[Evaluation of a new compact prothrombin time-international normalized ratio measurement device in pediatric management].

BACKGROUND: In a pediatric setting, the need for lifetime oral anticoagulation is increasing because of currency of extracardiac total cavo-pulmonary connection (TCPC) and pediatric valve surgery. We evaluated a new compact device "CoaguChek XS" for measuring prothrombin time-internatinal normalized ratio (PT-INR). METHODS: The international normalized ratio (INR) values obtained from 71 patients (223 samples) by a CoaguChek XS were compared with those obtained by a laboratory-based coagulation analyzer. RESULTS: The values from the CoaguChek XS had a significant correlation with the laboratory based results. (r2 = 0.92, p < 0.01, regression line y = 1.05 x -0.02). CONCLUSION: The CoaguChek XS will be useful in pediatric management.

[Senning operation for transposition of great arteries in a premature baby].

A male baby was delivered by emergency cesarean section due to fetal distress at 30 weeks of gestational age with a birth weight of 813 g. By fetal echocardiography, the patient had been diagnosed with transposition of great arteries (type 1). Early two-staged arterial switch operation was planned after 34 gestational age avoiding intracranial hemorrhage under cardiopulmonary bypass. At 19 days of life, vegetation was revealed on the pulmonary valve by echocardiography, so he was diagnosed as infectious endocarditis. Cefotaxime and gamma-globulin were given intravenously for 4 weeks. While waiting for the increase in the body weight, desaturation from chronic respiratory distress syndrome was exacerbated. At 8 months old, urgent Senning operation was performed to improve desaturation. The patient was discharged at 20 post operative day. We conclude that Senning operation can be feasible operation in such a complicated case.

Evaluation of right ventricular contraction by myocardial strain in children using a two-dimensional tissue tracking method.

Two-dimensional tissue tracking makes it possible to detect myocardial strain in any direction. Consequently, this method is applicable for evaluation of myocardial dyssynchrony. This study enrolled 22 healthy volunteers (11 boys and 11 girls) ages 1.6 to 10.8 years (mean, 6.8 years). Echocardiography (subxiphoid right anterior oblique view) of the right ventricle was examined. Three tracking points were put on the right ventricle, and time-strain curves of the inflow tract (strain at the inlet) and the outflow tract (strain at the outlet) as well as time-strain curve of the pulmonary annulus diameter were made. The strain at the inlet was larger than the strain at the outlet (0.31 vs 0.15; p = 0.0003). The time to peak negative strain at the inlet was longer than at the outlet (0.48 vs 0.42 s; p = 0.001). The diameter of the pulmonary annulus shortened in systole, and the time to peak negative strain of the pulmonary annulus was longer than that of the outlet (0.48 vs 0.42; p = 0.001). There was no significant difference in the times between the pulmonary annulus and the inlet (0.48 vs 0.48; p = 0.78). Two-dimensional tissue tracking allows assessment for quantification of myocardial performance and timing of the right ventricle.

[Staged surgical palliations for hypoplastic left heart syndrome with poor preoperative conditions].

A 2.8 kg-female newborn diagnosed as hypoplastic left heart syndrome was transferred to our hospital after resuscitation against systemic circulatory failure due to closure of the ductus arteriosus. Her systemic circulation was stabilized after alprostadil (lipo-PGE1) and inotorpic agent infusion along with mechanical ventilation support. On admission, signs of a pulmonary high-flow and low systemic perfusion were evident. Impaired coagulation aspect was gradually noted. Because a surgical palliation with cardiopulmonary bypass was considered to be at high-risk, a bilateral pulmonary artery banding was indicated. Through a median sternotomy, the right and left pulmonary arteries were individually banded. The patient was continued on the same ventilation strategy. Cardiac, hepatic and renal dysfunctions were improved over next few days and the patient weaned from ventilatory support. She underwent combined Norwood stage I and II repair at 4 months of age with weight of 4.8 kg. Postoperative course has been uneventful and the patient is now followed up in preparation for Fontan operation.

[Comparison of right ventricular function between prevention and enlargement of pulmonary valve annulus after repair of tetralogy of Fallot; mid-term results].

Total of 41 patients with tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) who underwent intracardiac repair from 1993 to 1998 were divided into 2 groups: preservation (n = 14) or enlargement (n = 27) of the pulmonary valve annulus. The procedure was decided on the Z value of the annular size: above or under -2 SD of the standard value. Although postoperative right ventricular (RV) diastolic volume (RVEDV) and cardiothoracic ratio (CTR) were larger than the preservation group and pulmonary regurgitation (PR) existed in the enlargement group, RV pressure was decreased and central venous pressure (CVP) was low and RV contraction was preserved. The exercise capacity was also good and no significant arrhythmia was recognized. Our mid-term results showed that appropriate enlargement of the pulmonary valve annulus preserved good RV function in patients with TOF.

