Objective : The aim of the present study is to show the continuous suture technique in which the aortic valve replacement can be safely performed to insert prosthetic valves of an appropriate size in patients with aortic stenosis associated with a small annulus. Patients and Methods : Thirteen patients with severe aortic valve stenosis (aortic valve area <1.0 cm²) underwent aortic valve replacement with the continuous suture technique using three 2/0 non-absorbable monofilament polypropylene sutures. Transthoracic echocardiogram was performed before and after surgery in all patients to determine how large a prosthetic valve could be used compared to the preoperative annular size. Results : The mean size of the prosthetic valve implanted was 23.3 mm, while the preoperative mean value of aortic annulus was 21.7 mm. The 19 mm size prosthetic valves were never used even when the preoperative aortic annular diameter was less than 19 mm (in 2 patients). The duration of procedure time was adequate and the post-operative echocardiography showed excellent results with good prosthetic valve function and no adverse events. Conclusions : Using our continuous suture technique, prosthetic valves of an appropriate size can be safely and effectively inserted at an aortic position in patients with severe aortic stenosis.

A 66-year-old woman suffered from an effort angina attack and visited our clinic. Coronary angiography revealed severe stenosis in the ostium of bilateral coronary arteries. Preoperative computed tomography (CT) demonstrated severe calcification of the aorta and aneurysmal change in the thoracic descending aorta. Off-pump CABG was performed without mechanical cardiac support using composite grafts of the right internal mammary artery and a saphenous vein graft. Graft patency was intraoperatively confirmed by SPY as well as by coronary multi detector-row computed tomography (MDCT) 3 months postoperatively.

Immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4)-related disease is a chronic disease characterized by fibrotic mass and/or thickened lesions with elevated serum IgG4 concentrations, and infiltrations of IgG4 positive plasma cells. Since it has recently been reported to occur in the cardiovascular system, therapeutic strategy needs to be established. We report a case of IgG4-related thoracic aortic aneurysm (IgG4-R TAA) which was diagnosed postoperatively though suspected as aortic intramural hematoma preoperatively. A 70-year-old man who has medical histories of retroperitoneal fibrosis twice visited our hospital with chief complaints of cough and a CT scan was performed. Though there had been no episodes related to the onset of aortic dissection such as chest pain, an ascending aortic intramural hematoma of 52 mm in diameter was suspected and we planned to perform hemi-arch replacement. Intraoperative findings suggested that it was a true aneurysm and there was no sign of dissection. Histopathologically, the adventitia was obviously thickened with infiltrations of IgG4 positive plasma cells without infiltrations and dissection findings in the tunica media. In addition, serum IgG4 exceeded the normal value, thus it was diagnosed as IgG4-R TAA on the basis of the comprehensive diagnostic criteria. Great caution should be taken in IgG4-R TAA because it may show intramural hematoma on imaging and may develop aortic dissection and rupture as well.

Anomalous origin of the right coronary artery from the pulmonary artery (ARCAPA) is a rare congenital coronary anomaly. Although asymptomatic in most cases, with the anomaly only being detected incidentally, surgical correction should be considered before onset of severe myocardial ischemia in such cases. Here, we present a 70-year-old man who was referred to our department due to chest pain on effort and was given a diagnosis of ARCAPA concomitant with mild aortic stenosis. As the symptoms and the degree of aortic stenosis deteriorated during follow-up, the patient underwent direct re-implantation of the right coronary artery into the ascending aorta and aortic valve replacement. The patient's postoperative course was uneventful, and the symptoms disappeared. Postoperative myocardial perfusion scintigraphy revealed improvement of the myocardial ischemic area.

A diagnosis of active aortic valve endocarditis was made in a 52-year-old man who presented with fever and edema. Blood cultures were positive for Streptococcus gallolyticus subsp. pasteurianus. The infection was treated successfully using antibiotics and dental care, but a mobile vegetation-like structure on the aortic valve and severe aortic regurgitation, mainly due to aortic annulus dilatation, remained and required surgery. During the surgical procedure, the aortic valve leaflets were seen to be almost normal, and the regurgitation was found to be mainly due to aortic annulus dilation. Regurgitation could be managed with external suture annuloplasty alone, although a second session was necessary to reduce the annular size by one size. The annular size has been stable for over 1 year after surgery without re-operation of the aortic valve. This procedure not only reduces the operation time but also decreases the surgical stress and avoids the need for prosthetic valve replacement.