General Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Cases最新文献

Background: Anatomical abnormalities in the pulmonary vessels have long aroused great interest among thoracic surgeons, and numerous variations of pulmonary vessels have been reported. Heterotaxy syndrome is an anatomical abnormality in which typically asymmetrical organs, including the lungs, develop symmetrically. We report the case of a 71-year-old man with heterotaxy syndrome undergoing radical lobectomy in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer.

Case presentation: Computed tomography (CT) revealed an irregular nodule 25 mm in diameter in the right middle lobe. Two months later, at his first visit to our University Hospital, CT revealed a rapidly growing tumor 60 mm in diameter. In addition, three-dimensional (3D) CT revealed the upper and middle lobar bronchi forming a common trunk with the mediastinal type of the right pulmonary artery (PA). The patient underwent video-assisted right middle lobectomy + systematic complete hilar and mediastinal lymph node dissection. The interlobar fissure between the right upper and middle lobes was incomplete, and the common trunk formed by the upper-middle bronchus emerged from an area between the right PA (A¹⁺³) and the right superior pulmonary vein.

Conclusion: The finding of A⁴⁺⁵ branching from the right main PA and descending posterior to the right upper-middle bronchus, which formed a common trunk, resembled a mirror image of the normal left lung. To our knowledge, a common trunk with the mediastinal type of the right PA has never been reported during video-assisted right middle lobectomy. In patients with heterotaxy syndrome, 3D-CT to preoperatively understand their anatomy is essential.

Background: Submucosal hemorrhage of the esophagus is relatively rare and the course of this disease remains unclear. We report a case of this disease.

Case presentation: The patient was a 68-year-old man who visited a clinic complaining of sudden-onset epigastric and back pain. He had been taking warfarin and a statin due to non-obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, right subclavian artery stenosis, and chronic atrial fibrillation. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography showed esophageal submucosal hemorrhage. Detailed endoscopic examination was difficult because of the massive hemorrhage and progressive esophageal mucosal edema. He was transferred to our hospital due to progression of anemia. Fortunately, hemorrhagic anemia showed no progression with conservative fasting therapy after admission to our hospital. Esophageal mucosa over the submucosal hemorrhage detached and regenerative tissue was observed on endoscopic examination 1 week later.

Conclusions: Esophageal submucosal hemorrhage should be included among the differential diagnoses for patients presenting with chest and back pain.

Background: Hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES) is characterized by the overproduction of eosinophils and manifests as valvular disease and thrombogenesis. Herein, we report our experience with a patient with HES requiring multiple reoperations for prosthetic heart valve replacement via median sternotomy.

Case presentation: The patient was a 54-year-old man who had undergone four valve replacement operations via median sternotomy (three mitral valve replacements and one double valve replacement) because of valvular diseases complicated by HES since he was 26 years old. All the artificial valves were bioprosthetic to prevent thrombotic events. At presentation, he had developed structural deterioration of the artificial aortic valve with severe stenosis. His prosthetic mitral valve did not fulfil the criteria for intervention, as it exhibited only mild regurgitation and no stenosis. The explanted mitral prosthetic valve at the previous (fourth) surgery had exhibited eosinophilic infiltration, resulting in the introduction of cyclosporin for poorly controlled HES. We conducted re-aortic valve replacement via a fifth median sternotomy using a bioprosthetic valve, and no eosinophilic infiltration was observed in the explanted valve. The patient was discharged on postoperative day 15 without complications.

Conclusions: Controlling eosinophil count during the pre- and postoperative course is vital in treating patients with HES after valve replacement surgery. A holistic management and therapeutic strategy, including prosthetic valve selection and medication for HES is required to improve outcomes of patients with HES and heart valve disease.

Background: Ascending aortic thrombus is a rare disease that can cause fatal thromboembolism. The treatment for the disease is not well defined and depends on the clinical experience of surgeons. Most reports of thrombosis in antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) are associated with venous or peripheral arterial thrombosis, and there are almost no reports of thrombosis of the aorta.

Case presentation: A 74-year-old male was referred to our department with claudication of the left leg lasting 3 months. A computed tomography angiography (CTA) and a transthoracic echocardiography demonstrated that a floating and pedunculated mass associated with APS was located at ascending aortic lumen and an embolism in the left superficial femoral artery. Under deep hypothermic circulatory arrest, we resected a floating mass without the graft replacement. CTA 1 year after surgery showed no recurrence of thrombus.

