[Acquired Left Ventricular-right Atrial Communication due to Infective Endocarditis;Report of a Case].

A 77-year-old woman presented with a 3-week history of low grade fever, appetite loss and dizziness. An electrocardiogram showed complete heart block. Echocardiography demonstrated severe aortic valve stenosis and a mass of probable vegetation 2 cm in diameter on the atrioventricular septum in the right atrium (RA), but no obvious intra-cardiac fistula.

Diagnostic accuracy of a modified subtraction coronary CT angiography method with short breath-holding time: a feasibility study.

Objective: To explore the feasibility and diagnostic accuracy of modified subtraction coronary CT angiography (CCTA) with short breath-holding time in patients who have limited breath-hold capability and severe coronary artery calcification.

Methods: 11 patients with a coronary calcium score >400 underwent CCTA using a modified subtraction protocol. All patients were unable to hold their breath for more than 20 s.

Modified Subtraction Coronary CT Angiography Method for Patients Unable to Perform Long Breath-Holds: A Preliminary Study.

Rationale And Objectives: Severe calcifications of the coronary arteries are still a major challenge in coronary computed tomography (CT) angiography (CCTA). Subtraction CCTA using a 320-detector row CT scanner has recently been introduced for patients with severe calcifications. However, the conventional subtraction CCTA method requires a long breath-holding time of approximately 20-40 seconds.

Abdominal aortic disease caused by penetrating atherosclerotic ulcers.

Objective: Penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer (PAU) of the aorta is defined as an atherosclerotic lesion with ulceration of the aortic intima and media and rupture of the internal elastic lamina. PAU induced aortic dissection, aortic rupture, and secular aortic aneurysm and typically occurs in elderly hypertensive patients with severe atherosclerosis. Although it has been reported that atherosclerosis similarly occurs in the abdominal aorta, its natural history and treatment are still unclear.

Surgical treatment for papillary fibroelastoma of the aortic valve.

Although cardiac papillary fibroelastomas are benign tumors, they have the potential to cause life-threatening complications such as stroke and myocardial infarction and may even lead to sudden cardiac death. We report a case of surgical treatment for a papillary fibroelastoma of the aortic valve. The patient was a 62-year-old woman who was asymptomatic for cardiac papillary fibroelastoma.

Severely calcified intravenous leiomyomatosis with cardiac extension.

Intravenous leiomyomatosis is a rare benign tumor. In this report we described a case of 72-year-old female who presented with a tumor of this type. Thirty years earlier she had received hysterectomy for uterine myoma.

Chylopericardium following mitral valve replacement.

A 49-year-old man with mitral regurgitation developed chylopericardium after mitral valve replacement. On postoperative day (POD) 1, the patient was started on a regular diet. On POD 2, drainage from retrosternal and intrapericardial tubes increased, becoming turbid and milky.