A 60 year-old female underwent mitral valve replacement with a Duromedics valve. She was in good condition during weaning from cardiopulumonary bypass. However, rupture of the left ventricle was manifested by massive bleeding just after dis-contination of cardiopulmonary bypass. A large hematoma accompanied by bleeding was observed in the posterior atrio-ventricular groove. The patient was quickly put back on total cardiopulmonary bypass. A slight laceration was suspected in the membranous portion of the ventricular septum just below the mitral annulus. Re-valve replacement was performed by reinforcing the mitral annulus with a Dacron patch. This patient was removed from cardiopulmonary bypass, but died of multiple organ failure in 7 days after operation. At autopsy, the left ventricular rapture was identified just below annuls in the area of the atrioventricular groove. Furthermore, extensive hematoma was noted in the posterior atrioventricular groove.

An 60-year-old man who initially presented with ventricular tachycardia was suspected of cardiac tumor because of localised hypertrophy of the right ventricle. Although the localized region detected by an echocardiography suggested malignancy, percutaneous transcatheter myocardial biopsy failed to obtain a histological diagnosis. Six months later, a permanent pace maker was implanted due to complete AV block. Two years after the first admission, echocardiogram and computed tomography demonstrated a cardiac tumor in the right ventricle. To obtain a histological diagnosis, open biopsy was performed under median sternotomy and showed malignant lymphoma. Antemortem diagnosis of cardiac malignancy is usually very difficult. Median sternotomy is an established procedure for cardiovascular surgeons. Open biopsy can be an acceptable technique to obtain histological diagnosis of the neoplastic region in terms of safety and simplicity, and has good sampling accuracy compared with other diagnostic modalities. We recommend early stage surgical exploration when cardiac malignancy is a diagnostic possibility.

Aortitis syndrome is a disease of non-specific inflammation of the arterial wall which produces necrosis and fibrosis of the intima. Indications, timing, and the choice of operative procedures should be determined carefully because of its complex pathology. We encountered a patient with combined aortic valve incompetence and left main coronary artery stenosis due to aortitis syndrome. The patient received adequate steroid therapy and the inflammatory reaction was well controlled before surgery. The patient underwent concomitant aortic valve replacement using an intravalvular implantation technique and coronary artery bypass grafting. The hospital course of the patient was uneventful. Neither paravalvular leakage nor inflammatory recurrence was observed during 18 months of follow-up.

Rheumatoid arthritis and interstitial pneumonitis were diagnosed in a 72-year-old man and thoracic computed tomography revealed an aortic arch aneurysm 50mm in diameter. Steroid therapy gave symptomatic relief and improved laboratory findings, but hyperglycemia and hypertension developed. Two months later the thoracic aneurysm ruptured, and computed tomography revealed expansion of the aneurysm to 60mm in diameter and surrounding hematoma. Emergency total arch replacement was performed successfully with deep hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass and selective cerebral perfusion. The steroid therapy was considered to be responsible for the rapid expansion and rupture of the thoracic aneurysm. When prescribing steroids for a patient who has a concomitant atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, we should not only control the steroidal side effects strictly, but also carefully watch the course of the atherosclerotic lesion.

Myxoma of the left ventricle is exceedingly rare and to the best of our knowledge not a single case of its recurrence has been reported in Japan. We have recently experienced a case in which a myxomatous tumor of the left ventricle recurred at the same site as the primary lesion 2.5 years after operation and was treated by surgical excision. The patient was a 28-year-old female who, under the diagnosis of myxoma of the left ventricle, underwent surgical removal of the tumor and mitral valve replacement at her age of 25 years. Although her postoperative course was uneventful, she was noticed, at her age of 28 years, of her inaudible prosthetic valve clicks on auscultation at the outpatient service. Echocardiography revealed a tumor mass in the left ventricle, which tended to grow with the elapse of time. Echocardiography on rehospitalization disclosed a mobile cystic tumor on the posterior wall of the left ventricle, while pulmonary arteriography also revealed a movable tumor in the left ventricle. Intraoperatively, there was noted a solid tumor, composed partly of cystic structure, on the posterior wall of the left ventricle and quick pathology led to a suspected diagnosis of myxoma. Since the tumor was found to have involved the ventricular septum and myocardial tissue of the posterior wall of the left ventricle, its complete surgical excision was impossible. The tumor, with its growth pattern and morphology, was diagnosed as a malignant clinical behavior one, although histopathological evidence indicates its benignancy.

