Objective To summarize the characteristics and management of pregnancy complicated with aortic dissection, and to explore the reasonable diagnosis and treatment plan. Methods The clinical data of 10 patients of pregnancy complicated with aortic dissection in Wuhan Tongji Hospital from January 2011 to June 2017 were collected. Their age was 25.2 (21-29) years. Results In the 10 patients, the majority (8 patients) were primipara, and most of them were in the late stages of pregnancy (5 patients) and puerperal (4 patients). Among them, 1 patient had gestational hypertension, and the blood pressure of the left and right upper extremities was significantly abnormal (initial blood pressure: left upper limb blood pressure: 90/60 mm Hg, right upper limb blood pressure: 150/90 mm Hg). The major clinical manifestations were severe chest and back pain which happened suddenly, with D-dimmer and C-creative protein increased which may be associated with inflammatory reaction. All patients were diagnosed by thoracoabdominal aortic CTA, including 5 patients of Stanford type A dissection and 5 patients of Stanford type B dissection. In the 10 patients, 1 patient refused surgery and eventually died of aortic rupture with the death of fetus before birth. And the remaining 9 patients underwent surgical treatment, 3 patients of endovascular graft exclusion for thoracic aortic stent graft, 2 patients underwent Bentall operation, 1 patient with Bentall + total aortic arch replacement + vascular thoracic aortic stent graft, 1 patient with Bentall operation combined with endovascular graft exclusion for thoracic aortic stent graft, 1 patient with Bentall + coronary artery bypass grafting, 1 patient of thoracoabdominal aortic vascular replacement. Among them, 1 patient underwent endovascular graft exclusion for thoracic aortic stent graft died of severe postoperative infection, and the remaining 8 patients were discharged from hospital. Nine patients were single birth, among them 5 newborn patients had severe asphyxia, 4 patients had mild asphyxia. Finally, 3 neonates died of severe complications, and the remaining 6 survived. Conclusion The ratio of pregnancy with Stanford type A aortic dissection is far higher than in the general population, the possibility of fetal intrauterine asphyxia is larger, but through active and effective surgical and perioperative treatment, we can effectively save the life of mother and fetus.
In 2020, due to the impact of the novel coronavirus epidemic, the development of transcatheter heart valve therapy has been shown to slow down, but there are still many aspects worth noting. The indication of monoclonal antibody after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) should be further clarified. Low surgical risk patients were included in TAVR relative indications. Mitraclip G4 was approved by CE. The indication of atrial septal occlusion after mitraclip should be further clarified. The technique of coaptation augmentation is expected to become a new method of mitral valve interventional repair. Tendyne transcatheter mitral valve was approved by European Union. Transcatheter tricuspid valve treatment equipments, TriClip and PASCAL obtained CE mark. TAVR technology is being popularized rapidly in China, and what’s more, balloon dilated valve Sapien 3 and new recyclable repositioning valve system-Venus plus have entered the domestic market. A number of mitral valve therapeutic instruments have appeared one after another, and China's first tricuspid valve lux has completed its FIM research. Finally, with the improvement of devices and technology in the future, interventional therapy of heart valve is expected to benefit more patients.
