Results of the Ross operation in a pediatric population

Objective: To analyse the results of the mid-term clinical and echocardiographic follow-up of the pediatric Ross operation. Methods: Echo-Doppler follow-up of 53 consecutive pediatric Ross procedures performed between 1994 and 2003. Median age was 9.7 years at time of operation (2 weeks–17.7 years). Six patients were younger than 3 months. Median age at follow-up was 15.6 years. Aortic valve/left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) anomalies were congenital in 49 (92%). Seventy percent had previous surgery or balloon valvuloplasty. Root replacement was used in all. Thirteen patients (25%) had LVOT enlargement. Mean cross-clamp time was 113 (69–189) minutes. Results: Early mortality occurred in 3 patients after emergency surgery following balloon failure (n=1) and extended Ross following interrupted arch/VSD repair (n=2). Late mortality was due to LV fibroelastosis in 2 patients and complicated pulmonary artery stenting in another. RVOT reoperations were required because of late homograft obstruction in 2 patients and because of pulmonary artery stenosis in another. Five patients (9.4%) were reoperated for pulmonary autograft dilatation (n=3) and for leaflet fibrosis or perforation (n=2). Autografts were repaired in two patients, while a mechanical valve was inserted in 3 cases. At 9 years the actuarial survival and event free survival were 89 and 74%, respectively. At last follow-up 90% of autograft diameters indexed to body surface area was above the 90th percentile of normal aortic root diameters. LVOT and RVOT gradients were low and autograft insufficiency was trivial to mild in 84% and mild to moderate in 16%. Autograft stenosis was not noticed. Conclusions: The pediatric Ross procedure remains an important tool but autograft dilatation also occurs in the pediatric population. The significance of this finding has yet to be determined.     

Single Center Experience with a New Commercially Available Thoracic Endovascular Graft

PURPOSE: To evaluate the intra-operative performance and clinical outcome of a new commercially available stent-graft for the treatment of thoracic aortic diseases. METHODS AND PATIENTS: From January 2003 to October 2004, 45 consecutive patients received endovascular treatment with the Zenith TX1 device for diseases of the thoracic aorta at a single center in northern Italy. Indications included disease of the descending thoracic aorta in 26 cases, of the aortic arch in 17 cases and of the thoraco-abdominal aorta in two cases. We treated 38 atherosclerotic aneurysms, two post-traumatic aortic ruptures, two penetrating ulcers, two chronic dissections and one case was treated for aortic bleeding after voluntary acid ingestion for attempted suicide. General anesthesia was used in 20 cases. Combined or hybrid endovascular and open surgical repair was performed in 11 patients. Mean follow-up was 7 months (range 1-22 months). RESULTS: Technical success was obtained in 44 patients (98%). One primary type I endoleak occurred (2%). ICU was used in 12 cases with a mean stay of 1 day. The mean hospital stay was 6 days (range 4-13 days). There were no hospital deaths or strokes but one transient paraplegia (2%). A type II endoleak was observed in one case and resolved spontaneously 1 month later. No aneurysm enlargement, endograft migration or structural failures were observed during follow-up. Two late unrelated-deaths were observed. CONCLUSIONS: This stent-graft does not fulfill all the characteristics of the ideal graft, however, it proved to be safe and allowed satisfactory short term results in this group of patients treated at a single center.     

彩色多普勒超声心动图与核磁共振诊断主动脉夹层动脉瘤的对比研究

目的　通过彩色多普勒超声心动图 (CDUCG)和核磁共振成像 (MRI)诊断主动脉夹层动脉瘤 (AD)的影像学特征 ,比较两种无创检查技术诊断AD的临床价值。方法　对临床疑诊AD的患者行CDUCG心脏各切面探查 ,重点扫查并测量主动脉各节段异常超声征象 (夹层发生部位、内膜片跨度、管径宽度等 ) ,对相同患者行MRI检查时在扫描图像上辨认并确定夹层发生的部位、撕裂范围等。结果　CDUCG诊断Ⅰ型AD 4例 ,Ⅱ型 2例 ,Ⅲ型AD 1例。MRI对Ⅰ、Ⅱ、Ⅲ型AD均可明确诊断。本文 3例Ⅲ型AD经MRI确诊并检出附壁血栓 2例 ,1例Ⅰ型AD可疑 ,余结果同CDUCG。结论　两种技术诊断AD各有优缺点 ,CDUCG偏重于诊断Ⅰ、Ⅱ型 ,MRI适合各型AD的诊断。前者更为迅速、直观 ,重复性强 ,可了解心血管病变的全部信息 ;危急重症患者不宜或难以接受MRI检查。     