[Differences in postoperative course by preoperative left ventricular volume after closure of ventricular septal defect during early infancy].

A total of 38 early infants with ventricular septal defect (VSD) were divided into 2 groups by preoperative LVEDV. The group A (n=14, LVEDV>250% N) showed significantly longer period of intubation, cathecholamine drip, and hospitalization compared with the group B (n=28, LVEDV<250% N). At dischage, both groups showed significant lowered right ventricular (RV) pressure, but LVSF in the group A was significantly lower than that in the group B. The patients with larger left ventricular (LV) volume preoperatively were thought to be potential high-risk groups in cardiac and pulmonary function and their postoperative course was prolonged and recovery of LV function was worse. In such patients, special care is mandatory to do postoperative management and to decide timing of operation.

[Congenital supravalvular aortic stenosis; report of a case].

We experienced a successful surgical case of extended aortoplasty by means of Doty's method (two sinus reconstruction) for congenital supravalvular aortic stenosis (SAS). Case was 12-year-old boy, who had no complaint except heart murmur. The retrograde aortography demonstrated localized stenosis just above the aortic valve, and it was an hour-glass type. The preoperative peak systolic pressure gradient between the left ventricle and ascending aorta was 56 mmHg, which was improved postoperatively. This case showed excellent results. Doty's aortoplasty was favorable method for SAS without deformity of aortic valve and coronary obstruction.

Interventional treatment for fetus and newborn infant with congenital heart disease.

BACKGROUND: Catheter intervention has become popular not only in adult patients but in younger patients with congenital heart disease. The early neonatal catheter interventional treatment has also been attempted in conjunction with the development of prenatal diagnosis of the congenital heart disease. METHOD: Recent articles concerning several severe structural cardiac diseases in newborns, such as critical aortic stenosis, complete transposition of the great arteries, premature constriction of the ductus arteriosus, and pulmonary stenosis or atresia with intact ventricular septum are introduced with consideration. RESULTS: This study investigated our own experiences of early neonatal balloon valvuloplasty in a patient with critical aortic stenosis carried out immediately after the delivery following prenatal diagnosis. A case with prenatal diagnosis of premature constriction of ductus arteriosus which could prevent persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn by early delivery at 39 weeks and 1 day of gestation were reported. CONCLUSION: Several cardiac interventional treatments performed in the present time during the perinatal period and some prospects in the near future are described in the discussion.

Fetal diagnosis of common arterial trunk with interrupted aortic arch using color power Doppler angiography.

We successfully visualized the brachiocephalic arteries and aortic arch in a fetus seen at 19 weeks of gestation with a common arterial trunk and interrupted aortic arch by means of color power Doppler angiography, a new diagnostic development of color Doppler echocardiography. Power Doppler imaging is more sensitive to the state of low flow in fetal vessels, thus providing better visualization of fetal vascular structures from an early gestational stage.

[A case of simple coarctation].

We report a successful surgical repair of the simple coarctation of a 80-day-old girl by extended end-to-end aortic arch reconstruction. She was admitted to our hospital at the age of 4 days because of poor pulsation of femoral arteries. The systolic blood pressure gradient between the arm and the leg was 30 mmHg. Echocardiography on admission revealed a simple coarctation and patent foramen ovale, with the mildly impaired left ventricular contraction (left ventricular fractional shortening was 23%). Although aortography demonstrated an isolated interrupted segment at the aortic isthmus with collaterals (type A classification of Celoria-Patton), the tubular connection between the distal arch and the descending aorta, of which intralumen was obstructed with abundant ductal tissues, was found at operation. The obstruction of the lumen of aortic isthmus in our case, which was originally patent, might be caused by ductal closure and present as a simple coarctation.

Unguarded mitral orifice, mirror-imaged atrial arrangement, and discordant atrioventricular connections.

We report two autopsy proven cases of unguarded mitral orifice associated with mirror-imaged atrial arrangement, discordant atrioventricular connections, double outlet right ventricle, pulmonary valvar stenosis or atresia, and atrialisation of the morphologically left ventricle. The morphologically left atrioventricular junction was devoid of valvar leaflets, and there was no tension apparatus within the ventricle. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first description of this rare cardiac malformation.

Banding of the pulmonary trunk in preparation for a Fontan operation.