目的观察微创体外循环（minimal extracorporeal circulation，MECC）对主动脉瓣置换术临床效果的影响。 方法回顾性分析我院2010年3月至2012年10月共25例应用MECC方法行单纯主动脉瓣置换术（AVR）的临床资料，其中男15例、女10例，年龄40（19～58）岁。 结果总体外循环时间67（51～89）min、主动脉阻断时间42（33～63）min、转流中最低血红蛋白（Hb）9.6（8.3～12.6）g/dl、流转后Hb 9.5（7.7～12.6）g/dl，体外循环中无1例患者因Hb低而输入红细胞。所有患者均顺利拔除胸腔引流管，顺利出院，无院内死亡。 结论MECC系统应用于主动脉瓣置换安全可行，比传统心肺旁路系统具有更好的生物相容性和良好的临床结果，值得推广。
ObjectiveTo systematically review the predictive factors of new-onset conduction abnormalities(NOCAs) after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) patients. MethodsThe CNKI, VIP, WanFang Data, PubMed, Cochrane Library and EMbase databases were electronically searched to collect the relevant studies on NOCAs after TAVR in patients with BAV from inception to December 5, 2022. Two researchers independently screened the literature, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias of the included studies. Meta-analysis was then performed by using RevMan 5.4 software. ResultsSix studies involving 758 patients with BAV were included. The results of the meta-analysis showed that age (MD=−1.48, 95%CI −2.73 to −0.23, P=0.02), chronic kidney disease (OR=0.14, 95%CI 0.06 to 0.34, P<0.01), preoperative left bundle branch block (LBBB) (OR=2.84, 95%CI 1.11 to 7.23, P=0.03), membranous septum length (MSL) (MD=0.93, 95%CI 0.05 to 1.80, P=0.04), implantation depth (ID) (MD=−2.06, 95%CI −2.96 to −1.16, P<0.01), the difference between MSL and ID (MD=3.05, 95%CI 1.92 to 4.18, P<0.01), and ID>MSL (OR=0.27, 95%CI 0.15 to 0.49, P<0.01) could be used as predictors of NOCAs. ConclusionCurrent evidence shows that age, chronic kidney disease, LBBB, MS, ID, the difference between MSL and ID, and ID>MSL could be used as predictors of NOCAs. Due to the limited quantity and quality of included studies, more high-quality studies are required to verify the above conclusion.
To visualize and quantify the hemodynamics in the aortic arch in normal individuals, we used velocity distribution, retrograde flow, vortex formation, and mean energy loss (mEL) at different cardiac cycles in our study. We performed Vector flow mapping (VFM) analysis by using echocardiography in 87 healthy volunteers. The results showed that ① in different sections of the aortic arch, a skewed peak flow velocity (Vp) always appeared in the period of rapid ejection but in different distribution. The systolic flow in the entire aortic arch rose rapidly from near-zero at the point of iso-volumetric contraction to the peak velocity at the period of rapid ejection, and then decreased gradually; ② In the period of iso-volumetric relaxation, retrograde flow and vortex were observed in all subjects in the inner wall of the entire aortic arch; and ③ The change rule of mEL in the entire aortic arch was similar to that of flow velocity. VFM can provide insights into the intra-aortic arch flow patterns, and offer essential fundamentals about flow features associated with common aortic diseases.
With the development of radiologic intervention, the treatments of aortic dissection are getting more and more diversified. In recent years, Debakey Ⅲ and DebakeyⅠaortic dissection has been usually treated with endovascular graft exclusion, or combined surgical and endovascular treatment. It is therefore more important to evaluate the aorta and its complications after interventional treatments. Because multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT) has advantages, such as short examination time, high spatial resolution, and simple operation, this modality has become a first choice of non-invasive methods for the follow-up of aortic diseases after the intervention. Now the MDCT presentations and their anatomic-pathologic features of aortic dissection after endovascular graft exclusion or combined surgical and endovascular treatment are reviewed in this article.
Transcatheter aortic valve replacement has revolutionized the management of aortic stenosis and become the gold standard for the treatment of symptomatic and severe aortic valve stenosis in elderly patients. With the improvement in design and materials, newer generation transcatheter aortic valve prostheses had overcome the limitations of early-generation devices that were susceptible to paravalvular leak, atrioventricular block and vascular complications, to a certain extent. This review provides an update on the latest advances in transcatheter aortic valve prostheses.
Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are tissue specific stem cells that replenish all mature blood lineages during the lifetime of an individual. Hematopoietic cell clusters in the aorta of vertebrate embryos play a pivotal role in the formation of the adult blood system. Recently, people have learned a lot about the embryonic HSCs on their development and homing. During their differentiation, HSCs are regulated by the transcription factors, such as Runx1 and Notch signaling pathway, etc. MicroRNAs also regulate the self-renewal and differentiation of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells on the post-transcriptional levels. Since the onset of circulation, the formation of HSCs and their differentiation into blood cells, especially red blood cells, are regulated by the hemodynamic forces. It would be of great significance if we could treat hematologic diseases with induced HSCs in vitro on the basis of fully understanding of hemotopoietic stem cell development. This review is focused on the advances in the research of HSCs' development and regulation.