Donor hearts with ischemia time greater than 300 min provide comparable early and intermediate outcomes given judicious and careful donor and recipient matching and our current techniques of myocardial preservation and modified reperfusion.

Our results suggest that evaluation of TopoIIalpha expression and TopoIIalpha/Ki67 ratio as cell proliferation markers provides independent prognostic information in relation to post-relapse and overall survival. Furthermore, TopoIIalpha/Ki67 ratio appears to play a key role in the identification of patients prone to early relapse.

Primary non-Hodgkin lymphoma of the gallbladder is a very rare location of extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphomas. A patient with a primary non-Hodgkin lymphoma of the gallbladder is reported and in addition, the English literature is reviewed. Clinical presentation, diagnostic evaluation, histopathologic findings, treatment modalities and prognosis of primary gallbladder lymphomas reported up to date are reviewed and discussed. Our patient was diagnosed as a T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma, after cholecystectomy, and had no evidence of disease elsewhere. She was treated with combination chemotherapy and complete remission was achieved. She remains free of disease 9 years later. Review of the literature over a 30-year period revealed only 12 cases of well-documented primary non-Hodgkin lymphoma involvement of the gallbladder, including the present case. Patients present clinically with symptoms and signs indicating either biliary tract pathology or a gastrointestinal tumor. Diagnostic investigation included ultrasound of the upper abdomen, computed tomography of the abdomen and pelvis, oral cholecystography, percutaneous cholangiography and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopangreatography. Preoperative diagnosis was established in none of the patients. Treatment modalities included surgery and postoperative chemotherapy and irradiation. The prognosis is overall poor and only 2 patients are alive after 1 and 9 years respectively, the latter being our case. Here we document the first reported case of a patient with primary T-cell lymphoblastic non-Hodgkin lymphoma of the gallbladder. Review of the literature shows the existence of non-Hodgkin lymphoma of the gallbladder, its rarity and its general dismal prognosis.

We are reporting the successful surgical treatment of a 23-year-old female with a giant right coronary artery to coronary sinus fistula. This woman had complaints of chest pain and dyspnea on exertion for few months. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) showed a large tortuous right coronary artery and a dilated coronary sinus. Preoperative multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) coronary angiography and cardiac catheterization confirmed the diagnosis of a right coronary artery to coronary sinus fistula. The patient underwent surgical closure of the fistula and division of the communication between the right coronary artery and the coronary sinus with the use of cardiopulmonary bypass. The patient was discharged home on postoperative day 5 and at one-year follow-up is symptom-free.

SummaryBackgroundThe feasibility and the hemodynamic outcome of Fontan circulation, without the use of cardiopulmonary bypass, were studied on a beating heart of an adolescent pig model, using a modified total cavopulmonary connection.Material/MethodsEight open-chest anesthetized pigs underwent a successful total cavopulmonary connection with the use of an appropriate Y-shaped Dacron-type conduit. Through a median sternotomy, the distal part of the superior vena cava was anastomosed end-to-end to one side of the conduit. The other side of the graft was anastomosed end-to-side to the main pulmonary artery. The conduit was tailored to an appropriate length and anastomosed end-to-end to the inferior vena cava. The hemodynamic status of the animals was recorded before and after the establishment of the total cavopulmonary connection.ResultsForty-five minutes after completion of total cavopulmonary connection, and for a total of 1 hour, hemodynamic measurements showed a decrease in mean arterial and mean pulmonary artery pressures, heart rate and cardiac output. The inferior vena caval pressure and total pulmonary vascular resistance were increased.ConclusionsA total cavopulmonary connection, performed on a beating heart, without extracorporeal circulation or other means of temporary bypass, although it is technically demanding, is feasible.

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Purpose of review Aberrant subclavian artery (ASCA) represents one of the most common congenital vascular anomalies of the aortic arch. The majority of ASCAs are associated with an aneurysm which occurs at their origin from the descending thoracic aorta, namely, the Kommerell's diverticulum. In this review, we discuss recent data with regards to indications of treatment and surgical management of these anatomical variants. Recent findings Various surgical methods have been described for the repair of ASCA and Kommerell's diverticulum. Traditionally, treatment included open surgery; however, recent studies describe a shift of conventional treatment to more hybrid or endovascular approaches. The heterogeneity in the anatomy and presentation of these clinical entities as well as patient-related factors have prevented conduction of randomized trials for the best available modality of treatment. This dearth of literature is well depicted in the current guidelines. Summary The optimal surgical procedure has to be tailored to every patient according to the presentation, individual anatomy, and patient's risk profile. Conventional surgery for ASCA and Kommerell's diverticulum has acceptable mortality and complication rates, whereas hybrid repairs report encouraging results. Further studies are required to provide sufficient evidence which will formulate a clear frame of treatment indications and optimal surgical methods, as well as evaluate long-term results following hybrid repair.

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