OBJECTIVE: To describe a surgical procedure utilizing a malleable bovine pericardium ring in mitral valve repair and clinical and Doppler echocardiographic results. METHODS: Thirty-two (25 female and 7 male) patients, aged between 9 and 66 (M=36.4+/-17.2) years, were studied over a 16-month period, with 100% follow-up. In 23 (72%) of ...

BACKGROUND: The precise contribution of left atrial appendage (LAA) endocardial damage and dysfunction to the process of thrombus formation in patients with mitral valve (MV) disease, especially in the presence of atrial fibrillation (AF), has not as yet been clearly described. This may be important because the LAA is the ...

Kawasaki disease was first described from Japan in 1967. Most of the patients reported have been under 3 years of age. We are reporting a typical case of Kawasaki disease in an adult Yemeni male, who had all criteria for diagnosis. Additionally our patient had tricuspid regurgitation as well as ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Although mitral annulus calcification (MAC) has been reported to be a significant independent predictor of stroke, no causative relationship was proven. It is also known that aortic atheroma (AA), especially those >/=5 mm thick and/or protruding and/or mobile are associated with stroke. This study was designed to ...

BACKGROUND: Aortic aneurysm is a rare but life-threatening cardiovascular complication in patients with autoimmune disorders. The purpose of this study was to clarify the characteristic clinical features and the pathological mechanism of aneurysmal formation in those patients treated with corticosteroids. METHODS: Among 429 patients operated on for abdominal aortic aneurysm ...

BACKGROUND: Postoperative dissection in some patients is related to manipulation of the aorta and accounts for 3% to 5% of deaths after cardiac surgery. METHODS: Between 1987 and 1999, 109 patients with previous cardiac operations were treated for chronic type A dissection. In 31 of the patients, the etiology was ...

OBJECTIVE: Organ malperfusion in aortic dissection can precipitate a serious condition. The strategy of treatment for it has been controversial. We have focused on the strategy and outcome of acute aortic dissection with organ malperfusion. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Between January 1995 and December 1998, 134 acute aortic dissection patients were ...

We reviewed the Doppler echocardiographic findings of the aortic valve and associated aortic regurgitation (AR) in 55 patients who underwent patch closure of doubly committed subarterial ventricular septal defect (VSD). The maximal diameter of the VSD measured > or = 5 mm, whereas the postoperative follow-up interval was > or ...

BACKGROUND: Mechanical valves have been recommended for patients on dialysis because of purported accelerated bioprosthesis degeneration. This study was undertaken to determine time-related outcomes in dialysis patients requiring cardiac valve replacement. METHODS: From 1986 to 1998, 42 patients on chronic preoperative dialysis underwent valve replacement; 17 received mechanical valves and ...

It has recently been claimed that giant cell arteritis (GCA) is associated with a markedly increased risk of aortic aneurysm formation or rupture. In the present study, the opposite approach was taken, by looking for the incidence of GCA and polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) in patients with aortic aneurysm, aortic dissection, ...

Retrograde holodiastolic flow in the abdominal aorta (retrograde flow) detected by pulsed Doppler echocardiography is usually noted in patients with aortic regurgitation or patent ductus arteriosus. Similar abnormal flow often is present in patients with acute phase Kawasaki Disease (KD). In 21 patients with acute phase KD, 15 had a ...

OBJECTIVE: Therapeutic failure of antibiotic therapy has been ascribed to pharmacokinetic alterations in compromised patient populations. The present study, therefore, aimed at examining the influences of cardiac surgery and intensive care procedures on the postoperative target site distribution of piperacillin. For this purpose, the penetration of piperacillin to the interstitial ...

AIMS: The aim of the study was to investigate whether aortic valve replacement (AVR) has different effects on the left ventricular mass (LVM) in patients with different types of aortic valve disease, i.e. aortic stenosis (AS), aortic regurgitation (AR), or combined disease. METHODS AND RESULTS: We studied 100 patients with ...

PURPOSE: Systolic murmurs are common, and it is important to know whether physical examination can reliably determine their cause. Therefore, we prospectively assessed the diagnostic accuracy of a cardiac examination in patients without previous echocardiography who were referred for evaluation of a systolic murmur. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: In 100 consecutive ...

OBJECTIVES: We sought to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of thrombolytic therapy in stuck mitral bileaflet heart valves in the absence of high-risk thrombi. BACKGROUND: Current recommendations for the thrombolytic treatment of stuck prosthetic mitral valves are partially based on older valve models and inclusion of patients in whom high-risk ...

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to verify if the use of intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), by detecting mitral insufficiency or residual stenosis during surgery, may improve medium term results in patients with severe mitral stenosis who undergo open heart valvuloplasty. METHODS: This prospective study included twenty-two patients (20 ...

