Abstract
Aortic pseudoaneurysm after cardiac surgery is a very rare and life-threatening scenario, especially when it erodes bony structures in the chest. The foremost challenging aspect is to choose the safest approach for sternotomy. Herein, the authors report a case of a 22-year-old woman with a giant pseudoaneurysm of the ascending aorta, which was eroding through the sternum. Six years prior, she underwent ventricular septal defect repair through midline sternotomy. The giant pseudoaneurysm arose from the anterior aspect of the aorta, extended to the retrosternal region right hemithorax, exerted a mass effect on the main and right pulmonary arteries, and further eroded the bony structures of the sternum. Although the sternotomy was uneventful, the surgical team had to face an inadvertently ruptured pseudoaneurysm. The authors discuss the characteristics of this case, factors that guide surgical management options, and safe bailout measures.
Published Version
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