Content from the Journal of the American Neurological Surgeons.
This video shows a “home-made” frozen elephant trunk technique for the treatment of a complex aortic disease involving the arch and the proximal descending aorta. A hybrid procedure was planned. During moderate hypothermia circulatory arrest the aortic arch was replaced with a branched Dacron graft utilizing the elephant trunk technique. After weaning from CPB, a…
This is a novel usage of an ultrasonic bone scalpel in cardiothoracic surgery used to operate on what is normally one of the most difficult situations that we face, namely the pericardiectomy of a calcified pericardium. A bone scalpel is atraumatic to soft tissues and causes no hyperthermic injury to soft tissue and therefore will…
This article describes how a HeartMate XVE left ventricular assist device may be exchanged for a HeartMate II axial-flow pump with low morbidity and mortality and without a full sternotomy. In the United States, at least 5 million persons have heart failure at any given time, and more than 550,000 new cases of heart failure…
Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub is reputed to have performed more heart transplants than anyone else in the world having restarted the transplant program at the Harefield in 1980. The Harefield has now performed over 2500 transplants. He is currently Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Imperial College in London, leading over 60 researchers in tissue engineering,…
Breast implant complications after thoracic surgery are relatively rare. We present an unusual case of an intact implant migration into the pleural space after thoracoscopic surgery that was initially read as hemothorax on computed tomography of the chest. Background Breast augmentation with implants has been around since the 1960s and continues to gain popularity. As the recipients of breast…
Professor Hans Pilegaard is a consultant at the Thoracic and Cardiovascular Department at the Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark. He is Chairman of the Danish Surgical Lung Cancer group, and has been Chairman of the Danish Society of Thoracic Surgery. Dr. Pilegaard has performed over 1000 cardiac operations and 3000 thoracic operations including heart and…
The ability to completely drain the thoracic cavity, break up loculations of pleural fluid, completely visualize all aspects of the pleural space, and avoid the morbidity of a thoracotomy has made thoracoscopy attractive in the management of empyema and hemothorax. Patient Selection The ability to completely drain the thoracic cavity, break up loculations of pleural…
Throughout his career, Craig Miller, MD, has received many honors including, the Antoine Marfan Award from the National Marfans Foundation and three awards from the American Heart Association: the Eugene Braunwald Mentorship Award, the Distinguished Scientist Award, and the Distinguished Achievement Award. From 2007 to 2008, Dr. Miller was the president of the American Association of…
By Roberto Marsico, MD, Mohammed Nady, MD, Giuseppe Filiberto Serraino, MD, Giuseppe Musolino, MD, Federica Jiritano, MS, and Attilio Renzulli, MD, PhD Demonstrated is an anterior approach for Jarvik 2000 LVAD implantation with retro-auricular power supply. This video describes the authors’ surgical technique for the problem of gaining access and routing the power cable to…
The questions related to a 63 year old man who was diagnosed with a distal esophageal adenocarcinoma 9 months prior to referral, initially staged as T3N1 via EUS, CT, and PET. His general health at the time of diagnosis was good. He was not evaluated by a surgeon at that time, and underwent definitive…
Anomalous right coronary artery arising from the left aortic sinus is known to be associated with an increased risk of sudden death. Surgery is recommended for all adult patients who are symptomatic or who have evidence of exercise-induced myocardial ischemia. Several surgical techniques have been described to address this defect, such as coronary artery bypass…
Prior VATS lobectomy is a relative contraindication to ipsilateral repeat VATS lobectomy due to possible technical difficulties arising from adhesions and scarring, especially at the hilum. This video describes a VATS middle lobectomy in a 63 years old ex-smoker who in 2005 had a VATS right lower lobectomy for stage I squamous cell carcinoma. In…
The video outlines the salient clinical features of esophageal leioyomyoma and their thoracoscopic management. The pertinent surgical steps are outlined to demonstrate the surgical technique that is involved in this operation and will help surgeons adopt thoracoscopic resection as standard in the management of this benign condition.
Patient Selection Mitral valve repair is preferred whenever technically feasible over valve replacement. Mechanical and biologic prosthetic heart valves have distinct disadvantages. Anticoagulation is required to prevent thromboembolic complications for mechanical valves, and porcine valves have a relatively short life expectancy (7 to 14 years). Long-term data, now past 15 years of follow-up, support the…
Acute Type A aortic dissections can be challenging entities for cardiac surgeons and require close follow-up secondary to their propensity for aneurismal degeneration. A combined open and endovascular technique is described for treating the inital dissection and resultant complications. Introduction A Stanford type A aortic dissection is a life-threatening condition usually requiring emergent surgery. The…
Dr. Michael Mack is the current president of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. He is Medical Director at Dallas Hospital where he has been a practicing surgeon for 28 years. He is on staff at several hospitals in Texas and has Visiting Professorships in China, Brazil, Egypt, and Sweden. Dr. Mack has given more than 150…
