Arteriovenous malformations (AVM) have a wide range of clinical presentations. Operative bleeding is one of the most hazardous complications in the surgical management of high-flow vascular malformations. In the cervical region, the presence of vital vascular structures, such as the carotid artery and jugular vein, may increase this risk. This is a case of massive arteriovenous malformation deforming the neck and the face aspect of this aged lady and growing for several years. A giant mass of the left neck occupied the carotid region and the subclavian region. The AVM was developed between the carotid arteries, jugular veins, and vertebral and subclavian vessels, with arterial and venous flux. The patient underwent surgery twice for the cure of that AVM. The first step was the ligation of the external carotid. Seven days later, the excision of the mass was done. In postoperative period the patient presented a peripheral facial paralysis which completely decreased within 10 days. The first ligation of the external carotid reduces significantly the blood flow into the AVM. It permitted secondarily the complete ablation of the AVM without major bleeding even though multiple ligations were done.

No abstract

Penetrating heart injuries cause wounds in the cardiac chambers. Most of them are due to gunshot or stabbing by knives. Screwdriver is an uncommon weapon. Authors report a case of stab wound by screwdriver, treated at cardiovascular center in Dakar. This is a 16-year-old boy who experienced physical aggression. He was assaulted with a screwdriver and had stab wound on the anterior wall of the chest. Physical examination showed a screwdriver penetrating the sternum bone over a right angle. He had a mild pericardial blood effusion and a right ventricle wound 5 mm in diameter with transection of the right coronary vein. The screwdriver was removed without cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and the ventricle wound repaired by direct suture of stitches reinforced with Teflon pledgets. The right coronary artery was ligated. Postoperative period was free of events. Screwdriver is uncommonly used as a weapon. It is a dangerous device because of its rigid structure and narrow tip.

The diagnosis of venous insufficiency is increasing. Multiple techniques are available for its treatment. Chemical sclerotherapy has been performed for over 70 years. The technique improves lately. Objective: This study was conducted to assess early results of foam sclerotherapy in Senegal. Patients and Methods: This is a prospective and descriptive study conducted from January 1 st , 2012 to December 31 st , 2015 at cardiovascular center of Fann University hospital in Dakar, Senegal. Foam sclerotherapy was done in 76 patients. Polidocanol was used in concentration of 2%. Sclerotherapy was done several times in patients, every week, as much as needed to occlude varicose veins. We used venous compression in all patients. Results: Foam sclerotherapy sessions permitted to get globally good results. In fact, tight feeling and painful leg disappear in 97% of patients. Decreases of edema were gotten in 97% of patients. For leg ulcer, 64% of complete healing was obtained. The main ulcer healing time was 47 days (18; 72). Some minor complications occurred. No major events, such as deep venous thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, were observed. Conclusion: Foam sclerotherapy is an efficient technique for the treatment of varicose veins of the limbs. Also, it opens good perspectives for vein care.

We report 5 cases of penetrating chest wounds caused by weapons made from swordfish swords, involving breakage of the sword that later appeared as a thoracic foreign body. The patients had been assaulted 2 days to 17 years earlier. Three of them had a chronic infected wound, one had a penetrating thoracic wound with hemopneumothorax, and one had a foreign body. Computed tomography showed a foreign body in the lung in 4 cases, with aortic penetration in one. The foreign body was removed via thoracotomy in all 4 patients, with aorta repair in one who presented later with a pseudoaneurysm.

The authors presented a case of a 50-year-old patient with multiple trauma who suffered from the inadvertent cannulation of the main pulmonary artery at the second attempt of left chest drainage. Pulmonary artery injury has been suspected because early chest tube production was 2300 mL of blood. CT scan showed injury of the trunk of the pulmonary artery, left hemothorax, and suspect damage of the right branch of the pulmonary artery. That chest tube touched the posterior wall of ascending aorta. Surgical approach was median sternotomy. Exploration showed a perforation of the trunk of pulmonary artery without lesion of the right pulmonary branch and the posterior wall of the ascending aorta. The lesion was repaired under normothermic partial cardiopulmonary bypass. Postoperative period was free of events. Review of the literatures for this rare case report has been done.

No abstract

Takayasu's arteritis (TA) is an infl ammatory disease of large vessels that predominantly affects the aorta and its main branches such as supra-aortic trunks, renal and digestive arteries. The diagnosis is based on criteria proposed by the American College of Rheumatology and modifi ed by Sharma. These vascular lesions present a problem of surgical indications because of their pathogenic particularity. In this work, we report our experience on the diagnosis and management of two cases of TA. The case 1 was a 62-year-old female patient diagnosed with stenosis of the common carotid artery and the right subclavian artery. A bypass between the carotid artery and the subclavian artery was indicated but not performed. The second patient was a 23-year-old female patient diagnosed with renovascular hypertension. Investigations showed a signifi cant stenosis of the left renal artery. She underwent angioplasty-stenting of the left renal artery and the result was good. Her echocardiography showed left ventricular and atrial hypertrophy and both. The two patients had no indirect signs of myocardial ischemia and arterial pulmonary injuries.