Abstract
A pseudoaneurysm of the ascending aorta is a complication found in aortic valve surgery. A 66-year-old man who had a previous history of aortic valve replacement due to infectious endocarditis was admitted to our hospital suffering from chest pain. Follow-up chest X-ray and transthoracic echocardiogram had revealed no findings of pseudoaneurysm during the intervening period. At admission, computed tomographic scan and transesophageal echocardiogram each showed a Type A acute aortic dissection and a pseudoaneurysm of the ascending aorta. Under cardiopulmonary bypass and deep hypothermic circulatory arrest, an ascending aortic graft replacement was carried out uneventfully. The patient is well 14 months postoperatively. Postoperative examinations following aortic surgery should be performed not only from the view point of cardiac function, but also from that of a pseudoaneurysm.
