Korean Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery

The simultaneous incidence of infective endocarditis and cervical spondylitis with an epidural abscess is rare, and quadriplegia as a complication after cardiac surgery is very rare. We recently observed quadriplegia after mitral valve replacement in an infective endocarditis patient with cervical spine spondylitis. With early symptom detection, immediate examination, and prompt surgical treatment, the patient successfully recovered without neurological symptoms.

The anomalous connection of umbilical vessels to the heart is rare and has not yet been reported in the international scientific literature. Herein, we report the case of a newborn who was diagnosed with an anomalous connection of the umbilical vessels to the left ventricle. These anomalous vessels were functionally open for 2 weeks, and cellulitis was present in the area of the blood vessels connected to the skin. We performed division of these abnormal vessels and removal of the skin lesion.

BACKGROUND: Behçet disease is a chronic inflammatory disorder with a varying etiology. Herein, we report the involvement of peripheral veins in Behçet disease and discuss the treatment thereof. METHODS: Thirty-four patients with venous involvement in vasculo-Behçet disease were retrospectively analyzed over 15 years. We reviewed the clinical manifestations, treatment choices, and complications of these patients. RESULTS: Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) was observed in 24 patients (70...

Background: Hydatidosis is a major health problem around the world, especially in the Mediterranean region. Cysts can break open or develop secondary bacterial infections, altering the clinical presentation. Methods: Patients who underwent hydatid cyst surgery at Al-Mouassat University Hospital in Damascus, Syria between January 2006 and December 2017 were evaluated. Cases involving isolated hepatic cysts were excluded. The patients were divided into those with perforated hydatid cysts (group 1) and those with intact hydatid cysts (group 2)...

Background: The extracorporeal ventricular assist device (e-VAD) system is designed for left ventricular support using a permanent life support console. This study aimed to determine the impact of temporary e-VAD implantation bridging on posttransplant outcomes. Methods: We reviewed the clinical records of 6 patients with the Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support (INTERMACS) profile 1, awaiting heart transplantation, who were provided with temporary e-VAD from 2018 to 2019...

Background: Prolonged ischemic time is a risk factor for primary graft dysfunction in patients who undergo heart transplantation. We investigated the effect of a supplemental cardioplegia infusion before anastomosis in patients with long ischemic times. Methods: We identified 236 consecutive patients who underwent orthotopic heart transplantation between February 2010 and December 2014. Among them, the patients with total ischemic times of longer than 3 hours (n=59) were categorized based on whether they were administered a complementary cardioplegia solution (CPS) immediately before implantation (CPS+, n=30; CPS-, n=29)...

A 34-year-old man who had undergone aortic valve replacement 8 years ago underwent an additional Bentall operation due to mechanical valve dehiscence 2 years later. Subsequently, he was diagnosed with Behçet disease and Batter syndrome. A week after being hospitalized again due to chest pain and dyspnea, a large pseudo-aneurysm was detected on computed tomography. Because of the excessively large size of the pseudo-aneurysm, surgical treatment seemed very risky. Therefore, we planned to perform thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) and treated him successfully...

Background: Arteriovenous fistula (AVF) for hemodialysis is essential for patients with end-stage renal disease. However, it is difficult to maintain AVF reliably. It is vitally important to select proper blood vessels for AVF formation. In a previous study, a minimum diameter of 3 mm for the autologous vein was proposed. However, patients who did not meet the minimum vascular diameter before anesthesia, but fulfilled other criteria, showed satisfactory venous dilatation after brachial plexus block (BPB)...

Tuberculosis (TB)-infected giant bullae are rare. A 55-year-old man was referred when an infected bulla did not respond to empirical treatment. Computed tomography showed a giant bulla in the right upper lobe with an air-fluid level and surrounding infiltrate. Sputum culture, acid-fast bacilli (AFB) stain, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for TB were negative. Percutaneous drainage of the bullous fluid was performed. AFB stain and PCR were positive in the drained fluid. The patient was given anti-TB drugs and later underwent obliteration of the pulmonary cavity using talc...

Moyamoya disease (MMD) is characterized by progressive steno-occlusive lesions of the distal or proximal branch of the internal carotid arteries, and cerebrovascular symptoms are its major complications. Extracranial vascular involvement including the coronary artery has been reported, and some case reports have described variant angina or myocardial infarction. However, no report has yet described a case of myocardial infarction after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Here, we present a patient with MMD who suffered cardiac arrest caused by myocardial infarction due to a coronary spasm after offpump CABG and who was discharged successfully after treatment with a veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenator and percutaneous coronary intervention...

