Thoracic endovascular aortic repair and off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting after renal transplantation: a case report

Twelve years after receiving a renal transplant, a 50-year-old woman developed asthmatic symptoms. Chest CT revealed a descending thoracic aortic aneurysm. She had undergone percutaneous coronary intervention to treat the left anterior descending artery 10 years earlier. Coronary artery angiography revealed restenosis of the left anterior descending artery (99%, #6 in-stent). Because cardiopulmonary bypass may cause problems for transplanted kidney, we performed off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (left internal thoracic artery to left anterior descending artery) and thoracic endovascular graft placement to treat the aortic aneurysm. Considering that the artery of the transplanted kidney was attached to the right iliac artery, and then the left common femoral artery was selected as the access root for GORE TAG(?) endografts (34 × 200 and 34 × 150 mm) (stentgrafts were deployed for the descending aortic artery). Postoperative angiography showed a patent bypass graft. Postoperative CT confirmed the absence of endoleaks. The postoperative course was uneventful, and she was discharged without complications. Ischemic heart disease and descending thoracic aortic aneurysm in recipients of kidney transplants can be treated using off-pump coronary bypass grafting and thoracic endovascular graft placement. The transplanted kidney was protected without using cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB).     

Coronary artery bypass grafting in a case with severe aortic atheromatosis associated with abdominal aortic aneurysm

A 69-year-old man with coronary artery disease associated with abdominal aortic aneurysm underwent a one-stage operation utilizing a low-flow cardiopulmonary bypass. Ordinary cardiopulmonary bypass was abandoned as a result of severe atheromatous finding in the entire aorta. However, coronary artery bypass grafting without cardiopulmonary bypass was hazardous as a result of heart enlargement and deteriorating function. Therefore, the abdominal aortic aneurysm was frist replaced with a bifurcated graft. Coronary artery bypass grafting with two arterial grafts was then performed successfully on the beating heart with the support of a low-flow cardiopulmonary bypass connected to the bifurcated graft.     

Coronary artery bypass grafting in a case with severe aortic atheromatosis associated with abdominal aortic aneurysm.

A 69-year-old man with coronary artery disease associated with abdominal aortic aneurysm underwent a one-stage operation utilizing a low-flow cardiopulmonary bypass. Ordinary cardiopulmonary bypass was abandoned as a result of severe atheromatous finding in the entire aorta. However, coronary artery bypass grafting without cardiopulmonary bypass was hazardous as a result of heart enlargement and deteriorating function. Therefore, the abdominal aortic aneurysm was first replaced with a bifurcated graft. Coronary artery bypass grafting with two arterial grafts was then performed successfully on the beating heart with the support of a low-flow cardiopulmonary bypass connected to the bifurcated graft.     

Combined resection of coronary and innominate artery aneurysms

Coexistent aneurysms of the coronary and inominate arteries are extremely rare. We present the case of a 28-year-old male with an aneurysm of the left anterior descending coronary artery and an aneurysm of the inominate artery presenting with hoarseness and severely depressed left ventricular function (ejection fraction of 25%). He underwent successful surgical resection of both aneurysms. The inominate artery aneurysm was excised and the brachiocephalic trunk was reconstructed off-pump. The coronary artery aneurysm was excised and distal aorto-coronary bypass grafting was done on cardiopulmonary bypass.     

Reoperative off-pump subclavian-coronary artery bypass grafting in an elderly patient with left internal thoracic artery stenosis]

A 80-year-old Japanese female was diagnosed to have angina pectoris and admitted to our hospital. She had been operated on with mitral valve replacement and coronary artery bypass grafting to right and circumflex coronary artery 4 years before. The coronary angiogram showed significant stenosis with severe calcification in the left anterior descending coronary artery, and it was unsuitable for catheter intervention. The patient also had stenotic left internal thoracic artery and multiple cerebral infarction, but successful off-pump subclavian-coronary artery bypass grafting using saphenous vein graft through small thoracotomy was performed without new neurological deficit. This procedure is useful for patients with left internal thoracic artery unsuitable for MIDCABG, due to quality, size, or injury during preparation.     

