Vena cava resection with venous-venous shunt for hemangioma.

Mediastinal hemangiomas are rare neoplasms among mediastinal tumors. We report a rare case of hemangioma of the vena cava that was detected incidentally in a 30-year-old female patient.

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AIM: We aimed to report our postoperative results in elderly patients that had off-pump coronary bypass grafting. METHOD: Data of 173 patients with isolated coronary bypass 70 years of age or older were retrospectively evaluated. One month follow-up data were evaluated in all patients. After getting verbal informed consent a total of 91 patients were included in the quality of life assessment via EuroQoL form. The data of patients with age of 70-74 and 75 or older were compared. RESULTS: The mean ages of patients at age of 70-74 and ≥75 were 71.69±0.16 and 76.81±0.23 years; respectively. Eleven cases had in-hospital mortality (%6 of 173 patients). The mean follow-up period for the group that were reached for EuroQoL assessment was 46,3 ± 20,8 months. The percent of cases among the whole study group that had participated in the quality of life questionnaire were in good condition in terms of mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, anxiety/depression were %75, %87, %81, %92 and %89; respectively. DISCUSSION: Off-pump coronary bypass operation may be safely used in elderly patients with high quality of life and low morbidity and mortality.

Assessment of the efficacy of bio-absorbable oxidized regenerated cellulose for prevention of post-operative pericardial adhesion in the rabbit model.

Pericardial adhesions complicate re-operative cardiac surgery and several attempts have been made to reduce adhesion formation. The efficacy of bio-absorbable oxidized regenerated cellulose in preventing post-operative pericardial adhesions was evaluated in the present study. Forty New Zealand white rabbits were divided into four groups of 10. In all rabbits an area of pericardium (2 x 2 cm) was excised. The wound was left open in groups 1 and 2 but replaced with bio-absorbable oxidized regenerated cellulose in groups 3 and 4. Rabbits in groups 1 and 3 were killed 3 weeks after surgery and those in groups 2 and 4 were killed at 6 weeks. Groups 1 and 2 showed more severe pericardial adhesions, more fibrous reaction and increased visibility of coronary vessels than groups 3 and 4, although there was no difference in inflammation. Light microscopy showed a mesothelium-like cell layer in groups 3 and 4. It is concluded that bio-absorbable oxidized regenerated cellulose may be suitable in patients receiving staged cardiac surgery and in those with a high probability of re-operation.

Long-term outcomes of basilic vein transposition fistula for hemodialysis.

BACKGROUND: There has been a dramatic increase in both the availability of hemodialysis and long-term survival of patients with chronic renal failure. Patients who require long-term hemodialysis need long-term vascular access. The transposed autologous basilic vein to brachial artery arteriovenous fistula provides vascular access in the absence of adequate superficial vein. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We follow an aggressive "all-autogenous" policy with regard to dialysis access and recommend prosthetic graft when autogenous options are exhausted. A retrospective analysis was performed of consecutive patients who underwent basilic vein transposition for hemodialysis access between January 2000 and March 2004. Mean follow-up was 21 months (range, 4 to 32 months). RESULTS: A retrospective review of 42 patients undergoing basilic vein transposition was performed. 18 of the patients were men and 24 patients were women. The mean age was 34.6 +/- 12.9 (mean +/- SD) years. Most of the patients were already receiving hemodialysis (92%), with a mean of 2.2 (range, 1 to 4) previous access attempts. Maturation rate was 85.7%. Primary patency rates were 71.4%, 54.7% and secondary (overall) patency rates were 88.0%, 64.2% at the end of the first and second years, respectively. Complications developed in 23 (54.7%) cases, and included arm edema, thrombosis, hematoma, infection, steal syndrome, poor flow and aneurysm formation. CONCLUSION: Transposed brachial-basilic fistula have a good long-term patency rate and should be considered early, before prosthetic grafting, in the absence of a suitable superficial vein.

The graft selection for haemodialysis.

