Left ventricular pseudoaneurysm after left ventricular remodeling: port access approach.

Cases of left ventricular pseudoaneurysm caused by patch leakage after left ventricular remodeling are quite rare. We describe the case of a 66-year-old man operated on through a left thoracotomy using the Port Access platform to treat patch detachment after left ventricular remodeling.

Two cases of right atrial myxoma in redo patients. A mere coincidence?

We describe two cases of right atrial myxoma in redo patients who had previously undergone to coronary artery by-pass grafting (CABGs) and mitral valve replacement respectively. Both of patients experienced effort dyspnea and were assessed by trans-thoracic echocardiography, revealing the right atrial masses. They were operated on for myxoma resection and postoperative course was uneventful.

Budd-Chiari syndrome complicating the surgical closure of patent foramen ovale in right minithoracotomy.

We present the case of a 45-year old female operated on for minimally invasive closure of patent foramen ovale, who suffered in the postoperative course of the Budd-Chiari syndrome caused by the thrombotic occlusion of the inferior vena cava. Medical treatment with oral anticoagulants and heparin was promptly established, avoiding a further increase of the thrombus that completely disappeared 3 months later.

Minimally invasive implantation of the myopore sutureless myocardial pacing lead.

Cardiac resynchronization therapy improves symptoms and survival of patients with congestive heart failure. Usually, the transvenous placement of the left ventricular lead is feasible, but in case of anatomic abnormalities of the coronary sinus, an unintended left phrenic nerve stimulation, a dislodgement of the percutaneous electrode, or a loss of capture of the electrode, surgical treatment should be considered. From January 2010 to September 2011, 15 patients underwent surgical implantation of the left ventricular lead after failure of transvenous placement.

Aortic valve replacement through the upper ministernotomy: preliminary experience with modified technique.

Minimally invasive approach for aortic valve surgery has been developed since 1995, reducing the complications related to the full sternotomy. We have introduced a new method for central cannulation that reduces the length of surgical incision for the aortic valve replacement through upper mini-sternotomy. To improve the surgical view without enlargement of the incision, two small additional incisions are performed for both arterial and atrial cannulation.

Right atrial lipoma in patient with Cowden syndrome.

Primary cardiac tumors are rarest form of cancer and the lipoma represent about 8% of these tumors. Cowden disease is a rare autosomal dominant disorder, associated to a germline mutation of the PTEN gene, characterized by multiple hamartomas and an increased risk of breast, thyroid and endometrial carcinomas. For the first time, we describe a right atrial lipoma in a patient affected by Cowden syndrome.