Conclusion: We experienced a rare case of floating ascending aortic thrombi. As in this case, we consider that a floating ascending aortic thrombus with embolic events should be performed by surgical intervention.

Background: Carney complex is a rare syndrome characterized by skin pigmentation, endocrine disorders, and myxomas. It is particularly notorious for its tendency to exhibit aggressive cardiac myxomas. Herein, we present a case of a juvenile female patient diagnosed with Carney complex who underwent a right lateral mini-thoracotomy.

Case presentation: A 13-year-old girl presented with sudden-onset left hemiplegia and dysarthria. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed multiple areas of restricted diffusion. Echocardiography identified a tumor in the left atrium, suspected to be related to Carney complex based on her medical history and physical examination findings. Surgery was performed via right lateral mini-thoracotomy, which minimized the risk of embolism and ensured a cosmetically favorable outcome. The left atrial wall defect was repaired with autologous pericardium. At 3 years postoperatively, follow-up echocardiography indicated no tumor recurrence and normal cardiac function.

Conclusions: Ongoing follow-ups are essential due to the aggressive nature of the Carney complex and its high recurrence rates. Right lateral mini-thoracotomy offers the advantage of avoiding re-sternotomy and minimizing adhesion dissection, making it the optimal choice for this case.

Background: Aortic root rupture is a rare but potentially fatal complication of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). Herein, we report a case of aortic root rupture during TAVI that was successfully managed with partial aortic root repair and aortic valve replacement.

Case presentation: An 83-year-old woman with severe bicuspid aortic stenosis underwent transfemoral TAVI using a 26 mm SAPIEN 3 Ultra RESILIA valve. Soon after valve implantation, transesophageal echocardiography detected pericardial effusion, which was accompanied by immediate hemodynamic instability. Subxiphoid pericardial drainage was performed, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation was promptly initiated. Owing to the eruptive hemorrhage, we converted to open-heart surgery. Direct visualization enabled the detection of the aortic root rupture and the performance of partial aortic root repair using bovine pericardium and aortic valve replacement using a 19 mm INSPIRIS RESILIA valve. The patient was transferred to a different hospital 60 days after surgery without complications and is currently doing well as an outpatient.

Conclusions: In the present case, prompt treatment decisions and smooth cooperation among the institutional heart team led to the successful repair of aortic root rupture during TAVI and good clinical outcomes.

Background: Scheie syndrome, an attenuated subtype of mucopolysaccharidosis type I, is a rare storage disease that causes progressive glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) accumulation. Cardiovascular disorders determine the prognosis, and cardiac valve abnormalities are the most common cause. The patients are usually young so mechanical valve replacement is often performed, but because of the features of this disease, the surgical treatment is very risky. Recently, transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has been reported as an alternative choice for aortic stenosis, but optimal choice is still unclear. Here, we introduce a patient that underwent TAVI and refer to the histological finding of a biological valve extracted in relation to GAGs accumulation.

Case presentation: A 54-year-old woman with Scheie syndrome underwent valve surgeries three times throughout her whole life. At age 41, she received a mitral valve replacement with a mechanical valve for mitral stenosis. She promptly developed severe diastolic dysfunction and low output syndrome after the release of aortic clamping, thus requiring temporary mechanical circulatory support⁴. At age 51, she suffered from heart failure due to severe aortic stenosis and underwent TAVI because conventional aortic valve replacement (AVR) was deemed too risky. Three years later, her heart failure relapsed, and an echocardiogram unexpectedly revealed thickened bioprosthetic valve leaflets and a significant pressure gradient across the valve, consistent with early structural valve deterioration. AVR was performed via median sternotomy with a mechanical valve. As with the first operation, she presented refractory heart failure requiring mechanical circulatory support and was meticulously managed. However, she steadily showed worsening of multiple organ systems and died 9 days after the operation. Pathological autopsy and histological examination revealed accumulation of tissue with GAGs on the leaflets of the bioprosthetic valve of TAVI, which may have been the cause of early structural valve deterioration.

Conclusion: For patients with Scheie syndrome, a biological valve can be compromised by the accumulation of GAGs, thereby causing early SVD. These findings may support valve selection for these high-risk patients.

Background: Esophageal schwannoma is an extremely rare esophageal submucosal tumor. We report a case of a hybrid surgery for a large esophageal schwannoma that had extended from the cervical to the upper thoracic esophagus by using thoracoscopic and cervical approaches.

