A Case of Infectious Pseudoaneurysms of the Left Subclavian Artery and Abdominal Aorta in a Patient with a Metal Allergy / 日本心臓血管外科学会雑誌

We report a case of surgery for an infectious left subclavian artery aneurysm in a patient with metal allergy. The patient was a 41-year-old man allergic to iron, silver, manganese, and chromium. He had received a Nitinol stent in the left subclavian artery at a previous hospital. One stent had fallen out during implantation, and was put away in the terminal aorta. Ten days after the left subclavian implantation, the patient developed left shoulder pain and fever, which continued for 2 weeks. Contrastenhanced CT scan revealed a pseudoaneurysm of the left subclavian artery and abdominal aortitis. The patient underwent left subclavian artery aneurysmectomy, aorto-left subclavian artery bypass using the great saphenous vein, and removal of the stents in the left subclavian artery and abdominal aorta. The surgery was performed through a median sternotomy with cardiopulmonary support. A contrast-enhanced CT scan taken on the 12th postoperative day revealed a pseudoaneurysm of the abdominal aorta, and the patient underwent abdominal aortic artery replacement surgery on the 14th postoperative day. The patient was discharged from the hospital on the 27th day after the first surgery. The treatment of an aneurysm should be selected according to the patient’s background as well as anatomical factors.

Successful Stentless Aortic Valve Replacement Navigated by VR Images in a Case of Bicuspid Aortic Stenosis with Valsalva Sinus Asymmetry / 日本心臓血管外科学会雑誌

SOLO SMART is a stentless bioprosthesis that comprises a larger effective orifice area and reduced pressure gradient, exhibiting a better hemodynamic profile than a stented bioprostheses. Currently, SOLO SMART finds application in patients with aortic valve diseases. However, patients with bicuspid aortic valve disease may present Valsalva sinus asymmetry. Recently, some studies have considered SOLO bioprosthesis as contraindicated in patients with a bicuspid aortic valve. Here, we report the case of a 79-year-old female with bicuspid aortic stenosis and Valsalva sinus asymmetry. We preoperatively assessed the aortic root of the patient using a novel 3D workstation that creates virtual reality (VR) images from cardiac CT data. After creating three symmetric commissures at the wall of the Valsalva sinus, we evaluated the distance from the coronary orifices. We determined the appropriate suture line of bioprosthesis avoid coronary orifice occlusion. Aortic valve replacement with SOLO SMART was successful, and the postoperative clinical course was uneventful. Hence, preoperative evaluation of the aortic root using VR images could be a precise and useful method for the assessment of the operative indication for SOLO SMART.

A Stent Graft Infection after Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair / 日本心臓血管外科学会雑誌

We present a rare case of stent graft infection. A 69-year-old man, who had undergone endovascular repair of an abdominal aortic aneurysm with an Inoue stent graft 5 years previously, was admitted with high-grade fever. An abscess around an abdominal aortic aneurysm was found on abdominal computed tomography (CT) and he was given a diagnosis of stent graft infection. The stent graft was removed and vascular reconstruction was performed using a Gelweave graft bonded with rifampicin. The graft was then covered with the greater omentum, and he was discharged on the 27th postoperative day.