[Chronic constrictive pericarditis in a child]

The chronic constrictive pericarditis is a very rare disease in child. We report a case of chronic constrictive pericarditis with indeterminate etiology in an 8-year old girl. The child undergone pericardiectomy with well improvement. Through our case and review of the literature, we study the frequency of chronic constrictive pericarditis in child, its etiology and prognosis

[Differentiation between physiological left ventricular hypertrophy and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy of athletes, usefulness Doppler tissue imaging]

Athlete's heart is a cardiac adaptation to long-term, intensive training, wich includes physiological changes as increased ventricular cavity, wall thickness and mass. Maron highlighted a "gray zone" of wall thickness with difficult distinction between physiological left ventricular hypertrophy of athletes from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy [HCM]. The aim of the study is to analyse the data published about the diagnostic tools wich differentiate between physiological athlete's left ventricular hypertrophy and HCM. Even if the standard two-dimensional echocardiography represents an irreplaceable method in the evaluation of cardiac adaptations to physical exercice, the data currently available suggests the usefulness of Doppler tissue imaging [DTI] in the distinction between HCM and athlete's heart. The authors, will report the best DTI parameters recommended in this setting. The best DTI parameter to differentiate pathological hypertrophy of HCM from physiological hypertrophy of athletes was the gradient of diastolic velocity between the endocardium and the epicardium. On this ground, DTI may be taken into account in the Maron's diagnosis cascade

[Interest of systematic echocardiography to detect neonatal cardiac abnormalities]

Cardiac disorders are frequent in newborn from diabetic mother. The screening must be performed as early as possible in neonatal period. We have done a prospective study with 161 newborns from april the first 2005 to 31 [th] july 2006 to evaluate the interest of a systematic echocardiography to detect neonatal cardiac abnormalities. 42.2%of neonatal echocardiography [68 cases] were realized in the early neonate period and the last 57.8%of echocardiographies in the period between the 29 [th] day and the third month of life. All neonates were asymptomatic during the examination. We found cardiac disorders in 14 newborns [8.5 of cases]. Asymmetric septal hypertrophy was found in 3.7%of cases [6 newborns] with a high significative correlation with macrosomia. Cardiac malformations were diagnosed in 7.7%of newborns [55%of echocardiographic abnormalities] interesting interventricular and interatrial septa, big vessels. Echocardiography is the golden standard test in the screening of cardiac abnormalities in newborns of diabetic mothers, septal hypertrophy is the most frequent disorder observed. A clinical and echocardiographic follow up is necessary regularly when abnormalities are detected

Clinical and echocardiographic features of interventricular septum hydatid cyst

Hydatid cardiac cyst [HCC] is rare. The aim of our study is to determine clinical and echocardiographic features of HCC of interventricular septum. We studied 3 patients aged between 21 and 33 years old, 2 of them presented a typical syncope. An extra cardiac localization of hydatid cyst is found in 2 cases. The transthoracic echocardiography showed a mass developed in inter-ventricular septum, it was cystic non-echogenic in 2 cases and pseudotumoral one time. All our patients were operated and 2 of them required a pace maker implantation because of conduction abnormalities

[Women's left main coronary artery stenosis, about three cases]

Coronary insufficiency represents the first mortality cause for men over 45 years old and women over 65 years old. In the left main coronary artery stenosis the prognosis is more reserved especially in the case of unstable angina. We report 3 cases of left main coronary artery stenosis. It concerns three women of 49, 55 and 69 years old. They were menopaused, having hyperlipaemia and hypertension. The 69 years old woman has also type II diabetes mellitus. They were admitted for an unstable angina with a normal cardiovascular exam and a normal percritic electrocardiogram. A coronarography was carried out on all three patients highlighting in the 69 years old woman's case an isolated left main coronary artery stenosis; in 49 years old woman's case a distal tight left main coronary artery stenosis with two tight stenosis of left descending artery; and in 55 years old woman's case two tight stenosis of distal left main coronary artery and medial left descending artery. All three patients had a successful bypass graft surgery. In conclusion women's left main coronary artery stenosis with unstable angina can evolve well if it is well taken care of and at an early stage