Occlusion of the Left Coronary Artery Caused by Fusion of the Aortic Cusp to the Aortic Wall

(Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Ogaki Municipal Hospital, Gifu, Japan)

Yukifusa Yokoyama Shuji Tamaki Noriyuki Kato
Jun Yokote Masato Mutsuga Norihisa Ohata
A 75-year-old woman suffered from chest compression on effort. Detailed examinations showed aortic valve stenosis and unusual separation of the left coronary artery from the aorta. Surgical exposure revealed that the aortic valve was composed of 3 cusps. Two of 3 cusps were calcified, and another small cusp had fused to the aortic wall. Fusion of the cusp produced a cyst with a hole that was 1.5 mm in diameter. Excision of the cyst disclosed the normal orifice of the left coronary artery. The aortic valve was resected and replaced with an artificial valve. Her postoperative course was uneventful, without any angina pectoris.
@Jpn. J. Cardiovasc. Surg. 32: 366 -369 (2003)