A Case of Large Left Atrial Myxoma Presenting as Atrial Flutter

Cardiac myxoma is the most common benign cardiac tumor and it presents various clinical symptoms and signs. Although two-thirds of patients have abnormal electrocardiographic findings, atrial flutter or conduction abnormalities are known to be rare. We report on a case of a large left atrial myxoma which was diagnosed by trans-thoracic, trans-esophageal echocardiography, chest computerized tomography, and histological examination. The myxoma was presented as atrial flutter in a 41-year old man who was complaining palpitation and dyspnea on exertion. After surgical excision of the mass, atrial flutter converted to normal sinus rhythm. We report this case with review of literatures on left atrial myxoma associated with arrhythmia.

Gender Differences of P Wave Signal Averaged Electrocardiograms: Based on the Risk of Atrial Fibrillation

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Certain types of arrhythmias have gender differences. Women have a higher incidence of drug-induced QT prolongation than in men. However, there are no reports regarding gender-related differences of the P wave signal averaged electrocardiogram (PWSAE), based on the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF). PWSAE has been recognized as a diagnostic tool for identifying the risk of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF). We therefore investigated the influence of gender in the parameters of PWSAE and in the risk of AF. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We recorded 100 PWSAEs in apparently healthy Korean subjects (53 men and 47 women), aged 20 to 79 years. RESULTS: The mean age of the male subjects was 38.2 years and the mean age of the female subjects was 43.2 years (p=0.19). The body surface area (BSA) were larger in men (1.83 m2 vs. 1.53 m2, p<0.05). In men, the filtered P wave duration (fPD) was longer than in women (136.8 msec vs. 125.2 msec, p<0.05). The root mean square voltage in the terminal 20 ms of the filtered P wave (RMS20) was 5.9 micron V in women and 4.5 micron V in men (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Men have a longer fPD and lower RMS20 than women. The BSA showed a positive correlation with fPD and a negative correlation with RMS20. This study suggests that BSA is an important factor for fPD and RMS20. In addition, as men have a larger BSA as compared with women, we suspect that men have a higher risk of AF as compared with women.

Anomalous Origin of the Right Coronary Artery from the Left Anterior Descending Artery: An Extremely Rare Variety of Single Coronary Artery

Single anomalous coronary artery is a rare congenital anomaly of the coronary circulation. Right coronary artery (RCA) arising from the left anterior descending artery is an extermely rare variety of single coronary artery. We report a 68-year-old patient with a single coronary artery system, in whom the right coronary artery originated from the mid left anterior descending artery.

A Case of Liver Abscess Metastasizing to Prostate Resulting in Prostatic Abscess

Klebsiella pneumoniae(K. pneumoniae) infection has a tendency of abscess formation and it is known to be associated with diabetes mellitus. Metastatic infection was an important feature of K. pneumoniae liver abscess and bacteremia, metastatic prostate abscess was rare. We present a case of a 81-year-old man with K. pneumoniae liver abscess and metastatic prostate abscess, This patient was successfully treated with percutaneous abscess drainage of liver abscess and transurethral incisional drainage of prostate abscess.

Mitral-aortic Intervalvular Fibrosa Pseudoaneurysm with Dual Fistula and Complete AV Block after Aortic Valve Replacement in a Patients with Infective Endocarditis of Aortic Valve

The involvement of subaortic structures in the aortic valve endocarditis appears more common than previously recognized. The most common location of the subaortic complications is mitral-aortic intervalvular fibrosa(MAIVF) and the complications may be presented as abscess or pseudoaneurysm. We describe a case of infectious pseudoaneurysm of mitral-aortic intervalvular fibrosa mimicking abscess. In our case, complete AV block was revealed on ECG after aortic valve replacement (AVR). Several days after the first operation, re-do AVR and reconstruction of the MAIVF was performed because of complete AV block and dual fistula complicated by pseudoaneurysm in MAIVF.

Transluminal Removal of a Fractured and Embolized Indwelling Central Venous Catheter in the Pulmonary Artery

Vascular catheters are associated with complications such as infection, thrombosis and stenosis. The embolization of a venous catheter fragment is a rare complication. A 39-year-old woman underwent placement of a totally implantable venous access device for chemotherapy to treat a recurrent liposarcoma of the left thigh. The "pinch-off sign" was noted on a routine chest X-ray but that was ignored. Three-months after implantation of the intravenous access device, the indwelling central catheter was fractured and embolized to the pulmonary trunk. The catheter in the pulmonary trunk was successfully removed through a percutaneous femoral vein approach using a pigtail catheter and goose neck snare.