Iatrogenic left main coronary artery stenosis following aortic valve replacement

A case of severe iatrogenic fibrous left main coronary arterystenosis following aortic valve replacement (Hall-Kaster prosthesis)is documented clinically, angiographically and histologically.Reported histological data of this rare complication of valvereplacement are reviewed. The onset of ischaemic symptoms inthe first six months after valve replacement is highly suggestiveof iatrogenic coronary artery stenosis, and urgent coronaryangiography is recommended.     

Fusarium endocarditis involving aortic valve following coronary artery surgery

This article describes a case of infective aortic valve endocarditisdue to Fusarium oxysporum occurring 4 years after coronary arterybypass grafting. It is the first reported case of endocarditiscaused by Fusarium.     

Leaflet length and left main coronary artery occlusion following transcatheter aortic valve replacement

Coronary artery occlusion during transcatheter aortic valve replacement is a rare complication. However, it is a very severe and life‐threatening event. Although there are some possible causes of this phenomenon, definite etiologies and predictors are unknown because of the small number. We describe one case of left main coronary artery occlusion immediately after deployment of a prosthetic valve. The patient became hypotensive and developed cardiopulmonary arrest. However, the coronary artery was successfully stented with a help of cardiopulmonary bypass and he recovered well. In this case, pre‐procedural computed tomography (CT) showed the adequately high coronary height and no other significant conventional predictor for coronary occlusion. The examinations were retrospectively reviewed and the CT showed a long leaflet compared to the coronary sinus complex. The fluoroscopy appeared to show the long leaflet covering the left main coronary artery ostium immediately after the valve deployment. The height of the coronary artery ostium from the aortic annulus appeared sufficiently high in this case and did not explain the coronary compromise; leaflet length in relation to the coronary sinus dimension seemed more relevant. The ratio between leaflet length and curved coronary sinus height (L/C) may be one novel predictor for coronary artery occlusion. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Percutaneous treatment of the left main coronary artery ostial obstruction following aortic valve replacement.

Iatrogenic left main coronary artery ostial stenosis is a rare and late life-threatening complication of aortic valve replacement. The exact causes of this critical condition, despite being still nowadays elusive, are possibly related to the insertion of perfusion catheters into the left coronary system for cardioplegia delivery. We describe the case of a 69-year-old man, with normal coronary arteries documented by preoperative coronary angiography before surgery, who developed 1 year after aortic valve replacement worsening effort angina. A second coronary angiography revealed a severe left main ostial stem stenosis, which was successfully treated by sirolimus-eluting stent deployment. This case demonstrates a new percutaneous approach of this poorly understood, yet potentially fatal complication following aortic valve replacement.     

Left main coronary artery dissection during cardiac catheterization.

A 70-year-old man with a downward sloping origin of the left main coronary artery developed left main dissection at coronary angiography and died despite emergency coronary by-pass surgery. Autopsy showed that the left main coronary artery had an acute angle take off and dissection had originated at the junction of the superior wall of the left main and the aorta. The combination of left main stenosis secondary to dissection and severe right coronary atherosclerosis had caused circumferential subendocardial left ventricular infarction. The left main coronary artery had mild atherosclerosis and lacked cystic medial necrosis. An angulated left main coronary artery may be a risk factor for dissection at angiography.     

Aspergillus clavatus endocarditis involving a normal aortic valve following coronary artery surgery

Aspergillus species causing endocarditis on a native heart valve is a rare occurrence with an exceedingly high mortality. This report describes a 60-year-old man who developed Aspergillus clavatus endocarditis of the aortic valve 18 months after coronary artery bypass surgery. The aortic valve was angiographically normal on cardiac catheterization performed before coronary artery surgery. Despite aortic valve replacement and amphotericin B therapy, the patient died as a result of Aspergillus species aortitis with occlusion of the coronary ostia and bypass grafts. Coronary artery surgery may be complicated by this highly lethal infection, which is difficult to diagnose and treat.     

Iatrogenic left main coronary artery stenosis after aortic and mitral valve replacement

A case of 48-year old patient, who developed anginal symptoms 3 months after aortic and mitral valves replacement was presented. The patient underwent coronary angiography, which revealed severe left main coronary stenosis. Successful surgery was done with grafting of left anterior descending and circumflex arteries. Opinions on etiology, diagnosis and management of this rare complication are discussed.     

Iatrogenic left main coronary artery stenosis following PTCA or valve replacement

We report three patients who developed iatrogenic severe left main coronary artery stenosis. In two, it was secondary to coronary cannulation during aortic valve replacement and in one it followed distention of the artery during balloon dilatation of a proximal lesion in the left anterior descending artery. In all three, the stenosis was clinically manifest a few months after the intervention. All were successfully treated by aortosaphenous coronary bypass. A common mechanism for the three cases may be mechanical distention of the left main coronary artery resulting in intimal damage with secondary fibrosis and stenosis. The percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty-related stenosis is, to our knowledge, the first reported case of this nature, and represents a previously unrecognized complication of this procedure.     