Coronary subclavian steal syndrome; report of a case

A 64-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with chief complaint of chest discomfort. He received coronary artery bypass grafting utilizing the in situ left internal thoracic artery 10 years ago. Coronary and left subclavian artery angiogram revealed coronary subclavian steal syndrome and 90% stenosis in the proximal left subclavin artery. Ultrasonography of neck vessels demonstrated 75% stenosis in the bifurcation of left carotid artery. We performed axilloaxillary artery bypass grafting to avoid brain ischemia. Myocardial thallium scintigraphy on dipyridamole testing after axilloaxillary artery bypass grafting could not detect myocardial ischemia. Axilloaxillary artery bypass grafting was effective for coronary subclavian steal syndrome.     

Surgical treatment of coronary aneurysm after percutaneous coronary intervention

A 61-year-old man with acute myocardial infarction underwent percutaneous coronary intervention with stent for the left main coronary artery (LMT) and the left anterior descending artery (LAD). Three months later, we recognized the LMT aneurysm complicated with possible thrombus formation, which developed in size during 6 months. In addition, the LAD stent showed significant in-stent stenosis. For the purpose of supplying blood flow to the distal of LAD, and avoiding myocardial infarction due to distal thrombosis possibly originated from LMT aneurysm, we decided to perform surgical operation. On preoperative examination, this patient had an obstruction of the right internal carotid artery. Although the direct repair of LMT aneurysm requires conventional approach with cardiopulmonary bypass, we applied off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting( OPCAB) considering the risk of cerebrovascular event. Consequently, OPCAB was performed in usual fashion [right internal thoracic artery (RITA) -LAD, left internal thoracic artery-left circumflex artery (LITA-LCX)] followed by the ligation of the proximal of LAD and LCX without cardiopulmonary bypass. The patient had a good operative course.     

Off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting in a patient with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria.

Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria has not been described in patients undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting. A 65-year-old man who underwent percutaneous coronary stenting to the proximal left anterior descending artery for unstable angina was readmitted to our hospital complaining of recurrent chest pains. A coronary angiography revealed in-stent restenosis and new lesions of the distal left anterior descending artery as well as the left circumflex artery branch. He was found to have paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria which contributes to serious surgical complications including infection, bleeding, hemolysis and acute renal failure. After pancytopenia was treated with administration of granulocyte colony stimulating factor and transfusion of the washed red blood cells preoperatively, off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting was performed. Cardiopulmonary bypass was avoided in order to reduce activation of complements. His postoperative course was uneventful. Combination of appropriate perioperative management and off-pump cardiac surgery yielded an effective result in treating this patient without major complications.     

Off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting in a patient with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria

Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria has not been described in patients undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting. A 65-year-old man who underwent percutaneous coronary stenting to the proximal left anterior descending artery for unstable angina was readmitted to our hospital complaining of recurrent chest pains. A coronary angiography revealed in-stent restenosis and new lesions of the distal left anterior descending artery as well as the left circumflex artery branch. He was found to have paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria which contributes to serious surgical complications including infection, bleeding, hemolysis and acute renal failure. After pancytopenia was treated with administration of granulocyte colony stimulating factor and transfusion of the washed red blood cells preoperatively, off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting was performed. Cardiopulmonary bypass was avoided in order to reduce activation of complements. His postoperative course was uneventful. Combination of appropriate perioperative management and off-pump cardiac surgery yielded an effective result in treating this patient without major complications.     

Pseudoaneurysm developed after aortic root homograft implantation

A 55-year-old man with severe infective endocarditis underwent aortic root replacement using a homograft concomitant with saphenous vein grafting to the left anterior descending artery. The patient developed angina due to stenosis of the proximal anastomosis of the vein graft accompanied by a 2-cm pseudoaneurysm. This complex lesion was successfully managed with urgent coronary artery bypass surgery through a left thoracotomy, followed by a redo replacement of the old aortic homograft The mechanism and the basis of the treatment strategy adopted for this case are described.     

Left circumflex coronary aneurysm with separated left main trunk

We report a left circumflex coronary aneurysm associated with separated left main coronary trunks (LMT). A 66-year-old man was admitted to our hospital for further examination of dyspnea on effort. He has been performed maintenance hemodialysis since 1999 for chronic renal failure. Coronary angiography and multislice spiral computed tomography (CT) revealed an unusual coronary anatomic variance in which separate origins of the left anterior descending (LAD) and left circumflex (LCx) coronary arteries arose from the left coronary aortic sinus. Furthermore, these images of the LCx revealed an aneurysm 2 cm in diameter and 99% stenosis at the proximal of side of the aneurysm. Under cardioplegic arrest, the aneurysm was ligated and coronary artery bypass grafting (left thoracic artery to posterolateral branch) was performed. The patient was discharged at the 20th postoperative day without any complication.     

