Hypoxia inhibits invasion of extravillous trophoblast cells through reduction of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 activation in the early first trimester of human pregnancy.

During early pregnancy, extravillous trophoblast (EVT) cells are exposed to very low pO(2) values. In this study, we investigated the proteolytic functions and invasiveness of human primary EVT cells under hypoxic conditions to show the early placental pathophysiology. Placental samples (from 5 to 10 weeks gestation) were obtained at termination of pregnancy. Cytotrophoblast cells were separated by Percoll(®) gradient method and cultured on Matrigel(®) to obtain an invasive phenotype (similar to EVT). The invasion capacity (Matrigel-coated invasion assay), migration of the cells (wound healing assay), activity and expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and tissue inhibitor for MMP (TIMP)-2 (gelatin gel zymography, ELISA, and quantitative RT-PCR), and expression of membrane-type (MT)1-MMP (western blot) were investigated. All cultures (except for quantitative RT-PCR) were performed under 20% oxygen, 5% oxygen, and 5% oxygen with 3 repetitions of 0.1% oxygen hypoxic stimulation for 1 h. Invasion and MMP2 activity of the cells were significantly increased in 20% and decreased in 0.1% oxygen. There was no significant difference in cell migration among the oxygen environments. Concentrations of MMP2 in the supernatant and expression of MT1-MMP were increased in both the 0.1% and 20% oxygen environments. The MMP2 mRNA level was increased after 1-h stimulation with 0.1% oxygen. The TIMP2 concentration was increased only in 20% oxygen, but the mRNA level was decreased in 0.1% oxygen. These results suggested that hypoxia might inhibit the invasive capacity and MMP2 activation of EVT cells in the early first trimester of pregnancy. Decrease in TIMP2 production may reduce the MMP2/TIMP2/MT1-MMP complex and lead to this unique behavior of EVT cells under hypoxic conditions.

Left ventricular pseudoaneurysm after sutureless repair of subacute left ventricular free wall rupture: a case report.

A 65-year-old woman presenting with a left ventricular pseudoaneurysm 27 months after sutureless repair of a subacute left ventricular free wall rupture complicating acute myocardial infarction is described. An autologous pericardial patch and gelatin resorcin formaldehyde (GRF) glue were used in the repair. A small pseudoaneurysm bulged out over the true aneurysm of the left ventricle. We performed a Dor operation and concomitant bypass grafting to the right coronary artery. Although sutureless repair is an effective procedure for subacute left ventricular free wall rupture, left ventricular pseudoaneurysm in the late postoperative period may be a rare problem after this repair.

Acute aortic dissection associated with Sheehan's syndrome.

A 69-year-old woman with Sheehan's syndrome who suffered acute Stanford type A aortic dissection had received corticosteroids and thyroid hormones for over 20 years. The entire ascending aorta was replaced in emergency graft replacement. We administered twice the usual dose of methylprednisolone during cardiopulmonary bypass and twice the patient's usual dose of prednisolone from postoperative day 1 to 6. The usual 100 micrograms of levothyroxine sodium was given orally from postoperative day 1. The patient's postoperative course was uneventful. This case emphasizes the importance of early active supplementary treatment with steroids and thyroid hormones for major surgery in patients with Sheehan's syndrome.

Cardiac reoperation in a patient with osteogenesis imperfecta: a case report.

A case of a 40-year-old man with dehiscence of the prosthetic aortic valve and recurrence of mycotic aneurysm of the left ventricular outflow tract with osteogenesis imperfecta is presented. He had an operation of aortic valve replacement and direct closure of the mycotic aneurysm for infective endocarditis twenty-one months ago. We performed reoperation of prosthetic aortic valve, patch closure of the mycotic aneurysm and graft replacement of the ascending aorta. He was complicated with multiple fractures of bilateral scapla and dislocation of left shoulder one postoperative day. Fortunately, cardiac reoperation was performed successfully in this patient despite anticipated difficulties with tissue friability with osteogenesis imperfecta.

Surgical treatment of multiple inflammatory aortic aneurysms of the aortic arch and thoracoabdominal aorta.

A 67-year-old woman hospitalized with pleuritis was treated with antibiotics. Although the inflammation was resolved, saccular aneurysms in the aortic arch and thoracoabdominal aorta enlarged rapidly. We conducted graft replacement of the aortic arch, but despite careful blood pressure control, the thoracoabdominal aneurysm rapidly enlarged even further. We conducted graft replacement of the thoracoabdominal aorta on day 25 after the first operation. The postoperative course was uneventful and no exacerbation was found 18 months after the second operation. These multiple aortic aneurysms were diagnosed as inflammatory because bacterial tests of blood and aneurysmal walls were all negative and cells infiltrating aneurysmal walls were pathologically plasma cells.

