We describe a new technique of aortic valve replacement (AVR) in patients with porcelain aorta. Three patients (mean age 75 years) were treated. The cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) was established after side-graft right axillary artery and direct femoral artery cannulation. Venous drainage was obtained by atrio-caval cannulation. The procedures were performed in mild hypothermia (30 degrees C). Ce...

Platelet-activating factor (PAF), the potent phospholipid mediator of inflammation, is involved in atherosclerosis. Platelet-activating factor-acetylhydrolase (PAF-AH), the enzyme that inactivates PAF bioactivity, possesses both acetylhydrolase and transacetylase activities. In the present study, we measured acetylhydrolase and transacetylase activities in human atherogenic aorta and nonatherog...

Background Enlargement of the aorta or main pulmonary artery (MPA) is associated with cardiopulmonary disease, and an increased MPA-to-ascending aorta ratio is associated with pulmonary hypertension. We sought to determine mean and upper 90th percentile (p90) diameters of the thoracic and abdominal aorta and MPA in a longitudinally-followed adult cohort without clinical cardiopulmonary disease.

Patients with aortic pathology involving the ascending aorta, the arch, and the descending aorta present a complex surgical challenge. A one-step hybrid procedure with ascending aorta repair, arch debranching, and frozen elephant trunk is reported in five patients. Left subclavian artery side graft cannulation is used to perfuse the spinal cord during circulatory arrest time.

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is a systemic granulomatous vasculitis of unknown aetiology, which typically affects the branches of carotid artery (especially the temporal artery), but it can involve any medium-size or large artery, and then its diagnostics becomes much more difficult. The aim of our study is to point up typical histopathological changes in the aorta of GCA patients. In the study w...

A case of aneurysm of the main stem of the left coronary artery associated with aortic insufficiency and an aneurysm of the ascending aorta is reported. The importance of coronary angiography in diagnosing this condition is illustrated. Surgical repair included isolation of the coronary aneurysm and replacement of the ascending aorta and aortic valve, combined with triple aortocoronary saphenou...

Ascending aortic aneurysms are usually treated with graft replacement under cardiopulmonary bypass. However, if a candidate for off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting has an enlarged ascending aorta, surgeons may consider wrapping it without cardiopulmonary bypass. Here, we report a 78-year-old female who underwent successful wrapping of the ascending aorta concomitant with off-pump coronary ...

Nutcracker syndrome is a condition where there is compression of the left renal vein between the aorta and the superior mesenteric artery causing symptoms. Here, we describe the case of a female patient who had symptoms secondary to the compression of a left inferior vena cava between the aorta and the superior mesenteric artery causing a nutcracker syndrome. We will review the etiology, embryo...