Dilatation of fusiform to sacular form right coronary arter aneurysm.

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Recanalization of total coronary occlusions using a laser guidewire (the European TOTAL Surveillance Study).

The success rates of coronary angioplasty for the treatment of chronic total occlusions are less favorable than for coronary stenosis. Therefore, a new laser guidewire (LW) was designed to facilitate the crossing of chronic total occlusions. We report on the results of a European multicenter surveillance study, evaluating the laser guidewire performance. Between May 1994 and July 1996, 345 patients (age 59 +/- 10 years, 291 men) with chronic total occlusions were enrolled in 28 European centers. The median age of occlusion was 29 weeks (range 2 to 884), the occlusion length 19 +/- 10 mm. LW recanalization was successful in 205 patients (59%/). LW perforation occurred in 73 patients (21%), with hemodynamic consequences in 4 (1%). There were no deaths, emergency coronary artery bypass graft surgery, or Q-wave myocardial infarctions. In a multivariate regression analysis an occlusion age of <40 weeks (p = 0.001, RR = 1.34) and an occlusion length <30 mm (p = 0.01, RR = 1.59) were independent predictors of success. Results indicate that the LW is an effective and safe tool in the treatment of chronic total occlusion refractory to conventional guidewires.

Beta-adrenergic receptor blockade in the management of pregnant women with mitral stenosis.

Twenty-five pregnant women with symptomatic mitral valve stenosis (mean valve area, 1.1 +/- 0.25 cm2) were managed by initiation or modification of beta-adrenergic receptor blockade with the use of either propranolol or atenolol. Significant improvement of symptoms occurred in 23 patients (92%) (p less than 0.01); the mean maternal heart rate was reduced significantly from 86 +/- 4 to 78 +/- 5 beats/min (p less than 0.0001). The overall fetal heart rate ranged between 130 to 150 beats/min during treatment. Only two patients required urgent closed mitral valvotomy, after pulmonary edema developed as a result of poor compliance to beta-blockade. All patients were safely delivered of infants at term. Fetal heart rates ranged between 120 to 140 beats/min at delivery. There was no maternal or fetal death. Pregnant woman with symptomatic mitral valve stenosis can be safely managed with beta-blockade, giving significant reduction in the incidence of pulmonary edema with no unwanted neonatal side effect.

Left atrial systolic antegrade flow in patients with mitral regurgitation: a pulsed Doppler sign displayed by color flow imaging.

Twenty-two patients with severe mitral regurgitation were observed to have turbulent systolic antegrade flow on pulsed Doppler mapping of the left atrium. All were studied by color flow imaging to delineate the mechanism of this peculiar flow. Pulsed Doppler findings of an eccentric regurgitant flow in one side, an antegrade systolic flow with slightly delayed onset in the other side, and a low velocity flow near the posterior wall, were consistant with the theory of a large eccentric regurgitant jet swirling in the left atrium. Color flow imaging confirmed this mechanism in all patients. Nineteen patients had flail mitral valve with a positive predictive value of 86%. The other three patients had deformed rheumatic mitral valve. The severity of mitral regurgitation was confirmed in all 16 patients studied by left ventricular cineangiography. We have shown that the antegrade systolic left atrial flow is the result of the swirling of a large regurgitant eccentric jet, is commonly observed with flail mitral valve, can occur in patients with deformed rheumatic mitral valve without flail leaflet, and most significantly indicates the presence of severe mitral regurgitation.

Aortic valve repair using bovine pericardium for cusp extension.

Aortic valve repair with the use of individually tailored bovine pericardial extensions to the native cusps was performed in 20 patients (mean age 22 years) with severe rheumatic aortic valve incompetence. After aortic valve repair, the diastolic pressures increased significantly from a mean (+/- standard deviation) of 49 +/- 14 to 73 +/- 8 mm Hg (p less than 0.001), and cardiac catheterization showed a marked reduction or total correction of the angiographic degree of aortic regurgitation. All the patients were free of symptoms over a mean follow-up period of 7.5 months (1 to 23 months); the first 11 patients have had a mean follow-up period of 12 months. Attention is called to this short period of follow-up. Aortic valve repair with the use of bovine pericardium for cusp extension may prove to be an effective method of treatment for rheumatic aortic valve incompetence.