Anomalous aortic origin of a coronary artery is a rare congenital anomaly that can cause myocardial ischemia and ventricular arrhythmia. This disease initially manifests as cardiac arrest in half of patients. The indications and surgical strategy remain unclear, especially in patients who are asymptomatic and have poor ischemic findings. We report a surgical strategy to treat anomalous aortic origin of the right coronary artery. A 47-year-old man with a chief complaint of chest tightness was diagnosed with anomalous aortic origin of the right coronary artery, which branches from the left sinus of Valsalva and runs an inter-arterial course. Although no objective myocardial ischemia was identified with blood tests, electrocardiography, or cardiac catheterization, we suspected that the cause of the thoracic symptoms was sharp branching of the right coronary artery, which was compressed between the ascending aorta and the pulmonary artery. To reduce the risk of sudden death in the future, we performed reimplantation of the right coronary artery. Good imaging results were obtained, and the patient is currently undergoing outpatient follow up and has not experienced recurrence of chest symptoms. We conclude that our surgical strategy to treat anomalous aortic origin of a coronary artery may be useful in the clinic.

A 51-year-old woman presented with a high fever and weakness and was diagnosed with mitral valve infective endocarditis. Medical treatment was unsuccessful, and the patient developed disseminated intravascular coagulation syndrome, multiple cerebral infarctions, and massive cerebral hemorrhage. She was transferred to our hospital for surgical treatment. On admission, she had motor aphasia and right-sided hemiplegia. Echocardiography showed mild mitral regurgitation with a huge mobile vegetation measuring greater than 20 mm on the anterior leaflets. Head CT showed a huge cerebral hemorrhage in the left frontal lobe. Chest radiography revealed severe pulmonary congestion, and laboratory data showed disseminated intravascular coagulation syndrome. Despite medical treatment, the pulmonary congestion worsened. There were concerns that a fatal cerebral infarction would develop, and so urgent open-heart surgery was performed. On the day after the cerebral hemorrhage had occurred, hematoma removal and decompressive craniotomy were performed to reduce the risks associated with cardiopulmonary bypass. Four days after the craniotomy, mitral valve plasty was performed following the complete excision of the infected tissue. Heparin was administered at our normal dosage as an anticoagulant during cardiopulmonary bypass. Postoperative head CT showed no aggravation of the preoperative cerebral lesion. The patient still had symptomatic epilepsy and difficulty performing exact movements with her right hand, but she was able to walk unaided after 1 year of rehabilitation. Generally, early surgery for infective endocarditis is not recommended if the patient has concomitant cerebral hemorrhage ; our strategy may be the safest option for patients in such a serious condition.