ABSTRACT
A 65-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital complaining of chest pain in 2012. Coronary computed tomography angiogram revealed left main coronary artery atresia (LMCAA) with congenital absence of the left main trunk, and LAD received several collaterals perfusing from the RCA. She was observed because her symptoms were transient. However, her dyspnea on effort gradually became worse in 2016. Treadmill exercise electrocardiography showed ST depression in II・III・aVF and V4-6. Also, echocardiography showed severe MR due to the prolapse of the anterior leaflet and moderate TR. We performed mitral valve plasty and tricuspid valve plasty, and coronary artery bypass grafting using the left internal thoracic artery to the left descending artery in March, 2017. The postoperative course was uneventful. She was discharged in good condition 14 days after operation. LMCAA is a rare coronary anomaly. There are only 53 published case reports, and a few surgical reports in adult cases. This is a rare adult case of surgical treatment of LMCAA.
ABSTRACT
A 69-year-old woman had syncope and aphasia. Magnetic resonance imaging showed multiple cerebral infarctions in both hemispheres. Cardiogenic embolisms were suspected, but no arrhythmic causes were shown. Transesophageal echocardiography revealed a highly calcified mitral annulus (MAC) with a rough intraluminal surface and mild mitral regurgitation, but no thrombus or tumor in the left heart system. However, recurrent multiple cerebral embolisms occurred in spite of strict anticoagulation therapy. We speculated that spontaneous rupture of the MAC was the cause of the scattered cerebral embolisms, and we therefore planned to remove the MAC as safely as possible and to endothelialize the deficit of MAC with autologous pericardium. Operative findings revealed that the MAC in P2-P3 had ruptured longitudinally and the ostium of the left atrium was connected to the ostium of the left ventricle as an inter-atrioventricular tunnel beneath the posterior mitral annulus with a fragile calcified wall. The finding suggested that calcified particles that had peeled away from the MAC by normal heart beating resulted in the cerebral infarctions. Therefore, she underwent resection of the MAC and mitral valve replacement with reinforcement of the decalcified posterior mitral annulus between the posterior left ventricular wall and the left atrial wall using autologous pericardium, which enabled both appropriate insertion of a mechanical prosthetic valve and endothelial continuity covering the surface of the residual MAC. No systemic embolism has occurred for two and a half years after surgery. This is the first case report of cerebral embolism caused by a spontaneously ruptured MAC.
ABSTRACT
A 48-year-old man with Buerger disease and intractable finger ulcers underwent successful transplantation of autologous peripheral blood-derived mononuclear cells pretreated with erythropoietin and blood donation to activate bone marrow function. Clinical symptoms on his finger ulcers improved significantly within 1 month after mononuclear cell transplantation, however, one of the intractable ulcers reappeared 2 months later. In total three transplantations were performed. Every cell transplantation revealed similar effectiveness 1 month later, and the interval of the subsequent disappearance of finger ulcers ranged from 3–6 months. There were no adverse effects based on this new therapy. These findings suggest that autologous peripheral mononuclear cell transplantation pretreated with erythropoietin and blood donation might be a non-invasive and safe alternatives for patients with Buerger disease and intractable finger ulcers.