Successful Ascending Aorta-Abdominal Aorta Bypass Graft through the Left Thoracic Cavity in a Patient with Atypical Coarctation.

A 67-year-old woman admitted with severe hypertension, atrial fibrillation, and dyspnea was found to have hypertension and congestive heart failure due to stenosis of the descending aorta. Atypical aortic coarctation was diagnosed. Extra-anatomical bypass was performed from the ascending aorta to the terminal abdominal aorta and the pulmonary vein was isolated.

Rupture and bleeding secondary to renal infarction in a patient with an abdominal aortic aneurysm.

A 57-year-old man had been followed up for severe left ventricular dysfunction after acute myocardial infarction with a left ventricular thrombus. He had been treated with anticoagulant and antiplatelet therapy and was admitted to our hospital because of abdominal pain and shock. He had no prior episode of trauma.

Incidental single coronary artery in an octogenarian with acute type A aortic dissection.

Single coronary artery (SCA) in the absence of other major congenital cardiovascular anomalies is rare. We report an extremely rare case of acute aortic dissection in an octogenarian who had a single left coronary artery with the right coronary artery originating from the distal circumflex. A single ostium was incidentally detected by visual inspection during an operation.

An alternative method for reconstructing the distal aortic arch through median sternotomy via the pleural window.

We describe an alternative technique through median sternotomy to perform total arch replacement for an extended distal arch aneurysm. After initiating cardiopulmonary bypass, the left pleura is opened widely from the aortic arch to the diaphragm and the left lung is mobilized to the right side with the heart. The descending aorta is visible through the window of the pleural incision.

[Mitral valve replacement and papillary muscle approximation after ineffective cardiac resynchronization therapy in a patient with adriamycin-induced cardiomyopathy].

We report a case of adriamycin-induced cardiomyopathy with severe functional mitral regurgitation and congestive heart failure (CHF). Mitral valve replacement (MVR) and papillary muscle approximation (PMA) were effective for this case. A 68-year-old man had adriamycin-induced cardiomyopathy and had required repetitive hospitalizations for CHF for the past 10 years.

High anomalous origin of both coronary arteries in a patient with aortic valve disease.

High anomalous origin of both coronary arteries is extremely rare. We report the case of a patient with a right coronary artery that originated from the left surface of the ascending aorta approximately 25 mm above the sinotubular junction and a left coronary artery that originated from the sinotubular junction close to the non-left commissure. The patient also had persistent left superior vena cava.

[Surgical treatment with the rifampicin-soaked vascular prosthesis for mycotic pseudoaneurysm after aortic root replacement].

A 59-year-old man had undergone aortic root replacement for annuloaortic ectasia (AAE) and aortic regurgitation (AR) 18 years before. The computed tomography (CT) showed a pseudoaneurysm of ascending aorta 4 years after the 1st operation. Re-aortic root replacement was done 15 years after the 1st operation because of the pseudoaneurysm.

[Aortic valve replacement using the "no-touch technique" for a patent internal thoracic artery].

Myocardial protection in the setting of patent grafts is often challenging in patients who have undergone prior myocardial revascularization and require a 2nd operation for aortic valve replacement (AVR). We report a case of AVR in a patient who had undergone prior coronary bypass grafting. The patent left internal thoracic artery (LITA) graft was not dissected to avoid graft injury.