Sutureless technique for subacute left ventricular free wall rupture: A case report of an 85-year-old.

This case was an 85-year-old female who developed left ventricular free wall rupture (LVFWR) of the anterior wall 13 days after an acute myocardial infarction. She was further complicated with an ascending aortic aneurysm and severe aortic regurgitation. The wall was repaired using a sutureless technique with an autologous pericardial patch and GRF glue without cardiopulmonary bypass. Although the complication of a left ventricular aneurysm was seen, the postoperative course was uneventful. Nevertheless, she is doing well 9 months after surgery.

Successful surgical treatment of impending rupture of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm in an elderly patient with severe pulmonary emphysema.

In a case of successful surgery for impending thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysmic rupture, an 83-year-old man with severe pulmonary emphysema was transferred to our hospital diagnosed with impending aneurysmic rupture. The aneurysm had been pointed out 2.5 years ago but surgical repair was not undertaken due to the patient's severe pulmonary emphysema. After admission, computed tomography showed an enlarging saccular thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm. Emergency surgery was conducted because of severe pain below the left costal margin. We resected the wall of the saccular aortic aneurysm and reconstructed the aorta with an on-lay patch under femoro-femoral bypass and selective visceral organ perfusion. Tracheostomy provided respiratory care on the day following surgery. The patient was weaned from respiratory support 6 days after surgery. Postoperative aortography showed that the reconstructed thoracoabdominal aorta functioned satisfactorily. The patient remains in good health 18 months after surgery.

Surgical treatment of traumatic aneurysm of the ascending aorta.

Traumatic aneurysm of the ascending aorta is a rare event. This case describes a patient with such an aneurysm, resulting from injuries received in a motorcycle accident. The patient was admitted to the emergency room of a local hospital complaining of chest pain, and was subsequently referred to our institution. On admission, a chest x-ray showed mediastinal widening. Computed tomography and aortography revealed an ascending aortic aneurysm and contusion of the upper lobe of the right lung. Due to concerns about bleeding from the lung contusion, surgery was delayed for one week. During surgery, intimal tears were detected at two sites in the ascending aorta. The wall of the ascending aorta was subsequently resected and a prosthetic graft inserted. The postoperative period was uneventful and a postoperative aortogram showed that the graft had molded well.

Successful treatment of bilateral deep femoral aneurysms and multiple iliac aneurysms associated with severe aortic valve disease: report of a case.

We report herein the case of a patient in whom aneurysms of the bilateral deep femoral arteries (DFA) and multiple iliac aneurysms associated with severe aortic valve disease were successfully treated by a two-staged operation. The patient was a 74-year-old man who had dense calcification of the ascending aorta and aortic arch. Prior to aortic valve replacement (AVR), the aneurysms of the DFA and internal iliac arteries were resected. The terminal end of the abdominal aorta and bilateral common iliac arteries were then reconstructed with a Y graft to be used as a possible alternative arterial input route in place of the ascending aorta for extracorporeal circulation during the AVR. The inferior mesenteric artery (IMA) was well developed, and the external iliac arteries and their branches were preserved at aneurysmectomy. Postoperatively, there was no ischemia of the pelvic organs or the hip muscles. The AVR was subsequently performed 5 weeks after the first operation, and the patient was discharged after an uneventful postoperative course.

Improvement in esophageal varices and liver histology postoperatively in Budd-Chiari syndrome.

BACKGROUND: In the past 17 years, 32 patients with Budd-Chiari syndrome were treated by reconstruction of the occluded inferior vena cava and reopening of the hepatic veins under femoro-femoral normothermic extracorporeal partial bypass. The mean follow-up was 8 years (range, 1.5 to 17 years). METHODS: To evaluate the benefits of our operative procedure, we compared the preoperative, early postoperative, and late postoperative endoscopic appearance of the esophageal varices and the histologic findings of the liver tissue obtained intraoperatively and at a later date. RESULTS: The esophageal varices found preoperatively in 29 patients (90.6%) had disappeared in 7 patients by the time of discharge, and in 2 patients they disappeared 4 to 7 years after surgery. In the remaining 20 patients, the grade of the esophageal varices was reduced markedly. Histologic examination of the liver showed cirrhosis in 22 patients, fibrosis in 9 patients, and severe congestion in 1 patient. Inspection of the liver in the late postoperative period (in 10 patients) showed improvement in centrilobular congestion and no increase in interlobular fibrosis. CONCLUSIONS: Gradual and steady improvement of esophageal varices and hepatic fibrosis can be achieved after our operative procedure.

[A case report of surgical treatment of constrictive pericarditis with coronary artery disease].

