Physiologic Repair of Congenitally Corrected Transposition of the Great Arteries in a Criss-Cross Heart.

Congenitally corrected transposition of great arteries is an uncommon congenital heart disease characterized by discordance at both the atrioventricular and ventriculoarterial connections. A rare subgroup of patients with congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries also has a criss-cross heart. The morphology of these patients represents a diagnostic challenge that requires critical analysis to perform a satisfactory surgical procedure. We present a case of a 12-year-old patient with the above mentioned anatomy who underwent physiologic repair.

Incremental value of live/real-time three-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography over the two-dimensional technique in the assessment of left ventricular endocardial rupture with myocardial dissection and contained apical epicardial rupture following myocardial infarction.

We report the incremental value of live/real-time three-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography (3DTTE) over two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography (2DTTE) in making a definitive diagnosis of left ventricular endocardial rupture with myocardial dissection and contained apical epicardial rupture in an elderly male patient presenting with acute myocardial infarction. To the best of our knowledge, this has not been described previously.

Nikaidoh Procedure: The Wet Lab Trainee's Perspective.

Congenital heart surgeons' training is complex and challenging. The learning curve is long and the increasing complexity of pathologies is demanding. In order to develop adequate surgical-skill competencies, "in vivo" and simulation-based practicing are paramount. Simulation can be performed either on a computer screen or animal hearts and prosthetic models. In this article, we illustrate a porcine Wet Lab simulation for the Nikaidoh operation to point out its potential advantage to learn complex congenital surgery procedures.