1/31. Constrictive pericarditis following hemopericardium due to ascending aortic dissection: A case report.A 79-year-old woman, who had had no history of trauma, tuberculosis, or collagen diseases, was referred for examination of general fatigue and shortness of breath on exertion. physical examination revealed engorged neck veins, hepatomegaly, and ascites with abdominal distention. On chest x-ray the cardiac shadow was slightly enlarged and bilateral pleural effusion was present. An electrocardiogram showed low voltage of the QRS complex. Computed tomographic scans revealed two lumens in the remarkably dilated ascending aorta and the severely thickened pericardium. cardiac catheterization showed elevated right atrial pressure and elevated right and left ventricular end-diastolic pressures, in addition to a pressure record of early diastolic dip and end-systolic plateau in the right ventricle. aortography demonstrated aortic dissection localized to the ascending aorta. On the basis of these findings, the diagnosis of chronic ascending aortic dissection complicated with constrictive pericarditis was made. After subtotal pericardiectomy, graft replacement of the ascending aorta and proximal aortic arch was performed with successful results. Her postoperative recovery was uneventful. Histological studies of the pericardium showed fibrosis and marked infiltration of the inflammatory cells. No findings of specific pericarditis such as tuberculosis or collagen diseases were detected.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = pressure (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/31. Emergency repair of incidentally diagnosed ascending aortic aneurysm immediately after caesarean section.A 36-yr-old pregnant woman with a history of hypertension presented at term for elective Caesarean section because of breech position. At preoperative examination, a diastolic murmur was found and transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE) revealed a large, 8.1-cm diameter ascending aortic aneurysm with severe aortic regurgitation and moderate pericardial effusion. Surgical repair was not considered to be urgently required. The patient was delivered electively by Caesarean section under epidural anaesthesia using invasive arterial pressure monitoring. TOE performed 6 h post-partum showed progressing pericardial effusion, for which emergency replacement of the aortic valve and ascending aorta were indicated. The epidural catheter was removed 4 h before starting the cardiopulmonary bypass procedure. arterial pressure was controlled by a titrated infusion of esmolol and clonidine. To improve uterine tone, the patient received an i.v. infusion of oxytocin throughout surgery. After implantation of an aortic composite graft and weaning from cardiopulmonary bypass, the patient was transferred to the intensive care unit. Awake and receptive to neurological evaluation, her trachea was extubated 4 h after surgery. Mother and baby made an uneventful recovery.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.66666666666667keywords = pressure (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/31. Communicating hydrocephalus secondary to a cardiac tumour compressing the superior vena cava.An infant developing communicating hydrocephalus as a result of a rare cardiac tumour compressing the superior vena cava is reported. The development and regression of the hydrocephalus parallels the degree of obstruction to venous outflow. This finding is reviewed in the light of previous studies and case reports, and it is argued that the hydrocephalus is secondary to a reversible defect in cerebrospinal fluid absorption caused by the reversal of the normal cerebrospinal fluid to sagittal sinus pressure gradient.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.33333333333333keywords = pressure (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/31. A case of effusive-constrictive pericarditis after cardiac surgery.A 60-year-old woman who had undergone repair of an atrial septal defect was readmitted to the hospital with dyspnea, abdominal distention, and leg edema 31 months after surgery. An echocardiogram demonstrated massive pericardial effusion. cardiac catheterization revealed elevation and equilibrium of the 4-chamber diastolic pressure and a dip-and-plateau pattern in the right and the left ventricular pressures. Despite removal of pericardial fluid by pericardiocentesis, the findings and symptoms did not improve. The patient underwent both parietal and visceral pericardiectomy after which striking hemodynamic and symptomatic improvement occurred. Effusive-constrictive pericarditis is uncommon but should be considered in patients with refractory heart failure and massive pericardial effusion showing no improvement after removal of pericardial fluid.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.66666666666667keywords = pressure (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/31. Massive pericardial effusion with left-to-right intracardiac shunt.We describe a 31-year-old man with Down's syndrome who presented with severe chronic hypothyroidism and a massive pericardial effusion. Following partial aspiration of this effusion, he rapidly deteriorated and died. Findings at autopsy revealed him to have an atrioventricular septal defect with shunting at the atrial level. We postulate that, by releasing extrinsic pressure on his right heart by the aspiration, there was sudden shunting of blood from left-to-right, resulting in hypotension, shock, and subsequent death. We highlight the difficulties in management of such a case, and suggest alternative strategies.