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Biomedical subjects

Roger B B Mee

Publications and source records attributed to Roger B B Mee.

22 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Anomalous hepatic venous drainage into the left atrium: an unusual cause of hypoxemia.

A 50-year-old woman with life-long hypoxemia and digital clubbing had a transient ischemic attack at age 47, without identifiable vascular or cardioembolic source. Extensive work-up revealed a 20% anatomic shunt (while breathing 100% oxygen) and evidence of an intrapulmonary shunt (an agitated saline, contrast-enhanced transesophageal echocardiogram showed bubbles in the left atrium and in 3 of the 4 visualized pulmonary veins) but without evidence of the hepatopulmonary syndrome, intrapulmonary arteriovenous malformations, or any intracardiac shunt. She had the congenital anomalies of cleft palate and lip and inferior vena caval interruption with azygos continuation, and anomalous hepatic venous drainage into the left atrium. In keeping with the sparse evidence of 12 previously reported patients with anomalous hepatic-venous-to-left-atrial drainage, the intrapulmonary shunt was believed to result from the diversion of hepatic venous blood from the pulmonary circulation. Surgical correction of the anomalous drainage and restoration of hepatic venous drainage into the right atrium immediately improved oxygenation, and follow-up contrast-enhanced echocardiography 3 months after the surgery showed resolution of the associated intrapulmonary shunt. This case extends the sparse available evidence with this unusual combination of congenital anomalies, reminds clinicians to consider unusual causes of right-to-left shunt and of paradoxical embolization, and invites clarification of the mechanism by which anomalous hepatic venous drainage into the left atrium allows reversible intra-pulmonary right-to-left shunt.

Female↗

Creation of a dual-coronary system for anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery utilizing the trapdoor flap method.

OBJECTIVE: Results of the repair of anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA) have improved. Direct implantation of the anomalous coronary artery into the ascending aorta establishes a dual-coronary system and is the goal of current surgical approaches. We report the development of our surgical technique for ALCAPA. METHODS: Between September 1993 and December 2000, 13 patients underwent surgery for ALCAPA. There were four males and nine females. Ages ranged from 1 month to 25 years (median=3.9) and weight ranged from 2.6 to 102kg (median=16.8). One patient had previously undergone an operative procedure at an outside institution. RESULTS: Direct implantation of the anomalous coronary artery into the ascending aorta was feasible in 12 of 13 patients. In situ transfer was performed in one patient with an intramural coronary artery. The first case in the series required an intrapulmonary baffle reconstruction (Takeuchi procedure) because the coronary artery arose remotely from the ascending aorta from the left-anterior sinus of the PA. For coronary transfer, a trapdoor flap was created on the ascending aorta for the implantation of the coronary button and the sinus defect in the main PA was augmented with a pericardial patch. The left ventricular (LV) shortening fraction was improved from a median value of 27% (range 12-36%) preoperatively to 33% (range 24-45%) in the immediate postoperative period (P=0.004). The LV end-diastolic dimension decreased from a median value of 36 mm (range 22-70 mm) preoperatively to 29 mm (range 19-56 mm) in the immediate postoperative period (P=0.004). There has been no mortality or reoperation during a median follow-up of 36 months. CONCLUSIONS: Using a standard technique, direct implantation of the anomalous coronary artery into the ascending aorta was achieved in all cases but one. At intermediate follow-up, LV function had improved by echocardiography. No postoperative mechanical circulatory support was required in any of these patients. This operative technique is reproducible and is applicable to the majority of patients with ALCAPA.

Adolescent↗

A glial-derived protein, S100B, in neonates and infants with congenital heart disease: evidence for preexisting neurologic injury.

UNLABELLED: The glial-derived protein S100B is a serum marker of cerebral ischemia and correlates with negative neurological outcome after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) in adults. We sought to characterize the S100B release pattern before and after CPB in neonates and infants with congenital heart disease and correlate it with surgical mortality. Serum was collected before surgery and at 24 postoperative h from 109 neonates and infants with congenital heart disease. All patients had presurgical transthoracic echocardiograms and CPB with or without hypothermic circulatory arrest. S100B concentrations were determined using a two-site immunoluminometric assay (Sangtec 100). Thirty-day surgical mortality was observed. All neonates had significantly increased S100B concentrations before surgery that decreased by 24 postoperative h. Preoperative S100B concentrations in 32 neonates with hypoplastic left heart syndrome correlated inversely with the forward flow and size of the ascending aorta and postoperative mortality (r(2) = -0.63; P = 0.03). Among infants, increased pulmonary blood flow was associated with higher S100B levels before surgery than cyanosis. There was no correlation with postoperative S100B and time on CPB, hypothermic circulatory arrest, or 30-day surgical mortality. In conclusion, preoperative S100B concentrations correlate inversely with the size of the ascending aorta in hypoplastic left heart syndrome and may serve as a marker for preexisting brain injury and mortality. IMPLICATIONS: Neonates with hypoplastic left heart syndrome and no forward flow in the ascending aorta may have brain injury at birth before heart surgery.

Aorta, Thoracic↗