European journal of cardio-thoracic surgery : official journal of the European Association for Cardio-thoracic Surgery
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Sep 2011
Minimally invasive repair after inefficient open surgery for pectus excavatum.
Pectus excavatum is the most common chest wall deformity, and both open surgery and minimally invasive repair have been proposed for primary correction. The aim of this study was to show the feasibility of minimally invasive repair of recurrent pectus excavatum in patients with inefficient previous open surgery. ⋯ Minimally invasive repair is a safe and easy operation for the correction of pectus excavatum. Previous open surgical repair is not a contraindication for the redo minimally invasive surgery, and it can be performed with acceptable morbidity and length of hospital stay.
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Sep 2011
Clinical impact of visceral pleural, lymphovascular and perineural invasion in completely resected non-small cell lung cancer.
This study is conducted to show the relationship between visceral pleural, lymphovascular, and perineural invasion, and other clinicopathologic characteristics and their significance as prognostic factors. ⋯ The presence of visceral pleural or lymphovascular invasion can show higher risk of mortality whereas perineural invasion has no effect on prognosis.
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Aug 2011
Positive cultures from cardiopulmonary bypass: prevalence and relevance regarding postoperative infection.
Postoperative infections due to cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) are associated with high morbidity and mortality. The value of positive cultures taken from CPB priming fluid and CPB blood samples, however, is unclear. This study investigates the epidemiology of positive cultures from CPB and their relation to the occurrence of postoperative infection. ⋯ Positive cultures from both CPB priming fluid and CPB blood samples were not a rarity and mainly involved skin bacteria, arguing that contamination may have played a role. The risk of postoperative infection within 30 days after surgery was not increased in CPB-culture-positive patients. Therefore, no evidence was found to support routine culturing of CPB samples in patients undergoing cardiothoracic surgery.
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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Aug 2011
ReviewThe implication of vasa vasorum in surgical diseases of the aorta.
Vasa vasorum (VV) are microscopic vases that perfuse the vessel's wall; arteries and veins. Many recent researches support the opinion that VV have a significant role in aortic pathology. The VV, or 'the vessels of the vessels', form a network of microvessels that lie in the adventitia and penetrate the outer media of the host vessel wall. ⋯ Although the proliferation of VV due to atherogenic stimuli is controversial, experimental and clinical studies strongly suggest the potential of VV in vascular proliferative disorders. It seems that the rupture of VV is implicated in intramural hematoma, which can develop in acute aortic dissection. In this review article, we would like to stress the anatomy and mainly the pathophysiology, and the implication of VV in the acute and chronic aortic pathologies.