A 68-year-old woman with multiple gastric ulcers was admitted to our hospital due to post-prandial abdominal pain. Multirow detector computed tomography (MDCT) showed severe stenoses of both the celiac trunk and superior mesenteric artery (SMA) ; therefore, we decided to operate based on the presumed diagnosis of abdominal angina. We bypassed the stenoses using a saphenous vein graft from the right external iliac artery to the SMA, distal to the stenosis. The patient was symptom-free postoperatively. In summary, this case of abdominal angina was accurately evaluated preoperatively with MDCT and the flow meter^®. Thereafter, a focal stenosis in the superior mesenteric artery was successfully treated with an external iliac-SMA bypass using a saphenous vein graft.

We report a rare case of a large thrombus in the ascending aorta with acute arterial occlusive disease. A 61-year-old man was transferred to our hospital with sudden pain and cyanosis. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography detected left ulnar arterial occlusion and a large mass in the ascending aorta, so we performed surgery to remove the large thrombus under cardiopulmonary bypass. Histologically, the mass was a fibrin thrombus. In addition, thickened endothelial lining and slight atheromatous degeneration was detected in the resected aortic wall. The patient was discharged from the hospital on postoperative day 22.

A 45-year-old woman was admitted for acute left hemiplegia and left hypogastric pain. Central CT showed a right parietal lobe infarction. Abdominal CT demonstrated ovarian tumor and infarction of the liver, spleen and kidney. Chest radiography showed moderate cardiomegaly. Transthoracic echocardiography demonstrated vegetation in the aortic valves and severe aortic regurgitation. Aortic valve replacement and bi-adnexectomy were performed urgently. Intraoperative examination revealed normal aortic valves except for small amounts of vegetation on leaflet surfaces. Pathological diagnosis of vegetation was fibrin without inflammatory cells or bacteria. The postoperative course was uneventful, and the patient was discharged 13 days after surgery without a permanent neurological deficit. Trousseau syndrome caused by ovarian cancer and nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis is rare, and it is important to be aware of this syndrome in the case of a young cerebral infarction patient with malignant disease.

A 73-year-old man presented with gastric adenocarcinoma 14 months after coronary artery bypass grafting with an in situ right gastroepiploic artery (RGEA) to left circumflex branch (LCx). He underwent a partial gastrectomy after successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) to the occluded lesion of LCx. Though the RGEA graft was injured and sacrificed intraoperatively, gastrectomy was safely accomplished without any complication and the postoperative course was uneventful. Preoperative PCI was useful for a gastrectomy in a patient with an in situ RGEA.

A 69-year-old man was admitted to our hospital due to cardiomegaly on plain chest radiography. He did not have any history of chest pain, trauma or fever of unknown origin. Echocardiography showed severe aortic valve regurgitation. Standard enhanced computed tomography (CT) showed a localized dissection or an aneurysm of the noncoronary sinus of Valsalva. However it is difficult to make a definite diagnosis because of cardiac beating artifact. Cardiac multidetecter-row CT demonstrated an aneurysm of the noncoronary sinus of Valsalva connected to the sinus with a small aperture. Aortic valve replacement and patch closure were performed. The postoperative course was uneventful and follow-up CT showed thrombus formation in the sinus Valsalva aneurysm. Cardiac multidetecter-row CT was useful for accurate diagnosis of aortic root disease.

A 54-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM). Medical treatment was not effective. Cardiac catheterization showed a peak systolic pressure gradient of 143mmHg between the left ventricle and the ascending aorta. Echocardiogram showed a systolic anterior motion and moderate mitral regurgitation without asymmetric septal hypertrophy. He underwent mitral valve replacement (MVR) with a 27-mm SJM instead of myectomy due to his relatively thin ventricular septum of 16mm. Postoperative cardiac catheterization revealed no significant pressure gradient between the left ventricle and the ascending aorta. MVR is the most effective surgical treatment of HOCM without asymmetric septal hypertrophy.

Surgical management is recommended for a patient with intractable pericardial effusion indicating medical treatment resistance and cardiac tamponade. We report our experience of surgical treatment applying a Denver shunt for intractable pericardial effusion. A 60-year-old woman suffered pericarditis accompanying pericardial effusion complications of systemic lupus erythematosus. She had repeatedly undergone pericardial drainage, however, there was a possibility of increased cardiac tamponade. Surgical treatment consisted of pericardial fenestration with thoracoscopic assist and right pleuro-peritoneal shunt using a Denver shunt. The heart failure symptoms disappeared and pericardial effusion considerably decreased after surgery. The postoperative course was uneventful without recurrence after 1-year of follow up. In the literature, postoperative complications such infection and shunt obstruction have been reported. Careful follow up is mandatory and selection of self-manageable cases is important.