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.33333333333333keywords = pressure (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/31. Reversed portal vein pulsatility on Doppler ultrasound secondary to an iatrogenic mediastinal haematoma.The Doppler ultrasound pattern of reversed pulsatile flow (RPF) of the portal vein (PV) is strongly associated with high atrial pressure. Tricuspid regurgitation is considered to be the main cause of RPF in patients with chronic heart disease, but the precise pathomechanism of this PV flow pattern has not yet been resolved. We describe for the first time a RPF of the PV in a young patient with a mediastinal haematoma after inadvertent puncture of the subclavian artery. In this patient, transcutaneous echocardiography demonstrated normal valves without any tricuspid regurgitation as well as normal diameters of the cardiac cavities. The RPF of the PV in this patient resolved spontaneously within 7 days. An increased hepatic outflow resistance with transmission of hepatic artery pulsations across arterioportal communications seems the most likely pathomechanism to explain our finding.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.33333333333333keywords = pressure (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/31. Oozing-type of left ventricular rupture treated under percutaneous cardiopulmonary support without surgical repair.A 65-year-old man was admitted to the National Defense Medical College Hospital for acute anterolateral myocardial infarction and cardiogenic shock. Emergency coronary angiography demonstrated occlusion of the proximal left anterior descending artery. Primary percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) was successfully performed with the support of intra-aortic balloon pumping (IABP) and medical treatment to stabilize the patient's blood pressure. On the second hospital day, the patient suffered cardiac tamponade. pericardiocentesis showed bloody fluid and revealed that an oozing-type of left ventricular rupture had occurred after the myocardial infarction. Cardiogenic shock persisted after successful removal of the pericardial effusion. Although the heparinization required during percutaneous cardiopulmonary support (PCPS) can increase pericardial effusion, PCPS was initiated to correct the systemic hypoperfusion; a surgical team was on standby in case massive pericardial effusion resulted, but fortunately that did not occur, and cardiac function recovered. The patient was weaned successfully from PCPS and IABP and has remained in a satisfactory condition for over 1 year. PCPS contributed to the patient's recovery from cardiac shock and may have decreased the effusion from the oozing-type rupture by reducing ventricular wall tension.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.33333333333333keywords = pressure (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/31. Transseptal stent treatment of anastomotic stricture after repair of partial anomalous pulmonary venous return.PURPOSE: To report the endovascular treatment of a stenosis of the pulmonary venous anastomosis following surgical treatment for partial anomalous pulmonary venous return. CASE REPORT: A 60-year-old man presented with recurrent pleural effusions after correction of a partial anomalous left pulmonary venous return. magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated focal stenosis at the anastomosis of the anomalous pulmonary vein to the left atrial appendage. Using a transseptal approach, the pulmonary vein stenosis was accessed and successfully stented. The patient's symptoms improved, and follow-up imaging demonstrated a patent stent without residual pressure gradient. CONCLUSIONS: Endovascular repair of a stenosis at the anastomosis of an anomalous pulmonary vein is possible and should be considered as a treatment option for this lesion.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.33333333333333keywords = pressure (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/31. Acute left ventricular failure after large volume pericardiocentesis.This paper reports on two cases of large volume pericardiocentesis followed by transient severe acute left ventricular (LV) systolic failure in the absence of any prior history of LV dysfunction. Acute LV volume overload due to interventricular volume mismatch is believed by most authors to be the cause for this phenomenon. Another plausible physiopathologic explanation is the acute increase in "wall stress" (Laplace's law) due to acute distention of the cardiac chambers secondary to a sudden increase in venous return at high filling pressures, combined with a "vacuum" effect of the evacuated pericardial space.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.33333333333333keywords = pressure (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/31. Echocardiographic tamponade in severe left ventricular dysfunction: the impact of small pericardial effusion and the absence of pulsus paradoxicus.cardiac tamponade is a commonly encountered clinical entity. It is a clinical syndrome characterized by elevated filling pressures, pulsus paradoxicus, and eventually, hypotension. It occurs as intrapericardial pressure exceeds intracardiac pressures altering ventricular filling. Generally tamponade occurs with moderate or large accumulations of pericardial fluid that result in an increase in pericardial pressure. It is well known that rapid accumulation of relatively small volumes of fluid can cause tamponade pathophysiology. We report a less well-recognized phenomenon. In the setting of severe left ventricular dysfunction, small volumes of pericardial fluid can result in excessive intrapericardial pressure and echocardiographic tamponade in the absence of a significant pulsus paradoxicus.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1.6666666666667keywords = pressure (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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