BACKGROUND: In patients with chronic renal failure, a major concern is to provide safe and reliable long-term vascular access for haemodialysis. The radiocephalic arteriovenous (AV) fistula remains the first choice vascular access procedure, however the grafts are used in order to obtain vascular access in patients with failed native distal and proximal AV fistulas. The aim of this study was to compare the patency rate of different grafts such as standard wall polytetrafluoroethylene (sPTFE), bovine vein graft, Diastat graft, in these patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Four hundred and forty-six AV fistulas were surgically created in 361 patients. Eighty-four out of 361 patients undergoing different graft replacements were retrospectively reviewed. We evaluated the primary patency rates, days between the fistula placement and the last dialysis treatment before thrombosis had occurred, and the secondary patency rate, days between the fistula placement and the last dialysis treatment before the graft was considered completely lost. The graft survival was calculated according to the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: There were 58 (69%) women and 26 (31%) men with a mean age of 54.5 years. The sPTFE (Gore-Tex) graft was used in 41 (41.8%), bovine vein graft (ProCol) in 38 (38.7%) and Diastat vascular grafts in 19 (19.5%) patients. Primary and secondary patency rates for sPTFE graft were 37% and 60%, 68% and 85% for bovine graft and 26% and 42% for Diastat vascular grafts, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that the bovine vein graft provides the longest patency rate compared to the other grafts even in patients with multiple failed accesses.

[Blunt injury of the aortic arch: report of two cases]. / Künt arkus aorta yaralanmasi iki olgu sunumu.

Blunt injury of the aortic arch and its great vessels is rare. Although most of the cases die at the event side, those who can reach the hospital present with a clinic of pseudoaneurysm or arterial occlusion. The mainstay of diagnosis is to have a high suspicion index. As the physical examination findings are subtle, radiodiagnostic tools are helpful. Aortography is the most important investigation technique in suitable cases in order to plan surgery. Extracorporeal circulation and deep hypothermia may successfully be used with known side effects. In this study, we report our recent experience with two cases of blunt injury of the arcus aorta.

Delayed hemopericardium due to trivial chest trauma.

We report two cases of hemopericardium occurring in seven-month-old and 12-year-old boys, who had no history of major trauma. The possible cause of the hemopericardium for the infant was falling from a bed which was 75 cm high two weeks prior to the admission. The 12-year-old boy had fallen from a chair and damaged his chest 4 weeks previously. Their coagulation tests were all normal. By means of pericardiotomy, we drained 120 ml and 1200 ml of blood, respectively. The boys have now been well over follow-up periods of 24 and 18 months, respectively.

Management of foreign body aspiration in infancy and childhood. A life-threatening problem.

It is well known that young children have tendency to place objects in their mouths, frequently leading to aspiration of foreign bodies (FBs) into the tracheobronchial tree (TBT). The patient group comprised 596 patients with a history of suspected aspiration of FBs into the TBT who were bronchoscoped for diagnosis and treatment. There were 306 male (51.3%) and 290 female (48.7%) patients, with a mean age of 2.4 years (range 3 months-13 years). Sunflower seeds and hazelnuts were the most common FBs that were extracted using an open-tube rigid bronchoscope (Storz, Germany) and suitable coaxial forceps (Storz, Germany). Patients admitted within 48 hours following the aspiration numbered 341 (57.2%). The distribution of FBs between the right and left lung and trachea was 53, 37 and five percent, respectively. The aspirated material was visible on the chest x-ray in only 10 percent cases, which facilitated in making the diagnosis. Despite a history of aspiration, bronchoscopy was negative in 21 (3.4%) of the cases. Thoracotomy and subsequent bronchotomy was the treatment of choice in seven (1.5%) and lobectomy in two (0.3%) cases. Cardiorespiratory arrest was observed in five (0.8%) cases, three of whom (0.5%) died during bronchoscopy (2 cases) or thoracotomy (1 case). In conclusion, patients with FB aspiration are rapidly recognized from their histories and easily treated by bronchoscopy and extraction of the aspirated foreign body. A high index of suspicion is crucial for early diagnosis. However, education is the best preventive measure for decreasing the incidence of this problem.

Vascular injury during lumbar disc surgery. Report of two cases; a review of the literature.

Iatrogenic vascular injuries are unusual complications of lumbar disc surgery. The incidence of such injuries is very low but probably underestimated because clinical manifestations may be extremely variable depending on the extension of trauma. Diagnosis is suspected when early signs of retroperitoneal haemorrhage appear, but may often be delayed for weeks or years due to formation of a pseudoaneurysm or an arteriovenous fistula which may be of gradual onset and produce initially only a few symptoms. Prompt diagnosis and aggressive treatment can improve the current mortality rate of more than 50%. Two cases are described that illustrate the full spectrum of acute and chronic manifestations of such injuries. One case of acute haemorrhage due to arterial trauma was immediately detected and the other case with arteriovenous fistula was recognized several years post-operatively.