The American journal of cardiology
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The 2-dimensional echocardiographic features of interruption of the aortic arch are presented based on analysis of the echocardiograms and angiograms from 8 infants: 2 with type A and 6 with type B interruption. Each infant had a patent ductus arteriosus, 6 had a conoventricular septal defect with leftward deviation of the conal septum, 1 had truncus arteriosus with truncal valve stenosis, and 1 had a distal aortopulmonary septal defect with an intact ventricular septum. Echocardiographic images obtained from the suprasternal notch or from a high parasternal approach demonstrated the interruption of the aortic arch and continuation of the patent ductus arteriosus into the descending aorta. ⋯ Types A and B interruption of the aortic arch were easily differentiated and the caliber of the patent ductus arteriosus was assessed. The characteristic conoventricular septal defect was readily visualized froma an apex 2-chamber view or from a subcostal sagittal plane view. With this information subsequent angiography can be more expeditiously performed in this group of critically ill infants.
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Two-dimensional echocardiographic prospective diagnosis of truncus arteriosus was made in 7 infants. Two infants had truncus arteriosus type I, 3 patients had truncus arteriosus type II, 1 infant had truncal valve stenosis with an interrupted aortic arch, and 1 had type IV truncus arteriosus with pulmonary hypertension. Multiple imaging views were utilized to confirm the diagnosis. ⋯ Subcostal coronal and sagittal views imaged the common truncus and the ventricular septal defect. These echocardiographic images were contrasted with and discriminated from those of an infant with aorticopulmonary window with intact ventricular septum. Although cardiac catheterization and angiography may be required to assess pulmonary arterial pressure, pulmonary vascular resistance, and the distal pulmonary arterial anatomy in truncus arteriosus, 2-dimensional echocardiography can be used to correctly establish the morphologic diagnosis of truncus arteriosus in infants.
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Cardiac contusion is a potentially fatal complication of blunt chest trauma. The diagnosis is obscured because cardiac contusion usually occurs in a setting of multisystem trauma. Furthermore, the electrocardiographic changes are nonspecific. ⋯ Three patients had localized myocardial thinning, and segmental wall motion abnormalities occurred in 2. Additional abnormalities identified included ventricular thrombi (4 right and 1 left ventricular), fibrinous pericardial effusion (1), ruptured tricuspid chordae with flail leaflet (1), and a small aneurysm of the sinus of Valsalva (1). It is concluded that 2-dimensional echocardiography is useful for diagnosing cardiac contusion, for estimating the extent of myocardial damage, and for identifying accompanying cardiac lesions such as thrombi, pericardial effusion, and valvular disruption.
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The late results were evaluated of operations for the relief of left ventricular outflow tract obstruction in young patients, 1 to 18 years old, from the National Heart Institute who were followed up for at least 5 years and from recently reported studies with an average follow-up duration of 5 or more years. The operative mortality rate for the combined series was low: 1.9 percent of 522 patients with valvular aortic stenosis, 6.0 percent of 222 patients with fixed subvalvular aortic stenosis and 5.5 percent of 18 patients with hypertrophic subaortic stenosis. From the National Heart Institute series, gradients early postoperatively were decreased to less than 50 mm Hg in 88 percent (30 of 34) of patients with valvular, in 68 percent (15 of 22) of patients with subvalvular and in 88 percent (8 of 9) of patients with hypertrophic subaortic stenosis. ⋯ Of the patients having unsatisfactory late results, major hemodynamic abnormalities were detected in 55 percent (23 of 42) within 1 year postoperatively. Thus it appears that operations for many children with left ventricular outflow tract obstruction are palliative. These patients should have early postoperative assessment and continuing long-term follow-up evaluation during childhood, adolescence and adulthood.
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Electrophysiologic evaluation in an 18 year old youth with the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome who had a sudden cardiac arrest while playing racquetball revealed two types of paroxysmal reciprocating tachycardia: (1) A normal QRS tachycardia with a short ventriculoatrial (V-A) interval fulfilled the criteria for reentry within the atrioventricular (A-V) node; and (2) a wide QRS tachycardia with a QRS configuration of maximal preexcitation was demonstrated to be the result of an antidromic mechanism. During laboratory study, the wide QRS tachycardia spontaneously degenerated into atrial fibrillation. In the basal state, the shortest R-R interval between preexcited QRS complexes was 270 ms, but after infusion of isoproterenol (1.6 microgram/min intravenously), the shortest R-R interval became 180 ms. Consequently, this electrophysiologic study suggested that evolution of antidromic reciprocating tachycardia into atrial fibrillation with a rapid ventricular response during exercise-induced catecholamine release may have been the mechanism for ventricular fibrillation in this patient.