[Cervical arthrodesis by means of interbody fusion with autologous bone and/or interbody spacer for cervical disc disease]. / Artrodesis cervical mediante fusión intersomática con hueso autólogo versus espaciador intersomático en discopatía cervical.

UNLABELLED: The purpose of this study was to compare the results of cervical arthrodesis performed through interbody fusion with autologous bone and/or interbody spacer for cervical disc disease. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Comparative cross-sectional study that included 49 patients who underwent surgery for anterior arthrodesis between January and December 2011, whose clinical records were reviewed. RESULTS: We included 49 patients: 20 (40.8%) males and 29 (59.2%) females. All of them were diagnosed with disc disease (cervical disc herniation) involving one or two levels. Mean operative time was 69.12, with a minimum of 53 and a maximum of 110 +/- 19.61 minutes for cervical arthrodesis with a graft. Mean operative time was 61.18 with a minimum of 50 and a maximum of 96.00 +/- 11.38 minutes for cer vical arthrodesis with an interbody spacer (p = 0.00, Student t test). Patient sociodemographic and clinical characteristics and complications are shown. Patients in whom both surgical techniques were used had appropriate radiological integration, with p = 0.015, considering p < or = a 0.05 as significant, chi2. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with cervical disc disease bone integration is appropriate with the use of either an interbody cage or an autologous iliac crest graft.

Right ventricular rupture. A complication of postoperative mediastinitis.

Mediastinitis-related right ventricular rupture is an unusual but potentially life-threatening complication of cardiac operations. Between January 1981 and December 1990, a total of 10,182 patients underwent heart operations for ischemic, valvular, and congenital heart disease at the Montreal Heart Institute. Forty-eight patients (0.5%) had postoperative mediastinitis necessitating surgical exploration and sternal debridement. The mediastinum was left open for daily irrigation with povidone-iodine and chest reconstruction was postponed. During treatment, seven patients (0.07%) had right ventricular rupture necessitating immediate surgical repair. All had ischemic heart disease before the operation. There were five women and two men, ages ranging from 52 to 65 years (mean 58 +/- 5 years). Surgical repair consisted of autologous patch covered with omentoplasty assisted with cardiopulmonary bypass. Two patients died, one during the operation of massive hemorrhage and the other 10 days after the operation of uncontrolled sepsis. Five patients survived 2 to 29 months (mean 23 +/- 10 months) after right ventricular rupture, with an overall survival of 71%. Obesity was more frequent in the patients with right ventricular rupture and was found to be a significant risk factor (multivariate analysis, p < 0.05, relative risk 3.22). Histologic examination of the right ventricle in the patient who died after a successful repair revealed fatty infiltration of the right ventricular wall. This may have predisposed the patient toward ventricular rupture. In conclusion, right ventricular rupture, an unusual event in heart surgery, is related to open sternal debridement. Favorable outcome of this complication depends on immediate surgical management, autologous repair, and the use of omentoplasty.

Morbidity and mortality of reoperation for coronary artery bypass grafting: significance of atheromatous vein grafts.

Reoperation ('redo') for coronary artery disease shows a significant increase in morbidity and mortality compared to primary surgery. Some technical approaches have been advocated to decrease myocardial injury, presumably due to coronary artery embolization from atheromatous vein grafts. From 1984 to 1989, 321 'redo' operations were performed at the Montreal Heart Institute. Patients with patent and atherosclerotic vein grafts at preoperative coronary angiography (239 patients) were compared to those with normal or occluded grafts (82 patients). Perioperative myocardial infarction and death rates were 19% and 13%, respectively. They were particularly high among patients with three or more patent and atherosclerotic vein grafts at reoperation (32% and 29%, respectively). Among the 239 patients with patent atherosclerotic grafts, the results of three different surgical techniques were studied retrospectively. A first group of 66 patients had early ligation of patent atheromatous grafts before cardioplegia was administered by antegrade infusion during single aortic clamping for coronary anastomoses, and maintained for the confection of aortic anastomoses. In a second group of 35 patients, early ligation of diseased graft, antegrade cardioplegic delivery, and partial aortic cross clamping for aortic anastomoses of vein grafts was done. In the third group of 138 patients, venous grafts were not interrupted before antegrade cardioplegic infusion and partial aortic cross clamping for aortic anastomoses of vein grafts was used. No significant difference in hospital mortality or perioperative myocardial infarction rate was observed between the three groups of patients. Thus, the modified techniques so far recommended for repeat coronary artery bypass grafting, such as early ligation of patent atherosclerotic grafts, have failed to improve the early results of 'redo' operations.