Valvar bypass surgery to ameliorate persistent lower limb edema caused by post-thrombotic syndrome: a case report and literature review

Obstruction and/or reflux compromise during venous emptying can facilitate different pathophysiologies in chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). We present a patient with persistent lower limb CVI edema caused by…  Read More

Tissue-engineered and autologous pericardium in congenital heart surgery: comparative histopathological study of human vascular explants

Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 2024 Mar 1;65(3):ezae027. doi: 10.1093/ejcts/ezae027.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: The goal of this histological study was to assess the biocompatibility of vascular patches used in the repair of congenital heart defects.

METHODS: We examined tissue-engineered bovine (n = 7) and equine (n = 7) patches and autologous human pericardium (n = 7), all explanted due to functional issues or follow-up procedures. Techniques like Movat-Verhoeff, von Kossa and immunohistochemical staining were used to analyse tissue composition, detect calcifications and identify immune cells. A semi-quantitative scoring system was implemented to evaluate the biocompatibility aspects, thrombus formation, extent of pannus, inflammation of pannus, cellular response to patch material, patch degradation, calcification and neoadventitial inflammation.

RESULTS: We observed distinct material degradation patterns among types of patches. Bovine patches showed collagen disintegration and exudate accumulation, whereas equine patches displayed edematous swelling and material dissolution. Biocompatibility scores were lower in terms of cellular response, degradation and overall score for human autologous pericardial patches compared to tissue-engineered types. The extent of pannus formation was not influenced by the type of patch. Bovine patches had notable calcifications causing tissue hardening, and foreign body giant cells were more frequently seen in equine patches. Plasma cells were frequently detected in the neointimal tissue of engineered patches.

CONCLUSIONS: Our results confirm the superior biocompatibility of human autologous patches and highlight discernible variations in the changes of patch material and the cellular response to patch material between bovine and equine patches. Our approach implements the semi-quantitative scoring of various aspects of biocompatibility, facilitating a comparative quantitative analysis across all types of patches, despite their inherent differences.

PMID:38290761 | PMC:PMC10924714 | DOI:10.1093/ejcts/ezae027

Right upper lobectomy with mediastinal dissection under uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for lung cancer in a patient with a right-sided aortic arch: a case report

A right-sided aortic arch is a rare congenital vascular structure variation. Right lobectomy is not commonly performed on patients with such a condition. Further, there are no reports on lobectomy under unipor…  Read More

In vitro hemodynamics of fabric composite membrane for cardiac valve prosthesis replacement

J Biomech. 2024 Jan;163:111956. doi: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2024.111956. Epub 2024 Jan 19.

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to investigate the hemodynamics of a novel fabric composite that can be used as a substitute for bovine pericardium. The structure is composed of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fabric coated with thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) membranes on both sides. In vitro experiments were carried out on two composite valve samples with different specifications and a bovine pericardial one with the same dimension and structure. Hemodynamic properties including the effective orifice area (EOA) and regurgitant fraction (RF) were obtained and compared through pulsatile-flow testing in a pulse duplicator. Using the particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique, frames of the downstream velocity field in the aortic valve chamber were captured during cardiac cycles. Then, the field of Reynolds shear stress (RSS), viscous shear stress (VSS), and turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) at peak systole were calculated. A fluid-structure interaction (FSI) model has also been used to verify the pulsatile-flow testing. Compared with the bovine pericardial valve, composite valves have nosuperiority regarding EOA and RF due to their slightly higher rigidity. However, shear stresses of composite valves were lower than those of the bovine pericardial valve indicating more stable blood flows, which means that composite leaflets have the potential to reduce the risks of thrombosis and hemolysis induced by the mechanical contact between the blood flow and leaflets of valve prostheses.

PMID:38266534 | DOI:10.1016/j.jbiomech.2024.111956