A 69-year-old woman suffered from postprandial abdominal pain and hematochezia. Colonoscopy suggested ischemic colitis, and intestinal angina was diagnosed by multirow-detector computed tomography (CT), which showed occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery (SMA). On enhanced CT, there was extensive calcification on the aortic wall and aortic expansion and several mural thrombi in the thoracoabdominal and abdominal aorta, as well as severe stenoses in the bilateral common iliac arteries. A bypass from the right renal artery, which was the only artery without significant stenosis of the major branches of the abdominal artery, to the SMA, was created using a saphenous vein graft. Postoperatively, the postprandial abdominal pain disappeared, and the patient was discharged after a good postoperative course.

A 65-year-old woman suffered from left-side paralysis and dysarthria after sudden chest pain, and we diagnosed cerebral infarction caused by type A acute aortic dissection in the Stanford classification. At that time, the aberrant right subclavian artery with Kommerell's diverticulum was found on enhanced computed tomography. The acute aortic dissection with closed false lumen was treated conservatively. Because the ulcer-like projection (ULP) expanded during the course, we performed surgery. Ascending aorta and arch replacement, patch closure of Kommerell's diverticulum and reconstruction of right subclavian artery were performed simultaneously. The postoperative course was good.

The onset mechanism of takotsubo cardiomyopathy is unkown. The reported cases of takotsubo cardiomyopathy that happened after cardiac surgical operation were very few. We describe one case of takotsubo cardiomyopathy with left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (LVOTO) that occurred after having undergone mitral valve replacement (MVR) for combined valvular disease. The patient was an 82-year-old woman who was hospitalized with congestive heart failure in our hospital. She had diagnosis of rheumatic valvular disease (i.e. severe mitral regurgitation and mild mitral stenosis, secondary tricuspid regurgitation), atrial fibrillation and pulmonary hypertension. She had a sigmoid septum pointed out by cardiac ultrasonography. Preoperative coronary angiography was normal. After general anesthesia induction, bradycardia and hypotension developed. Therefore epinephrine and norepinephrine were administered. The rheumatic mitral valve was replaced using a 27 mm-size mitral pericardial bioprosthesis, preserving the posterior mitral leaflet. DeVega tricuspid annuloplasty and maze surgery were also performed at the same time. We did not recognize wall motion abnormalities by the transesophageal echocardiographic examination during the operation. On postoperative day 1, she was extubated and became hypotensive immediately. Takotsubo cardiomyopathy was diagnosed from characteristic views (an apical ballooning and a preserved basal contraction of the left ventricle) by transthoracic echocardiography (TTE). This echocardiogram showed also LVOTO of pressure gradient 38 mmHg. Blood transfusion and discontinuation of epinephrine infusion improved LVOTO. TTE showed a gradual recovery of the left ventricle to normal systolic function, on postoperative day 34. The postoperative coronary angiogram was normal. We presumed that LVOTO was important in the onset and severity of takotsubo cardiomyopathy. In this report, we showed also the pathological significance of the sigmoid septum.

We report a case of an 85-year-old woman with severe aortic insufficiency caused by structural valve deterioration (SVD) of Medtronic Freestyle stentless aortic bioprosthesis (Freestyle valve) complicated by rheumatic multivalvular heart disease. The patient received an aortic valve replacement by using the modified sub-coronary method with a 21 mm Freestyle stentless porcine valve (Medtronic Inc., Minneapolis, MN, USA), for severe aortic valve stenosis at of the age of 71. The patient developed severe heart failure 14.5 years after the surgery. She was admitted for severe aortic insufficiency caused by a leaflet injury (tear) of the Freestyle valve. She also had had rheumatic mitral stenosis and secondary tricuspid insufficiency with severe pulmonary hypertension. Therefore, treating her heart failure was difficult, but surgery was performed. The leaflets of the stentless bioprosthesis were resected. The insertion of the needle suture into the annulus of the stentless valve was difficult because of calcification of the tissue. An aortic root enlargement procedure was performed using a bovine pericardial patch, enabling the insertion of the needle suture into the Dacron cloth at the bottom of the stentless valve, with 2-0 Ethibond threads and single sutures. We successfully performed an aortic valve re-replacement using an Open Pivot Mechanical Heart Valve (OPHV) 16 mm AP (Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN, USA), which was implanted by using the partial valve-in-valve technique. Simultaneously, mitral valve commissurotomy and tricuspid annuloplasty were performed. The patient had an uneventful postoperative recovery.

