There are few reports of prosthetic valve endocarditis due to Corynebacterium striatum. Here we report a case of prosthetic valve endocarditis after mitral valve replacement. A 77-year-old woman, who underwent mitral valve replacement and tricuspid valve annulo-plasty 4 months previously, was admitted to our hospital because of shock and loss of consciousness. A transthoracic echocardiogram showed severe mitral regurgitation due to dehiscence of the prosthetic mitral valve. We used the percutaneous cardiopulmonary support system for the management of circulatory collapse and, performed emergency mitral valve replacement. We detected C. striatum in preoperative blood and vegetation cultures. Antibiotic therapy was continued for 6 weeks, and the patients recovered without any complications.

We report a case of metastasis to the right ventricle from uterine stromal sarcoma. A 61-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital because of abdominal pain due to gallbladder stones. Preoperative transthoracic echocardiography showed a tumor in the right ventricle and tricuspid regurgitation. The tumor was multilocular and had grown in the right atrium over the tricuspid valve. We performed tumor resection and tricuspid valve plasty. Postoperative transthoracic echocardiography showed the tricuspid regurgitation had resolved.

A 65-year-old man was admitted with subacute myocardial infarction. During medical treatment, the patient lost consciousness as a result of an atrioventricular block and underwent an operation for an emergency percutaneous coronary intervention in the right coronary artery. In a follow-up examination, transthoracic echocardiography and computed tomography showed a left ventricular pseudo-false aneurysm, and therefore another operation was carried out. The operative findings showed that the heart markedly adhered to the pericardium and the aneurysm at the apex. The patient then underwent a double-patch closure of the ruptured point using an equine pericardial patch and a Dacron patch. No perioperative complication was observed. Left ventricular pseudo-false aneurysm is a rare complication following myocardial infarction. Here, we report a successful case of a double-patch closure of a pseudo-false aneurysm.

A 42 year-old woman with Marfan syndrome, who had replacement of the ascending aorta for acute aortic dissection several years ago, was found to have distal aortic arch aneurysm. The aneurysm had small entries at cervical arterial branches and large re-entry at the left external iliac artery. It was necessary to perform two-staged operation Bentall procedure with total arch replacement and abdominal aortic replacement with re-entry closure. It was usually performed with a primary entry closure for chronic aortic dissection, but massive invasion was expected. We performed catheter angiography for entry and re-entry, and decided to perform preceding re-entry closure. First, we underwent replacement of the abdominal aorta, and then successfully performed the Bentall procedure with total aortic arch replacement. The catheter angiography was useful for decision-making for medical treatment.

A 47-year-old man was admitted to our hospital complaining of chest and back pain. Enhanced CT scan revealed Stanford type A acute aortic dissection. The celiac artery (CA) was not enhanced and the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) appeared on the delayed phase. There was a small amount of pericardial effusion. Blood gas analysis showed metabolic acidosis. To treat mesenteric malperfusion, we initially performed thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) by the PETTICOAT technique and stenting to CA and SMA. The acidosis gradually normalized after TEVAR. We then performed surgical central repair (total arch replacement). He temporarily showed paraplegia after the operation but soon recovered by treatment for spinal ischemia. He was discharged 68 days post operatively without any complication. Surgical central repair is not always effective for treating organ ischemia, so endovascular repair before surgical operation is sometimes taken into consideration.

A 57-year-old man complained of dyspnea, and his echocardiography showed diffuse severe left ventricular dysfunction. Five days after admission and starting the treatment for congestive heart failure, a computed tomography pointed out DeBakey type 1 aortic dissection with a patent false lumen incidentally. The ostium of the left coronary artery was compressed with the false lumen, and this finding was thought to be a cause of development of left ventricular dysfunction. A modified Bentall procedure with bioprosthesis and total arch replacement were performed. The patient was discharged on the 28th postoperative day without any complications.

Retrograde type A aortic dissection (RTAD) following thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) is a lethal complication. A 54-year-old woman with bovine aortic arch presented with dilatation of the descending aorta due to chronic type B aortic dissection. She underwent TEVAR in zone 2 for closure of the entry site just below the origin of the left subclavian artery. On the day after TEAVR, she showed right hemiparesis, and was diagnosed with cerebral infarction on MRI and RTAD on CT. She underwent an emergent operation. The entry was at the proximal end of the bovine trunk, where the edge of the bare stent stuck out. We performed partial arch replacement with entry resection. Her postoperative course was uneventful. She was transferred to another hospital for rehabilitation 37 days after the surgery.