OBJECTIVE To improve the surgical results of aortic dissection, we used a novel vascular ring connector for anastomosis. METHODS The vascular ring connector is a titanic ring used as a stent in the vascular graft to achieve a quick, blood-sealed, and sutureless anastomosis. From November 2007 to December 2008, 19 consecutive patients (age range 36-77 years; 16 male and 3 female) with aortic d...

BACKGROUND Hemodialysis vascular access dysfunction is the single most important cause of morbidity in kidney hemodialysis patients. Failure of an arteriovenous polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) graft, the most common form of hemodialysis access, is primarily due to intimal hyperplasia and thrombosis at the venous anastomosis. METHODS AND RESULTS This study was aimed at evaluating the efficacy a...

Acute aortic dissection is a surgical emergency that must be urgently managed, with the primary goal of restoring flow to the dominant true lumen in the downstream aorta. Our preference at the Cleveland Clinic is for an open distal anastomosis technique without aortic clamping, as it permits more accurate approximation of dissected layers and more homeostatically secure anastomosis. During this...

OBJECTIVE Despite the early introduction of totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass on the beating heart, only a limited number of cases have been performed. The limiting factor has been the concern about safety and graft patency of the anastomosis. This study describes our experience with totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass on the beating heart with robotic assistance and its early and...

AIM The PAS-Port® Proximal Anastomosis System (Cardica, Inc, Redwood City, CA, USA) has been used worldwide since March 2003. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the clinical outcome of the PAS-Port® Proximal Anastomosis System. METHODS All the patients who underwent off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting in the Catharina Hospital Eindhoven between August 2006 and April 2010 ...

OBJECTIVE The study presents the results of reconstruction surgery of lesions on n. facialis with n. hypoglossus and n. accessorius performed in our clinic. PATIENT GROUP AND METHODS 10 patients were treated by anastomosis of n. facialis with n. hypoglossus (HFA), 1 patient by anastomosis of n. facialis with n. accessorius (AFA). All operations were performed under the microscope; HFA and AFA...

OBJECTIVE To introduce our experience of robotic surgery of reconstructive uterovaginal anastomosis and operative outcomes in congenital cervical and vaginal atresia patients. METHODS Clinical observation and follow-up of four patients with congenital cervical and vaginal atresia who underwent robotic reconstruction of cervix and vagina by SIS (small intestinal submucosa, SIS) graft. RESULT...

In 45 patients with coronary bypass grafts, the breath-hold interval with and that without preoxygenation was measured. Its effect on depiction of the distal graft anastomosis at electron-beam tomography was evaluated. Preoxygenation prolonged the breath-hold interval in most patients, thereby allowing greater anatomic coverage including more distal anastomoses. Preoxygenation may improve scann...

Mycotic pseudoaneurysm of the ascending aorta is rare in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) and usually caused by staphylococcus aureus. We describe a patient with a mycotic pseudoaneurysm of the ascending aorta at the proximal vein graft anastomosis site after CABG. Culture from the sinus tract of the sternum and from the aneurysm sac was Klebsiella pneumoniae. Surgical te...