The current technique of retrograde coronary sinus perfusion (RCSP) has been provided double cannulation of the vanae cavae and isolation of these vessels, and right atriotomy. Most aortic valve and coronary artery bypass surgery are performed with single venous cannulation. We used a new RCSP catheter, Retroplegia (Research Medical Co.), and performed Cabrol procedure safely with single venous cannulation. This catheter can be cannulated to the coronary sinus through a right atrial purse-string suture without opening the right atrium. The occlusion balloon is inflated spontaneously by infusing the cardioplegic solution and occlude the coronary sinus adequately and nicely. This catheter has double lumen, one is for infusion of the cardioplegic solution, the other is for measurement of the coronary sinus pressure. We believe that this catheter is useful for RCSP of the cardiac surgery using single venous cannulation.

The 37-year-old woman underwent mitral valve replacement (MVR) with a Carpentier-Edwards bioprosthesis for hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) 14 years previously. Since the 10th postoperative year, progressive right heart failure due to tricuspid valve regurgitation was recognized. Therefore, reoperation was recommended. At the time of reoperation in the 14th postoperative year, the cavity of the left ventricle was markedly diminished. In particular, deformitiy of the right ventricle was found. This was considered to be the effect of progressive septal hypertrophy. The mitral valve was replaced with a 25mm Carpentier-Edwards and the tricuspid valve with a 31mm Carpentier-Edwards bioprosthesis. Although the weaning from the cardiopulmonary bypass was uneventful, postoperative right heart failure occured with hyperbilirubinemia followed by multiple organ failure. She died on the 47th postoperative day. At autopsy, the intraventricular septal thickness was 24mm and the cavities of left and right ventricle were almost occluded by septal hypertrophy. This is considered to be a rare case of long-term survival after MVR in a patient with HOCM.

Fifty consecutive patients who underwent elective repair for abdominal aortic aneurysms were preoperatively evaluated on blood coagulation tests and retrospectively classified into three groups. Class I had a normal profile on the tests. Class II had either high FDP (≥20ng/ml), TAT (≥20ng/ml), or positive results on the FM test. Class III had either thrombocytopenia (≤120/μl) or bleeding symptoms with Class II conditions. Operative mortality was 0% (0/26) in Class I, 13% (2/15) in Class II, and 22% (2/9) in Class III patients. This classification is considered to be simple and useful to assess specific coagulopathy for aortic aneurysms.

We developed a new double-lumen balloon catheter for retrograde cerebral perfusion (RCP) via jugular vein cannulation. Between November 1996 and September 2000, 34 of 73 patients treated with surgical procedures for thoracic aortic aneurysms underwent RCP using the new catheter during circulatory arrest under deep hypothermia. Nine patients underwent a median sternotomy, and 25 underwent a left thoracotomy. In all cases, the new catheter installation under fluoroscopy was easy, and it took about 15min. The mean RCP time, pressure, and flow rate were 26.8min, 20.0mmHg, and 202.6ml/min, respectively. Our procedure using the new catheter was safe and easy in RCP during circulatory arrest in aortic arch replacement regardless of surgical approaches such as a left thoracotomy or median sternotomy.

An 11-year-old boy, who underwent a Rastelli operation using a 14mm artificial graft and left pulmonary artery (PA) plasty with an autologous pericardium patch 7 years previously, had severe recurrent left pulmonary stenosis. Reoperation was performed including right ventricular outflow tract reconstruction and left PA plasty. The PA at the most stenotic site was only 2mm in diameter; it was enlarged to 10mm by good exposure and an incision on the pulmonary intima. A bovine pericardium patch with a handmade ePTFE valve was sutured onto the autologous tissue not onto the pulmonary intima to avoid restenosis and in expectation of the growth of the pulmonary orifice. On postoperative 3-D CT, the left pulmonary artery was patent and 9mm in diameter. Pulmonary scintigraphy showed an improvement in the left pulmonary perfusion. This sutureless technique was useful in this case of severe pulmonary stenosis.