General thoracic and cardiovascular surgery
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Gen Thorac Cardiovasc Surg · Aug 2011
Review Case ReportsDisseminated calcifying tumor of the pleura: review of the literature and a case report with immunohistochemical study of its histogenesis.
Calcifying tumor of the pleura is a rare benign tumor, similar to the calcifying fibrous pseudotumor originally described in the subcutaneous and deep soft tissues of the extremities, trunk, and neck. Calcifying tumors of the pleura have also been reported infrequently as disseminated lesions. Here we report a case of disseminated calcifying tumor of the pleura, with some new findings obtained in this study, and review the literature of disseminated calcifying tumor of the pleura.
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Gen Thorac Cardiovasc Surg · Aug 2011
Treatment of prosthetic valve endocarditis complicated by destruction of the aortic annulus.
It has been reported that surgical treatment for prosthetic valve endocarditis complicated by destruction of the aortic annulus is associated with high mortality and morbidity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of our surgical strategy for this situation. ⋯ Our simple procedure for complicated prosthetic valve endocarditis yielded excellent early and midterm outcomes.
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A cleft of the sternum is a rare congenital anomaly. We report a rare case of complete sternal cleft in a 25-year-old woman. After surgical correction of the pectus excavatum, complete closure by direct approximation of the freshened sternal remnants to the midline, without interposition of tissue graft or inert prosthesis, was achieved in our patient. The functional and cosmetic result was excellent after complete healing.
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Gen Thorac Cardiovasc Surg · Aug 2011
High-velocity penetrating thoracic trauma with suspected cardiac involvement in a combat support hospital.
The most common cardiac injuries in the United States are blunt trauma from motor vehicle accidents or low-velocity trauma from stabbings. During military conflict, high-velocity injuries, including gunshot wounds (GSW) and fragment injury from improvised explosive devices (IED), are relatively more common. ⋯ This case series is too small to draw definitive conclusions; however, a multidisciplinary approach to high-velocity injuries with potential for cardiac involvement augments preoperative assessment for myocardial injury and may allow selective nonoperative management.
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Comprehensive evaluation of our patients before putting them under "the knife" can never be overemphasized. It is our duty to care for the patients. ⋯ For many years, we have striven to make our method thorough and safe for all patients. We propose here a simple, comprehensive preassessment form that is easily applicable in any unit.