• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.24-29
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• 2012

Background: The conventional method of aortic cross-clamping is very difficult and increases the risk of cerebral infarct due to embolism of the calcified aorta in these patients. Accordingly, we analyzed our experience with 11 cases of ascending aorta and aortic valve replacement with hypothermic circulatory arrest. Materials and Methods: From January 2002 to December 2009, 11 patients had ascending aorta and aortic valve replacement with hypothermic arrest at our hospital. We performed a retrospective study. Results: There were 5 males and 6 females, with a mean age of 68 years (range, 44 to 82 years). Eight patients had aortic stenosis, and 3 patients had aortic regurgitation. An aortic cannula was inserted into the right axillary artery in 3 patients and ascending aorta in 6 patients. Two patients with aortic regurgitation had a remote access perfusion catheter inserted though the right femoral artery. The mean cardiopulmonary bypass time was 180 minutes (range, 110 to 306 minutes) and mean hypothermic circulatory arrest time was 30 minutes (range, 20 to 48 minutes). The mean rectal temperature during hypothermic circulatory arrest was $21^{\circ}C$ (range, $19^{\circ}C$ to $23^{\circ}C$). No patient had any new onset of cerebral infarct or cardiovascular accident after surgery. There was no hospital mortality. Early complications occurred in 1 patient who needed reoperation due to postoperative bleeding. Late complications occurred in 1 patient who underwent a Bentall operation due to prosthetic valve endocarditis. The mean follow-up duration was 32 months (range, 1 month to 8 years) and 1 patient died suddenly due to unknown causes after 5 years. Conclusion: Patients with a calcified aorta can be safely treated with a technique based on aorta and aortic valve replacement under hypothermic circulatory arrest.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.212-215
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• 2013

A 79-year-old man was admitted to Samsung Changwon Hospital due to chest pain and dyspnea. The ejection fraction was 31% and mean pressure gradient between the left ventricle and aorta was 69.4 mmHg on echocardiography. Chest computed tomography showed severe calcification of the ascending aorta. Aortic valve replacement was successfully performed using a thoracic endovascular aortic repair balloon catheter without classic aortic cross clamping. The patient was discharged on the eleventh postoperative day.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.51 no.6
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• pp.399-402
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• 2018

A 61-year-old woman who presented with claudication and dyspnea on exertion was found to have severe calcified narrowing of the descending aorta and severe insufficiency of the aortic valve. These findings were compatible with Takayasu arteritis. To treat these hemodynamic abnormalities, extra-aortic bypass surgery combined with replacement of the aortic valve and ascending aorta-to-hemiarch replacement was performed through a separated upper hemi-sternotomy and limited median laparotomy. We present our successful surgical experience with this case.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.283-285
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• 2018

A 73-year-old woman who underwent combined bioprosthetic mitral valve replacement, tricuspid ring annuloplasty, and coronary artery bypass grafting 12 years previously visited our clinic due to aggravated dyspnea caused by structural valve deterioration of the mitral prosthesis. Because aortic or femoral artery cannulation and cross-clamping would have a high risk of stroke owing to severe calcification of the ascending aorta and ilio-femoral vessels, and because there was a risk of redo sternotomy due to the patent bypass grafts, a comprehensive approach including axillary artery cannulation, a minimally invasive right thoracotomy approach, and a clampless hypothermic fibrillatory arrest technique was used during redo mitral valve replacement.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.564-568
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• 1996

Pseudoaneurysm of the ascending aorta following cardiac surgery is very unusual and it is poten- tially fatal. We report here a fourteen year-old female patient with pseudoaneurysm of the ascending aorta following a repair of a congenital ventricular septal defect at other hospital 50 months ago. Although she had a mild superficial wound infection postoperatively, she enjoyed uneventful. life until she visited our hospital for a generalized weakness and exertional dyspnea which developed a month ago. Chest CT and echocardiogram showed partially calcified pseudoaneurysm of the ascending aorta. Two aortic defects were located on the anterolateral ascending aortic wall wkere it was suspected as a previous sites of aortic and cardioplegic cannulation. The internal wall of the pseudoaneurysm was covered with neoendothelium and intervened by septal tissue. Two defects on he aortic wall were oval in shape and about 1.5cm in the greatest diameter The defects were trimmed to make a one large de- fect and it was reconstructed with patch designed from 22mm collagen impregnated double velour Dacron graft. The postoperative course was uneventful.

