G. Kenneth Mallory

The pulmonary and pleural complications of aortic aneurysm

Abstract 1. 1. Twenty-two cases of aneurysm of the aorta showing conspicuous pulmonary or pleural complications are summarized. 2. 2. Pulmonary complications, such as atelectasis, bronchopneumonia, organizing pneumonia, abscess or bronchiectasis, arise as the result of tracheal or bronchial compression or of direct invasion of the lung. 3. 3. Pulmonary tuberculosis occasionally accompanies aneurysm of the aorta, with or without bronchial compression. 4. 4. Pleural complications arise as a result of rupture of the aneurysm into the pleural cavity and compression of the pulmonary or azygos veins, or from extension of an infection from an underlying pulmonary lesion.

The vascularized cardiac thrombus as a possible vicarious source of blood supply in ischemic human hearts

Abstract A thrombus in the heart undergoes much the same evolutionnary change as elsewhere. It is covered by endothelium, and organized by fibroblasts and capillaries. In time, a more or less vascular connective tissue replaces part or all of the clot. In large vessels, the invasion of the thrombus by capillaries proceeds from the wall of the vessel involved, and from the patent parts of the lumen. New cappillaries which originate from one of these sources may connect with those derived from the other 1,2 . Through communications thus established, blood from the lumen of the vessel may enter the vasa vasorum. It appeared possible that new vascular channels formed in the cardiac thrombus may similarly convey blood from the lumen of the heart to the myocardium. Our aim was to test this hypothesis anatomically. The study reported upon here was confined to thrombi associated with infarcts in the left ventricle of human hearts, and deals with the presence or absence of vascular intercommunications between the lumen of the left ventricle, the thrombus, and the myocardium. We have been unable to find reference to similar studies on record. A detailed account of the vascularization of thrombi in various chambers of hearts with and without infarcts will be given in a subsequent report.