Manabu Motoki

Influence of coronary artery disease on operative mortality and long-term survival after abdominal aortic aneurysm repair.

PurposeThis retrospective study was conducted to evaluate the effects of coronary artery disease (CAD) on short- and long-term survival after abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair.MethodsOne hundred consecutive patients underwent elective AAA repair between 1991 and 2002. Coronary angiography was performed in all patients, revealing significant coronary artery lesions in 47 (47%). Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) was performed in 11 patients, 20 (median) days before the abdominal surgery. Abdominal aortic aneurysm repair was performed 60 (median) days after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in five patients, and both procedures were performed simultaneously in two patients.ResultsThe in-hospital mortality rate for AAA repair was 1.0%, but there was no cardiac-related operative morbidity or mortality. The 96 patients discharged were followed up for a mean period of 2.9 years (range 3–143 months). The cumulative survival rates after 1, 2, 3, and 5 years were 98%, 95%, 88%, and 77%, respectively. Only one patient (1%) died of myocardial infarction. There was no significant difference in the long-term survival of the CAD and non-CAD patients.ConclusionsThese results emphasize the importance of routine coronary angiography and subsequent coronary revascularization to improve early and late survival rates after AAA repair.

Endovascular Repair of Ruptured Aberrant Left Subclavian Artery With Right Aortic Arch

Association of a right-sided aortic arch with an aberrant left subclavian artery is rare. We present a case of successful endovascular repair of a ruptured Kommerell diverticulum associated with a right-sided aortic arch and aberrant left subclavian artery. We treated a 47-year-old woman with a diagnosis of ruptured aberrant left subclavian artery with thoracic endovascular stent-grafts. The descending aorta above Kommerell diverticulum was a reverse-tapered configuration. We managed the rather hostile neck with an extra-large Palmaz stent. A left carotid-to-subclavian bypass with an 8-mm Dacron graft was also performed to restore left arm perfusion and prevent vertebrobasilar insufficiency.

Mitral valve repair with loop technique via median sternotomy in 180 patients

OBJECTIVES Artificial chordal reconstruction technique uses several expanded polytetrafluoroethylene loops to achieve mitral valve repair. METHODS We studied retrospectively 180 patients who underwent mitral valve repair using the loop technique via median sternotomy: 86 for posterior leaflet prolapse, 48 for anterior leaflet prolapse and 26 for bileaflet prolapse. RESULTS Of the 180 patients, 138 required 1 loop set; 40 patients required 2 and 2 patients with Barlows disease required 3. Loop sets contained two to nine loops ranging in length from 14 to 26 mm. Additional techniques required to ensure complete repair using the loop technique included commissural edge-to-edge suture in 78 patients, loop-in-loop technique for extension of the artificial loop in 18 and use of needle-side sutures in 18. Systolic anterior leaflet motion was observed in only 2 patients (1.1%). One patient with immune deficiency died of sepsis. Predischarge echocardiograms showed no or trace mitral regurgitation (MR) in 160 patients (89%), mild MR in 17 patients (9.4)% and mild-to-moderate MR in 3 patients (1.7%). Only 1 patient required redo operation due to recurrent MR freedom from MR greater than moderate was seen in 98.0 ± 1.4% of patients at 1 year, 91.5 ± 2.8% of patients at 3 years, and 91.5 ± 2.8% at 5 years postoperatively. No significant difference was seen in the rate of recurrence of MR among the sites of prolapsing leaflets. CONCLUSIONS The loop technique via median sternotomy to treat posterior, anterior and, especially, bileaflet prolapse provided satisfactory mid-term outcomes.

Spinal cord injury after endovascular treatment for thoracoabdominal aneurysm or dissection.

OBJECTIVES Postoperative spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating complication of surgical repair for thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm or dissection (TAAD), despite the complex reconstruction of inter-costal or lumbar arteries involved in the surgery. As an alternative technique, endovascular thoracoabdominal aneurysm repair (EVTAR) with visceral artery reconstruction has been accepted as a treatment option for severe comorbid patients of TAAD, because there is a permissible frequency of SCI after EVTAR in spite of no reconstruction of inter-costal or lumbar arteries. We report the results of EVTAR at our hospital with a focus on spinal cord injury. METHODS We analyzed data from 54 consecutive patients with TAAD (mean age, 74 ± 9.6 years; 42 men) who underwent EVTAR at our hospital between February 2007 and February 2014. Three types of EVTAR technique were used: fenestrated and/or branched stent graft implantation in 39 patients, a hybrid technique (bypass grafts to visceral arteries and straight stent graft implantation) in 10 patients, and intentional coverage of the coeliac artery and straight stent graft implantation in 5 patients. In all patients, mean systemic blood pressure was maintained at ≥80 mmHg. Opioid use was avoided in the perioperative period. RESULTS According to the Crawford classification, the graft coverage extent was 9% (5/54) in type I, 11% (6/54) in type II, 39% (21/54) in type III, 22%(12/54) in type IV and 19% (10/54) in type V. In most patients (74%, 40/54), cerebrospinal fluid drainage was done intraoperatively and 1 day postoperatively. Hospital mortality was 5.6% (3/54). No patient developed SCI in the perioperative period. However, in the follow-up period 2 patients developed paraplegia as a consequence of shock caused by an aortic event. CONCLUSIONS With close attention to spinal cord protection, EVTAR may be associated with only a low incidence of SCI in the perioperative period. Therefore, EVTAR is expected to become a promising treatment option for appropriately selected patients with TAAD.

