Post-traumatic diaphragmatic herniation of the liver, examined by positron emission tomography: case report

We present a case of post-traumatic diaphragmatic herniation of the liver, which mimicked an intrathoracic tumor. After an automobile accident, the patient underwent thoracotomies for hemothorax and lung cancer in the right chest. Seven months later, computed tomography (CT) demonstrated a round tumor in the thorax adjacent to the right diaphragm with a higher density than the liver parenchyma. An intrathoracic tumor including a primary or metastatic lung cancer was suspected. However, positron emission tomography (PET) showed that the uptake of fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) was identical to that in the liver, and the tumor appeared to be contiguous with the liver. Thus, we suspected liver herniation. Core needle biopsy revealed liver cells without neoplastic tissue. Upon surgical exploration, herniation of the liver was found and repaired. PET was helpful in providing morphological and functional information leading to accurate diagnosis of liver herniation in this unusual case

Findings of Transesophageal Echocardiographic Images in Placing the Coronary Sinus Perfusion Catheter

In retrograde cardioplegia (RCP), some difficulty is occasionally encountered when inserting a catheter into the coronary sinus (CS). Although the usefulness of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) for guiding the cannulation procedures has been previously reported by other authors, we have obtained additional findings by TEE monitoring of eleven patients during placement of the CS catheter. The diameter of the CS ranged from 5.5 to 10.7 mm, indicating that it was large enough for the CS catheter to be inserted and that the resistance at insertion was not due to narrow CS. The precise time for inserting the catheter, for which myocardial protection is delayed, ranged from 8 to 376 seconds, with an average of 98 seconds. Dislodgement of the catheter was found in two cases. In case of difficult cannulation, the catheter tip was found to be pushing the right atrial wall adjacent to the CS orifice or alternatively it entered the middle cardiac vein which had a common atrial orifice with the CS in this particular case. We found that the knowing the following technical problems helps appropriate monitoring: the catheter tip becomes unclear when it is not perpendicular to the ultrasonic beam, when surgeon's fingers are placed behind the heart, or when the blood is entirely exsanguinated. Finally we present the possibility of employing images of overflow out of CS during RCP infusion, detected by TEE, as an index of efficient perfusion at the interventricular septum

Trans-vertebral Regional Cooling for Spinal Cord Protection during Thoracoabdominal Aortic Surgery : An Experimental Study

We developed a simple cooling method for spinal cord protection against ischemic injury during aortic surgery. The neuroprotective effects of our method were investigated using an animal study. Selective spinal hypothermia was produced by means of originally-designed cooling pads placed over the lower thoracic and lumbar vertebral column. Spinal cord ischemia was induced by cross-clamping the thoracic aorta for 60 min in beagle dogs. The neuroprotective effects were evaluated by a multi-modal study. The motor-evoked potentials of the spinal cord resulting from transcranial electric stimulation (MEPs) were recorded during both the ischemic and reperfusion periods. Hindlimb motor function was graded with the Tarlov score, and a histologic examination of the spinal cord injury was performed, at 24 hours after ischemia in animals undergoing hypothermia (hypothermia group: n = 7) or a sham (control group: n = 7). The spinal cord temperatures at the lower thoracic (T10) and lumbar (L3) levels decreased by -9.1°C per hour and -8.1°C per hour, respectively. The amplitude of the MEPs decreased during ischemia in both groups of animals, and significantly recovered during the early phase of aortic reperfusion in the hypothermia group. The Tarlov scores in the hypothermia and control groups were 3.3 ± 1.0 and 1.1 ± 1.5 (mean ± SD, p = 0.015), respectively. Histopathologic study revealed that ischemic injury of the lumbar cord was reduced in the animals undergoing hypothermia. Trans-vertebral regional cooling reduced ischemic spinal cord injury in a canine study. The current method is potentially feasible for clinical use, especially in view of its technical simplicity and few procedure-related complications

Intraluminal Projection of Descending Thoracic Aorta and Intraaortic Balloon Pump Catheter Examined by Transesophageal Echocardiography in Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery

The thoracic descending aorta (DTA) was examined in 57 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (41 men and 16 women: 63.0 ± 10.6 years old) using two-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography. An intraaortic balloon pump (IABP) was instituted in ten patients. A short-axis view of DTA was examined for intraluminal projection from the diaphragm level to the aortic arch level. In a frozen-frame image, the area and the height of the projection at each clockwise direction was measured. Four patients with preoperative insertion of an IABP catheter were excluded from the analysis. Seventy projections were found in 40 of 53 patients (75.5%), most frequently found at the 3 to 6 o'clock position. The tip of the IABP catheter was also located in the area between 3 and 6 o'clock of the aortic lumen in 6 of 10 patients. In one case, the area of projection was reduced from 1.1 cm2 to 0.7 cm2. In two of four patients with preoperative institution of an IABP catheter, projections were found near the catheter tip.　　 Both intraluminal projections and IABP catheter tip were most commonly located in the same region of the DTA, suggesting a possible dislodging of the projection while advancing the catheter. This was demonstrated in one case. The catheter tip may damage the aortic intima and/or cause a formation of abnormal projection. We conclude that intraoperative examination of DTA in addition to routine monitoring can provide useful information which is helpful for minimizing complications at the time of insertion of an IABP catheter