Pseudoaneurysm following a neonatal coarctation repair; a dreadful complication

Aneurysms of descending thoracic aorta following surgical repair of coarctation have been reported in literature. Almost always, they are seen in repairs involving prosthetic patch aortoplasty. We report a neonate who underwent resection and an extended end to end anastomosis repair of coarctation and subsequently developed a huge pseudoaneurysm at a 3-month follow-up. He underwent a repair of the same through a sternotomy approach under hypothermic low flow cardiopulmonary bypass. An autologous pericardial patch aortoplasty was done successfully.

Surgical Repair of Unruptured Pseudoaneurysm of Sinus of Valsalva in Aortic Stenosis

Isolated pseudoaneurysm of a sinus of Valsalva is an uncommon sequelae of infective endocarditis. It is very uncommon in native aortic valve stenosis as compared to aortic regurgitation. We present a case of a 46 year old gentleman with a severely stenotic aortic valve with infective endocarditis, and a pseudoaneurysm of the non coronary sinus of Valsalva. The pseudoaneurysm was repaired with a prosthetic patch and the aortic valve was replaced by a mechanical prosthesis. Transthoracic echocardiography and computed tomography aortogram are an ideal diagnostic tools in suspected cases. Surgery can be curative with excellent results.

Successful management of penetrating chest injury causing aortopulmonary shunt

Penetrating trauma to the chest causing an aortopulmonary shunt is rare. We report the case of a 16-year-old boy with an aortopulmonary shunt caused by a penetrating injury to the left anterior chest. Chest exploration was warranted because computed tomography confirmed a definite injury to the great vessels, causing a left-to-right shunt. The case was successfully managed with prosthetic patch closure of the aortic tear and direct closure of the rent in the main pulmonary artery under cardiopulmonary bypass with cardioplegic arrest.