Case report: Surgical repair for left main coronary artery to right atrium fistula with endocarditis.

Coronary artery fistula (CAF) is a rare coronary anomaly defined as a communication between coronary artery and other heart chambers or vascular structures. In this case report, a 32-year-old woman with a giant left main coronary artery to the right atrium fistula with endocarditis was presented. CAF was diagnosed by transthoracic echocardiography and subsequently confirmed by cardiac computerized tomographic and coronary angiography. The patient received antibiotic treatment for infective endocarditis for 6 weeks preoperatively. The fistula was successfully treated with surgical repair. The patient is well now after 18 months of follow-up.

Surgical Management of Pericardial Cysts: A Single-Center Retrospective Study.

Introduction Pericardial cysts (PCs) are infrequent, non-malignant, and congenital abnormalities. The identification and treatment of PCs remain a significant challenge, with limited research on surgical management. Methods We performed a retrospective study of patients with PCs who underwent surgical intervention at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from February 2002 to December 2022. Results A total of 55 patients underwent surgery due to PCs during the study period. Thirty-one were females and 24 were males. The average age of the patients was 44.7 ± 12.9 (six to 63 years old). PCs were located in the right hemithorax in 50 (90.9%) patients and left hemithorax in five (9.1%) patients. Approach methods were video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) in 43 (78.2%) cases; thoracotomy in 11 (20%) cases, and median sternotomy in one (1.8%) cases. The average postoperative hospitalization period was 5.6 days (two to 14 days). Three patients developed postoperative complications (two pleural effusion, one pneumonia), whereas no mortality was observed in any patient due to the operation. Forty-one patients (74.5%) were followed up for three months to eight years postoperatively, during which no recurrent cysts were detected. Conclusion In this single-center retrospective study, we demonstrated that pericardial cyst cure is an appropriate operation according to cyst characteristics. VATS has been shown to be highly effective and safe in patients with PCs, offering the advantage of reducing postoperative morbidity efficiently.