Surgery today
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Review Case Reports
Multiple jejunal diverticulitis with perforation in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus: report of a case.
A 70-year-old man with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) was brought to our Emergency Department after the sudden onset of acute and severe abdominal pain. Physical examination revealed a tender and distended abdomen with guarding and rebound tenderness in the periumbilical region and the left upper quadrant. A plain abdominal X-ray taken with the patient upright showed air fluid levels with dilatation of several loops in the small bowel. ⋯ The patient had an uneventful postoperative recovery without any complications. This is an unusual cause of peritonitis in a patient with SLE, and we could not find any evidence to suggest involvement of the underlying SLE in the jejunal diverticulosis and diverticulitis in this patient. Nevertheless, the involvement of SLE might be possible and further investigation is warranted.
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Comparative Study
Postoperative renal function after elective abdominal aortic aneurysm repair requiring suprarenal aortic cross-clamping.
To examine postoperative renal function after suprarenal aortic cross-clamping performed without renal hypothermia in patients undergoing elective abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) surgery. ⋯ Suprarenal aortic cross-clamp without performing renal hypothermia is safe and able to be tolerated well by the patient during elective AAA surgery, although careful attention must be paid to limiting the period of renal ischemia.
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Case Reports
Simultaneous open and endoluminal repair of ruptured abdominal and thoracic aortic aneurysms: report of a case.
A 66-year-old woman was transferred to our hospital for emergency treatment of a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and impending rupture of a descending thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) caused by a Stanford type-B dissection. She had severe coronary artery disease and a highly calcified aorta, and had been taking long-term steroids for rheumatoid arthritis. Endovascular repair of the TAA failed because the femoral artery was too small, so we performed simultaneous repair of the TAA and the AAA. ⋯ A thoracic stent graft was delivered successfully through a chimney graft of the abdominal graft. About 4 months later, the TAA extended proximally, causing hemoptysis, which was stopped by placing a new stent graft proximal to the previous one. This case report shows that a combination of open and endovascular repair is useful for treating a TAA with an AAA, especially in a small or frail patient.
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We report a rare case in which abdominal compartment syndrome resulting from venous hemorrhaging developed in a patient with stable pelvic fractures, resulting in a fatal outcome. An 84-year-old man with mild pelvic fractures developed hypovolemic shock and underwent transcatheter arterial embolization. He became hemodynamically stable after the procedure, but became hypotensive for the second time 11 h after admission. ⋯ Rebleeding from the pelvis with the development of abdominal compartment syndrome was suspected. Repeated transcatheter arterial embolization and laparotomy were performed; however, 1 min into the procedure, both pupils symmetrically dilated and the light reflex disappeared. This case suggests that brain death can sometimes occur due to abdominal compartment syndrome.
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We report an unusual case of superior vena cava syndrome (SVCS) caused by thoracic actinomycosis in a 35-year-old man. The patient presented with a mediastinal mass and the diagnosis was confirmed by a right exploratory thoracotomy. Treatment with penicillin for a 15-month period resulted in a reduction in the size of the mediastinal mass and improvement of his clinical symptoms.