scholarly journals Low Origin of the Coronary Arteries and a Small Aortic Annulus Complicating Aortic Valve Replacement

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 222-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milinda Withana ◽  
Carlo Uribe ◽  
Igor D. Gregoric ◽  
Paolo Angelini

Low origin of the coronary arteries, defined as an origin less than 10 mm above the functional aortic annulus, is not usually considered to be a notable anomaly because functional impairment is not intrinsic. We describe a case of severe complications after surgical aortic valve replacement in a 59-year-old woman who had symptomatic aortic valve stenosis, low origin of both main coronary arteries, and a hypoplastic aortic annulus less than 19 mm in diameter. The aortic prosthesis had to be implanted above the hypoplastic anatomic annulus. An inferior-wall myocardial infarction, hypotension, right-sided heart failure, and atrial fibrillation developed during the early perioperative period. Coronary angiograms showed occlusion of the right coronary artery ostium and critical stenosis of the left coronary ostium. During reoperation, posterior aortic patch annuloplasty enabled lower reimplantation of the prosthetic aortic valve, jointly with right coronary artery–venous grafting. To prevent potentially severe complications, we recommend that low origin of the coronary arteries be reported before patients undergo surgical aortic valve replacement. If the ostia are not seen when routine coronary angiography is used, computed tomography should be prospectively performed to characterize this anomaly.

Author(s):  
José Máximo ◽  
Paulo Pinho ◽  
Jorge Casanova

During valvular surgery, abnormal coronary distribution, especially if unidentified by preoperative exams, may put coronary arteries at risk of damage. In this case report, we describe the approach to an anomalous right coronary artery during aortic valve replacement.


Author(s):  
Iuliana Coti ◽  
Udo Maierhofer ◽  
Claus Rath ◽  
Paul Werner ◽  
Christian Loewe ◽  
...  

Abstract OBJECTIVES This study aimed to compare the effect of surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) on coronary height in patients undergoing SAVR with rapid-deployment or SAVR with several standard sutured bioprostheses. This study may identify patients at higher risk of coronary obstruction during valve-in-valve procedures. METHODS We analysed 112 patients [mean age 71 (9 SD) years] who underwent SAVR with either a rapid-deployment aortic bioprosthesis (EDWARDS INTUITY Elite Valve) or other standard sutured biological valves. The coronary heights were assessed by computed tomography scan with the Philips 3D HeartNavigator system. RESULTS Two groups of patients were analysed: 51 (45.5%) patients implanted with an RD-AVR, which is a supra-annular valve that requires 3 anchoring sutures without the use of pledgets, and 61 (54.5%) patients implanted with a conventional supra-annular sutured bioprosthesis. The mean right and left coronary artery-to-annulus (RCAA and LCAA) heights at baseline were 16.9 (4.6 SD) and 14.2 (4.0 SD) mm in the standard sutured group and 16.3 (3.5 SD) and 12.8 (2.9 SD) mm in the RD-AVR group, respectively; a significantly shorter distance was observed for the left coronary artery in the rapid-deployment group (P = 0.420 for RCAA height and P = 0.044 for LCAA). Postoperatively, the mean RCAA and LCAA heights were significantly decreased in both groups compared to baseline. A mean of 11.5 (4.8 SD) mm for the RCAA and 7.9 (4.3 SD) mm for the LCAA in the standard sutured group as well as 14.4 (3.9 SD) mm for the RCAA and 9.0 (3.1 SD) mm for the LCAA in the RD-AVR group were observed (P < 0.001 for RCAA and LCAA in both the sutured and rapid-deployment groups). Despite the significant difference in the mean distance from the left coronary artery to annulus between the groups at baseline, the postoperative mean distance of the LCAA to the sewing ring was still higher in the RD-AVR group. CONCLUSIONS A significantly shorter coronary artery-to-aortic annulus distance for both the right and left main coronary arteries was observed after AVR with different conventional sutured supra-annular bioprostheses compared to AVR with rapid-deployment valves. These findings might be relevant for bioprosthesis selection, especially for young patients.


2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-34
Author(s):  
Umihiko Kaneko ◽  
Ryuji Koshima ◽  
Hirosato Doi ◽  
Tsutomu Fujita

Coronary obstruction, a rare complication of transcatheter aortic valve replacement, can be fatal. Few data exist on this phenomenon, and, to date, authors have reported only single coronary lesions. We present a case in which 2 coronary arteries obstructed immediately after transapical transcatheter aortic valve replacement. The patient was an 81-year-old woman with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis who underwent transapical transcatheter aortic valve replacement. Immediately after an Edwards Sapien XT valve was deployed, she experienced sudden cardiogenic shock resulting from obstruction of the left main coronary artery ostium and the distal left anterior descending coronary artery. The left main obstruction was caused by direct compression from a large calcified mass and the valve frame. The left anterior descending coronary artery obstruction was caused by ambient myocardial tightening and external compression around the apical sutures. Revascularization was achieved through coronary stent placement and suture removal, respectively. Our patient's case highlights the risk for coronary obstructions after transapical transcatheter aortic valve replacement, and we discuss how they can be managed.


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