In-plane ultrasound imaging of the vertebral artery for safe pediatric internal jugular vein cannulation.

Before cannulation of the internal jugular vein (IJV) in 4 pediatric patients, we obtained in-plane and out-of-plane ultrasound images of the vertebral artery (VA). In 2 of 4 patients, abnormalities were identified and best imaged in the in-plane view. In one patient, the right VA had an anomalous origin and course behind the IJV.

Assessment of the developmental change in the left atrial volume using real time three-dimensional echocardiography.

Aims: Real time 3D echocardiography (RT3DE) has been applied for the assessment of left atrial (LA) function in patients with adult heart disease; however, LA function is not well known in children. We aimed at determining the normal range of LA volume (LAV) using RT3DE and the feasibility and reproducibility of this method in healthy subjects and at elucidating the developmental changes in the LAV with aging.

Methods And Results: In this study, 359 healthy people (mean age, 23.

[A case of squamous cell carcinoma of the nipple skin successfully treated with S-1 alone].

Squamous cell carcinoma of the breast is uncommon, but that of the nipple skin is rarer. The effect of chemotherapy in these cases is yet to reach consensus. We report a rare case in which primary squamous cell carcinoma of the nipple skin was successfully treated with S-1 alone.

Tricuspid regurgitation resulting from acute type A aortic dissection.

Proximal extension of acute type A aortic dissection can affect the aortic valve but seldom affects the tricuspid valve. We report the case of an octogenarian who underwent successful surgical repair of an aortic dissection that was accompanied by tricuspid regurgitation. We believe that the tricuspid regurgitation was attributable to displacement of the valve resulting from aortic dissection.

[Case of post-transfusion posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome with cerebral hemorrhage that may be associated with fat-soluble vitamin deficiency].

A 36-year-old woman with a 4 year history of lower legs edema, hypermenorrhea and melena without medical treatment was admitted to our hospital. At 18 days before admission, anasarca and general fatigue appeared and she was admitted to another hospital. Her hemoglobin concentration was 1.

[Insufficient sugammadex effect in an obese pregnant woman undergoing cesarean section under general anesthesia].

A 32-year-old pregnant woman (height 162 cm, weight 86 kg, age of fetus 25 weeks) without preoperative complications underwent an emergent cesarean section under general anesthesia. She was intubated with a 7.0-mm tracheal tube 40 s after receiving rocuronium 0.

[Case of delayed extubation in a woman with low pulmonary function].

A 78-year-old woman with low pulmonary function (forced expiratory volume in 1 second of 450 ml) underwent an open incisional pulmonary tissue biopsy for suspected diffuse panbronchiolitis and anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis. She was intubated with a double-lumen tracheal tube after receiving 0.57 mg x kg(-1) of rocuronium and 0.

Home-based cardiac rehabilitation decreases red cell distribution width in chronic heart failure.

Objective: Red cell distribution width (RDW) is a measure of variation in the volume of circulating erythrocytes and has recently emerged as a powerful prognostic marker in heart failure. We studied the effect of 5-month, home-based cardiac rehabilitation on RDW.

Methods And Results: Sixty-two patients (age: median 67 years, IQR 63-74) with chronic heart failure caused by reduced left ventricular systolic function were enrolled.

[Composite lymphoma consisting of adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma].

A 68-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of left back pain and systemic lymphadenopathy with hypercalcemia. Serum anti-HTLV-1 antibody was positive. Left cervical lymph node (LN) biopsy revealed proliferation of medium-sized to large CD4-positive atypical cells with modest infiltration of CD20 and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-encoded RNA dual-positive atypical large cells.

[Setting appropriate antibiotic prophylaxis before skin incision].

Background: Care should be taken to ensure that antibiotic administration is completed before skin incision during surgery. Therefore, we investigated whether prophylactic antibiotics were being appropriately administered before skin incision in the operating rooms at our institute and whether our discussions with anesthesiologists regarding this issue were effective.

Methods: During anesthesia departmental meetings in April 2009, we requested anesthesiologists to ensure appropriate antibiotic administration before incision.

[A case of Churg-Strauss syndrome with elevated IgG4--the association between treatment and IgG4].

We report the case of a 57-year-old woman, known to have had allergic sinusitis and bronchial asthma, and had been treated with leukotriene receptor antagonist for one month, at the time of presentation. She complained of bilateral weakness and pain in her lower extremities and her laboratory investigations revealed an elevated absolute eosinophil count of 23,357/μl, elevated biliary enzymes and an IgG4 level of 594 mg/dl. Nerve conduction study revealed mononeuritis multiplex.

Subchondral insufficiency fracture of the femoral head: a report of two cases with a history of internal fixation of a femoral neck fracture.

We report our experience in two cases of subchondral insufficiency fracture of the femoral head with a history of internal fixation of the femoral neck fracture. Both cases were young females (26 and 43 years old, respectively). Their hip pain occurred more than 2 years and 1 year after the primary surgical treatment, respectively.

Shock following a cat scratch.

A 49-year-old man with fever, pain in both legs, purpuras and cyanosis was admitted to hospital. He was a heavy drinker, but did not have diabetes or other immunosuppressive disease. On admission, he was in shock, with haematological findings suggestive of disseminated intravascular coagulation, and liver and kidney failure.

Repair of acute aortic dissection in an octogenarian with prior thoracoplasty.

Cardiovascular surgery is challenging in patients who have previously undergone thoracoplasty because of severe chest deformity and impaired pulmonary function. We report a case of an octogenarian with prior left thoracoplasty, who successfully underwent surgical repair of an acute aortic dissection through a standard median sternotomy. We suggest that prior thoracoplasty might not necessarily be an exclusion criterion for aortic surgery in cases with adequate pulmonary function.

Aortic valve replacement in a porcelain aorta using endo balloon occlusion.

Aortic valve surgery carries increased risks in patients with an extensively calcified aorta. We describe a technique in which we maintain systemic perfusion via bilateral axillary artery perfusion in conjunction with endoaortic balloon occlusion, and limit the circulatory arrest time.

Acetabular reconstruction with Chiari pelvic osteotomy: report of 2 cases.

We performed cementless total hip arthroplasty combined with acetabular reconstruction with Chiari pelvic osteotomy on 3 hips in 2 patients. This procedure increased the osseous coverage of the shell and decreased the load around the hip by medialization of the hip center. Osteosynthesis of the proximal and distal bone fragment was performed using a shell with screws.

A case of pulmonary epithelioid hemangioendothelioma surviving 10 years without treatment.

A 19-year-old woman was referred to our hospital because of bilateral multiple nodular shadows on the chest radiograph. She complained of no symptoms. The pulmonary lesions were diagnosed pathologically as epithelioid hemangioendothelioma.

The influence of renal insufficiency on sleep-disordered breathing in patients with symptomatic chronic heart failure.

Background: Renal insufficiency, a common condition among patients with chronic heart failure, complicates the management of heart failure. However, the influence of renal insufficiency on sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) - another important comorbidity of heart failure - has not been well studied.

Methods: Seventy-nine patients (60 men and 19 women) with stable, symptomatic heart failure caused by left ventricular systolic dysfunction (left ventricular ejection fraction of less than 45%) were studied.

Persistent high fever and systemic inflammation induced by percutaneous coronary intervention-related periaortitis.

After coronary catheterization, fever sometimes occurs, usually transiently. We report a very rare case that suggests persistent high fever and systemic inflammation might be caused by periaortitis induced by coronary catheterization including percutaneous coronary intervention.