Content from the Journal of the American Neurological Surgeons.
Introduction A 77-year-old male developed a small tracheoesophageal fistula following pill impaction, which was initially treated unsuccessfully with esophageal stents, a tracheal stent, and a gastrostomy tube with tube feeds. He was referred to the authors’ institution for further management due to ongoing cough and aspiration. A barium swallow demonstrated a persistent fistula approximately 5…
This video is part of CTSNet’s 2024 Resident Video Competition. Watch all entries into the competition, including the winning videos. Extrinsic left main coronary artery (LMCA) compression can be caused by pulmonary artery (PA) enlargement in the setting of pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH). Due to the proximity to the LMCA, a dilated PA trunk or aneurysm…
History A 16-year-old male with no past medical history initially presented for evaluation of xiphodynia. He reported that he had a prominent protrusion from the inferior aspect of his sternum, which caused him pain when lying prone and when diving during volleyball. A preoperative computed tomography (CT) scan incidentally revealed a 2.0 cm x 2.5…
This video is part of CTSNet’s 2024 Resident Video Competition. Watch all entries into the competition, including the winning videos. This video demonstrates the technique of open cut down femoral vessel cannulation for cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) during minimally invasive cardiac surgery procedures. The case involved a 36-year-old male patient with severe aortic regurgitation and preserved…
In this CTSNet series, Dr. Mario Castillo-Sang presents innovative, totally endoscopic cardiac procedures for a variety of conditions. Stay tuned for more series videos in the coming weeks. The authors present the case of a 52-year-old male patient who presented with dyspnea on exertion and fatigue. The patient’s workup demonstrated a large 4 cm right atrial mass…
Introduction The Pentalogy of Cantrell is a constellation of multiple congenital anomalies that includes defects in supraumbilical peritoneum, anterior diaphragm, apical pericardium, and the lower end of the sternum. In this video, the authors describe a novel subxiphoid approach to address these challenges. Case Presentation An otherwise asymptomatic neonate presented with pulsatile epigastric mass.…
This video demonstrates the case of a 60-year-old male patient who had streptococcus viridans endocarditis on a prosthetic valve. This was his third operation, as he initially had a bioprosthetic valve and then, 10 years ago, Dr. Vince Gaudiani revised it with a mechanical valve and performed a mitral valve repair. However, the patient recently…
The case presented involves a 34-year-old male who had a 21 mm St. Jude valve placed 10 years prior but now has a 4m/s gradient across this valve, which occurred as he continued to grow. Thus, he needed redo surgery to ensure that his indexed valve area was larger than 0.85cm²/m². The aorta was opened,…
In this CTSNet series, Dr. Mario Castillo-Sang presents innovative, totally endoscopic cardiac procedures for a variety of conditions. Stay tuned for more series videos in the coming weeks. Redo endoscopic mitral valve surgery can be performed safely and successfully with good preoperative planning (1). Cannulation and myocardial protection strategies are paramount to safe reoperation. In this video,…
CTSNet partnered with Women in Thoracic Surgery (WTS) and the European Society of Thoracic Surgery (ESTS) Women in General Thoracic Surgery (WGTS) Committee to host the second annual three-part webinar series, Women in Cardiothoracic Surgery—Advancement Through Collaboration. In Part 3 of this series, leaders discussed elevating peers and the components of effective mentor/mentee partnerships.…
In March 2025, the Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery in Great Britain and Ireland held its annual meeting, bringing together professionals in the field of cardiothoracic surgery to discuss the latest advancements in technologies and techniques. Watch for more SCTS 2025 videos in the coming weeks. At the Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery in Great Britain…
In this new CTSNet President’s Series, Dr. Husam Balkhy, president of ISMICS, showcases cutting-edge, totally endoscopic cardiac procedures from the University of Chicago. Watch for more videos in this series coming soon. Robotic 8 mm ports were placed in the following sequence: the left arm in the second intercostal space (ICS), the camera port in the third…
This video demonstrates robot-assisted esophageal mobilization as part of a McKeown esophagectomy for a 53-year-old patient with distal esophageal adenocarcinoma. Following neoadjuvant FLOT chemotherapy, the patient exhibited a favorable response, prompting surgical resection. The procedure began with port placement, targeting the esophagus at the level of the carina. Initial dissection involved mobilization of the inferior pulmonary…
The authors present a case of extra-anatomical bypass formation combined with aortic valve replacement in a patient with aortic coarctation and aortic valve insufficiency. A 50-year-old female with a history of surgical correction of aortic coarctation at the age of five presented with symptoms of dyspnea on minimal exertion and poorly controlled hypertension. Echocardiography revealed aortic…
This video is part of CTSNet’s 2024 Resident Video Competition. Watch all entries into the competition, including the winning videos. In this video, the authors report how they were able to simulate a lung lobectomy in uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) by developing a 3D rib cage and lung model, which is useful for training residents…
At the 2024 EACTS Annual Meeting, CTSNet senior editors set out to interview the most knowledgeable CT surgeons from around the world. Stay tuned for more interviews from the meeting. At the 2024 EACTS Annual Meeting, Dr. Alice Copperwheat spoke with Dr. Friedhelm Beyersdorf, professor of cardiovascular surgery at Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg and chairman for EACTS Innovation Committee,…
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