Background: Surgical treatment of empyema thoracis in patients with chronic kidney disease is challenging, and few studies in the literature have evaluated this issue. In this study, we aim to report the surgical outcomes of empyema and to analyze factors predicting perioperative mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease. Methods: This retrospective study included data from 34 patients with chronic kidney disease (estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 mL/min/1...

A 63-year-old patient was admitted with a sternal fracture and mass. On evaluation, most of the body of the sternum had been destroyed by a tumor. Radical resection of the sternum was performed and part of the major pectoral muscles adherent to the sternal tumor was also resected. The chest wall defect was reconstructed with mesh, bone cement, and a titanium rib plate system. Reconstruction with this method seemed to be an appropriate procedure to prevent instability of the chest wall.

Herein, we report a case in which thoracomyoplasty was performed to manage chronic postlobectomy empyema (PLE). A 54-year-old male patient with a surgical history of right upper lobectomy and thymectomy 35 years previously who had undergone adjuvant radiotherapy presented with purulent discharge on the anterior chest wall. The patient was diagnosed with chronic PLE with ascending infection and concurrent osteonecrosis of the parasternum. Proper drainage was performed for local infection control and the dead spaces were successfully closed with muscle flaps...

Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is rarely performed in infants because of its technical difficulty and unclear long-term results. A 90-day-old male infant weighing 3.5 kg who underwent an arterial switch operation (ASO) for transposition of the great arteries developed left coronary artery insufficiency despite augmentation and reimplantation of the left coronary button. On-pump beating heart CABG was performed using an internal mammary artery graft to revascularize the left anterior descending artery...

Background: Atrial septal defect (ASD) is the most common congenital heart disease. However, the details of cardiac chamber remodeling after surgery are not well known, although this is an important issue that should be analyzed to understand long-term outcomes. Methods: Between November 2017 and January 2019, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging was performed preoperatively, at a 1-month postoperative follow-up, and at a 1-year postoperative follow-up. Cardiac chamber volume, valve regurgitation volume, and ejection fraction were measured as functions of time...

Background: We aimed to investigate the characteristics of primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) in adolescents and to analyze the relationship between the occurrence of PSP and air pollutants. Methods: Data pertaining to age, sex, body mass index, smoking status, initial pneumothorax volume, presence of bullae, treatment methods, and city of residence were retrospectively obtained from January 2010 to December 2014. We investigated the association between short-term exposure to air pollutants (SO2 , NO2 , O3 , CO, and PM10 ) and the occurrence of PSP using a case-crossover design with conditional logistic regression...

Background: Although extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is generally performed percutaneously, the technology is deployed under sedation and necessitates endotracheal intubation. However, in some patients, the use of venoarterial (VA) ECMO without intubation may be beneficial. Herein, we describe our experiences with VA ECMO performed without prior endotracheal intubation. Methods: A total of 783 patients treated with VA ECMO at a single center between January 2013 and July 2018 were reviewed retrospectively...

Giant coronary artery aneurysms are rare and challenging to treat because of variation in the presenting symptoms and the lack of established management guidelines. We report the case of a patient with a 6-cm-wide giant coronary artery aneurysm that was resected, followed by reconstruction using a saphenous vein graft and 18 years of follow-up.

Background: We aimed to assess the clinical outcomes of patients who underwent surgical repair of Kommerell diverticulum (KD) with individualized surgical methods. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed of adult patients (aged ≥17 years) who underwent surgery to treat KD between June 2008 and October 2019. Results: Nine patients (median age, 45 years; range, 19-67 years; 7 men) underwent surgical repair. The indications for surgical therapy were acute aortic dissection in 2 patients, the presence of compressive symptoms due to dilated KD in 4 patients, and aneurysm growth in 3 patients...

Background: Attaining an adequate effective orifice area (EOA) is definitive goal in aortic valve replacement (AVR). The simple interrupted suture (SIS) technique could be a solution to achieve this goal, but limited data are available in the literature. This study aimed to compare hemodynamic differences between the SIS and non-everting mattress suture (NMS) techniques. Methods: From our database, 215 patients who underwent AVR for severe aortic stenosis were extracted to form the overall cohort...