[Prevalence of cardiomyopathy in HIV infection: prospective study on 158 HIV patients]. / Etude de la prévalence des cardiomyopathies au cours de l'infection VIH: étude prospective de 158 patients VIH.

BACKGROUND: There is evidence that the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) may affect the heart and left ventricular dysfunction appears to be common. OBJECTIVE: This was the first study in Morocco to investigate the frequency of cardiomyopathy in patients infected with HIV. METHODS: We made a prospective echocardiographic study of 158 patients starting in September 2004 (88 men and 70 women, mean age 34 [5.4] years) with positive HIV serology and a clinical diagnosis of HIV infection according to CDC criteria and 80 seronegative control subjects. Patients were classified as AIDS group (90 patients) and HIV group (+) (68 patients) and HIV (-) (80 subjects). RESULTS: Twenty-eight out of 156 (17.7%) cases of cardiomyopathy were found, distributed in 24 out of 90 (26.6%) in the AIDS group and four out of 68 (2.8%) in the HIV+group (p<0.01) and none in the HIV (-) group. Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction was noted among 88 out of 158 (55.7%) infected patients. There was a significant increase of cardiomyopathy in patients with HIV infection and decreased CD4 (less than 100 per millimetre cube; n=16 [57%]) compared to those with CD4 between 100 and 200 per millimetre cube; n=6 (21.42%) (p=0.03). CONCLUSION: Echocardiography was a useful technique for the early detection of cardiac dysfunction in asymptomatic HIV positive carriers and AIDS patients. The frequency is related to HIV infection stage and CD4+ counts. Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction can precede systolic dysfunction and may be a useful technique for the early detection of cardiac dysfunction.

[False aneurysm complicating ligation of patent ductus arteriosus operated on successfully]. / Faux anévrisme après ligature d'un canal artériel opéré avec succès.

Postoperative aneurysm of ductus arteriosus is a rare complication but may be lethal without treatment. It is less frequent than spontaneous aneurysm of ductus arteriosus. We report the case of 5 years-old girl who underwent a ligation of patent ductus arteriosus complicated, 6 months later, with a false aneurysm of ductus arteriosus and endocarditis of the ductus and the aortic valve. The diagnosis of the aneurysm was suspected on the anteroposterior chest X-ray which showed a left superior mediastinal opacity and confirmed by echocardiography. Through bilateral thoracotomy, an anevrismorraphy and aortic repair was carried out without problem. The postoperative course was unremarkable.

[Obstructive left triatrial heart in the adult. Echocardiographic appearances]. / Coeur triatrial obstructif gauche chez l'adulte. Aspects échocardiographiques.

The authors report the case of a 23-year old man who presented with signs of pulmonary hypertension due to an obstructive left triatrial heart in adulthood. Transthoracic and transoesophageal echocardiography showed a partially calcified intra-left atrial membrane perforated in its centre. Doppler analysis of flow through the membrane showed continuous systolo-diastolic flow at high velocity indicating haemodynamic obstruction. The systolic pulmonary artery pressure was estimated at 80 mmHg. The patient was treated by surgical excision of the intra-left atrial membrane.

[Cardiac manifestations of Takayasu's arteritis: apropos of 5 cases]. / Les manifestations cardiaques de la maladie de Takayasu. A propos de cinq cas.

PURPOSE: Cardiac manifestations of Takayasu's arteritis are rarely reported in the literature. However, these symptoms are not rare and when they do occur, they determine the disease prognosis. Due to its frequency, its severe nature, and even sometimes diagnosis failure, high blood pressure is the major cause of cardiac manifestations. More specific cardiac manifestations of either coronary, valvular, or more rarely, myocardial origin may also occur. METHODS: Analysis of five cases of Takayasu's arteritis and a literature review allowed evaluation of both the frequency and characteristics of this disease. RESULTS: Four female and one male patients presenting with symptoms of Takayasu's arteritis, according to Fiessinger's score, were evaluated. Diagnosis of cardiac disease was based on clinical, echocardiographic and angiographic criteria. Four patients had related high blood pressure. Valvular manifestations were present in all the patients. They included mitral insufficiency (1 case); aortic insufficiency (2 cases), and both mitral and aortic insufficiency (2 cases). Two patients showed clinical manifestations of a myocardiac disease, and another showed coronary signs. Treatment did not involve surgery, including only antihypertensive drugs, nitrites, and diuretics associated with digitalin in case of cardiac failure. The disease outcome, including a 5-18 year follow-up, involved symptom decrease in all the patients. CONCLUSION: Despite the rarity of cardiac manifestations in patients suffering from Takayasu's arteritis, symptoms of this disease should always be investigated, as these manifestations alter the prognosis. Aortic insufficiency is the most frequently encountered cardiac manifestation.

