation: a comparison of open and percutaneous puncture approaches.

Background: In transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TF-TAVI), which approach has lower vascular access site complications between the open puncture (OP) and percutaneous puncture (PP) approaches is still controversial. Moreover, few studies have analyzed risk factors for vascular access site complications in TF-TAVI. This study aimed to compare vascular access site complications between the OP and PP approaches in patients undergoing TF-TAVI and access risk factors for vascular access site complications.

Midterm Results of Mitral Valve Repair Using Loop Technique With Simple Height Reduction of the Large Posterior Leaflet.

Objective: Systolic anterior motion (SAM) is one of the most serious problems in mitral valve repair. Height reduction is a key procedure to solve SAM, and there are limited data on the surgical results of height reduction procedure. This study is to assess the effectiveness and midterm results of simple height reduction procedure for SAM in patients with severe mitral regurgitation (MR).

Flexible Total Ring Annuloplasty With Continuous Wrapping Suture Considering the Anatomy and Histology of the Tricuspid Valve.

Objective: About half of tricuspid valves (TVs) have 2 posterior leaflets, and the fibrous tissue of the tricuspid annulus is poor. Considering the anatomy and histology of the TV, we devised a secure ring annuloplasty technique. We herein report the outcomes of our continuous wrapping suture annuloplasty technique using a flexible total ring.

Surgery for mitral annular caseous calcification-related calcified amorphous tumor: a case report.

Background: A calcified amorphous tumor (a non-neoplastic tumor) with caseous calcification of the mitral annulus is a rare pathology that causes severe embolic events. We present a rare case of mitral valve surgery for a mitral annular caseous calcification-related calcified amorphous tumor found in cerebral infarction.

Case Presentation: A 69-year-old man was diagnosed with a mitral valve calcified amorphous tumor with mitral annular caseous calcification found in cerebral infarction.

Patch augmentation valve replacement for patients with atrial functional mitral regurgitation and long-standing atrial fibrillation.

Background: Long-standing atrial fibrillation is associated with atrial functional mitral regurgitation (AFMR) with atriogenic tethering. We compared the outcomes of patch augmentation (PA) and valve replacement (VR) for AFMR.

Methods: We retrospectively compared the data of 16 patients who underwent PA for AFMR with the data of 15 patients who underwent VR between 2008 and 2021.

Histology of the tricuspid valve annulus and right atrioventricular muscle distance.

Objectives: Histologically, the mitral valve annulus comprises a collection of collagen fibres. However, the existence of collagen fibres in the tricuspid valve annulus has not been elucidated. Our goal was to clarify the histology of the tricuspid annulus.

Mitral valve repair with patch augmentation for atrial functional mitral regurgitation complicated with giant left atrium.

Objective: We aimed to assess the results of posterior leaflet augmentation with an autologous pericardial patch in atrial functional mitral regurgitation.

Methods: Data of 16 patients with atrial functional mitral regurgitation who underwent posterior leaflet patch augmentation for mitral valve repair were retrospectively analyzed. This procedure was applied to a short posterior leaflet with a height of < 10 mm in P2.

Three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiographic morphological evaluation of the tricuspid valve.

Objectives: The morphology of the tricuspid valve (TV), particularly valves with two posterior leaflets, is attracting attention. The present study was performed to investigate the usefulness of three-dimensional transoesophageal echocardiographic data for morphological evaluation of the TV .

Methods: Sixty patients underwent morphological evaluation of the TV by preoperative transoesophageal echocardiography followed by TV repair with median sternotomy, and each leaflet was measured intraoperatively.

Early outcomes of the Frozenix J-graft with exclusion of the non-stent part at a single center.

Background: The frozen elephant trunk technique is useful in aortic arch repair; however, some adverse events are associated with the Frozenix J-graft. We designed a technique to prevent these adverse events and achieve easy anastomosis (Total Exclusion of the Non-Stent part of Frozenix using an Everting anastomosis [TENSE]), and we assessed the outcomes of this technique in the present study.

