Objective To investigate the experience of left ventricular reconstruction（LVR）in a rat model with post-infarction ventricular aneurysm. Methods A total of 35 male Sprague-Dawley （SD）rats underwent left anterior descending artery （LAD） ligation to create a left ventricular aneurysm （LVA) model following myocardial infarction. Four weeks later, 16 rats with LVA that met the inclusion criteria underwent LVR as the experiment group（LVR group）. Another 10 rats with LVA underwent thoracotomy as the control group. Three days, 2 weeks, and 4 weeks after the second operation, all the rats were examined by echocardiography to evaluate the cardiac function. At the end of the study, photography and Masson’s Trichrome staining were used to evaluate the completeness of LVA resection. Results The surgical mortality of LVA and LVR generation was 11.4%（4/35）and 18.8%（3/16）respectively， with the success rate 74.3% （26/35）for LVA model and 81.3%（13/16）for LVR model. Photography and Masson’s Trichrome staining identified complete replacement of ventricular scar by patch. Three days after the second operation, echocardiography illustrated that the left ventricular end-systolic diameter （LVESD）and fractional shortening （FS） of the LVR group were significantly improved compared with the control group （LVESD 5.00±0.87 mm versus 5.90±0.92 mm, P＜0.05，FS 34.20%± 6.80% versus 26.60%±6.12%, P＜ 0.01）. The cardiac structure and function of LVR group were also significantly improved 2 weeks and 4 weeks after the second operation compared with the control group（2 weeks：left ventricular end-diastolic diameter （LVEDD）7.60±0.56 mm versus 8.50±1.08 mm，P＜ 0.01；LVESD 5.10±0.65 mm versus 6.69±0.89 mm，P＜0.001；FS 31.90%±6.90% versus 21.10%±6.17%，P＜0.001；4 weeks：LVEDD7.70±0.50 mm versus 9.10±0.89 mm，P＜0.001；LVESD5.20±0.39 mm versus 7.20±0.95 mm，P＜0.001；FS 31.80%±2.40% versus 20.20%±4.17%，P＜0.001）. Conclusions LVR rat can be used as a stable, reliable and economic screeningmodel in engineered heart tissue（EHT）research.
Beginning from the epidemiology of coronary heart disease, the authors firstly analyze the pathology and pathophysiology of the infarcted heart. Back to the basic anatomy of heart muscles, the authors then review the development history of basic anatomy theory of heart muscle fibers, focusing mainly on the helical myocardial band theory. This part covers theories of evolutionary biology, developmental biology, and modern imaging evidence on cardiac structures, as well as the intrinsic link between structures and functions of the heart. The relation between cardiac geometry and function is analyzed with helical myocardial band theory. Then returning to clinical problems, the authors introduce the development of left ventricular reconstruction (LVR), the impact of helical myocardial band theory on LVR, current status and disputes of LVR, and future prospect of LVR.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the effects of modified left ventricular reconstruction (LVR) and linear repair (LR) to post-infarct left ventricular aneurysm (LVA) and summarize the surgical experience of LVA. MethodsFrom May 2004 to December 2011, 47 patients were admitted in the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Renji Hospital Affiliated to Medical College of Shanghai Jiaotong University. There were 25 patients underwent LVR (group LVR, including 21 males and 4 females), 18 patients underwent LR (group LR, including 14 males and 4 females) and 4 patients underwent directly sutured (including 3 males and 1 female). Among them, 42 patients underwent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). During 6-24 months'follow-up, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), quality of life and activity were measured. ResultsPostoperative LVEF was significantly higher than preoperative LVEF in group LVR(49.2%±13.6% vs. 32.5%±12.9%, P < 0.05) and group LR (47.5%±11.6% vs. 36.9%±11.6%, P < 0.05). One patient died in LR group (5.5%) and 1 died in LVR group (4.0%), no death occurred in directly sutured surgery. Total mortality was 4.2%. ConclusionLVR and LR are both effective treatment for LVA. Personalized treatment can receive satisfactory short-and long-term outcomes.