Robotic approach to a subcarinal functional paraganglioma.

INTRO: Functional mediastinal paragangliomas arise from extra-adrenal tissues and are rare. These cases create challenges related to diagnosis, peri-operative management, and surgical management. We present a case that demonstrates a planned robot-assisted thoracoscopic resection of a mediastinal paraganglioma that ultimately required a trans-sternal resection of the tumor off the left atrium. CASE REPORT: Our patient is a 42-year-old male with a prolonged history of refractory hypertension, palpitations, headaches, and diaphoresis, which led to the discovery of a subcarinal functional mediastinal paraganglioma. The patient was brought to the operating room for a right robotic-assisted thoracoscopic subcarinal dissection with attempted resection of the mass. Subsequently, the patient's paraganglioma was successfully resected off the left atrium using a trans-sternal approach, cardiopulmonary bypass, and cardioplegic arrest. He was successfully transitioned to minimal anti-hypertensive medication post-operatively. DISCUSSION: Pheochromocytomas are neural-crest derived tumors that typically arise from the adrenal medulla. Rarely, paragangliomas arise in the thoracic cavity, at an approximate incidence of 2%. Our sequential approach offered the potential for a minimally invasive resection, and though initially unsuccessful, safely elucidated the feasibility of resection using cardiopulmonary bypass after confirming no invasion of the airway, esophagus, or other mediastinal structures.

Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting and Transaortic Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement.

We sought to demonstrate the effectiveness of off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting and transcatheter aortic valve replacement in two patients with porcelain aortas and lesions that could not be optimally treated with percutaneous coronary intervention. Patients with aortic stenosis and coronary artery disease who are too high-risk for conventional surgical aortic valve replacement and coronary artery bypass grafting due to comorbidities and porcelain aorta, and who do not have the appropriate anatomy for percutaneous coronary intervention should be considered for concomitant transcatheter aortic valve replacement and off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting. doi: 10.1111/jocs.12762 (J Card Surg 2016;31:435-438).

Transcatheter Aortic and Mitral Valve Implantation (TAMVI) in Native Rheumatic Valves.

A 68-year-old female with moderate to severe aortic stenosis and severe mitral stenosis, deemed too high risk for surgery (STS mortality risk = 12.3%) with a porcelain aorta, was successfully treated with a transcatheter aortic and mitral valve implantation (TAMVI) via a transapical approach. A 23 mm Sapien valve (Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, CA, USA) was placed in the aortic position and a 29 mm inverted Sapien valve (Edwards Lifesciences) in the mitral position.

Nontraumatic subperiosteal bilateral orbital hemorrhages after mitral valve repair.

Nontraumatic subperiosteal orbital hemorrhages (NTSOHs) are rare events, but pose a grave risk of vision loss and must be evaluated carefully for optic nerve compromise. To the author's knowledge, only 2 cases of NTSOH after cardiovascular procedures have been reported. The authors report a unique case of bilateral NTSOH with optic neuropathy that developed after cardiothoracic surgery and reaccumulated after orbitotomy. The case presentation conforms to the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki and is Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act compliant. The etiology and management of this uncommon and dangerous entity will be discussed.