Aortic valve replacement after esophagectomy with substernal gastric tube and total laryngectomy with tracheostoma

A 77-year-old man successfully underwent aortic valve replacement with a bioprosthesis through a right thoracotomy. Right thoracotomy was utilized because the patient had previously undergone esophagectomy with reconstruction of a substernal gastric tube for esophageal cancer as well as total laryngectomy with tracheostoma formation for laryngeal cancer. Thus, even in a situation in which conventional median sternotomy was difficult, a good outcome for aortic valve replacement was achieved through an alternate approach. This case highlights the need to consider patient history when selecting a surgical approach.