Banding of the pulmonary trunk is an important surgical procedure for patients who have congenital cardiac malformations with unrestricted pulmonary flow. We propose a new concept for determining in such circumstances the most appropriate length of the band used to constrict the pulmonary trunk in preparation for a Fontan operation. We studied 14 patients undergoing banding of the pulmonary trunk and measured the following parameters: diameter of aorta, diameter of pulmonary trunk, length of pulmonary arterial band and maximum flow velocity across the banded segment. We calculated an index from our original parameter based on the formula; length of band/(diameter of aorta diameter of pulmonary trunk). The diameter of aorta was 9.5 +/- 1.4 mm, and that of the pulmonary trunk was 9.6 +/- 2.3 mm. The length of the band was 16.5 +/- 3.4 mm, giving a calculated index of 0.188 +/- 0.038. The maximum flow velocity was 4.02 +/- 0.46 m/s. No correlation was found between the length of the band and body weight, and also no correlation was found between the length of the band and maximum flow velocity. The calculated index had a negative correlation with the maximum velocity of flow across the band (y = -8.13x +/- 5.56, R = 0.74, p < 0.01). We believe that the proposed index is a useful guide in determining the length of a pulmonary band when preparing patients for a Fontan operation.

Analysis of ventricular septal motion by doppler tissue imaging in atrial septal defect and normal heart.

The aortic root and the upper part of the ventricular septum moves anteriorly in early systole, while the lower part moves posteriorly. The hinge of the counterpart motion of the ventricular septum is called pivot point. Using Doppler tissue imaging (DTI), we attempted to clarify the location of the pivot point of the ventricular septum in children with normal heart and with atrial septal defect (ASD), and to investigate the relation between the degree of the downward shift of the pivot point and that of volume overload of the right ventricle in patients with ASD. Study subjects consisted of 20 healthy children and 36 patients with ASD, aged from 1 to 15 years (mean 5.7+/-3.4) in the normal group and 6 months to 12 years (mean 4.4+/-3.2) in the ASD group, respectively. The pivot point was designated as a border of the color signal of DTI of the ventricular septum in early systole. Measurements were then obtained on cross-sectional echocardiography and DTI: septal length in the parasternal long-axis view, distance from aortic valve to pivot point in early systole, diastolic left ventricular internal dimension, and diastolic right ventricular internal dimension. In the normal group, the ratio of distance from aortic valve to pivot point/septal length was 0.13+/-0.049, whereas it was 0.26+/-0.168 in the group with ASD (p <0.001). In the ASD group, the distance from aortic valve to pivot point normalized by body surface area (mm/m2) correlated with the ratio of diastolic right/left ventricular internal dimension and with the ratio of pulmonary to systemic flow (Qp/Qs) (r = 0.63 and 0.50, respectively). The ratio of the distance from aortic valve to pivot point/septal length correlated with the ratio of diastolic right/left ventricular internal dimension and Qp/Qs (r = 0.56 and 0.44, respectively). By DTI, the pivot point was located at the upper 13+/-5% of the total length of the ventricular septum in normal children, and was located at 26+/-17% in patients with ASD (p < 0.001). The degree of this displacement in ASD correlated with that of volume overload of the right ventricle. The paradoxic motion of the ventricular septum shown in the ASD could be explained by this downward shift of the pivot point.

Has fetal echocardiography improved the prognosis of congenital heart disease? Comparison of patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome with and without prenatal diagnosis.

BACKGROUND: As prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease has gained in popularity, the questions of whether prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease is beneficial for the patient and whether fetal echocardiography has improved the prognosis of congenital heart disease are arising. METHODS: We compared four patients with prenatally diagnosed hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) with 10 patients of non-prenatally diagnosed HLHS from the view points of (i) age at transfer to our Children's Hospital; (ii) whether the oxygen was inhaled during perinatal period; (iii) whether prostaglandin E1 was administered in the period of waiting before operation; (iv) whether the patient had ductal shock; (v) timing of operation; and (vi) surgical outcome. RESULTS: The timing of the transfer to our Children's Hospital was earlier in prenatally diagnosed group than in non-diagnosed group. Oxygen was not given to any of the patients in prenatally diagnosed group. In contrast, oxygen inhalation was given in two of 10 patients in the non-prenatally diagnosed group. Prostaglandin E1 was administrated in three of four patients in the prenatally diagnosed group and seven of 10 patients in the non-prenatally diagnosed group. In terms of ductal shock, none of the patients in prenatally diagnosed group had ductal shock. However, four of 10 patients had ductal shock in the non-prenatally diagnosed group. The median age at Norwood operation was 7 days in the prenatally diagnosed group; however, it was 19 days in non-prenatally diagnosed group. Surgical outcomes showed no significant changes between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Prenatal diagnosis of HLHS was surely beneficial for preventing ductal shock and for keeping the patients' preoperative condition good.

[One-stage repair of interrupted aortic arch with selective cerebral perfusion].

