Several recent reports [1-7] have discussed the potential use of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) for treatment of stenotic lesions of the brachiocephalic vessels. We report a case of successful angioplasty in a patient with innominate artery stenosis associated with reversal of blood flow in the right vertebral artery (right subclavian steal). The risk of cerebral embolization was r...

We present two cases of innominate artery (IA) in a cervical position. In the first case, surgery was not performed because there was no indication. In the second, it was possible to obtain surgical images of the AI and its branches located in front of the laryngotracheal axis. A warning about the serious risk involved in cervical surgery in these cases is indicated.

A patient with a medial and posterior dislocation of the right sterno-clavicular (SC) joint and displacement of the trachea and brachiocephalic artery by the medial head of the clavicle underwent general anaesthetic in the operating theatre for an open reduction procedure. The surgeon initially attempted a closed reduction, but this required imaging to check SC alignment. The patient was transf...

Variant aortic arch branching pattern may occur with different embryological mechanisms. We report on a variant aortic arch branching in a 41-year old Tanzanian male cadaver during dissection practice. The left common carotid artery was seen originating from the root of the brachiocephalic trunk and the left vertebral artery from the arch of the aorta proximal to the origin of the left subclavi...

We report an extraordinary case in which the venous route for pulmonary artery catheterization was unusual. A 41 year-old woman with an end-stage liver disease underwent a living-donor liver transplantation. After induction of anesthesia, the pulmonary artery catheter was revealed to be advanced into the left brachiocephalic vein and then slipped into another vein that drains into the left brac...

The cervicothoracic junction (CTJ) is defined as the area extending from vertebral segments C7 to T4. Because most pathological processes occur in the anterior segment of the vertebrae, the anterior approach is usually the best surgical option, allowing neural decompression, stabilization and restoration of anatomical spinal alignment. Nevertheless, it represents a big challenge for the spinal ...

PURPOSE To quantify aortic arch geometry and in vivo cardiac-induced and respiratory-induced arch translations and arch branch angulations using three-dimensional geometric modeling techniques. MATERIALS AND METHODS Scanning with electrocardiogram-gated computed tomography angiography during inspiratory and expiratory breath holds was performed in 15 patients (age, 64 y ± 14) with thoracic ao...