Fatal rupture of aortic root abscess following native aortic valve enterococcal endocarditis

We describe the case of a 66-year-old male, who was referred to our cardiology department with suspected endocarditis, following an enterococcal bacteremia. Transesophageal echocardiography showed vegetations on a native trileaflet aortic valve. Having been prescribed intravenous amoxicillin and gentamicin, to which he initially responded, the patient became increasingly breathless during the third week of treatment. Although lung fields were clear and there were no changes to a pre-existing heart murmur on physical examination, transthoracic echocardiography and Doppler color flow imaging revealed that an aortic root abscess had ruptured and formed a left-to-right shunt. The patient was transferred to a specialist cardiac center, but was unsuitable for major surgery and died a week later. We discuss this rare and devastating complication of infective endocarditis.     

Aortic valve cusp shearing and migration into the left main coronary artery during transcatheter aortic valve implantation

In inoperable or high-risk patients with severe aortic stenosis, transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) provides an efficacious and safe alternative to surgical aortic valve replacement. In this case report, TAVI resulted in aortic valve cusp shearing and migration into the left main coronary artery, resulting in occlusion of coronary blood flow and cardiac arrest. The patient underwent immediate cardiopulmonary support and surgical intervention with a favourable outcome. With this case report, we illustrate the etiology and management of this complication, which can be recognized nonsurgically only if a high index of suspicion exists.     

Prosthetic aortic valve abscess producing left main coronary artery occlusion in a patient with type IV dual left anterior descending coronary artery

A 22-year-old female with a history of aortic and mitral valve replacement was admitted with a 4-week history of dyspnea and chest pain. Emergency coronary angiography revealed not only external compression of the left main coronary artery due to an aortic root abscess, but also the dual left anterior descending artery arising from the left and right coronary sinus. Although aortic root abscess is a well recognized complication of aortic valve endocarditis, coronary artery compression is an unusual mode of presentation. The binary distribution of the left anterior descending artery may limit the extent of ischemic insult to the anterior wall and thus led to a more insidious clinical course.     

Coronary embolism complicating aortic valve endocarditis: treatment with successful coronary angioplasty

A 59-year-old female was hospitalised with the diagnosis of infective endocarditis. On the fifth day of her antibiotic treatment, she experienced an anterior ST segment elevation myocardial infarction. Emergency transthoracic echocardiography showed that the vegetation on the aortic valve did not exist anymore. It was thought to be an embolic myocardial infarction. Primary percutaneous coronary intervention with conventional balloon angioplasty was performed. TIMI-3 flow was obtained after intervention. Antibiotic treatment was continued for 6 weeks. She was uneventful at the end of the 3-month follow-up.     

Acute left main coronary artery occlusion. Survival following emergent coronary bypass

Emergent aortocoronary bypass surgery for acute myocardial infarction is controversial. We describe a patient with total occlusion of the left main coronary artery associated with acute anterior wall infarction and refractory cardiogenic shock. The patient underwent successful emergent coronary bypass surgery to manage refractory cardiogenic shock. He has subsequently experienced a prolonged survival (60 months postsurgery). This report suggests that emergent aortocoronary bypass surgery should be considered in patients with acute myocardial infarction with refractory cardiogenic shock in whom other forms of reperfusion are unsuccessful.     

Cholesterol embolism after cardiac catheterization mimicking infective endocarditis

We present a 65-year-old man with rheumatic combined valvular heart disease showing persistent fever 3 weeks after diagnostic cardiac catheterization. Infective endocarditis was strongly suspected from the clinical course, however, serial blood cultures were negative. Transesophageal echocardiography, done to investigate vegetation, revealed multiple mobile plaques in the descending aorta. Administration of both steroid and simvastatin improved both symptoms and renal function. Cholesterol embolism should be considered to be one of the possible causes of low-grade fever after cardiac catheterization especially in patients with anticoagulation.     

Catastrophic left main coronary artery occlusion following diagnostic coronary angiography: salvage by emergency left main coronary artery stenting

Acute occlusion of left main coronary artery after diagnostic angiography can be rapidly fatal. We describe two patients with left main disease that developed cardiac arrest shortly after diagnostic coronary angiography. They were both successfully treated with emergency left main stenting while cardiopulmonary resuscitation was being performed. Patients with left main disease should be carefully monitored after diagnostic angiography to allow prompt recognition of acute occlusion. Emergency stenting may be required for salvaging the patients.