To minimize the neurological compromise after the circulatory arrest, the selective cerebral perfusion could be beneficial. We underwent one-stage repair of the interrupted aortic arch (IAA) with various intracardiac anomalies for the six patients, age ranging from 12 days to 4 months, by using the selective cerebral perfusion. Cardiopulmonary bypass was established by using two-way arterial cannulation supported by the two respective pump systems, one of which utilized the EPTFE graft anastmosed to either the bracheocephalic artery or the right subclavian artery and second of which enrouted through the arterial ductus to the descending aorta. The cerebral perfusion during the circulatory arrest for the aortic arch repair was maintained by the selective perfusion via EPTFE graft with 10 ml/kg/min blood flow. After the completion of the arch repair, the total system perfusion was restarted through the graft and the repair of the intracardiac anomalies was followed. Of six, no operative death or neurological complications related to the operation were found. The clinical neurological evaluation after operation also demonstrated the normal for the age. In conclusion, the selective cerebral perfusion by using the EPTFE graft during the circulatory arrest might decrease the risk of brain damage.

[A surgical case of severe Ebstein's anomaly, pulmonary atresia in the neonate: experience of modified Starnes operation].

We report a surgical case of severe Ebstein's anomaly associated with pulmonary atresia in the neonate. The baby had remarkable cardiomegaly (CTR > or = 90%) soon after birth and presented severe respiratory distress. He underwent modified Starnes operation (closure of tricuspid valve using a perforated patch, enlargement of interatrial communication, modified Blalock shunt, and PDA ligation) at the age of 12 days. He survived the procedure and cardiopulmonary failure was improved. However, he died from arrhythmia on the 3rd postoperative day. We think this procedure is useful regard to improvement of cardiopulmonary failure due to this fatal congenital heart disease.

Global ischemia increases the density of voltage-dependent calcium channels in porcine cardiac sarcolemma.

The objective of this work was to determine whether normothermic global cardiac ischemia in a porcine model was associated with a change in the density (Bmax) of voltage-dependent calcium channels in myocardial sarcolemmal membranes. Pigs were anesthetized, a thoracotomy was performed, and samples were taken of the left and right ventricles from control and ischemic hearts. Dihydropyridine-binding sites were quantified using [3H]isradipine, and 5'-nucleotidase activity was measured by the liberation of inorganic phosphate from adenosine monophosphate. Bmax and dissociation constants and 5'-nucleotidase activity for control and ischemic tissues, respectively, were compared by using Student's t-test for unpaired samples. After normothermic global ischemia, the Bmax of [3H]isradipine binding increased in the left ventricle by 81% (299% +/- 1.7% to 540% +/- 11% fmoles/mg, P < 0.01) and in the right ventricle by 33% (387% +/- 9.9% to 515% +/- 38% fmoles/mg, P < 0.01) compared with control. 5'-nucleotidase activity increased by 48% in the left ventricle and by 96% in the right ventricle (p < 0.05). Fifteen minutes of normothermic ischemia in the pig is associated with marked sarcolemmal abnormalities, including increases in specific dihydropyridine binding and 5'-nucleotidase activity, which reflect global changes in membrane function, which might contribute to the increase in myoplasmic calcium during ischemia.

[Successful repair of a newborn case with total anomalous pulmonary venous connection presenting hemodynamically common pulmonary vein atresia].

Common pulmonary vein atresia is a very rare from of congenital cardiac anomaly in which the common chamber of pulmonary veins has no direct communication to the heart or systemic venous system. We report here on one-day-old boy with total anomalous pulmonary venous connection having severe stenosis (sized less than one millimeter in diameter) of vertical vein between common pulmonary vein and superior vena cava. His anatomic feature was considered as a spectrum between common pulmonary vein atresia and total anomalous pulmonary venous connection because of almost atretic draining vertical vein. His clinical presentation and hemodynamic characteristics were the same as common pulmonary vein atresia. He underwent an emergent anastomosis of common pulmonary vein to left atrium at 33 hours after birth under cardiopulmonary bypass, cross-sectional echocardiography and Doppler color mapping. He was discharged home two months after the surgery. Cardiac catheterization after six months revealed normal cardiac function without any evidence of pulmonary venous chamber stenosis. To improve the outcome of surgical intervention for this life-threatening cardiac anomaly, immediate the precise diagnosis using echocardiography followed by emergent surgical correction is in dispensable.

Prenatal diagnosis of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection with asplenia.

The prenatal diagnosis of 2 fetuses with total anomalous pulmonary venous connection was made by color Doppler echocardiography at 31 and 38 weeks of gestation, respectively. Both had asplenic hearts and their diagnoses were confirmed by postnatal echocardiography, magnetic resonance imaging, and angiography. The antenatal diagnosis of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection in right isomerism could provide an optimal postnatal medical and surgical management. Moreover, monitoring of the velocity profile of the pulmonary venous flow is beneficial for decreasing the risk of sudden collapse by pulmonary venous obstruction throughout the perinatal period.