A 79-years-old female underwent total arch replacement for an aortic arch aneurysm. A postoperative CT scan showed no abnormalities on the anastomotic sites, including the supra-aortic neck vessels. However, 10 months after the operation, she visited our outpatient clinic to complain of left shoulder pain. A CT scan demonstrated complete occlusion of the left subclavian artery, and doppler echography detected a subclavian steal phenomenon. Eleven months after the operation, the patient was transferred to our hospital because of the transient loss of consciousness and progressive aphasia. MRI revealed hyperintensive lesions in the boundary area between the left temporal and occipital lobes, enlarged in a DWI (diffusion-weighted image) with time. Axillary-axillary bypass grafting was performed to suppress the progression of cerebral ischemia caused by a subclavian steal phenomenon. Aphasia seemed to be improved soon after the bypass and diminished on postoperative day 2. The hyperintensive area on DWI regressed, and no other lesion was found on a postoperative MRI. She was discharged without apparent sequelae, including aphasia. We report a successful case of revascularization for subclavian steal syndrome with aphasia.

A 45-year-old male presented to a hospital for shortness of breath and palpitations, and an electrocardiogram abnormality was identified. Coronary angiography showed multiple spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) on the left anterior descending artery (LAD) and the right coronary artery (RCA）. Optical coherence tomography showed the LAD had two lumens, and the RCA had multiple lumens by SCAD. Furthermore, computed tomography depicted a bulky thrombus on the left ventricular apex. All lesions were revascularized with arterial grafts, and the concomitant thrombectomy was performed for the thrombus on the apex. The coronary arteries were clearly dissected, and the anastomosis was made to what appeared to be a true lumen based on various intraoperative assessments. The flow pattern and flow volume through the grafts were satisfactory using the ultrasound Doppler method. The patient's postoperative course was uneventful, and he was discharged on postoperative day 22. All grafts have been patent, and the cardiac function has remained improved for 2.5 years of follow-up in our outpatient clinic.