The Journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Mar 1975
Treatment of intercostal neuralgia with 10 per cent ammonium sulfate.
Intercostal nerves were injected with 10 per cent annomium sulfate in 41 patients (52 total sets of injections) for management of intercostal neuralgia from radical mastectomy (six blocks), thoracotomy (20 blocks), or unknown etiology (26 blocks). Five patients failed to return for follow-up evaluation and could not be located. Sixty per cent (28/47) of the treatments produced complete or nearly complete (excellent) relief of pain. ⋯ Postblock neuritis never occurred. We conclude that intercostal nerve block with 10 per cent ammonium sulfate effectively relieves intercostal neuralgia and is not associated with postblock neuritis. We therefore believe that ammonium sulfate nerve blocks should be administered for treatment of intercostal neuralgia before phenol or alcohol nerve blocks or a surgical procedure.
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Feb 1975
Surgical management of anomalous left pulmonary artery causing tracheobronchial obstruction. Pulmonary artery sling.
An anomalous left pulmonary artery causing tracheobronchial obstruction is a rare malformation seen in infancy. Sixty-four cases have been described in the literature, with 17 survivors with or without surgical therapy. We reviewed the literature and the 5 cases seen at The Children's Memorial Hospital during the past 20 years. ⋯ The important diagnostic clues are an anterior indentation of the esophagus on esophagography, narrowing of the lower end of the trachea and right bronchus on bronchography, and anomalous origin of the left pulmonary artery from the right on angiography. We prefer to approach this anomaly by a left anterolateral thoracotomy with transection and end-to-end anastomosis of the anomalous left pulmonary artery in front of the trachea. Respiratory complications due to residual tracheomalacia are common after the operation.
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Jan 1975
Coronary collateral blood flow in acute myocardial infarction.
The evolution and transmural distribution of coronary collateral blood flow in acute myocardial infarction was determined in 24 trained, unanesthetized dogs by injection of radioactive microspheres into the coronary circulation. Acute coronary artery occlusion resulted in a greater decrease in subendocardial flow than subepicardial flow in both the central and marginal zones of the infarct. ⋯ By 24 hours after coronary occlusion, blood flow to all areas of the infarct except the subendocardium of the central zone had returned to near control levels. This dispropotionate distribution of coronary collateral blood flow during the early stages of myocardial ischemic injury helps to explain the apparent lack of protection of the subendocardium by collateral flow.