Abstract
A 72-year-old woman with 4 previous cardiovascular operations, presented with dyspnea at rest and leg edema. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed high right ventricular (110 mm Hg) and central venous pressure. The pulmonary trunk was compressed by a surrounding mass, and the peak pressure gradient between the right ventricular outflow tract and the pulmonary trunk was 67 mm Hg, with a peak velocity of 4.1 m·s−1. Enhanced computed tomography disclosed pulmonary trunk obstruction due to the massive extrinsic mass (Figure 1(a)). At urgent surgery, the proximal anastomotic suture line of a Bentall procedure was dehisced on the pulmonary trunk side, and a massive hematoma compressed the pulmonary trunk. The proximal anastomotic suture line was repaired, and the hematoma was eliminated. Postoperative computed tomography revealed disappearance of the hematoma and relief of pulmonary trunk obstruction (Figure 1(b)).
Enhanced computed tomography showing (a) the pulmonary trunk obstruction caused by the extrinsic mass, and (b) the disappearance of the massive hematoma originating from the proximal anastomotic suture line, and relief of the pulmonary trunk obstruction.
Footnotes
Funding
This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commerical, or not-for-profit sectors.
Conflicts of interest statement
None declared.