Surgical Case of Tuberculous Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm and Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm with Miliary Tuberculosis / 日本心臓血管外科学会雑誌

A 48-year-old woman was scheduled to undergo wrist surgery at the orthopedic surgery clinic. She was adventitiously diagnosed with miliary tuberculosis and saccular-type aneurysms in the suprarenal abdominal aorta and descending thoracic aorta during preoperative examination. Consequently, she received antituberculosis medications. However, the abdominal aortic aneurysm had enlarged rapidly 2 months later. Accordingly, we used an artificial graft patch bonded with rifampicin for the abdominal aortic aneurysm and resected the aneurysm and reconstructed the aorta through partial extracorporeal circulation by clamping the descending thoracic aorta and infrarenal abdominal aorta. Finally, we performed a thoracic endovascular aortic repair of the thoracic aortic aneurysm. Culture of the samples from the wall of the abdominal aortic aneurysm indicated Mycobacterium tuberculosis; therefore, the patient was diagnosed with a tuberculous aneurysm of the aorta. Her postoperative course was good, and she was discharged on day 36. At postoperative month 7, the patient is still on antituberculosis medications and has not experienced a recurrence.

Successful Management of Acute Type A Aortic Dissection with Spinal Cord Ischemia: A 3-Case Series / 日本心臓血管外科学会雑誌

Spinal cord ischemia (SCI), a complication of acute aortic dissection, has no established treatment. Here, we report the successful management of three cases of acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) with SCI using a multidisciplinary approach. Case 1: A 55-year-old man presented with paraparesis due to ATAAD (non-communicating type), cardiac tamponade, and no loss of consciousness. He underwent emergency surgery for ascending aortic replacement. He awoke 3 h after the surgery; however, as his paralysis was not improved, we initiated multidisciplinary treatment with cerebrospinal drainage, continuous infusion of naloxone, and steroid pulse therapy. These treatments led to the complete resolution of his symptom; he was discharged on Day 32, with no neurological deficits. Case 2: A 50-year-old woman presented with complete paralysis of the left lower limb due to ATAAD (communicating type) but no loss of consciousness. She underwent emergency surgery for ascending aortic replacement. She awoke 2 h after the surgery; however, as her paralysis was not improved, multidisciplinary treatment with cerebrospinal drainage, continuous infusion of naloxone, and steroid pulse therapy were initiated, which led to partial resolution of the symptoms. She could walk with orthotics and was discharged on Day 57. Case 3: A 43-year-old man presented with paraparesis of the left lower limb due to ATAAD (non-communicating type). He was hemodynamically stable, with no loss of consciousness. The ATAAD was conservatively managed, and multidisciplinary treatment with cerebrospinal drainage, continuous infusion of naloxone, and steroid pulse therapy was administered. These therapies led to the complete resolution of his symptoms; he was discharged on Day 46, with no neurological deficits. Hence, for ATAAD with SCI, multidisciplinary treatment, including emergency surgery, is an important therapeutic strategy.

Early Abdominal Closure Achieved through Retroperitoneal Hematoma Evacuation after Endovascular Aneurysm Repair and Open Abdominal Management for a Ruptured Aortic Aneurysm / 日本心臓血管外科学会雑誌

Abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) is an important postoperative complication of endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) for ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms (rAAA). Open abdominal management (OAM) has been reported to be effective in EVAR ; however, only a limited number of reports are available on when and how to close the abdomen. Here we report a case of early abdominal wall closure achieved through the combined use of retroperitoneal hematoma evacuation after EVAR and OAM for rAAA. The patient was a 79-year-old woman who underwent EVAR for rAAA on an emergency basis. She developed ACS after EVAR and underwent OAM. Four days after surgery, a decrease in intraabdominal pressure was confirmed, and subsequent contrast-enhanced computed tomography revealed the absence of an endoleak ; retroperitoneal hematoma evacuation was performed, during which the abdominal wall was closed. The postoperative course was good, and the patient was discharged. Early closure of the abdomen may be possible by concomitant retroperitoneal hematoma evacuation after EVAR and OAM for rAAA.