Less-Invasive Endovascular Treatment of Arch Aneurysm With Aberrant Right Subclavian Artery

We report a patient with an arch aneurysm with an aberrant right subclavian artery who underwent successful endovascular treatment with the chimney technique and bilateral carotid artery-to-subclavian artery bypasses. We used a chimney graft in the left carotid artery to preserve its flow. The bilateral carotid-to-subclavian artery bypasses preserved perfusion of the bilateral vertebral arteries. A thoracic stent graft was subsequently deployed in the aortic arch over the chimney graft of the left carotid artery. There have been few reports about less-invasive treatment for arch aneurysm with aberrant right subclavian artery. This technique was an effective strategy to avoid a high-risk open operation.

Evaluation of Aortic Valve Replacement via the Right Parasternal Approach without Rib Removal

BACKGROUND Although right parasternal approach (RPA) decreases the incidence of mediastinal infection, this approach is associated with lung hernia and flail chest. Our RPA employs thoracotomy with bending rib cartilages and wound closure performed by repositioning the ribs with underlying sheet reinforcement. METHODS We evaluated 16 patients who underwent aortic valve replacement via the RPA from January 2010 to August 2013. We compared outcomes of 15 male patients had the RPA with 30 male patients had full median sternotomy. RESULTS One patient with a history of radical breast cancer treatment underwent RPA with concomitant right coronary artery bypass grafting. No hospital deaths occurred. Four patients developed hospital-associated morbidity (re-exploration for bleeding, prolonged ventilation, cardiac tamponade, and perioperative myocardial infarction). There were no conversions to full median sternotomy, mediastinal infections, and lung hernias. Preoperative computed tomography showed that the distance from the right sternal border to the aortic root was significantly associated with operation times. With RPA, there was no significant difference in outcomes, despite significantly longer operation times compared with full median sternotomy. CONCLUSION Our RPA provides satisfactory outcomes without lung hernia, especially in patients unsuitable for sternotomy. Preoperative computed tomography is useful for identifying appropriate candidates for the RPA.

Successful surgical treatment for total circumferential aortic and mitral annulus calcification: application of half-and-half technique

Patients with total circumferential mitral annular calcification (MAC) extending into the intervalvular fibrous body and aortic annulus have a high risk of cardiac surgery, which remains a technical challenge for surgeons. Our technique for MAC is characterized as simple supra-mitral annular prosthesis insertion after minimum debridement of calcification (“half-and-half technique”). To date, our technique has been applied in only simple MAC cases and has good results. Herein, we report successful two cases of total circumferential MAC, extending into the intervalvular fibrous body and aortic annulus that were treated by a simple double valve replacement with application of our “half-and-half technique”.

Quantified Aortic Luminal Irregularity as a Predictor of Complications and Prognosis After Endovascular Aneurysm Repair.

AbstractAtheromatous degeneration of the aorta is considered to be a risk factor for postoperative embolic complications after endovascular treatment, and is associated with a high incidence of vascular events in the long term. We devised a method to quantify the shagginess of the aorta using contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) images. This study examined the methods validity and prognostic usefulness in patients undergoing elective endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR).We retrospectively investigated 427 patients who underwent elective EVAR between 2007 and 2013. Preoperative contrast-enhanced CT images with a slice thickness of 1 mm were analyzed using a workstation, and the degree of aortic luminal irregularity from the level of the left subclavian artery ostium to that of the celiac artery ostium was quantified by computing a shagginess score. We compared the computed scores with subjective visual assessments of aortic shagginess. Subsequently, we evaluated the relationship between the computed scores and postoperative prognosis.The shagginess scores were significantly correlated with the visual assessments of the aortic lumen, which were performed by 5 experienced vascular surgeons (rho ranged from 0.564–0.654, all P < 0.001). Multiple logistic regression analysis demonstrated that the shagginess score was independently associated with the development of renal impairment within a month after EVAR (odds ratio, 2.78; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.83–4.22, P < 0.001). The shagginess score was significantly higher in patients who suffered postoperative intestinal and peripheral ischemic complications, as compared with those who did not (P < 0.001). The mean postoperative follow-up period was 1207 ± 641 days. Cox proportional hazards regression showed that the shagginess score was a significant independent predictor of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 1.37; 95% CI, 1.09–1.72, P = 0.007, and HR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.04–2.18, P = 0.030, respectively).The results suggest that the shagginess score provides a quantitative reflection of aortic luminal irregularity. It may serve as a useful predictive factor for postoperative renal function deterioration, embolic complications, and long-term mortality after elective EVAR.

Endovascular repair for abdominal aortic aneurysm followed by type B dissection.

An 86-year-old man with an abdominal aortic aneurysm was diagnosed with type B aortic dissection accompanied by a patent false lumen that started at the distal arch of the thoracic aorta and terminated at the left common iliac artery. Meticulous preoperative assessment detected 3 large intimal tears in the descending aorta, abdominal aortic aneurysm, and left common iliac artery. We performed single-stage thoracic and abdominal endovascular aneurysm repair and concomitant axillary-axillary bypass. The abdominal aortic aneurysm with type B aortic dissection was successfully treated using a single-stage endovascular stent graft, without any complications due to the careful preoperative examinations.

Delayed Intestinal Ischemia after Surgery for Type A Acute Aortic Dissection.

We report a rare case of delayed intestinal ischemia after total arch replacement for type A acute aortic dissection. At the onset of acute aortic dissection, computed tomography (CT) angiography revealed celiac trunk occlusion and progressive dissection into the superior mesenteric artery without stenosis. However, following total arch replacement, visceral malperfusion was not detected by exploratory laparotomy. On postoperative day 12, the patient developed paralytic ileus without an elevated lactate level. CT angiography revealed new superior mesenteric artery stenosis by a thrombosed false lumen with persistent celiac trunk occlusion. Endovascular treatment including stent implantation resolved intestinal ischemia.