Patients with mitral valve disease undergoing surgery are at an increased risk of thromboembolism. We hypothesized that this may be due in part to abnormalities in platelet activation, endothelial damage or dysfunction, and plasma fibrinogen in such patients. To test this hypothesis, we measured indexes of platelet activation (soluble P-selectin), ...

BACKGROUND: The combination of fenfluramine and phentermine was a widely used obesity treatment before the withdrawal of fenfluramine for an association with heart valve regurgitation. The prevalence and clinical significance of regurgitation among patients treated with these medications has yet to be fully established. METHODS AND RESULTS: To evaluate the ...

OBJECTIVE: To describe the prevalence of diet drug-related valvular disease among our referral population and the association of valvular disease with duration of exposure to fenfluramine and phentermine in combination and to dexfenfluramine alone. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this retrospective review of clinical and echocardiographic data, charts of patients referred ...

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To determine the incidence and mortality as well as to analyze the clinical and pathologic changes of aortic dissection. Design and setting: A population-based longitudinal study over 27 years on a study population of 106,500, including 66 hospitalized and 18 nonhospitalized consecutively observed patients. MEASURES: Analysis of data ...

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY: Abnormal calcium homeostasis in patients with end-stage renal failure results in dystrophic calcification; this limits the use of heterograft tissue valve prostheses in patients on chronic dialysis. Mitral valve reconstruction offers advantages over mitral replacement in many patients without renal failure, and offers theoretical ...

A retrospective study was undertaken to study children who presented with infective endocarditis (IE) to a university teaching hospital in Beirut, Lebanon, between January 1977 and May 1995. Of 41 patients with IE (24F, 17M), 28 (68%) were diagnosed between 1977 and 1985. Patients' ages ranged from 3 to 18 ...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate echocardiographic/Doppler findings in patients with rheumatic fever whether or not clinical manifestations of carditis were present, and the followup of these findings 24 months after the acute phase. METHODS: Twenty-two patients with rheumatic fever (13 boys, 9 girls, mean age 11.0 years) were evaluated at baseline (at ...

Among the various types of aortic dissection, three-channeled aortic dissection, in which two adjacent false lumens are present, is rarely observed. The authors surgically treated 20 Marfan syndrome patients with this type of dissection, who accounted for 29.4% of 68 patients with aortic dissection in Marfan syndrome and who were ...

OBJECTIVES: We reviewed an institutional experience of isolated cleft mitral valve (ICMV), its clinical features, and management in a pediatric population. BACKGROUND: As ICMV is relatively uncommon, earlier reports highlighted its anatomical and echocardiographic features. Few studies have collated their clinical features with their outcome. METHODS: All patients with ICMV ...

OBJECTIVE: to evaluate the frequency of potential oral foci of infection in patients scheduled for elective abdominal aortic surgery. Design: prospective clinical study. MATERIALS: oral health and dentures of 50 patients (33 males and 17 females, mean age 65 years) were examined before aortic surgery. Chief outcome measures: radiographic and ...

BACKGROUND: Mitral valve prolapse (MVP) is the most frequently diagnosed valvular disease, but its pathophysiology remains elusive. Its complete absence in 1,734 neonatal echocardiographic studies suggests that this may be an acquired rather than a congenital disease. We observed several patients with distorted cardiac and valvular anatomies on electron beam ...

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of the maze procedure on the treatment of rheumatic atrial fibrillation in patients with mitral valve disease. METHODS: Fifty-five patients (mean age 51 years; 47 females) with rheumatic mitral valve disease and associated atrial fibrillation in New York Heart ...

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to evaluate the technical feasibility and the postoperative course of aortic valve replacement through a ministernotomy. SETTING: The Montreal Heart Institute and the Hôpital Lariboisière, Paris, France. DESIGN: A case series from 2 institutions. PATIENTS: Fifty-one patients who underwent aortic valve replacement through ...

BACKGROUND: Patients with acute rheumatic fever (ARF), who were admitted to Pediatric Cardiology Unit of Selçuk University Faculty of Medicine from July 1993 to 1998, were studied retrospectively to verify the clinical profile of the disease and to compare the results with those from other countries. METHODS: All patients were ...

Closing clicks from mechanical heart valve prostheses are transmitted to the patient's inner ear mainly in two different ways: as acoustically transmitted sound waves, and as vibrations transmitted through bones and vessels. The purpose of this study was to develop a method for quantifying what patients perceive as sound from ...

Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) remains to be represent a common and highly lethal problem. We reviewed the records of 92 patients (73 men and 19 women) operated on for ruptured infrarenal AAA within the past 10 years (January 1989 to October 1999) in the 2nd Department of Surgery in ...

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY: A total of 213 patients underwent the Ross operation at our institution between January 1990 and January 1999. Outcome was assessed in rheumatic (RH) patients and compared with that in patients with other etiology (non-RH). METHODS: After exclusion of 69 patients with a follow ...

