Surgery

An iatrogenic systemic venous return abnormality was found in a female patient who had previously undergone surgery to correct a superiorly located atrial septal defect and then had increasing complaints. Here we consider the importance of contrast echocardiography in the diagnosis and discuss the patient’s second operation as well...

Epmyema thoracis is associated with high mortality ranging between 6% to 24%. The incidence of empyema is increasing in both children and adults; the cause of this surge is unknown. Most cases of empyema complicate community- or hospital-acquired pneumonia but a proportion results from iatrogenic causes or develops without pneumonia....

Background: Fospropofol is a phosphate-ester water soluble prodrug of propofol approved in the United States for the short-term sedation of adults undergoing diagnostic or therapeutic procedures with monitored anesthesia care. Fospropofol may be advantageous for procedural sedation because it is not a lipid formulation, it lacks pain on injection,...

On the strength of two phase III clinical trials, palonosetron hydrochloride was granted FDA approval in March 2008 for the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) in the period up to 24 hours after surgery. Palonosetron is superior to the established first-generation 5-hydroxytryptamin-3 receptor antagonists (5-HT3-RAs) in respect of...

The presence of a patent internal mammary artery (IMA) represents a well-known technical challenge in redo cardiac surgery. Dissection of the IMA and controlling its flow during cardioplegic delivery has thus been considered essential steps. This maneuver however, is associated with the risk of damaging the IMA. Herein, we...

Objective: Presentation of chondrodermatitis nodularis helicis chronica that is an uncommon but important differential diagnosis for particular benign and malignant tumours. Case report: A 32-year-old woman presented with a painful, hyperkeratotic nodule on her left antihelix. The lesion was treated with cryotherapy and resolved completely. Conclusion: Chondrodermatitis nodularis helicis should be considered...

Lung perfusion/ventilation was introduced as a means to minimize cardiopulmonary (CPB)-related pulmonary ischemic injury. Current results in the literature are divergent, and the role of gas exchange during lung perfusion/ventilation during CPB, remains undefined. This report details a) the technique of continuous lung perfusion/ventilation during CPB, b) provides initial observations,...

Introductory Editorial by Dr Karna Dev Bardhan

Familial hypercholesterolemia is a genetic disorder caused by a mutation in the low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor gene. The homozygous type of the disease is rare and causes tendon xanthomas and coronary artery disease during the early years of life. Premature coronary artery occlusive disease in familial homozygous hypercholesterolemia might...

Single port transumbilical laparoscopic surgery (LESS, SILS, ENOTES) is a technique which has recently emerged with a view to improving the cosmesis following minimal access surgery, aiming to achieve ‘scarless’ surgery. This rapidly progressing technique is facilitated by developments in port and instrument technology, allowing surgeons to perform a wider...

We experienced a successful surgical Williams’s syndrome case of extended aortoplasty by means of Doty’s method (two sinus reconstructions) for congenital supravalvular aortic stenosis. Case was 29-year-old woman, who had no complaint except heart murmur and dyspnea. The retrograde aortography and Digital Subtraction Angiography (DSA) demonstrated localized stenosis just above...

Cefazolin sodium is a first-generation cephalosporin antibiotic and has been used worldwide since the early 1970s. It is used for the treatment of bacterial infections in various organs, such as the respiratory tract, skin and skin structure, genital tract, urinary tract, biliary tract, and bone and joint infections. It has...

Background: Fetal surgery is selectively offered for severe or life-threatening fetal malformations. These infants are often born prematurely and are thus at risk for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). It is not known whether fetal surgery confers an increased risk of developing severe ROP relative to published rates in standard premature...

Postoperative complications resulting from bariatric surgery can lead to severe vitamin-deficiency states. A patient who underwent bariatric bypass surgery and later developed Wernicke’s encephalopathy prompted us to present her interesting case history for discussion. Although bariatric surgery is known to be a risk factor for Wernicke’s encephalopathy, this diagnosis is...

Tetsuya Goto1, Takahiro Miyahara1, Kazutaka Toyoda3, Jun Okamoto2, Yukinari Kakizawa1, Jun-ichi Koyama1, Masakatsu G. Fujie2 and Kazuhiro Hongo11Department of Neurosurgery, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan. 2Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan. 3Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan. AbstractObject: Robotic surgery can...

Introduction: It has been shown that in experienced hands repeated CABG is doable procedure. However the quality of life after third time CABG has not been evaluated so far. Patients and Methods: The peri-operative data of 25 (22 male, mean age of 65.5 ± 8.0 years) consecutive patients in a single...

This review discusses the basic knowledge and recent innovation of surgical treatment for scoliosis. Surgical treatment for scoliosis is indicated, in general, for a curve exceeding 45 to 50 degrees by the Cobb’s method on the basis that: 1. Curves larger than 50 degrees progress even after skeletal maturity. 2. Curves larger...

Introductory Editorial by Dr Hendrick B. Barner, Clinical Professor, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A.