[Surgical Treatment for Giant Coronary Aneurysm Complicated by Acute Myocardial Infarction and Cardiopulmonary Arrest:Report of a Case].

Giant coronary aneurysm is rare, but a life-threatening disease. We report a 67-year-old man with 39 mm coronary aneurysm. He was presented to our facility with acute coronary syndrome complicated by cardiogenic shock. Angiography demonstrated giant coronary aneurysm and occlusion of the right coronary artery. After cardiopulmonary resuscitation and cardiopulmonary support (PCPS), emergent excision of aneurysm and coronary artery bypass grafting was performed. The postoperative course was good without complications. Most giant coronary artery aneurysms are asymptomatic but some patients present with angina pectoris, sudden death, fistula formation, pericardial tamponade, compression of surrounding structures, or congestive heart failure. But once complications, such as thrombosis, distal embolization, fistula formation or rupture occurred, it is difficult to save life without aggressive surgery. At present, there are no specific guidelines for the treatment of giant coronary aneurysm. Surgical correction is a preferred approach for the treatment of giant coronary artery aneurysms.

[Total Arch Replacement Using Isolation Technique for Giant Thrombus in Ascending Aorta and Aortic Arch:Report of a Case].

We report a case of giant thrombus in the ascending aorta and the aortic arch, and our successful treatment. A 52-year-old man was referred to our department for coldness and numbness of the right upper arm and hand for several days. Contrast enhanced computed tomography revealed thrombosis of the right brachial artery and a giant thrombus in the ascending aorta and the aortic arch. Three days after the revascularization of the right upper limb by thrombectomy, we performed total arch replacement with frozen elephant trunk using "isolation technique" which is reported to be useful to prevent embolic stroke during total arch replacement in patients with shaggy aorta. In this technique brain circulation was isolated by establishing selective cerebral perfusion before starting systemic perfusion. Postoperative course was uneventful and no recurrent thrombosis has been observed for a year with anticoagulant therapy. We advocate that this technique is also useful in the presence of thrombus in the ascending aorta and the aortic arch.

Unusual metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma to the esophagus.

This report describes a case of metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) presenting as a polypoid mass in the lower esophagus. The patient was a 63-year-old man with HCC. An endoscopic examination revealed a pedunculated polypoid mass, about 3 cm in diameter, at the lower part of the esophagus. The biopsy specimen obtained from the tumor revealed that the mass consisted of a pseudoglandular arrangement of tumor cells, and the tumor was diagnosed as metastatic HCC. There were no symptoms due to esophageal tumor. He died of progressive hepatic failure. Cases of premortem-diagnosed esophageal metastasis from HCC are extremely rare.

Morphometric analysis of lymphatic vessels in primary biliary cirrhosis.

The purpose of this study was to elucidate the morphometric changes occurring in hepatic lymphatics in primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). The lymphatic vessels were stained intensely by enzyme-histochemistry for 5'-nucleotidase while blood vessels stained well for alkaline phosphatase (ALP). We performed a morphometric analysis to estimate the number of lymphatic and blood vessels and their areas, using computer graphics software (NIH Image). Both the number of lymphatics and their areas in specimens in patients with PBC at an early stage were found to have increased. Neither the number nor the areas of the blood vessels showed any obvious relationship with the degree of fibrosis of PBC. Our results clarified that the sizes and number of lymphatics are increased even in the early stage of PBC. This is thought to be due to increased lymph production, which is caused by disturbance of the microcirculation associated with portal hypertension.