Tricuspid valve involvement is not uncommon in patients with rheumatic heart disease and is frequently missed on routine clinical examination. We prospectively studied the echocardiographic profile of tricuspid valve disease in 788 consecutive patients with rheumatic heart disease. Out of these patients 9% (70) had tricuspid valve disease and 55.7% ...

This study sought to test whether anomalous cardiac and aortic structures can be differentiated from native tissue and artifacts by physical properties of tissue motion using transesophageal tissue Doppler echocardiography (TDE). TDE was employed in 85 consecutive patients after anomalous structures had been detected by conventional transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). The ...

We evaluated the prevalence of valvular regurgitation in patients who have taken anorectic medications. Two-dimensional echocardiograms with color flow Doppler were recorded in 200 consecutive patients referred to a major metropolitan hospital for evaluation of cardiac function because of a history of anorectic medication use. Each patient filled out a ...

BACKGROUND: Due to potential thromboembolic complications, mechanical valves within the native heart are often considered contraindications to ventricular assist device (VAD) support. METHODS: A retrospective review of VAD cases between June 1982 and March 1998 showed 8 patients with mechanical valves who were supported with Thoratec (Pleasanton, CA) VADs. RESULTS: ...

OBJECTIVES: To describe a subgroup of patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), whose disease evolved without the characteristic inflammatory back pain or significant disability. METHODS: Three patients who were diagnosed in their late 5th decade of life as having AS are described. Information about asymptomatic cases of AS or patients who ...

BACKGROUND: Valve regurgitation has been associated with dexfenfluramine, but its prevalence and severity are uncertain. Additional factors that may contribute to valve regurgitation in patients exposed to this drug are poorly understood. METHODS AND RESULTS: Echocardiography was performed on subjects recruited from 26 prescribing sites in 15 states. The total ...

BACKGROUND: In the treatment of type B acute aortic dissection without complications, better results are obtained if surgery is performed before enlargement of the aorta in patients who are predicted to show aortic enlargement and if drug-based treatment is continued for patients who are predicted to show no enlargement. The ...

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY: When mechanical heart valves close, they generate an impulse that is transmitted to the patient's inner ear by two routes: (i) As acoustically transmitted sound waves; and (ii) as vibrations transmitted through bones and vessels. The aim of this study was to quantitate what ...

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to examine the efficacy of the antirefluxing, mucosal-flap valve (AMFV) for biliary drainage relative to technical feasibility, surgical complications, and incidence of ascending cholangitis (AC). METHODS: Twenty-seven infants requiring biliary tract reconstruction underwent valve construction. Twenty biliary atresia (BA) patients received the Kasai ...

Sydenham's chorea is often encountered in pure form, but it may also occur in association with carditis. Recently, it has been reported that silent, mild valvular regurgitation has been encountered in patients with rheumatic fever manifested by isolated polyarthritis and pure chorea. We studied 22 children with Sydenham's chorea to ...

OBJECTIVE: Aortic valve atresia or hypoplasia can present with a ventricular septal defect and a normal mitral valve and left ventricle. These patients may be suitable for biventricular repair, although the optimal initial management strategy remains unknown. METHODS: From January 1991 through March 1999, 20 patients with aortic atresia or ...

One of the contraindications for a stentless aortic valve is dilation of the aorta such that the sinotubular ridge is more than 2 mm larger than the annulus. Since May of 1994, 134 patients have had their aortic valve replaced with St Jude Toronto SPV valves; of these, 38 patients ...

This study aimed to identify and characterize patients who developed prosthetic dehiscence after aortic valve replacement with the Freestyle Stentless bioprosthesis. Review of patients' records and preoperative echocardiogram was performed. Prosthetic dehiscence developed in 10 patients after 2.5 to 49 months (mean 19). Most patients were symptomatic at presentation. Nine ...

BACKGROUND: Although pulmonary autograft is being increasingly used to replace the diseased aortic valve with excellent long-term results, its use in the population with rheumatic disease still needs careful evaluation. Patients and methods: From October 1993 through March 1998, 102 patients underwent aortic valve replacement with a pulmonary autograft (Ross ...

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY: Small-sized prostheses may be associated with high transprosthetic gradients, particularly in patients with a body surface area (BSA) >1.70m2, affecting left ventricular mass regression, symptom improvement and long-term survival. However, the influence of such gradients on exercise tolerance has not been clearly defined. The ...

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of hydronephrosis in patients with genital prolapse and evaluate contributing factors. METHODS: Retrospective study of the records of 189 patients with pelvic organ prolapse who underwent preoperative renal imaging studies. RESULTS: Of the 189 patients 31 (17.4%) had hydronephrosis; in 20 (10.6%) patients the hydronephrosis ...

BACKGROUND: Transcatheter closure is an accepted mode of treatment in selected cases of congenital heart disease. Lately, this technology has been applied to closure of ventricular septal defect (VSD). METHODS AND RESULTS: We performed percutaneous transcatheter closure of VSD in 30 patients. The location of VSD was perimembranous in 28 ...