General thoracic and cardiovascular surgery
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Gen Thorac Cardiovasc Surg · Sep 2012
Case ReportsMitral valve plasty in an adult patient without a right superior vena cava.
Persistent left superior vena cava without a right superior vena cava is an extremely rare condition. We report the case of a 65-year-old woman with this condition who underwent mitral valve plasty. During cardiac catheterization, the asymptomatic patient with mitral valve prolapse syndrome was found to have a persistent left superior vena cava without a right superior vena cava. ⋯ A cannula was inserted into the persistent left superior vena cava to provide a large surgical field in the left atrium. We selected a technique that involved direct insertion of an L-shaped cannula into the persistent left superior vena cava and obtained a clear view of the surgical field. Proper assessment of the right superior vena cava is necessary when a persistent left superior vena cava is suspected.
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Gen Thorac Cardiovasc Surg · Sep 2012
Case ReportsAnterior chest wall reconstruction with titanium plate sandwiched between two polypropylene sheets.
Extensive sternal resection carries the risk of difficult reconstruction and surgical complications. A 79-year-old woman underwent sternal resection and reconstruction for sternal chondrosarcoma. ⋯ Reconstruction of the anterior chest wall using a titanium plate sandwiched between two polypropylene mesh sheets is described. This method is potentially applicable to extensive anterior chest resection, and its advantages compared with conventional prostheses are rigidity, flexibility, and usability.