Iatrogenic non-coronary leaflet perforation as a complication after robotic mitral valve repair.

Iatrogenic aortic regurgitation secondary to leaflet injury is a rare complication of mitral valve surgery. For the first time, we report a patient who had progressive aortic regurgitation due to non-coronary leaflet perforation after robotic mitral valve repair and required aortic valve repair 18 months after this initial surgery. As in our case, aortic regurgitation after mitral valve surgery may remain undiagnosed on intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography or undetected until the patient's discharge due to gradual enlargement of very small perforations over the postoperative course.

Vascular homografts as bypass grafts for superior vena cava syndrome due to idiopathic fibrosing mediastinitis.

Fibrosing mediastinitis can lead to superior vena cava obstruction by generating a fibroinflammatory mass in the mediastinum. Surgical caval reconstruction with conduits could be indicated for cases of unsuccessful or technically unfeasible endovascular stenting and angioplasty. The use of cryopreserved vascular homografts seems to be better than prosthetic conduits for mid- and long-term patency, as was observed in the case we have described in the present report.