General thoracic and cardiovascular surgery
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Gen Thorac Cardiovasc Surg · Feb 2015
ReviewTechnical aspects of mitral valve repair in Barlow's valve with prolapse of both leaflets: triangular resection for excess tissue, sophisticated chordal replacement, and their combination (the restoration technique).
Histological degeneration in Barlow's valve mainly starts in the rough zone, frequently expands toward the chordae, and advances to the clear zone, resulting in a saccular aneurysm-like morphology in the prolapsed region. On this basis, we have repaired the prolapsed segment by triangular resection, chordal replacement and the combination (the restoration technique). The aim of this study was to report our initial findings and evaluate the efficacy of our technique. ⋯ Initial experience with the restoration technique has provided excellent results without significant systolic anterior motion. Our technique may contribute to improve late results in Barlow's valve.
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Gen Thorac Cardiovasc Surg · Feb 2015
Evaluation of postoperative pregabalin for attenuation of postoperative shoulder pain after thoracotomy in patients with lung cancer, a preliminary result.
Thirty-one to 97% of patients who undergo thoracotomy for lung cancer experience ipsilateral shoulder pain, marring the otherwise excellent relief provided by thoracic epidural analgesia. The aim of this study was to test whether the addition of pregabalin to the treatment for shoulder pain would provide a significant benefit. ⋯ Postoperative administration of pregabalin provided significant relief of postoperative shoulder pain during earlier POD after thoracic surgery for lung cancer when received multimodal analgesia in combination with NSAIDs.