An aortoesophageal fistula (AEF) is an extremely rare, potentially fatal condition, and aortic surgery is usually performed together with extracorporeal circulation. However, this surgical method has a high rate of surgical complications and mortality. This report describes an AEF caused by tuberculous esophagitis that was treated successfully using a two-stage operation. A 52-yr-old man was admitted to the hospital with severe hematemesis and syncope. Based on the computed tomography and diagnostic endoscopic findings, he was diagnosed with an AEF and initially underwent thoracic endovascular aortic repair. Esophageal reconstruction was performed after controlling the mediastinal inflammation. The patient suffered postoperative anastomotic leakage, which was treated by an endoscopic procedure, and the patient was discharged without any further problems. The patient received 9 months of anti-tuberculosis treatment after he was diagnosed with histologically confirmed tuberculous esophagitis; subsequently, he was followed as an outpatient and has had no recurrence of the tuberculosis or any further issues.

Rationale:Although myocardial bridging (MB) is usually considered as benign, initial medical therapy and following surgical treatment in drug-refractory cases has been widely accepted for managing symptomatic MB. Before the patient proceeds to percutaneous or surgical intervention, however, the presence of objective ischemia in the corresponding myocardial territory should be documented.Patient concern and intervention:We herein report a 43-year-old male complaining of chest pain in whom cardiac CT with myocardial perfusion (cCTP) showed an MB of left anterior descending artery (LAD) with preoperative perfusion defect in corresponding myocardium and normalization of perfusion after supra-arterial myotomy.Diagnosis:Myocardial bridging-induced ischemia.Lessons:This case illustrates the potential utility of cCTP for the simultaneous assessment of MB and its hemodynamic significance for treatment planning and post-therapeutic evaluation although further research is needed to establish the clinical usefulness of this technique.

A 63-year-old patient was admitted with a sternal fracture and mass. On evaluation, most of the body of the sternum had been destroyed by a tumor. Radical resection of the sternum was performed and part of the major pectoral muscles adherent to the sternal tumor was also resected. The chest wall defect was reconstructed with mesh, bone cement, and a titanium rib plate system. Reconstruction with this method seemed to be an appropriate procedure to prevent instability of the chest wall.

Several methods for endovascular aortic arch repair have been proposed to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with conventional open surgery for aortic arch aneurysms. We report our experience with aortic arch aneurysm repair by a totally endovascular technique, that is, a “reversed” stent graft technique using branched stent grafts.