A 60-year-old man with constrictive tuberculous pericarditis rapidly progressing after his hospitalization underwent partial pericardiectomy, anterior to the bilateral phrenic nerves through a midline sternotomy without a cardiopulmonary bypass. The results of right cardiac examination a month postoperatively showed the cardiac diastolic dysfunction remained unchanged. However, the results after 6 months and also 3 years postoperatively showed the cardiac function recovered from the constrictive pericarditis. He is free from tuberculosis and heart failure. We should be aware of a sign of heart failure due to constrictive tuberculous pericarditis and take the surgical treatment into consideration. We regard the partial pericardiectomy without cardiopulmonary bypass as one of the effective treatments for constrictive tuberculous pericarditis.

A 75-year-old woman suffered from chest compression on effort. Detailed examinations showed aortic valve stenosis and unusual separation of the left coronary artery from the aorta. Surgical exposure revealed that the aortic valve was composed of 3 cusps. Two of 3 cusps were calcified, and another small cusp had fused to the aortic wall. Fusion of the cusp produced a cyst with a hole that was 1.5mm in diameter. Excision of the cyst disclosed the normal orifice of the left coronary artery. The aortic valve was resected and replaced with an artificial valve. Her postoperative course was uneventful, without any angina pectoris.