[Predictors of hospital mortality in 186 cases of active infective endocarditis treated in a tertiary medical center (1992-2001)].

Introduction And Objectives: The aim of this study was to describe the predictors of hospital mortality found in patients admitted for infective endocarditis (IE) to a cardiovascular surgery ward. Patients and method. Prospective study of 186 patients with IE treated in our hospital between 1992 and 2001.

Right atrial size and tricuspid regurgitation severity predict mortality or transplantation in primary pulmonary hypertension.

Primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH) is a fatal illness. In advanced stages only transplantation is able to increase survival. Echocardiography is useful for the assessment of these patients, but there is limited information about its prognostic value.

[Cardiac myxoma. Clinical-pathological correlation].

Introduction And Objectives: Myxomas are the most common type of primary cardiac tumors. The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical forms of presentation of cardiac myxoma, the postoperative evolution, and the possibility of recurrence and tumoral embolism.

Patients And Method: From July 1992 to March 1999, 31 patients with myxoma were studied.

Local thrombus as an isolated sign of traumatic aortic injury.

We report an unusual case of blunt traumatic aortic injury in which a mobile thrombus located at the isthmus was the only abnormality detected by transesophageal echocardiography. The case illustrates the high sensitivity of this diagnostic tool in aortic trauma and underscores the possibility of finding infrequent evidence of injury in subtle aortic lesions.

Unusual "Polycystic" Appearance of a Right Atrial Angiosarcoma Described by Transesophageal Echocardiography.

Angiosarcoma is the most common primary sarcoma of the heart and the most frequent location of the tumor is the right atrium. In the few published cases of right atrial angiosarcoma studied by transesophageal echocardiography, the features described greatly differ from one to another. We describe the transesophageal images of a prolapsing mass type angiosarcoma with polycystic appearance previously misinterpreted as a right atrial myxoma in two consecutives transthoracic echocardiograms.