[Valve plasty for mitral regurgitation caused by partial papillary muscle rupture after acute myocardial infarction;report of a case].

A 58-year-old woman was referred to our hospital because of acute myocardial infarction. Percutaneous coronary intervention for total occlusion of the circumflex coronary artery was performed successfully. However, she had heart failure that was gradually getting worse because of mitral valve regurgitation. Therefore, we performed valve plasty using the resection and suture method for mitral regurgitation caused by partial papillary muscle rupture. Her postoperative course was uneventful, and she was discharged on postoperative day 26. At 6 months after the operation, her functional status was New York Heart Association(NYHA) class I and transthoracic echocardiogram showed no mitral regurgitation( MR).

Mitral valve replacement and septal myectomy for hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy.

A 76-year-old woman with a diagnosis of hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy was referred to our hospital's surgical department. Her echocardiogram revealed diffuse left ventricular hypertrophy, moderate mitral valve regurgitation with systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve, and left ventricular obstruction with a peak outflow gradient of 108 mm Hg. We performed a transaortic rectangular septal myectomy with an incision at a width, depth, and length of 1 cm, 1 cm, and 3 cm, respectively. However, the transesophageal echocardiogram revealed residual left ventricular obstruction and systolic anterior motion, and we subsequently replaced the mitral valve with a mechanical valve. The patient's postoperative course was uneventful, and the peak outflow gradient decreased to 15 mm Hg. Although transaortic septal myectomy is the most common surgery currently used for hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy, mitral valve replacement should remain an option in patients with diffuse left ventricular hypertrophy who fail to improve after myectomy alone.

Recurrent upper limb ischaemia due to a crutch-induced brachial artery aneurysm.

An 83-year old man who had used bilateral axillary crutches for 67 years was referred to our hospital for acute left upper limb ischaemia. He underwent successful recanalization through emergent catheter thromboembolectomy. However, a crutch-induced left brachial artery aneurysm was subsequently detected by computed tomography. Therefore, we performed aneurysm exclusion and subsequent saphenous vein bypass grafting. When a crutch user presents with upper limb ischaemia, a high index of suspicion and early identification of the crutch induced vascular injury are mandatory for appropriate treatment.

Posterior leaflet extension with a patch of bovine pericardium for type IIIb mitral regurgitation.

A 36-year-old man was referred to our hospital because of heart failure, and severe mitral regurgitation due to restriction of the posterior mitral leaflet was detected by an echocardiogram. We performed posterior leaflet extension with a patch of bovine pericardium. The postoperative course was uneventful, and the patient was discharged on postoperative day 23. Posterior leaflet extension is useful for mitral regurgitation due to posterior leaflet restriction.

[Combined valve surgery in end-stage renal disease patient with porcelain aorta and mitral annulus calcification].

A 66-year-old woman, who had been receiving regular hemodialysis for 11 years, was referred to our hospital because of heart failure due to combined valve disease complicated by porcelain aorta and mitral annulus calcification. We performed ascending aortic replacement under hypothermic arrest, and double valve replacement and tricuspid valve annuloplasty during rewarming. It was noted that the annulus of P3 of mitral valve had been replaced with atherosclerotic plaque containing calcification. We did not perform débridement. We placed non-everted horizontal mattress sutures from the left ventricle to the atrium on the anterior annulus and P1 to P2 annulus, and everted horizontal mattress sutures on the left atrial wall close to the calcified P3 annulus. Then, we successfully replaced the mitral valve with a 23-mm St. Jude Medical valve in a supra-annular position. The patient was discharged from the hospital 44 days after the operation.

Transtricuspid approach in redo surgery for post-infarction ventricular septal rupture.

A 59-year-old man, who had been treated using the infarction exclusion technique for inferior post-infarction ventricular septal rupture (VSR) 4 months previously, was readmitted because of deterioration of mitral valve regurgitation, residual shunt, and progression of pulmonary hypertension. We performed mitral valve replacement via the transseptal approach, patch closure of the defect via the transtricuspid approach, and tricuspid valve annuloplasty. The post-operative course was uneventful. The transtricuspid approach is useful in redo surgery for post-infarction VSR.

[Acute massive pulmonary thromboembolism treated with percutaneous cardiopulmonary support perioperatively].

A 57-year-old female was transferred to our hospital because of sudden dyspnea. She was hypotensive and hypoxic. Acute massive pulmonary thromboembolism was detected by echocardiography and computed tomography (CT). Before the operation, she fell into severe shock and needed cardiopulmonary resuscitation. We applied percutaneous cardiopulmonary support (PCPS), and performed emergency open embolectomy under total cardiopulmonary bypass. Because of the right ventricular failure, she could not be weaned from total cardiopulmonary bypass. PCPS was required again and used continuously during postoperative management. Her cardiopulmonary state improved gradually. PCPS was stopped at 6 days after surgery, and she was extubated at 14 days after surgery. PCPS was very useful for resuscitation and stabilization of the cardiopulmonary function for acute massive pulmonary thromboembolism perioperatively.

Mycotic pseudoaneurysm of the brachiocephalic artery.

A 73-year-old woman with a history of hypertension and hyperlipidemia presented with a sharp pain ranging from the right shoulder to the upper limb. She had suffered a sharp pain at rest accompanied by general fatigue and nausea for about ten months prior to admission. Her white blood cell count was 12,800/microl, and her serum C-reactive protein was 17.5 mg/dl. A chest computed tomography scan revealed an aneurysmal change of the origin of the brachiocephalic artery. Pseudoaneurysm due to infection and aortic dissection was considered as a preoperative diagnosis. A total arch replacement was performed under cardiopulmonary bypass, deep hypothermia, and selective cerebral perfusion. Postoperatively, a bacteriologic culture of the contents of the aneurysm revealed Staphylococcus aureus. Perioperative administration of antibiotics was effective and the postoperative course was uneventful.

Protruding thrombus in the left atrium found 7 years after percutaneous transvenous mitral commissurotomy: report of a case.

A 50-year-old man was transferred to our hospital for investigation of cerebellar infarction, thought to have been caused by cardiac thromboembolism. We assumed that the cardiac thromboembolism had occurred as a late complication of a percutaneous transvenous mitral commissurotomy (PTMC) performed 7 years earlier. An echocardiogram and thoracic computed tomography revealed a protruding thrombus in the left atrium and an emergency operation was performed. The protruding thrombus was found to originate from the scar that penetrated into the intra-atrial muscular septum caused by the PTMC. After removing the thrombus, the scar was covered with normal endothelium and the mitral valve was replaced with a 27-mm St. Jude Medical prosthetic valve. We think that the thromboembolism was caused by mitral valve restenosis, atrial fibrillation, and endothelial injury in the interatrial septum during PTMC. Therefore, long-term follow-up and appropriate medication is recommended after PTMC, since restenosis and thrombosis are likely to occur.