Case presentation: A 58-year-old male was referred to our hospital for further examination and treatment of dysphagia and weight loss over the past 6 months. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed a 5.7-cm submucosal tumor from the cervical esophagus to the upper thoracic esophagus. The submucosal tumor was diagnosed as esophageal schwannoma by endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy (EUS-FNA). Contrast-enhanced CT showed that the tumor had not invaded surrounding organs. Since the tumor extended from the cervical esophagus to the upper thoracic esophagus, we decided that it should be resected by not only the cervical but also the thoracoscopic approach. In operation, the patient was first placed in the prone position, and a thoracoscopic dissection of the upper thoracic esophagus containing the tumor was performed from the surrounding area. After changing the patient's position from prone to supine, a cervical skin incision was performed, and we underwent the tumor enucleation. After enucleation, the esophageal wall was thinned, so the right sternocleidomastoid muscle was used to reinforce the esophageal wall. The tumor size of the specimen was 60 × 52 × 42 mm. The postoperative course was uneventful, and the patient was discharged on the 22nd day after surgery.

Conclusions: Enucleation of a large esophageal schwannoma from the cervical to the upper thoracic esophagus could be safely performed using both thoracoscopic and cervical approaches. The sternocleidomastoid muscle flap is useful in the occasion considering stenosis by muscular layer suture.

Background: Durvalumab after chemoradiation (PACIFIC regimen) provides favorable treatment outcomes for unresectable stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The feasibility of salvage surgery after the PACIFIC regimen has been reported in some studies; however, its efficacy remains unclear. We herein present the first case of salvage surgery after the PACIFIC regimen for a superior sulcus tumor with N3 involvement, in which a pathological complete response was achieved.

Case presentation: A 53-year-old man with a left superior sulcus tumor with N3 (# 1L, #4R) involvement (adenocarcinoma, clinical T3N3M0/IIIC) underwent concurrent chemoradiotherapy (2 cycles of cisplatin plus vinorelbine with 60 Gy radiotherapy) followed by durvalumab treatment for 1 year at a previous hospital. The PACIFIC regimen provided a significant primary tumor shrinkage (diameter 3.1 cm to 0.5 cm) with the disappearance of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake in all nodes. Six months after the end of the PACIFIC regimen, only the primary tumor showed enlargement (diameter 0.5 cm to 2.0 cm). Accordingly, local tumor recurrence was suspected. Salvage surgery (left upper lobectomy with combined chest wall resection [1st to 4th rib]) was performed. The histological examination revealed no viable tumor cells (ypT0N0M0). At 7 months after salvage surgery, the patient remains alive with no signs of tumor recurrence.

Conclusions: The present case suggests that salvage surgery may be feasible after the PACIFIC regimen for superior sulcus tumors. A long-term follow-up is essential to determine the efficacy of salvage surgery.

Background: Redo mitral valve surgery by re-sternotomy approach has challenges such as bleeding and organ injury due to adhesion dissection, sternal bone infection, and poor field of view of mitral valve. On the other hand, redo mitral valve surgery via a right mini-thoracotomy approach appears to address these challenges. We successfully performed a double right mini-thoracotomies approach for mitral valve replacement and pseudoaneurysm repair under the beating-heart condition. Herein, we report the effectiveness and the safety of this technique and detailed procedure.

Case presentation: The patient is a 71-year-old man with a history of Bentall procedure using a mechanical valve at another hospital 30 years ago. He developed acute heart failure due to severe mitral valve regurgitation. After medication, he was referred to our department for the purpose of surgery for mitral valve regurgitation. Preoperative transesophageal echocardiography showed extensive degenerative change of the both leaflets and chordae tendineae rupture at the P3 segment. Both left atrium and ventricle dilated, and left ventricle contractility reduced. Aortic mechanical valve had no problem. In addition, preoperative contrast enhanced computed tomography revealed a pseudoaneurysm at the distal anastomotic site of Bentall procedure. We performed mitral valve replacement by mechanical valve and repair of distal anastomotic cite under beating heart condition, utilizing a double right mini-thoracotomies approach for mitral valve and ascending aortic pseudoaneurysm respectively. The postoperative course was uneventful, the patient was discharged without complications.

Conclusion: The right mini-thoracotomies approach efficiently accessed mitral valve and ascending aorta in reoperations, reducing the adhesion dissection risks and ensuring clear exposure. Moreover, concomitant use of beating-heart technique minimized adhesion dissection for aortic cross-clamp, preserved cardiac function.