Combined operation for left atrial myxoma, mitral regurgitation, coronary artery stenosis and abdominal aortic aneurysm

A 68-year-old male patient with a left atrial myxoma, mitral regurgitation, ischemic heart disease and abdominal aortic aneurysm underwent resection of the myxoma, mitral valve replacement, 4 coronary artery bypass grafting and replacement of the aneurysm simultaneously. The aneurysm was replaced under partial cardiopulmonary bypass. Combined cardiac and abdominal aortic operation is useful in selected patients who require IABP support postoperatively or whose cardiac function is poor.     

Lateral femoral circumflex artery for coronary artery bypass surgery in a patient receiving hemodialysis: report of a case

A 59-year-old man receiving hemodialysis had a 2-vessel coronary disease. We performed double coronary artery bypass grafting with the left internal thoracic artery to the left anterior descending artery, and the composite graft of right internal thoracic artery and lateral femoral circumflex artery to the right coronary artery. Postoperative coronary angiogram showed that the LFCA bypass graft was widely patent and supplied sufficient blood to the anastomosed vessel. There was no stenosis at the anastomotic site. He had no postoperative complication. Long-term follow-up and more cases is necessary to establish the usefulness of LFCA as an arterial free graft for coronary revascularization in patients receiving hemodialysis.     

Coronary artery bypass grafting and replacement of aortic root and ascending aorta; report of a case

An 87-year-old man was referred to our hospital for chest oppression and syncope attack due to aortic stenosis. Further examination revealed severe aortic stenosis (pressure gradient of 107 mmHg, aortic valve area of 0.75 cm2), ascending aortic aneurysm (60 mm in diameter) and triple-vessel disease of coronary arteries. Therefore, a surgical operation was indicated electively. Under cardiopulmonary bypass with normothermia, coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) was performed. Then the aortic root and the ascending aorta were replaced with a Freestyle valve (27 mm) and a woven Dacron graft (30 mm Hemashield with 1 branch), respectively. Duration of cardiopulmonary bypass and aortic cross-clamp was 267 and 203 minutes, respectively. Postoperative course was uneventful. On the 14th postoperative day, he underwent coronary and graft angiography, which showed all the grafts were patent with good flow. He was successfully discharged on the 19th postoperative day.     

Combined off-pump CABG (OPCAB) and abdominal vascular surgery]

Two simultaneous operations for off-pump CABG (OPCAB) and abdominal vascular surgery were performed safely and effectively. [Case 1] A 52-year-old man was admitted with the right intermittent claudication and angina pectoris. Coronary angiography and aortography showed 90% stenosis of left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) and the right external iliac artery. The patient underwent 1 CABG using left internal thoracic artery (ITA) without cardiopulmonary bypass and abdominal aorta--the right external iliac bypass simultaneously. Bleeding volume during the operation was only 150 ml. The operation time was 3 hours 50 minutes. [Case 2] A 57-year-old man was referred from the other hospital with complaints of abdominal aortic aneurysm. He had the history of 4 stroke attacks caused by idiopathic aldosteronism. Preoperative coronary angiography and aortography showed severe 3 vessels disease and abdominal aortic aneurysm. First, we harvested bilateral ITAs, the right gastroepiploic artery (GEA) and saphenous vein (SV). The complete revascularization (left ITA-LAD, right ITA-1st diagonal branch, GEA-seg. 4 posterodescending branch, SV graft-posterolateral branch) was performed on the beating heart. Then we repaired the abdominal aortic aneurysm (56 mm in diameter) using a Gelsealed Y-graft. The operative course was uneventful. The operation time was 6 hours 15 minutes. These cases suggested that OPCAB technique combined with abdominal vascular surgery reduced operation time and prevented complication in the patient with the risk of brain trouble.     