无皂乳液聚合法合成均一性聚苯乙烯微球

研究了聚苯乙烯微球的合成过程中，离子强度、聚合时间对粒径的影响及其稳定性，实验结果表明：适当改变离子强度、聚合时间可以得到不同粒径的聚苯乙烯微球，且粒子稳定性较好。     

肾下型腹主动脉瘤的外科治疗

目的总结26例肾下型腹主动脉瘤的手术治疗经验。方法回顾性分析近5年多来手术治疗26例肾下型腹主动脉瘤的临床资料，全组26例，术前均经影像检查证实诊断。行择期手术21例，破裂型腹主动脉瘤急诊手术5例。26例均行腹主动脉瘤切除，人工血管重建术。结果围手术期死亡2例，均为急症手术患者，总病死率7．7％，急诊手术病死率40．0％。随访时间1-5年。术后1，3，5年生存率分别为96％，88％，75％。死亡原因均与腹主动脉瘤和手术无关。结论CTA检查是诊断腹主动脉瘤的可靠方法。手术治疗仍是治疗腹主动脉瘤的重要方法。瘤体直径不是决定手术的唯一指征。影响手术的危险因素主要是高龄、严重的心肺疾病和肾功能不全。     

Long-term follow-up of elderly patients with severe aortic stenosis treated by balloon aortic valvuloplasty. Importance of haemodynamic parameters before and after dilatation

Early and late prognosis after percutaneous balloon aortic valvuloplasty (PBAV) was assessed in 38 consecutive elderly patients (mean age, 78.5 +/- 6.1 years). Significant valve opening was achieved in 35 patients. The hospital mortality was 8% (three patients); two other patients died within the first month and three underwent aortic valve replacement. At 2 years follow-up, there were 10 additional deaths (seven cardiac deaths) and five patients had symptom recurrence managed by aortic valve replacement (3) or repeat PBAV (2). Overall, six patients underwent surgery without untoward events and six had repeat PBAV. Only two out of six patients with repeat PBAV had sustained improvement; one was referred to surgery and the remaining three died soon after the second PBAV. One- and 2-year survival were respectively 72 and 62% and percentage of survivors with persistent improvement 68 and 41%. Although aortic valve area after PBAV was associated with outcome, predictors of poor long-term prognosis were primarily related to the pre-operative haemodynamic status. Patients with pulmonary resistances greater than 400 dynes cm-1 s-5 had the poorest outcome (chi 2 = 18.4-P less than 0.0001). Overall, signs of heart failure were predictors of poor long term follow-up. These data indicate that long-term success of PBAV is mainly related to the left ventricular dysfunction noted prior to intervention.     

Value of spiral CT in hemodynamically stable patients following blunt chest trauma

