A 70-year-old man with severe chest pain was transferred to our hospital by ambulance. Computed tomography revealed a ruptured thoracic aortic aneurysm and massive bleeding into the posterior mediastinum. Emergency total aortic arch replacement was performed through median sternotomy. However sternal closure induced severe hypotension because the heart was elevated anteriorly by the posterior mediastinal hematoma. The hematoma could not be eliminated fully so the sternum was kept open at the first operation followed by delayed sternal closure 3 days after the operation. After that, the postoperative course was uneventful and the patient was discharged on postoperative day 43.

Nine patients underwent surgical repair of ventricular septal defect (VSP) following acute myocardial infarction in our hospital during the past 5 years. Sites of perforation were apex ventricular septum (A-VSP) in five, high anterior ventricular septum (H-VSP) in one and posterior ventricular septum (P-VSP) in three. A-VSPs were closed by single patch on the left ventricular side of the septum. H-VSP was closed by double patch and ventriculotomy was closed directly. For P-VSPs, three different operative procedures were performed. Patch closure of VSP and reconstruction of free ventricular wall was done in one, while in other two VSP was closed by single patch on the left or right side of the septum. There were two operative deaths, one A-VSP and one P-VSP. We think that patch closure through right ventriculotomy is useful in cases of small P-VSP.

A 67-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital for examination of a chest X-ray abnormality. Chest computed tomography and coronary angiography revealed a giant aneurysm and coronary-pulmonary artery fistula originating from both the proximal left anterior descending and the right coronary artery. The fistula was ligated and the aneurysm was resected by means of extracorporeal circulation. The postoperative course was uneventful. Computed tomography and coronary angiography showed that the aneurysm and coronary-pulmonary artery fistula had completely disappeared.

We describe a ruptured internal iliac artery aneurysm associated with sigmoid colon infarction. The patient was referred to our hospital complaining of lower abdominal pain. Computed tomography scan demonstrated a massive hematoma with a ruptured left internal iliac artery aneurysm. Hypovolemic shock prompted immediate laparotomy, endoaneurysmorrhaphy of the ruptured aneurysm, and resection of the recto-sigmoidal colon. During treatment for ruptured internal iliac aneurysm, we should consider potential colon infarction.

There were 10 patients of left ventricular free wall rupture accompanied with acute myocardial infarction in our coronary care unit from Jan. 1987 to Jan. 1991, while 872 AMI patients in the same period. Five of 10 ruptured patients died. All these 5 patients were acute type of rupture. Elder patient, female, 1st attack of infarction and PTCA were considered to be risk factors of rupture. We managed 5 subacute and chronic type ruptured patients successfully at emergent operation with using fibringlue-oxycellulose. Fibringlue-oxycellulose method was useful especially for woozing from infarcted myocardium. The management for acute type rupture is difficult because of its clinical time course, it is considered that prevention of rupture for high risk patient is most important to reduce the mortality of AMI patients in the coronary care unit.

In the past 13 years, 17 patients underwent reoperation after intracardiac repair, including reconstruction of the right ventricular outflow tract. Primary diagnoses of the cardic anomalies were tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) (8 patients), extreme type (TOF) (4 patients), TOF with absent pulmonary valve (1 patient), double outlet right ventricle (DORV) (2 patients), truncus arteriosus (1 patient) and transposition of the great arteries (TGA) (1 patient). Patients were divided into 4 groups based on the surgical procedures for reconstruction of the right ventricular outflow tract as follows: Group A, porcine valved conduit; Group B, autologous pericardial valve bearing tube graft; Group C, transannular patch; Group D, outflow patch with pulmomary valvotomy. The main reason for reoperation in groups A and B was pulmonary stenosis due to calcification of the porcine valve or shrinkage of the pericardial tube graft. Average periods between corrective surgery and reoperation were 7 and 13 years in groups A and B, respectively. Reoperation was performed for massive tricuspid regurgitation and residual shunt, 15 and 24 years after previous operations in groups C and D, respectively. Low cardiac output syndrome, proconged right heart and respiratory failure were major postoperative complications in groups A, B and C. Furthermore, one patient in group A and one other in group C died in the long-term period after reoperation. Both patients had had markedly dilated hearts associated with frequent PVCs. In conclusion, earlier reoperation for progressive and/or residual lesions should be performed to obtain better surgical outcome and quality of life of the patients.