Texas Heart Institute journal
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Origin of the right coronary artery from the pulmonary artery is a rare lesion occasionally found at angiography or autopsy. We report the rare preoperative diagnosis, in a child, of anomalous origin of the right coronary artery from the pulmonary artery, in association with a ventricular septal defect. The chest radiograph was normal, but auscultation revealed a continuous murmur at the left sternal border and electrocardiography showed right and left ventricular hypertrophy. ⋯ An associated procedure for correction of the ventricular septal defect was performed. The postoperative cardiac angiogram showed that the ventricular septal defect was closed and that flow through the right coronary artery was normal. Preoperative diagnosis of anomalous origin of the right coronary artery from the pulmonary artery is important, because this condition is surgically correctable.
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Two cases of cardiac amyloidosis resulting from deposition of the Ile 122 variant of transthyretin in African-Americans are presented. These cases illustrate several typical features of this disorder, including electrocardiographic abnormalities and digoxin toxicity. Transthyretin Ile 122 is a common amyloidogenic variant in African-Americans (present as a heterozygous variant in 4% of this population); therefore, the diagnosis of transthyretin Ile 122 cardiac amyloidosis should be considered in African-Americans with unexplained restrictive cardiomyopathy or arrhythmias.
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Case Reports
Post-traumatic tricuspid valve insufficiency. 2 cases of delayed clinical manifestation.
We present 2 cases of tricuspid insufficiency following blunt chest trauma: 1 was diagnosed 5 months after the trauma and the other, 20 years after the trauma. In both patients, the tricuspid valve was replaced with a porcine bioprosthesis, because valve repair was not considered feasible. These cases emphasize the variability of clinical presentation of post-traumatic tricuspid valve insufficiency and indicate the need for close follow-up of patients after major thoracic trauma.
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When pulmonary embolism is severe enough to produce acute cor pulmonale, transthoracic 2-dimensional echocardiography can promptly yield findings highly suggestive of this condition while ruling out competing diagnoses. We present a case diagnosed by transthoracic echocardiography and successfully treated despite a prolonged refractory cardiac arrest.