Introduction: Features of spiral CT (SCT) — fast scanning, dynamic injection of contrast allowing optimal vessel opacification, and supplemental multiplanar imaging — promises to provide increased accuracy in the diagnosis of acute and non acute thoracic vascular disease. Recent work demonstrating the cost effective triage of hemodynamically stable patients after blunt chest trauma for angiography based on dynamic CT findings has prompted an investigation into the accuracy of SCT in this clinical setting. Methods: A retrospective review of all patients seen in the emergency department over the period of one year for aortic, thoracic, or blunt chest trauma evaluation was performed (74 patients) and all SCT scans available were reviewed and data reformatted for optimal delineation of pathology using maximum intensity projection and multiplanar reformation. The accuracy and predictive positive and negative values of SCT were calculated with respect to angiography, surgical, and/or clinical follow up evaluation. Results: Twenty three (31%) patients went directly to angiography owing to mediastinal widening on chest film and hemodynamic instability, of which four were positive and required emergent surgery. Seven hemodynamically stable patients (9%) had noncontrast SCT owing to mediastinal widening on chest film, all of which had angiography with none having great vessel trauma. Fourty four hemodynamically stable patients (60%) had contrast enhanced SCT (ceSCT), of which five (11%) were abnormal and underwent angiography, four of these were positive for aortic damage, one for a subclavian artery laceration. Of the remaining 39 patients who had normal ceSCT; five had angiography, all of which were normal. Of the remaining 34 patients that had normal ceSCT none had adverse outcome on clinical follow-up, minimum of 12 months. Conclusion: The predictive positive value for aortic trauma of ceSCT in blunt trauma is 80%, with a predictive negative value of 100%, indicating that it is feasible for SCT to be a first line exam in blunt chest trauma in the future.     

胸主动脉夹层动脉瘤腔内隔绝术手术入路的探讨

目的 探讨为胸主动脉夹层动脉瘤(TAD)行腔内隔绝术(EVE)选择合适的导入动脉。方法 以彩超，CTA或MRA为检查手段，评估导入动脉(股动脉、髂总动脉、腹主动脉下段等)的直径大小(≥8mm)、有否硬化斑块、狭窄、是否被夹层累及、有否扭曲及其程度，从而选择具体的手术入路。结果 本组37例TAD行EVE术所选择经股动脉手术入路23例、经髂总动脉手术入路14例。未选择经腹主动脉下段手术入路。即时操作成功率为100％。结论 合理的选择导入动脉作为手术入路，是EVE手术治疗TAD顺利完成的要点。     

Turbulent stress measurements downstream of three bileaflet heart valve designs in pigs

Objective: Mechanical heart valves can cause thromboembolic complications, possibly due to abnormal flow patterns that produce turbulence downstream of the valve. The objective of this study was to investigate whether three different bileaflet valve designs would exhibit clinically relevant differences in downstream turbulent stresses. Methods: Three bileaflet mechanical heart valves (Medtronic Advantage^®, CarboMedics© Orbis™ Universal and St. Jude Medical^® Standard) were implanted into 19 female 90 kg pigs. Blood velocity was measured during open chest conditions in the cross sectional area downstream of the valves with 10 MHz ultrasonic probes connected to a modified Alfred^® Pulsed Doppler equipment. As a measure of turbulence, Reynolds normal stress (RNS) was calculated at three different cardiac output ranges (3–4, 4.5–5.5, 6–7 L/min). Results: Data from 12 animals were obtained. RNS correlated with increasing cardiac outputs. The highest instantaneous RNS observed in these experiments was 47 N/m², and the mean RNS taken spatially over the cross sectional area of the aorta during systole was between 3 N/m² and 15 N/m². In none of the cardiac output ranges RNS values exceeded the lower critical limit for erythrocyte or thrombocyte damage for any of the valve designs. Conclusions: Reynolds normal stress values were below 100 N/m² for all three valve designs and the difference in design was not reflected in generation of turbulence. Hence, it is unlikely that any of the valve designs causes flow induced damage to platelets or erythrocytes.     

主动脉夹层50例临床分析

目的 探讨主动脉夹层(AD)的临床表现，以便早期诊断和治疗，降低死亡率。方法 对50例AD患者的临床表现、影像学检查、治疗经过及死亡原因进行回顾性分析。结果 50例行心脏超声检查，确诊者43例(90％)；21例行CT检查。21例诊断为主动脉夹层(100％)；行磁共振显像(MRI)27例，均确诊为主动脉夹层(100％)。经治疗好转出院42例(84％)，1例并发脑梗死且留有一侧肢体活动障碍后遗症。7例死亡(占14％)。结论 早期诊断，有效治疗是降低死亡率的关键，CT、MRI可提供可靠的确诊依据。