• BMB Reports
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.160-165
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• 2023

Vascular calcification is common in cardiovascular diseases including atherosclerosis, and is associated with an increased risk of pathological events and mortality. Some semaphorin family members play an important role in atherosclerosis. In the present study, we show that Semaphorin 4D/Sema4D and its Plexin-B1 receptor were significantly upregulated in calcified aorta of a rat chronic kidney disease model. Significantly higher Sema4D and Plexin-B1 expression was also observed during inorganic phosphate-induced calcification of vascular smooth muscle cells. Knockdown of Sema4D or Plexin-B1 genes attenuated both the phosphate-induced osteogenic phenotype of vascular smooth muscle cells, through regulation of SMAD1/5 signaling, as well as apoptosis of vascular smooth muscle cells, through modulation of the Gas6/Axl/Akt survival pathway. Taken together, our results offer new insights on the role of Sema4D and Plexin-B1 as potential therapeutic targets against vascular calcification.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.274-278
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• 2013

Background: Coronary involvement in Takayasu's arteritis is a rare but fatal disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the early and mid-term results of Takayasu's arteritis patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Materials and Methods: Of 2,280 patients who underwent isolated CABG from January 1998 to June 2012, Takayasu's arteritis was identified in 5 patients. There were 3 female patients, and the mean age was $58{\pm}9$ years. Takayasu's arteritis was diagnosed during preoperative evaluation for coronary artery disease in 4 patients, and the initial manifestation was angina pectoris in 4 patients. All of the patients underwent anaortic off-pump CABG (OPCAB) using the in situ left or right internal thoracic arteries (ITA); 3 patients had severe stenosis of the proximal left subclavian artery and the in situ right ITA was used instead. Medical treatment for inflammatory arteritis during the perioperative and follow-up period was performed if indicated. Early, 1-year, and 5-year angiographic results and clinical outcomes were analyzed. Results: There was no surgical mortality, and all of the patients were discharged without complications on postoperative $8{\pm}2$ days. Early postoperative (postoperative $2{\pm}1$ days) angiography demonstrated a graft patency of 100% (12 of 12 distal anastomoses). One-year ($13{\pm}3$ months) angiography was performed in 4 patients, and all of the grafts were patent (100%, 9 of 9 distal anastomoses). Conclusion: By performing anaortic OPCAB in patients with Takayasu's arteritis, we were able to avoid complications associated with manipulating an atherosclerotic and severely calcified ascending aorta. The early and mid-term graft patency of OPCAB in Takayasu's arteritis was maintained when concomitant with medical treatment.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.38 no.11 s.256
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• pp.733-738
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• 2005

Background: The possibility of incomplete revascularization and development of flow competition after revascularization of the borderline lesion made the hybrid strategy as an option for complete revascularization. Material and Method: From January f998 to July 2004, 25 $(3.2\%)$ patients underwent hybrid revascularization among 782 total OPCAB procedures. Clinical results and angiographic patencies were evalulated. Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) was peformed before CABG in 8 patients and after CABG in 47 patients. Result: The causes of PCIs before CABG were to achieve complete revascularization with minimally invasive surgery (n=7) and emergent PCI for culprit lesion (n=1). The indications of PCIs after CABG were high possibility of flow competition in the borderline lesion of right coronary artery territory (n=8), diffuse atheromatous lesion preventing anastomosis of graft (n=5), severe calcified ascending aorta with no more arterial grafi available (n=3), and intramyocardial coronary lesion (n=1). Mean number of distal anastomoses was $2.3\pm1.0$. Mean number of lesions treated by PCI was $1.2\pm0.4$. There was no operative or procedure-related mortality. PCI-related complication was periprocedural myocardial infarction in one patient, and complications related to CABG were transient atrial fibrillation (n=5), perioperative myocardial infarction (n=1), and transient renal dysfunction (n=1). Early postoperative coronary angiography $(1.8{pm}1.6days)$ revealed $100\%$ patency rate of grafts (57/57). The stenosis occurred in one patient performed PCI before CABG, which was successfully treated with re-ballooning. During midterm follow-up (mean; $25{\pm}26$ months), 1 patient died of congestive heart failure. All survivors (n=24) accomplished follow-up coronary angiographics, which showed .all grafts (56/57) were patent except one string sign. In-stent restenosis was developed in 2 patients who received bare metal stents. Conclusion: In selected patients, complete revascularization was achieved with low risk by taking the hybrid strategy.