Off-pump bypass grafting is safe in patients with left main coronary disease

BACKGROUND: Because of a concern about the ability to tolerate beating heart grafting, patients with left main coronary artery stenosis have been excluded from off-pump bypass. We reviewed our experience with off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting for patients with left main coronary artery disease. METHODS: Eight hundred twenty-three patients underwent bypass grafting for left main coronary artery disease from January 1998 to October 1999. One hundred patients were revascularized without the use of cardiopulmonary bypass and compared with a contemporaneous cohort of 723 patients who underwent grafting with the aid of cardiopulmonary bypass. All patients had multivessel grafting performed through a sternotomy. RESULTS: There was one death (1%) in the group undergoing off-pump grafting as compared with a 30-day mortality of 4.7% (p = 0.059) in the on-pump group. Univariate analysis established that patients revascularized without cardiopulmonary bypass were significantly less likely to require postoperative inotropic support (23% versus 62%, p < 0.001) and transfusion (35% versus 67%, p < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis revealed that cardiopulmonary bypass was an independent risk factor for mortality (odds ratio, 7.3; 95% confidence interval, 1.34 to 138.4). CONCLUSIONS: Coronary artery bypass grafting using off-pump techniques are safe and effective in left main coronary artery disease.     

Off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting as re-do surgery in two cases in which the right gastroepiploic artery was grafted to the right coronary artery

Transdiaphragmatic off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB) to the right coronary artery, is an effective way to reduce the risks of second bypass surgery as well as the risk of graft injury after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). We report two cases of successful OPCAB as re-do surgery in which the right gastroepiploic artery (RGEA) was grafted to the right coronary artery. The first case was a 58-year-old woman, who underwent CABG 10 years ago. OPCAB (RGEA to right coronary artery) was performed since myocardial perfusion scintigraphy revealed ischemia in the inferior wall. The second case was a 67-year-old man who had hypertension, hyperlipidemia, peripheral arterial disease, and was undergoing dialysis (for 6 years). Six years previously, he developed a mycotic aneurysm of the right coronary artery and underwent open-heart surgery. He often had episodes of angina at night or during dialysis, and then developed congestive heart failure and was hospitalized. Since ischemia was considered to be in the inferior wall, the RGEA was grafted to the right coronary artery.     

A combined operation of coronary revascularization, abdominal aortic aneurysmectomy and femoro-popliteal bypass]

A 71-year-old male with abdominal aortic aneurysm, coronary artery disease and obstructive peripheral arteriosclerosis successfully underwent a combined operation of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), replacement of abdominal aortic aneurysm and femoro-popliteal bypass. In this combined operation, the right gastroepiploic artery (GEA) is suitable as a bypass graft, because a laparotomy is required for abdominal aortic aneurysmectomy. And the usage of arterial grafts such as GEA and the left internal thoracic artery (LITA) is reasonable in terms of avoiding hazardous proximal anastomosis and reducing the operating time.     

Two cases of coronary artery aneurysm including one case of the left main coronary artery aneurysm

We report two cases of coronary artery aneurysm including one case of the left main coronary artery aneurysm. The coronary angiogram of one patient, a 68-year-old male, having anterior chest pain on exertion, revealed left anterior descending coronary artery (segment 6) aneurysm of 7 mm in diameter with 90% stenosis distal to the aneurysm and 75% stenosis in the right coronary artery (segment 2). The coronary angiogram of another patient, a 69-year-old female, having chest pain unrelated to exertion, revealed left main coronary artery aneurysm of 25 mm in diameter and delayed filling of contrast medium into the left anterior descending coronary artery. We decided to operate by the reason of not only significant coronary artery stenosis but risks of myocardial infarction due to embolization inot distal coronary arteries and rupture of the aneurysm. We performed coronary artery bypass graftings using the great saphenous veins and closure of the coronary arteries running into and out the aneurysm under cardiopulmonary bypass. It is recomended that ligation of the coronary arteries connecting to the aneurysm or resection of the aneurysm followed by coronary artery bypass grafting is performed before developing myocardial infarction or rupture of aneurysm.     

Operation of coronary artery aneurysm after previous coronary artery bypass grafting

A 43-year-old male, who had undergone coronary artery bypass grafting 11 years ago, developed exertional chest pain. Selective coronary angiograms revealed severe stenosis and a large aneurysm in the obtuse marginal branch of the circumflex coronary artery. Previous grafts to the left anterior descending coronary artery and diagonal branch were patent. Ligation of the aneurysm and internal mammary artery grafting were performed through a left anterolateral thoracotomy. This approach made it easy to reach the aneurysm and to minimize bleeding during dissecting the adhesions. The patient had an uncomplicated postoperative course, and postoperative coronary angiograms revealed an obstructed aneurysm and a patient internal mammary artery graft. He has done well without recurrence of symptoms.