Contrast echocardiography for the evaluation of tumors and thrombi.

Contrast echocardiography is based on intravenous injection of microbubbles that act as blood flow tracers and increase ultra-sound signal. Contrast agents have shown to improve cardiac cavities opacification and endocardial border delineation in addition to helping perfusion evaluation. Contrast echocardiography has recently been used to evaluate cardiac masses.

Patient with von Willebrand disease undergoing mitral valve repair: a strategy for the control of the coagulopathy.

We report a case of a 60 year-old woman with von Willebrand disease type I that was submitted to a mitral valve repair. The patient needed special care due coagulopathy and needed VIII factor (VIIIf) and von Willebrand factor (vWf), before, during and after surgery. There was no complication during or after surgery.

Coronary spasm induced by dobutamine-atropine stress echocardiography.

This is the report on a 45-year-old female, with a history of systemic arterial hypertension and cigarette smoking, submitted to dobutamine-atropine stress echocardiography for the investigation of coronary artery disease. At stress peak, the patient reported sudden, highly intense precordial pain. The 12-lead electrocardiogram showed ST segment elevation in DII, DIII, aVF, V5 and V6, and depression in DI, aVL, V2 and V3.