We performed the concomitant operation for constrictive pericarditis and coronary artery disease in an octogenarian. A 82-year-old male was hospitalized with dyspnea, edema of the lower extremities and pleural effusion on chest X-ray film. Cardiac catheterization revealed constrictive pericarditis and 75% stenosis of left anterior descending artery. Extensive pericardiectomy was performed including posterior wall of left ventricle and left atrium under the beating heart by using femoro-femoral partial bypass. Single CABG with a saphenous vein graft was performed following pericardiectomy. Postoperative cardiac catheterization showed good recovery of hemodynamics and patency of the bypass graft. Postoperative course was uneventful. The patient was discharged on twenty fifth postoperative day.

Radical open endvenectomy with autologous pericardial patch graft for correction of Budd-Chiari syndrome.

A surgical technique for the treatment of Budd-Chiari syndrome associated with vena caval obstruction has been devised. The occluded hepatic vena cava and hepatic veins were reconstructed by open endvenectomy, using an autologous pericardial patch graft and a femorofemoral bypass technique. The hepatic artery and portal vein were not controlled with vascular clamps during the surgery. Between 1979 and 1994, 29 patients were treated using this technique and achieved good results. All the patients did well with good function of the reconstructed vena cava and of the hepatic veins, and showed acceptable reduction of symptoms caused by portal hypertension and caval stagnation.

[Clinical experience with normothermic selective cerebral perfusion during graft replacement of ascending-arch-descending aortic aneurysms with annuloaortic ectasia].

We treated three cases of ascending-arch-descending aortic aneurysm with annuloaortic ectasia by performing graft replacement. The patients included a 34 year old female, a 34 year old male and a 42 year old male. In one case the aneurysm was atherosclerotic and of type I and II + IIIb dissection in the other two cases. During the operation we were able to utilize normothermic selective cerebral perfusion during construction of the left common carotid artery. Specially, normothermic partial F-F bypass and normothermic selective cerebral perfusion to the left common carotid artery were used during graft replacement from the descending aorta to the left common carotid artery. This was followed by regular hypothermic total ECC and hypothermic cerebral selective perfusion during subsequent graft replacement of the innominate artery and a modified Bentall's operation. This new protocol in which normothermic cerebral perfusion is utilized during the procedure on the left common carotid artery and hypothermic perfusion is utilized only during the subsequent procedure on the innominate artery permits significant shortening of the cardiac arrest time and cerebral perfusion time compared with when only hypothermic perfusion is used. This significant shortening contains obvious benefits in the areas of cardiac and brain protection.

[Staged operation of multiple aortic aneurysms with myocardial infarction and stenosis of three coronary arteries].

A 69-year-old man with multiple aortic aneurysms was admitted to the university hospital because of increasing the size of aneurysms. A coronary angiogram revealed three vessel disease (LAD at seg 7: 90%, D1: 75%, LCX at seg 13: 95%, RCA at seg 3: recanalization) and left ventriculography showed hypokinesis of the inferior wall. Staged extending operation was performed. Graft replacement of ascending and arch aortic aneurysms associated with coronary artery bypass grafting was done in the first operation. Two months after the 1st operation, thoracoabdominal and infrarenal aortic aneurysms were replaced by synthetic graft and the intercostal arteries (Th10, 11, 12) and the lumbar arteries (L1, 4) were reconstructed with synthetic bypass from the implanted graft. Postoperative course was uneventful and he has been well without any symptoms of paraplegia 26 months after the first operation.

[Use of the inferior epigastric artery in redo coronary artery bypass grafting--a case report].

A 71-year-old man who had undergone coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) 9 years ago, was admitted for chest compression on exertion. A severe stenotic lesion (75%) of the main trunk of the left coronary artery and occlusion of the bypass graft previously implanted to the right coronary artery were showed by coronary angiography. Redo-CABG using the left inferior epigastric artery (LIEA) and left internal thoracic artery (LITA) was successfully done, since the saphenous vein and right gastroepiploic artery were not suitable for bypass graft. Post operative cource was uneventful and good patency of LIEA and LITA graft were revealed by postoperative angiography 34 days after surgery.

[A two staged extending graft replacement for dissecting aortic aneurysm with Marfan's syndrome].

