Analysis of the relationship between the amplitude of aortic wall motion and heart function.

Purpose: Because the posterior wall of the aorta and left atrium are interlocked, the amplitude of motion of the aortic wall (AMAW) may reflect cardiac and vessel functions. This study examined the relationship between cardiac and vessel functions and AMAW.

Methods: Patients with cardiovascular diseases or patients undergoing health examinations who visited a participating hospital and underwent echocardiography and brachial-ankle pulse-wave velocity (baPWV) examinations were registered.

The detection rates and tumor clinical/pathological stages of whole-body FDG-PET cancer screening.

Objective: FDG-PET has been used for cancer screening, mainly in East-Asia, and cancers are found not infrequently. However, their stages have not been clarified. We examined the detection rates of various cancers using whole-body PET for the screening of cancers in asymptomatic individuals, focusing on their clinical and pathological stages.

Complete rupture of the posterior papillary muscle caused by late reperfusion for acute myocardial infarction.

We describe a patient with acute mitral regurgitation due to complete rupture of the papillary muscle immediately after successful late reperfusion for inferior myocardial infarction. An 81-year-old woman was admitted complaining of mild chest discomfort. Although the electrocardiograms, biochemical test results, and her clinical history showed that several days had passed since the onset of acute myocardial infarction, a late coronary stenting was performed.

Surgical revascularization for acute coronary syndrome: comparative surgical and long-term results.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the adequate timing of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) for acute coronary syndrome (ACS).

Methods: In our institution, emergency CABG has been avoided when possible for ACS patients favoring stabilization with medical therapies, including intra-aortic balloon pumping or percutaneous coronary intervention. After thorough preoperative examinations, an urgent CABG is performed.

[Skeletonized right gastroepiploic artery for coronary artery bypass grafting; evaluation of intraoperative graft flow and postoperative angiographic result].

We evaluated the efficacy of using the skeletonized right gastroepiploic artery (RGEA) in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). The RGEA was harvested either as a pedicle (group P, n = 14) or in a skeletonized fashion using a Harmonic Scalpel (group S, n = 14). The free flow of the RGEA was too small to be measured in some cases in group P.

[Aortic valve regurgitation associated with rheumatoid arthritis; report of a case].

We report a rare case of aortic regurgitation (AR) associated with rheumatic arthritis (RA). A 59-year-old female was brought to our hospital with cardiopulmonary arrest because of severe heart failure due to AR. After being treated for heart failure, aortic valve replacement was carried out with a Carpentier-Edwards 21 mm model.

[Emergency coronary artery bypass grafting for acute coronary syndrome with preoperative intraaortic balloon pumping; comparative surgical outcome and long-term results].

With recent technical improvements in catheter interventional therapy, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has now become the treatment of first choice for acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The objective of the present study was to evaluate critically the timing of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) for severe ACS with preoperative intraaortic balloon pumping (IABP). Since 1994, a total of 70 patients have gone emergency or urgent CABG for ACS.