Cardiovascular surgery (London, England)
-
Case Reports
Replacement of the common carotid artery by a plastic prosthesis. Report of a case with forty years of follow-up.
An 18-year-old man suffered a 38 caliber gunshot wound to the right side of the neck on 25 September 1957. On 16 October 1957, a traumatic arteriovenous aneurysm between the common carotid artery and the internal jugular vein was resected. ⋯ The patient has been followed-up during more than 40 years and his condition is normal. To the best of our knowledge, this operation was the first of its kind performed in the world and has the longest follow-up.
-
Comparative Study
Lumbar sympathectomy in critical limb ischaemia: surgical, chemical or not at all?
The value of surgical and chemical lumbar sympathectomy was studied in patients with critical lower-limb ischaemia without the option of vascular reconstruction. Clinical success rates, defined as improvement of ischaemia stage, and limb salvage rates were recorded for 76 limbs of 70 consecutive patients. Chemical lumbar sympathectomy patients were older and had more concomitant diseases than surgical lumbar sympathectomy patients. ⋯ Complications were minor in both groups. Lumbar sympathectomy still has a limited role in the treatment of critical limb ischaemia in patients without the option of vascular reconstruction. Both surgical and chemical lumbar sympathectomy can be performed with very little morbidity and may provide a benefit over the natural course of the arterial insufficiency.
-
Magnetic resonance angiography is a useful technique to determine the patency of the circle of Willis when compared with conventional four-vessel angiography. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the integrity of the circle of Willis, assessed by magnetic resonance angiography, provides adequate collateral cerebral circulation during carotid endarterectomy and correlates with internal carotid artery back pressure. Over a recent 20-month period, 35 patients were studied preoperatively with magnetic resonance angiography of the carotid bifurcations of the circle of Willis and the vertebrobasilar system. ⋯ Severity of occlusive disease of the contralateral internal carotid artery and the basilar artery did not independently predict internal carotid artery back pressure. An occluded anterior branch of the circle of Willis in combination with an occluded posterior branch of the circle of Willis is associated with an internal carotid artery back pressure < 50 mmHg. Although magnetic resonance angiography of the circle of Willis may provide valuable anatomic information, it is not sufficiently accurate to predict the need for carotid shunting and therefore its use cannot be justified on a routine basis.
-
Cerebral blood flow was measured using transcranial doppler during cardiopulmonary bypass in nine patients with selective cerebral perfusion for surgery of arch aorta (group S). For comparison, 11 adult open heart patients (group C) were also measured. The authors' selective cerebral perfusion at 28 degrees C resulted in moderate hypothermia and antegrade perfusion using independent pumps for three branches. ⋯ The CMRO2 decreased during cardiopulmonary bypass and showed no difference between the two groups. The changes in PaCO2 might be significant factors in the increase in cerebral blood flow during selective cerebral perfusion. This study supports the conclusion that, compared with our routine open heart surgery procedures, our selective cerebral perfusion procedures had the same cerebral blood flow and oxygen metabolism during cardiopulmonary bypass.
-
Congenital bicuspid aortic valve is a relatively rare malformation. It is reported that the presence of this anomaly predisposes the patient to development of true aortic aneurysms or dissecting aortic aneurysms. Between 1981 and August 1997, 25 patients with an aneurysm of the thoracic aorta associated with congenital bicuspid aortic valve underwent surgical treatment at the authors' institution. ⋯ No hospital deaths occurred in the authors' patients. Pathological examination of surgical specimens of the aortic wall showed cystic medial necrosis in 11 patients and mucoid degeneration in nine. In patients with congenital bicuspid aortic valve, attention should be paid to aneurysmal dilatation and aortic dissection as complications in addition to valve dysfunction.