A 61-year-old man, who had previously undergone quadruple coronary artery bypass graft surgery, was successfully treated for proximal descending aortic aneurysm using hypothermic circulatory arrest via a left thoracotomy. Preoperative angiograms revealed that the left internal thoracic artery bypass graft to the LAD was patent, and that the aneurysm was located at the descending aorta just distal to the left subclavian artery. Operative procedures were as follows. A left thoracotomy incision was made through the 4th intercostal space. The common femoral artery and vein were cannulated, and the venous cannula was positioned in the right atrium. The patient was cooled by partial cardiopulmonary bypass until the EEG was isoelectric (24°C rectal temperature), and then circulation was arrested. Left ventricular decompression was not performed. After opening of the aneurysm, proximal anastomosis was performed first at the aorta just distal to the left subclavian artery. Another arterial cannula, connected to the Y-shaped arterial line, was inserted into the graft, and perfusion to the brain was restored through this cannula. Distal anastomosis was then completed, and routine cardiopulmonary bypass was reestablished. After the heart was defibrillated, the patient was rewarmed to 34°C before discontinuing the bypass. Circulatory arrest time and total cardiopulmonary bypass time were 17 minutes and 139 minutes, respectively. Postoperative recovery was uneventful.

We report a case of a 16-year-old boy with Marfan's syndrome who underwent Bentall's procedure on a diagnosis of acute aortic dissection (DeBakey type II). He was readmitted with pyrexia 5 months after the initial operation. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis (MRSE) was detected by blood culture and transesophageal echocardiography revealed a vegetation adherent to the entry of a remaining false lumen just distal to the distal anastomosis. Although antimicrobial therapy was employed, an arterial embolism developed in the right popliteal artery. CT scan revealed dilatation of the false lumen, and consequently, emergency surgery was performed. The intima of the distal aortic end was partially out of the suture line and the vegetation adhered at that point. Re-replacement of the ascending aorta, omental transposition, and embolectomy of the right femoral artery were performed and resulted in a satisfactory course.

We present here a rare case of coronary artery bypass grafting through a left thoracotomy after substernal gastric interposition for esophageal cancer. A 58-year-old man, who had undergone esophagectomy and substernal gastric interposition 11 years previously, was admitted for cerebral infarction from which he made a good recovery without any complication. At this time, the patient was diagnosed as having coronary artery disease on electrocardiogram. Cardiac catheterization revealed triple vessel disease. Coronary artery bypass grafting to the left anterior descending artery and obtuse marginal branch through a left thoracotomy was performed using a radial artery Y-graft under femorofemoral bypass. The aorta was cross-clamped and the heart was arrested with antegrade cold cardioplegic solution for the distal anastomosis of the left anterior descending artery and the obtuse marginal branch which was embedded within the myocardium. The postoperative angiography showed good coronary flow. Left thoracotomy approach provides a good exposure of the left coronary artery. This approach, therefore, is advocated as an alternative method for cases requiring coronary artery bypass but in which median sternotomy is difficult, such as the present case. The appropriate procedure for the site of thoracotomy, supporting methods, choice of graft, and the site of graft anastomosis should be selected in each patient.

We have treated 12 popliteal aneurysms in ten patients from 1965 to 1989. There were seven men and three women, aged 34 to 78 years (mean, 61.5 years). Two patients had bilateral aneurysms. The chief complaint was pain at rest, claudication, coldness, etc. in eight patients, a mass or induration at the popliteus in two patients, peroneal nerve or vein compression in one patient each. Angiography showed thrombotic obstruction in six legs and distal occlusion in one leg. Ten of aneurysms of eight patients were treated surgically. In two patients, the operation was done on emergency basis. Amputation was not necessary in any case. The operative method was usually excision of the aneurysm. Reconstruction was made with artificial vessels in the first patient who underwent bilateral aneurysm surgery. Auto-saphenous vein were used in other seven patients. All vein grafts were patent at follow-up (mean follow-up period, 4 years and 3 months). Arteriosclerotic changes were histologically observed in all aneurysms. Complications such as thrombotic obstruction and distal occulsion are frequent and leg amputation is necessary in some cases. Arterial reconstruction with an auto-saphenous vein is necessary for popliteal aneurysm.

A 65-year-old woman was admitted with a diagnosis of unstable angina after PTCA. She was diagnosed with acromegaly 8 years ago. She underwent an emergency coronary artery bypass grafting (LITA-LAD, SVG-HL-Cx). Serum growth hormone (GH) levels were 65.5ng/ml (normal limit<5ng/ml) before the operation. During a cardiopulmonary bypass GH levels elevated to 92.7ng/ml, but decreased to 15.9ng/ml after the operation. After 3 postoperative days GH levels increased gradually again and blood sugar levels became unstable. Finally it was necessary to increase the dose of bromocriptine. To our knowledge, there are only a few patients who have undergone coronary artery bypass grafting associated with acromegaly. This case suggests it is important to control GH levels at the operation and during the postoperative period.

A 71-year-old woman underwent mitral valve replacement with Carpentier-Edwards Pericardial Xenograft for mitral regurgitation on January 8, 1987. She had nocturnal hematuria and paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria was diagnosed in November, 1992. She had congestive heart failure in February, 1993. Cineradiographical analysis revealed a fracture of the wireform in three locations of the Xenograft and the stent was distorted inward. A second mitral valve replacement was successfully performed on March 16, 1993. She was discharged 45 days after operation after an uneventful course.