OBJECTIVES The prevention of pulmonary insufficiency (PI) is a crucial part of the tetralogy of Fallot repair. Many techniques have been introduced to construct valves from different materials for the right ventricular outflow tract, including the most commonly constructed monocusp valves. We are introducing a new bicuspid valve made intraoperatively using the autologous right atrial appendage (RAA) to prevent PI in these patients. METHODS The RAA valve was constructed and used in 21 patients with tetralogy of Fallot. The effective preservation of the native valve was impossible in all patients because of either a severe valve deformity or a small annulus. The RAA valve was created after ventricular septal defect closure and right ventricular outflow tract myectomy and was covered with a bovine transannular pericardial patch. The perioperative data were evaluated, and the echocardiography results were assessed immediately after operations and in follow-up with a median of 10.5 months. The data were retrospectively compared with 10 other patients with similar demographic data but with only transannular patches. RESULTS The mean age of the patients was 13.3 months. No mortality or related morbidity occurred after repair using the RAA valve. The PI severity early after the operation was trivial or no PI in 18 patients, and mild PI was observed in 3 patients, which progressed to moderate PI in one of them in the mean 12-month follow-up period. Fifteen patients had mild or no pulmonary stenosis, while moderate pulmonary stenosis was observed in 6 others. Compared with the other 10 patients with only transannular patches, the RAA valve patients had prolonged operative and clamping times, but no difference in postoperative course and shorter hospital stays. The degree of PI was, of course, significantly less in the RAA valve patients, but pulmonary stenosis was the same. CONCLUSIONS The RAA valve construction is a safe and effective technique to prevent PI after the tetralogy of Fallot repair, at least in terms of short- and mid-term results. A longer follow-up period is needed to confirm if this new valve can eliminate or significantly delay the need for pulmonary valve replacement in these patients.
Dissection refers to a serious condition that begin as a tear or rupture in the inner layers of large vessel wall. Tear allows the blood to surges through the layers, leads to intramural hematoma or an aneurysmal dilatation, either of which can be a source of thromboembolism. Ischemic symptoms in surrounding structures are more often secondary to embolism. Dissections are labeled spontaneous in the absence of major blunt or penetrating trauma. The incidence rates for spontaneous carotid artery dissection have been reported to be 2.5 to 3 per 100,000 population. The average annual incidence for vertebral artery dissection were calculated to be 1 to 1.5 per 100,000. Typical clinical features seen with dissection include unilateral headache, ipsilateral Homer's syndrome, oculosympathetic palsy, prominent neck and facial pain, retinal ischemia, and symptoms of focal brain ischemia due to the site of dissection. The reason of dissection occurrence is still unknown but numerous factors e.g. connective tissue disorders, hyperhomocystinemia, fibromuscular dysplasia, recent infection, etc. may underlie spontaneous or minor trauma dissections. Patients with Spontaneous dissection are more susceptible to developing to stroke and its morbidity and mortality. In this retrospective study, we evaluate the clinical features, risk factors, treatment and outcome of spontaneous dissection in 70 patients (31 female and 39 male), referred to Namazi hospital between September 2012 and September 2016. The diagnosis of arterial dissection was established by qualified physicians according to radiological and clinical features. Patients with traumatic dissection and a history of major or minor head and neck injury were excluded. Subjects were observed for multiple risk factors such as age dependent risk factors, family history of venous thrombosis, history of trauma, coagulopathies, infectious diseases, systemic disorders, arterio-venous malformations and autoimmune diseases. We also investigated for any history of OCP administration in female patients. The collected data was evaluated using SPSS 16. Chi-square test were performed for the comparison of qualitative variables. And p<0.05 was considered as the level of significance in two-tailed tests. Statistical analysis of our data found a significant correlation between hypertension and occurrence of spontaneous arterial dissection. The findings confirm that hypertension, OCP administration and smoking can increase the risk of CVST significantly.
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