A 63-year-old man had undergone patch repair of a chronic dissecting thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm 8 years previously. Postoperative course was uneventful during 8 years after the first operation. However follow-up CT scan 8 years after demonstrated pseudoaneurysm of thoracoabdominal aorta at the anastomotic side. Reoperation for pseudoaneurysm was performed through left thoracotomy under partial cardiopulmonary bypass. Pseudoaneurysm was revealed at the proximal anastomotic side. Graft replacement for thoracoabdominal aorta and reconstruction of two pairs of intercostal arteries and the celiac artery was performed under SEP and MEP monitoring. His postoperative course was uneventful. He was discharged from our hospital 12 days after surgery. Follow-up CT scan demonstrates no recurrence of pseudoaneurysm for 1 year after surgery.

A 11-year-old boy was admitted to our hospital with a diagnosis of the progressive residual coarctation of the aorta, severe left ventricular hypertrophy and dilatation of the ascending aorta. He had previously undergone 3 operations for coarctation of the aorta. We performed ascending-to-descending aortic bypass through a median sternotomy for residual coarctation of the aorta. Partial cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) was established via the right femoral artery and right atrium. A cephalad retraction of the heart with a heart positioner and a longitudinal pericardial incision over the descending aorta allowed excellent exposure of the aorta through the posterior pericardium. The graft was anastomosed to the ascending aorta and descending aorta. The graft was brought around the right lateral aspect of the right atrium and through to the anterior aspect of right pulmonary veins and inferior vena cava. The bypass graft size was 14 mm in diameter. The CPB time was 134 min, and operation time was 232 min. The postoperative course was uneventful, and he did not suffer from paraplegia. His blood pressure postoperatively normalized without medication. He was discharged 20 days after surgery. The ascending-descending aortic bypass through a posterior pericardium approach is a safe and effective option for relieving residual coarctation and improving hypertension, for patients who have complex coarctation requiring surgical correction. However, because of his young age (II) it is necessary to follow him up carefully.

We report a case of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy that developed after elective coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in an 80-year-old woman. She had been given a diagnosis of unstable angina complicated with mild hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM). Her cardiac index began to fall 7 h postoperatively, and we needed to infuse fluids and increase dopamine dose (up to 5 µg/kg/min) to maintain cardiac index and blood pressure. CPK-MB level increased up to 140 IU/l at 12 h postoperatively. Transthoracic echocardiography showed akinesis and ballooning of the apex and hyperkinesis of the base with accelerated left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) flow and increased mitral regurgitation (MR). Emergency coronary artery angiography showed good patency of all bypass grafts and no new coronary lesion. We diagnosed Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. To improve the hemodynamic status, we started intra-aortic balloon pumping (IABP) instead of adding catecholamines. Blood pressure and cardiac index had improved temporarily, but became unstable again because of increased LVOT pressure gradient and moderate-to-severe MR. LV wall motion gradually improved, but the hemodynamic status stayed unstable, but improved after removal of IABP. In general, the prognosis of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is favorable with supportive care. However, when it is associated with LVOT stenosis and significant MR, low cardiac output syndrome can become intractable, thus we should manage critical conditions with extreme caution.

We report a case of septal branch aneurysm. A 61-year-old woman was referred to our hospital because of heart murmur. Septal branch aneurysm (25×15 mm) was diagnosed by echocardiography and coronary angiography, and followed up annually with multi-detector row computed tomography (MDCT). Nine years later, another aneurysm proximal to the known aneurysm, which protruded above the epicardium, has rapidly dilated from 5 to 11 mm. We therefore performed closure of the orifice of the septal branch concomitant with bypass grafting ; left internal mammary artery to distal LAD. After the procedure, the aneurysm in the septum had completely collapsed. Her postoperative course was uneventful.

We report a case of re-expansion pulmonary edema (REPE), which complicated mitral valve plasy via right small thoracotomy. A 56-years old man underwent mitral valve plasty for severe mitral regurgitation caused by P2 prolapse. After separation from heart-lung machine, massive yellow foamy secretion has begun to spout from the right side endotracheal tube and hypoxemia has ensued. Differential ventilation with high airway pressure and steroid pulse therapy could not counteract the exacerbation of hypoxemia. Echocardiography showed severe diffuse hypokinesis of left ventricular wall. Intra-aortic balloon pumping and percutaneous cardiopulmonary support (PCPS) were introduced, and they were very effective. After five-days' support, PCPS was successfully weaned. The patient recovered well. REPE complicated by mini-thoracotomy approach cardiac surgery, is rare, but can be fatal.