Atypical atrial myxomas in two asymptomatic patients: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Atypical cardiac myxomas are a rare occurrence and may present with a variety of clinical manifestations depending on the morphology and location. CASE PRESENTATION: Two cases of cardiac myxomas atypically located in asymptomatic patients, diagnosed by transthoracic and transoesophageal echocardiography, are presented. In the first case a myxoma is located under the anterior mitral valve leaflet and in the second case a myxoma is located in the right atrium. CONCLUSION: We emphasize the leading role of transthoracic and transoesophageal echocardiography in the diagnosis of intracavitary cardiac tumours.

Coronary ostial stenosis after aortic valve replacement: successful treatment of 2 patients with drug-eluting stents.

Coronary ostial stenosis is a rare but potentially serious sequela after aortic valve replacement. It occurs in the left main or right coronary artery after 1% to 5% of aortic valve replacement procedures. The clinical symptoms are usually severe and may appear from 1 to 6 months postoperatively. Although the typical treatment is coronary artery bypass grafting, patients have been successfully treated by means of percutaneous coronary intervention.Herein, we present the cases of 2 patients in whom coronary ostial stenosis developed after aortic valve replacement. In the 1st case, a 72-year-old man underwent aortic valve replacement and bypass grafting of the saphenous vein to the left anterior descending coronary artery. Six months later, he experienced a non-ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction. Coronary angiography revealed a critical stenosis of the right coronary artery ostium. In the 2nd case, a 78-year-old woman underwent aortic valve replacement and grafting of the saphenous vein to an occluded right coronary artery. Four months later, she experienced unstable angina. Coronary angiography showed a critical left main coronary artery ostial stenosis and occlusion of the right coronary artery venous graft. In each patient, we performed percutaneous coronary intervention and deployed a drug-eluting stent. Both patients were asymptomatic on 6-to 12-month follow-up. We attribute the coronary ostial stenosis to the selective ostial administration of cardioplegic solution during surgery. We conclude that retrograde administration of cardioplegic solution through the coronary sinus may reduce the incidence of postoperative coronary ostial stenosis, and that stenting may be an efficient treatment option.

Cartilaginous and osseous metaplasia with bone marrow formation in the aortic valve of a patient with giant cell aortitis.

We describe the case of a 40-year-old man who presented with an ascending aortic aneurysm and aortic valve regurgitation. The patient underwent a Bentall surgical procedure. Pathologic findings were consistent with giant cell aortitis with synchronous cartilaginous and osseous metaplasia with bone marrow formation in the degenerated aortic valve. The coexistence of these findings has not been previously reported in the English language literature.