Successful Reoperation for Anastomotic Pseudoaneurysm Fistulation into the Right Pulmonary Artery / 日本心臓血管外科学会雑誌

A 71-year-old man presented to our hospital with sudden-onset epigastric pain. He reported a history of undergoing the following operations : aortic valve replacement for aortic regurgitation 11 years earlier and graft replacement of the ascending aorta for acute type A aortic dissection, 1 year earlier. His systolic blood pressure was 70 mmHg, and computed tomography revealed a pseudoaneurysm of the distal anastomosis of the ascending aorta with a connection to the right pulmonary artery. Cardiopulmonary bypass was established with cannulation of the right axillary artery and the right femoral vein, and systemic cooling was initiated before sternotomy. We identified an area showing 3 cm dehiscence at the distal aortic anastomosis after hypothermic circulatory arrest and selective cerebral perfusion. The ascending aorta was replaced as hemiarch replacement, and the defect in the right pulmonary artery was closed with bovine pericardium. The patient's postoperative course was uneventful, and he was transferred to a rehabilitation hospital on the 22nd postoperative day.

Aortic Valve Replacement for Two Siblings with Mucolipidosis Type III / 日本心臓血管外科学会雑誌

Mucolipidosis is an autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disorder that demonstrates a clinical resemblance to mucopolysaccharidosis. Accumulation of glycoproteins throughout the body causes dysfunction of several organs, in particular, valvular heart diseases are an important cause of mortality, however, there is no consensus guideline regarding the indications and optimal timing of the surgical repair because of the unclear and short natural history. Here we present 12- and 15-year-old siblings diagnosed with mucolipidosis who underwent aortic valve replacement. The senior sibling received redo-aortic valve replacement for prosthetic valve dysfunction 11 years after the initial surgery. A few surgical valve replacements in patients with mucopolysaccharidosis have been reported, however, there is no published case of aortic valve replacements in two siblings with mucolipidosis.

Three Cases of Infected Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm and <i>In</i>-<i>Situ </i>Repacement of the Affected Segment with a Prosthesis or Cryopreserved Arterial Homograft / 日本心臓血管外科学会雑誌

We encountered three cases of infra-renal infected abdominal aortic aneurysm in 2007 and 2008. Preoperative blood culture was positive in two of the three patients. All of the patients presented with fever of unknown origin. We replaced the affected segment of the abdominal aorta with a synthetic graft in 1 patient, and with a cryopreserved arterial homograft in the remaining 2 patients. An infected abdominal aortic aneurysm is a life-threatening condition. Diagnosis is often difficult, and emergency surgery may be necessitated by rupture of the aneurysm. Our experience suggests that computed tomography is effective for the diagnosis of infected aneurysms. The most effective surgical technique consists of complete resection of the aneurysm, <i>in</i>-<i>situ </i>replacement of the affected aortic segment with a synthetic graft or homograft, and omental coverage.