Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery (Feb 2019)

Internal thoracic artery patch repair of a saccular left main coronary artery aneurysm

  • Tomohiro Iwakura,
  • Kouji Toguchi,
  • Ippei Kato,
  • Noriko Asakawa

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13019-019-0868-0
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 14, no. 1
pp. 1 – 4

Abstract

Read online

Abstract Background A saccular aneurysm located at the bifurcation of the left main coronary artery (LMCA) is an extremely rare condition. A major cause of left main coronary aneurysm is atherosclerosis, and common complications include thrombosis, embolism, and rupture. Despite the serious nature of this condition, the ideal operative approach to LMCA aneurysm (LMCAA) has not been established. Furthermore, little is known about resection of the saccular aneurysm and closure using a small internal thoracic artery patch. Case presentation Here, we present the case of a 66-year-old woman who had significant stenosis in the left anterior descending artery and a saccular aneurysm at the bifurcation of the LMCAA, which was repaired using a small internal thoracic artery patch during coronary artery bypass grafting. Postoperative multislice computed tomography revealed the complete disappearance of the aneurysm and a successful repair with no luminal stenosis of the internal thoracic artery patch. In addition, the left internal thoracic artery graft was found to be patent. Conclusions Resection of the saccular LMCA aneurysm and closure using a small internal thoracic artery patch is safe and offer excellent results.

Keywords