We experienced four cases of dissecting aortic aneurysms with Marfan's syndrome, in which two staged operations were performed with satisfactory results. The operations performed in the four patients were the replacement of the ascending aorta, transverse aortic arch and the entire descending thoracic aorta in DeBakey type I dissecting aortic aneurysm, replacement of the entire descending thoracic and abdominal aorta in type IIIb, replacement of the aortic valve, ascending aorta, transverse aortic arch, the entire descending thoracic and upper abdominal aorta in type I, and replacement of the total aorta including the aortic valve in type II + IIIb, respectively. There were no operative deaths, but a 42-year-old woman with DeBakey type IIIb died suddenly 2 years 11 months after the second operation. The cause of death was presumed to be due to rupture of a dissecting aneurysm (DeBakey type II). Dissecting aortic aneurysm with Marfan's syndrome must be observed carefully and corrected surgically, because the lesion is progressive and the residual dissecting aneurysm usually dilates eventually. In view of our clinical results, we conclude that the operation for dissecting aortic aneurysm with Marfan's syndrome should be performed as extensively as possible.

[Discrete subaortic stenosis after aortic valve replacement--a case report].

A 51-year-old woman, who had undergone aortic valve replacement (SJM 19 mm) and open mitral commissurotomy for aortic valve stenosis with regurgitation, and mitral stenosis, was admitted for redo surgery. We found discrete subaortic ring just below the prosthetic valve. The fibrous ring was resected and the aortic valve was replaced (SJM 21 mm) after augmentation of the aortic annulus by Nicks procedure. Mitral and tricuspid valves were replaced. Discrete subaortic stenosis after aortic valve replacement are mostly in cases with small prosthetic valve. The turbulence caused by the small valve may produce discrete subaortic ring.

[A case of re-operation after 14 years following radical correction of the anomalous origin of right pulmonary artery from ascending aorta].

Anomalous origin of the right pulmonary artery from the ascending aorta is a rare congenital malformation, which is usually fatal without early surgical correction. The number of reports of the radical operation has been recently increasing, but reports of its long-term postoperative results are rare, especially those of the reoperative cases. The 14-year-old patient, who had been operated radically with a 8 mm diameter graft at 7 months of age, weighing 4550 g at the time, was reoperated, because he developed pulmonary hypertension due to the narrowing of the graft. He had no clinical symptoms and no abnormal signs on chest X-P nor ECG, eventhough severe stenosis of the graft was present. The graft was replaced with a larger 12 mm diameter graft under ECC, and PFO closure and TAP were done at the same time. The patient's pulmonary artery pressure reduced substantially following surgery. We conclude that cautious postoperative follow-up including angiographical examination is important, and that early reoperation before occlusion of the graft should be done.

[A case of staged operation for a dissecting aneurysm (DeBakey type IIIb+II) with Marfan's syndrome].

A 34-year-old woman with Marfan's syndrome had severe heart failure due to annulo-aortic ectasia and aortic insufficiency, which was accompanied also by a dissecting aneurysm (DeBakey type IIIb) that was demonstrated by aortography. 4 days before the operation, sudden progression of the aneurysm to a DeBakey type II, and finally DeBakey type I dissecting aneurysm was seen. The first operation was an extended aortic resection with replacement from the aortic valve to the descending thoracic aorta (level of the 7th thoracic vertebra) using selective cerebral perfusion. The second operation was a replacement of the residual dissecting aorta from the level of the 8th thoracic vertebra to the celiac artery with partial extracorporeal circulation. The postoperative course of the patient was uneventful. Dissecting aneurysm with Marfan's syndrome should be operated as extensively as possible if necessary.

[Angiographic evaluation of reconstructed spinal arteries in thoracic aortic aneurysm surgery].

Revascularization of the spinal arteries with thoracic aortic aneurysm were performed on nineteen patients using partial extracorporeal bypass. They were 16 men and 3 women. Age range were from 33 to 70 years (mean 49.9 +/- 10.3 years). There were eleven patients of dissecting aneurysm (DeBakey type IIIb in eight patients, type I in two patients and type IIIa in one patient), and eight patients of non-dissecting thoracoabdominal aneurysm (including two patients with ruptured aneurysm). The number of revascularized spinal arteries were 60 pairs (average 3.2 pairs per each patient). The revascularized spinal arteries were localized between levels T4 and L5.36 pairs of the 60 existed between levels T8 and L2 from where the artery of Adamkiewicz arises. Seven patients (eleven spinal arteries) underwent selective angiography of the revascularized spinal arteries postoperatively, and the anterior spinal artery and the artery of Adamkiewicz was identified in three patients. Two patients died within one month, one from MOF and the another from intestinal perforation respectively (operative mortality 11.1%). One patient, with ruptured thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm showed paraparesis postoperatively, but no paraplegia was found in any patients. We recommend that not only the artery of Adamkiewicz but also the spinal arteries at the midthoracic area from T4 to T8 should be revascularized, to prevent postoperative paraplegia. Replacing of extended thoracic aneurysm, our method (using partial extracorporeal circulation and segmental aortic clamping) was thought to prevent spinal cord ischemia.