Soichiro Henmi

Surgical strategy for the treatment of aortoesophageal fistula

Objective To present a surgical strategy for aortoesophageal fistula (AEF). Methods From October 1999 to May 2017, 27 patients with AEF were treated at Kobe University Hospital. After 9 patients with malignancies or fish bone penetration were excluded, 18 patients who had AEF secondary to aortic lesions were investigated. The mean age was 67.2 ± 10.4 years, and the male/female ratio was 16:2. Twelve patients had a nondissection thoracic aneurysm, and 6 patients had a chronic aortic dissection. Six patients were in shock. Seven patients had a previous thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) in the descending aorta, 2 patients had descending aorta replacement, 1 had hemiarch replacement, and 2 had total arch replacement. As the first treatment for AEF, 3 patients underwent TEVAR as destination therapy, 3 patients had a bridge TEVAR to open surgery, 1 patient had an extra‐anatomical bypass from the ascending aorta to the abdominal aorta, and 11 patients had an in situ reconstruction of the descending aorta. The esophagus was resected in 16 patients, and an omental flap was installed in 16 patients. Additional procedures were extra‐anatomical bypass in 2 patients and in situ reconstruction of the aorta in 3 patients. Results Hospital mortality was noted in 4 patients (22.2% persistent sepsis, n = 3: pneumonia, n = 1). However, since 2007, only 1 of 13 patients has died (pneumonia). Late death occurred in 5 patients, due to pneumonia, cerebral bleeding, diarrhea, sudden death, and persistent infection. Actuarial survival was 42.4 ± 12.8% at 5 years and freedom from aorta‐related death was 59.4 ± 13.5% at 5 years. Nine patients achieved completed reconstruction of the esophagus 172 ± 57 days after initial surgery. Conclusions Although a comparative study was not performed, 1‐stage surgery consisting of resection of an aneurysm and esophagus, in situ reconstruction of the descending aorta, and omental flap installation provided a better outcome in the treatment for AEF. Bridging TEVAR to the open surgery is a useful adjunct in patients with AEF with hemorrhagic shock. Later reconstruction of the esophagus can be performed in the survivors.

A case of type A acute aortic dissection with a common carotid trunk

We present a rare case of common carotid artery with acute type A aortic dissection. A 72-year-old woman underwent emergent aortic arch repair using Antegrade selective cerebral protection. Bottom-tapped cannulae were inserted into three orifices of arch vessels, however, regional cerebral oxygen saturation decreased after rewarming. We found that arch branches were in order from front to back, right subclavian artery, common carotid trunk, and left subcravian artery. The patient complicated stroke in the right middle cerebral artery.

Severe Obstructive Calcification of the Descending Aorta: A Case Report of “Coral Reef Aorta”

An 82-year-old man suffering from lower back pain and dyspnea presented to our institute in a state of shock. Computed tomography showed subtotal occlusion of the descending aorta with massive atherosclerotic calcification. As the proximal portion of the superior mesenteric artery was obstructed, emergency bypass from the right axillary artery to the bilateral external iliac arteries was performed, but the patient died 2 days later. Autopsy revealed that reddish-brown and verrucous masses obstructed the descending aorta, and high-grade thickening of the intima and extensive deposits of calcium in the lumina and medial layer were detected in the descending aorta histologically.

Cardiopulmonary bypass strategy with low-dose heparin and nafamostat mesilate in cardiac surgery: a safe option for patients with acute stroke.

From the Narayana Hrudayalaya Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangalore, India; and theDepartment ofCardiology, St. John’sMedicalCollegeHospital,Bangalore, India. Disclosures: Authors have nothing to disclose with regard to commercial support. Received for publication Dec 13, 2011; revisions received March 2, 2012; accepted for publication March 16, 2012; available ahead of print April 27, 2012. Address for reprints: Naoto Morimoto, MD, PhD, Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Himeji Cardiovascular Center, 520, Saishoko, Himeji, Hyogo, 670-0981, Japan (E-mail: naotofrcs@gmail.com). J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2012;144:726-8 0022-5223/

Stanford Type A Acute Aortic Dissection With Intimal Intussusception

36.00 Copyright 2012 by The American Association for Thoracic Surgery http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jtcvs.2012.03.030

Early and long-term outcomes of open surgery after thoracic endovascular aortic repair†

A70-year-old woman with a sudden onset of dizziness, disturbance of speech, and nausea was brought to our hospital. A contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) scan of the patient’s chest and abdomen showed no flaps in the ascending aorta (Fig 1A), but an intussuscepted flap appeared in the aortic arch, obstructing all arch vessels (Fig 1B). A three-dimensional CT scan providing an intravascular view from the proximal aortic arch revealed that the intimal flap was inverted and invaginated into the distal aortic arch (Fig 2). On the basis of these findings, we made a diagnosis of Stanford type A acute dissection of the aorta with intimal intussusception caused by a circumferential intimal tear. Emergency surgery was done, and revealed the circumferential intimal tear at the level of the sinotubular junction and the absence of an intimal layer in the ascending aorta. The dissected tubular intimal flap was inverted and invaginated into the aortic arch. The ascending aorta was replaced with a Dacron graft. The patient’s postoperative course was uneventful, without any neurologic complications, and she was discharged in good condition at 18 days after her operation. Complete circular dissection of the aorta was reported for the first time by Bostroem1) in 1887. Aortic dissection

Long-term results of bioprosthetic tricuspid valve replacement: an analysis of 25 years of experience

OBJECTIVES This study evaluated the early and long-term outcomes of open surgery after thoracic endovascular aortic repair. METHODS We conducted a retrospective review of 41 patients who underwent open surgery following thoracic endovascular aortic repair between October 1999 and July 2017. The mean interval from primary intervention to open surgery was 3.1 ± 3.7 years. Indications for open repair were endoleak in 14 patients, graft infection in 10 patients, false lumen dilatation in 9 patients, retrograde dissection in 5 patients, migration in 1 patient and additional aneurysm in 2 patients. Eight patients underwent emergent surgical conversions. The mean follow-up period was 4.2 ± 4.0 years. RESULTS Descending aortic replacement was performed in 15 patients; thoraco-abdominal aortic repair, in 14 patients; extensive arch to descending aortic replacement, in 5 patients; and total arch replacement, in 7 patients. Six (14.6%) patients died in the hospital. The 5-year survival rate was 73.7 ± 7.2%, and freedom from reintervention was 88.5 ± 6.4%. CONCLUSIONS Early outcomes of open surgical procedures after thoracic endovascular aortic repair were still suboptimal. However, hospital survivors had excellent long-term outcomes.