TWe present the case of a 64 years old male patient who had recently suffered an infective aortic valve endocarditis (Streptococcus agalactiae) complicated by embolic arthritis of the right hip. Initial echocardiography revealed moderate aortic insufficiency developed on a tricuspid aortic valve with a small vegetation (5 mm × 4 mm) on the left coronary cusp. Furthermore, an aneurysmal dilatati...

Aortoenteric fistulae are rare but potentially catastrophic entities that can affect either a diseased or reconstructed abdominal aorta and therefore they are classified as pr imary or secondary fistulae. The subtleties of its presentation, lack of specific diagnostic tests, delay in therapy and lack of consensus on the optimal operative t reatment have contributed to the high morbidi ty and mo...

Observations were made on blood pressure, heart size, and physiologic state of 33 rabbits subjected to severe constriction of the abdominal aorta. Two-thirds of the rabbits developed symptoms of congestive heart failure and died within two weeks. Autopsy findings revealed acute passive congestion of liver and lungs in the majority of cases and chronic passive congestion of liver and heart failu...

A fetus was diagnosed with regurgitation from the aorta into the left ventricle. A large aortico-left ventricular tunnel with aortic atresia was identified postnatally by echocardiography in a neonate suffering from severe heart failure. We successfully reconstructed the valve and closed the tunnel with a patch on his first day of life. At three-month follow-up, the baby is asymptomatic with mi...

Severe constriction of the abdominal aorta in rabbits caused congestive heart failure and death in 4 to 7 days. Expansion of total plasma volume suggested that aortic narrowing increases the vascular bed distal to the stricture. Reduction of total body fluids did not prevent total plasma volume expansion, unless it caused severe dehydration. A large percentage of dietary sodium was retained. Ex...

A 51-year-old male underwent replacement of the ascending aorta for acute type A dissection. The post-operative course was uncomplicated, and he was discharged home. Approximately a month later, control CT revealed an enlarging pseudoaneurysm of the proximal anastomosis. The patient was re-operated, and a Bentall operation with mechanical prosthesis was performed. Again, surgery was uncomplicat...

The Spyder is a novel device that enables the attachment of a vein to the aorta by compliant, interrupted anastomosis; this minimizes aortic manipulation during off pump-coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) surgery. Its use may reduce transcranial Doppler signals recorded during CABG. We performed 250 anastomoses in 160 OPCAB cases in many centers and recorded efficiency and efficacy data. There were...

We developed a preparation in which the mean arterial pressure of the newborn lamb is varied with little change in left ventricular preload. Seven lambs underwent balloon atrial septostomy and were instrumented with vascular catheters, an electromagnetic flow transducer on the aorta, and a balloon occluder on the aorta. Four different preload conditions were established by volume infusion or wi...

BACKGROUND The natural history of aneurysms ends in rupture and death. In 1990 the first endovascular exclusion of an aneurysm, using an endoluminal graft implanted through the femoral arteries was performed. More recently, the same procedure has been used for aneurysms of the thoracic aorta. AIM To report our experience with endovascular treatment of thoracic aorta aneurysms. MATERIAL AND ...

OBJECTIVES To describe the early and mid-term clinical and instrumental results of the frozen elephant trunk (FET) procedure using the recent Evita Open Plus hybrid endoprosthesis for elective one-stage treatment of extensive thoracic aortic disease. METHODS We reviewed 16 patients undergoing FET for post-dissection aneurysm (50%), true aneurysm (31%) or other aetiologies (19%), through media...