Methods: From April 2017 to May 2021, 44 patients with aortic arch disease underwent TENSE, in which the proximal stump of the stent part of Frozenix was matched to the distal anastomosis end between the left common carotid and left subclavian arteries.

Outcomes of loop technique with ring annuloplasty: a > 10-year experience.

Objective: We assessed the long-term outcomes of the loop technique with ring annuloplasty for mitral regurgitation from our > 10-year experience.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 362 patients who underwent the loop technique with ring annuloplasty via median sternotomy or right mini-thoracotomy for mitral regurgitation. The median follow-up duration was 4.

Aortomitral angle affects cardiovascular events after mitral valve repair for atrial functional mitral regurgitation.

Purpose: This study aimed to elucidate the geometric parameters of the aortomitral (AM) complex affecting postoperative cardiovascular events (CVEs) in patients with atrial functional mitral regurgitation (MR).

Methods: From October 2008 to August 2018, we performed mitral and tricuspid valve repairs in 58 patients with atrial functional MR. We examined the determinants of CVEs using preoperative and postoperative echocardiographic data.

Morphological diversity of the tricuspid posterior leaflet affects surgical complexity for control of tricuspid regurgitation.

Objective: We investigated the effect of morphological diversity of the tricuspid valve with multiple posterior leaflets on the technical outcomes of tricuspid valve repair.

Methods: From April 2016 to November 2020, 141 patients were diagnosed with secondary tricuspid regurgitation associated with left heart disease and underwent tricuspid valve repair. We retrospectively analyzed the clinical and echocardiographic data of patients who underwent both preoperative and postoperative transthoracic echocardiography.

Computed tomography to identify risk factors for left circumflex artery injury during mitral surgery.

Objectives: Cases in which the left circumflex coronary artery (LCX) runs close to the mitral annulus are considered high risk for LCX injury during mitral surgery. We investigated the anatomical relationship between the LCX and the mitral annulus using 3-dimensional (3D) computed tomography (CT).

Methods: We constructed 3D-CT images of the LCX and the mitral annulus before surgery in 122 patients with mitral regurgitation (MR).

Loop technique for degenerative mitral regurgitation due to extended prolapse.

Purpose: Our study aims to examine the midterm outcomes of the loop technique for extended mitral valve (MV) prolapse patients.

Methods: From October 2008 to August 2020, we performed MV repairs in 407 patients with severe mitral regurgitation (MR). Follow-up ranged in duration from 287 to 2899 days (median, 872 days).

Corynebacterium jeikeium-induced infective endocarditis and perivalvular abscess diagnosed by 16S ribosomal RNA sequence analysis: A case report.

Introduction: Corynebacterium jeikeium normally presents on human skin, and it is often judged as contamination when it is cultured from blood. C. jeikeium can cause infective endocarditis, especially, that associated with cardiac surgery and prosthetic valvular endocarditis.

Loop technique with ink-dot marking test: An alternative strategy to the ink test.

Objective: We assessed the long-term outcomes of the loop technique with the ink-dot marking test, an alternative to the ink test for aligning the mitral valve (MV) leaflet height, during MV repair.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 351 patients who underwent MV repair with the loop technique via median sternotomy or right mini-thoracotomy. The ink-dot marking test involves creation of a dotted line between the rough and clear zones in the anterior leaflet and the center of the posterior leaflet by gentian violet.

Concomitant operation for pulmonary artery aneurysm and pulmonary valve regurgitation.

A 48-year-old man with a pulmonary artery aneurysm was referred to our hospital. Enhanced computed tomography revealed an aneurysm extending from the main trunk to the bilateral pulmonary branch (maximum diameter 6.4 cm) of the artery.

A case of esophageal perforation after intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography in a patient with a giant left atrium: unexpectedly large distortion of the esophagus revealed on retrospectively constructed three-dimensional imaging.

Background: Esophageal perforation is a rare but serious complication of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). An enlarged left atrium (LA), which is commonly associated with mitral stenosis (MS), is an under-recognized risk factor for esophageal perforation after intraoperative TEE.

Case Presentation: We describe a case of TEE-induced esophageal perforation after cardiac surgery in a 79-year-old woman with a giant LA due to MS.