[Approach of Moroccan cardiologists to arterial hypertension]. / Les cardiologues marocains face à l'hypertension artérielle.

The authors conducted a survey among 300 cardiologists in order to evaluate their knowledge of HT. Most of the 200 cardiologists answering the survey considered that systolic HT was defined by a systolic blood pressure greater than 160 mmHg (75%). Only 14 cardiologists (7%), defined systolic HT as a blood pressure greater than 140 mmHg. 121 cardiologists (60.5%) defined diastolic HT as a pressure greater than 95 mmHg. 2/3 of cardiologists were not familiar with the conclusions of the JNCV for the detection, evaluation and treatment of HT. All cardiologists agreed that treatment of HT should start with single-agent therapy. In the case of insufficient control, 11% doubled the dose, 5% changed the drug in the same class, 53% changed therapeutic category and 30% prescribed two-agent therapy. Once BP was stabilized, one half of cardiologists reviewed their patients once every 3 months, and 22.5% reviewed their patients once every six months. These results demonstrate that cardiologists do not correctly follow the rules of management of HT recently defined by the various working parties. The authors propose a number of points to remedy some of the deficiencies revealed by this survey.

[Hypertension and Takayasu disease. Report of 8 cases]. / HTA et maladie de Takayasu. A propos de 8 cas.

In this paper, the authors report 8 cases of Takayasu disease presenting in the form of hypertension, observed in the Cardiology of Ibn Rochd University Hospital in Casablanca between 1983 and 1995. The majority of cases presented with renovascular HT, secondary to unilateral or bilateral renal artery stenosis. More rarely, the patients presented proximal hypertension secondary to coarctation of the aorta. Medical treatment was prescribed all 8 cases, associated with surgery in 8 cases.

[Deep venous thromboses and occult cancers]. / Thromboses veineuses profondes et cancers occultes.

The association between venous thrombosis and cancer has been known for a long time. Thrombophlebitis often occurs during the course of a known cancer, but sometimes constitutes the presenting sign. Based on a series of 10 cases of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) revealing an underlying cancer, the authors analyse the various aspects of this association and the elements which help to guide the diagnosis towards a cancer. A simple assessment comprising clinical examination, full blood count and differential white cell count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, protein electrophoresis, chest x-ray and abdomino-pelvic ultrasonography was performed on admission in 75 cases of presumably idiopathic DVT and revealed a cancer in 10 cases: 6 women and 4 men with a mean age of 53 years. Cancers were located in the urogenital tract in 5 cases, in the bronchi in 2 cases, in the stomach in one case, and there was one case of acute myeloblastic leukaemia (AML) and another case of liposarcoma of the left iliac fossa. The histological type most frequently encountered was adenocarcinoma in 6 cases. In 9 out of 10 cases, the cancer was discovered at the stage of metastases. However, a localized cancer was detected in one case, in which surgical treatment allowed cure of the patient. Comparison of the various characteristics of DVT between the group of DVT revealing a cancer and the group of DVT which remained idiopathic did not reveal any statistically significant difference. A simple, inexpensive assessment looking for a cancer must be systematically performed in all cases of idiopathic DVT in patients between the ages of 50 and 85 years. Other more elaborate examinations may be requested on the basis of the results of the preliminary assessment.

[Heart failure and arterial hypertension disclosing amyloidosis]. / Insuffisance cardiaque et hypertension artérielle révélatrice d'une amylose.

Amyloidosis results from protein infiltration of the extracellular space of organs and tissues. Several amyloidosis proteins have been identified. Protein AL, (deriving from immunoglobulin light chain), protein AA and prealbumin are the most involved in this disease. When AL amyloidosis involves the heart, the illness is often terminal. Most clinical symptoms are heart failure and arrhythmia or block conduction. This case was characterised by the unusual combination of hypertension and amyloidosis. The diagnosis suggested by the echocardiographic but was confirmed by the damaged organ's biopsy. The present case concerns a young woman, who has hypertension and a pulmonary oedema. The echocardiographic scan showed a septal hypertrophy with a shining and granite-like aspect which is compatible with heart amyloidosis. Systolic and diastolic disorder with mitral and aortic regurgitation were also revealed. The kidney and rectum biopsies confirmed amyloidosis AL of the Kappa dysglobulinemia type, without extraosseous plasmocytoma. The heart and kidney failure symptoms disappeared after treatment with diuretics and ACE inhibitors.

