Left ventricular performance is closely related to the physical properties of the arterial system: Landmark clinical investigations in the 1970s and 1980s.

Left ejection fraction (LVEF)--resulting from the difference between end-diastolic volume (EDV) and end-systolic volume (ESV), divided by EDV--is a poor index of left ventricular (LV) systolic performance due to its dependency on load conditions, inotropic state and LV remodelling. The characteristic impedance of the ascending aorta (Zc) integrates factors opposing LV ejection during the early ejection period when arterial wave reflection can be neglected. Zc is related to the pressure wave velocity (C) and the cross-sectional area of the aorta.

[A case report of Williams and Beuren syndrome with associated aggravation of in situ distal pulmonary vascular obstruction due to thrombotic disease].

We report a case of Williams and Beuren syndrome in which the obstruction of the pulmonary vascular bed, linked with peripheral stenoses of the pulmonary arteries, associated here with an interventricular communication, was aggravated due to the coexistence of in situ thrombotic disease, leading to a progressive hypoxaemia, requiring long-term anticoagulant treatment, and compromising the long-term prognosis. This case report puts into question the so-called favourable prognosis of pulmonary arterial branch stenoses in this malformation syndrome.

[A platypnea-orthodeoxia syndrome].

We report the case of a 68 years old patient with platypnea orthodeoxia syndrome who has been clinically suspected on cutaneous saturation position's variation. It has been confirmed by transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). TEE showed the size of patent foramen ovale (PFO), visualised the right to left shunt.

[Diagnosis of cardiac tumor by percutaneous thromboaspiration. A case report].

Percutaneous endovascular thromboaspiration is a valuable tool as illustrated by the case of a patient suffering from a large intracardiac tumour. Histological and immuno-histochemical analysis of the tumour fragments provided the diagnosis of a cardiac angiosarcoma. The patient was a 44 year old man admitted for a large sero-sanguinous pericardial effusion which recurred after drainage.

[Reversible left intraventricular obstruction after treatment of pheochromocytoma and hyperthyroidism].

The authors report an original case of the association of three pathologies: pheochromocytoma, hyperthyroidism and cardiomyopathy with left ventricular outflow tract obstruction. This type of cardiac disease has occasionally been described in cases of pheochromocytoma and are usually induced by the endocrine disturbance because they regress with treatment of the pheochromocytoma. The associated hyperthyroidism observed in this case is very rare and may have increased the left ventricular pressure gradient.