[Congenital ventricular diverticulum in a neonate: anesthetic considerations].

Congenital diverticulum of the ventricle is a rare cardiac malformation and the reports of its surgical repair are scarce. We experienced anesthesia for a neonate with an isolated congenital left ventricular diverticulum diagnosed in utero. A male infant presented with ventricular arrhythmias and congestive heart failure. At 9 days of life the resection of the diverticulum was performed under moderately hypothermic cardio-pulmonary bypass (CPB) Major anesthetic considerations include the possible life-threatening arrhythmias, cardiac failure due to diverticulum and cardiac dysfunction after resection. Premature ventricular contractions were noted before CPB but greatly decreased under anesthesia. The operation was performed safely and arrhythmias disappeared completely after resection. Intra- and post-operative course was uneventful without any sign of cardiac dysfunction.

[The posterior auricular artery of the dog].

This investigation was made on the ramifications and distribution territories of the posterior auricular artery of fifty adult dogs utilizing the plastic injection method, comparing with those of the cat. In general, the posterior auricular artery of the dog arose independently from the posterior wall of the external carotid artery at a position where it passed across the superior margin of the digastricus muscle, distal to the origin of the facial artery. In six cases of all examples observed, the posterior auricular artery arose independently from the external carotid artery at a position where it passed across the inferior margin of the digastricus muscle, proximal to the origin of the lingual artery. As principal branches, the posterior auricular artery gave rise to the parotid glandular, the digastric muscular and the strong, cervical branches in this order. It finally terminated to the temporal muscular and the major auricular branches after giving off the occipital branch and the stylomastoid artery. The distribution territories of the posterior auricular artery of the dog, being similar to those of the cat, were not only the auricule but also the muscles of the mastication, the salivary glands, the middle ear and the retromandibular regions.