[Cardiac tamponade disclosing neoplasm: apropos of 23 cases]. / Tamponnades révélatrices de néoplasme; à propos de 23 cas.

The authors report a series of cardio-pericardial metastases presenting acutely with tamponade. There were 14 men and 9 women with an average age of 39 years. The primary tumour was mainly bronchial in the men (5 cases: 20.8%) and breast (3 cases: 16.6%) or uterine (4 cases: 16.6%) in the women. The other malignancies were blood dyscrasias (5 NHL and 1 MHL) one pericardial mesothelioma, one Schwannoma, one Ewing's sarcoma and one carcinoma of the larynx. The primary tumour was not found in one case. Echocardiography showed a large, circumferential pericardial effusion in all cases and compressing the right heart chambers (RA and/or RV) in half the cases. Rounded echogenic masses implanted on the pericardial membranes (2 cases) or images of false membranes (10 cases) were also demonstrated. The clinical emergency led to pericardiocentesis with surgical drainage in 5 cases. A pleuro-pericardial window was fashioned in 4 cases. The effusion was important in all cases and bloody in 75% of cases. Cytology of the pericardial liquid was positive for malignant cells in 1 out of 2 cases. The diagnosis was made after death in 3 cases. The other biopsies, bronchial, lymph node, pleural and bone marrow also provided valuable diagnostic information. Undifferentiated carcinoma was found in 75% of bronchial carcinomas. In all three breast tumours, the histology showed moderately well differentiated adenocarcinoma. The authors underline the paucity of therapeutic measures: at this stage, pericardiocentesis is almost the only procedure apart from the cases of haemopathy. Some authors have suggested radiotherapy of the precordial region and others, intrapericardial chemotherapy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Meadows syndrome: puerperal cardiomyopathy]. / Syndrome de Meadows: cardiomyopathie du péri-partum.

This retrospective study concerns six cases of gravido-puerperal cardiomyopathy. These six cases account for 18% of all cases of non-obstructive cardiomyopathy (NOCM) affecting women in general and 67% of NOCM in women of childbearing age. Mean age was 28.5 with a range of 18 to 39. Reported risk factors include poor socio-economic conditions, multiparity, twin pregnancies and anemia. The clinical picture is that of cardiac failure, most often congestive (83.3%), with a systolic murmur of functional mitral incompetence (50%) and atypical chest pain (50%). The ECG is invariably abnormal, without specific signs. The high incidence of repolarisation disturbances is a fairly special feature. Echocardiography is the technique of choice, enabling detection, diagnosis and study of ventricular function, which is an important factor in prognostic evaluation. Medical treatment is based upon a combination of rest, salt-free diet, diuretics, digitalis and vasodilators. The etiology remains unknown and the prognosis is severe despite cases of complete recovery.

[Aortic coarctation and pregnancy. Apropos of 3 cases followed-up during a period of 10 years]. / Coarctation de l'aorte et grossesse. A propos de trois cas suivis pendant une période de 10 ans.

Classically, coarctation of the aorta is poorly tolerated during pregnancy or at least is associated with a risk of rupture of the aorta, rupture of a cerebral aneurysm or, more rarely, cardiac failure or bacterial infection. The authors turned their attention to this association of coarctation of the aorta and pregnancy in the light of 3 cases of pregnancy brought to term in the Department of Cardiology of the Ibn Rochd Teaching Hospital Group, Casablanca, Morocco. During a 10 year period, 20 patients were hospitalised in the department with coarctation of the aorta. There were 10 women, 3 of them pregnant. The mean age of these women was 26, with a range of 24 to 30. All patients had a normal pregnancy, delivery and post-partum, with neither cardiovascular, renal nor cerebral complications. There were no maternal deaths, ruptures of the aorta, cerebrovascular accidents, bacterial infections nor myocardial failure. All the pregnancies were brought to term. One patient was delivered vaginally with the use of forceps after full dilatation facilitating expulsion. One cesarean section with extraction of a live infant was induced at 38 weeks. One patient was lost to follow-up at 7 months and was seen again only after delivery at home, i.e. without supervision but equally without complications. The 3 newborn infants had an Apgar of 10/10 and a birth weight of 3.2-3.5 kilos. There were no spontaneous abortions and no premature deliveries.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)