[Indications for and the postoperative results of mitral valve prosthesis].

The influence of 20 hemodynamic and clinical indices on the postoperative results was studied in 528 patients with mitral valve prosthetics. One year after the operation 78.7% of the patients are with improved functional capacity, 18.

[Left atrial myxoma descending deeply into the cavity of the left ventricle].

A female patient, aged 59 is reported with a myxoma of the left auricle, pedunculated deep in left cardiac ventricle. Myxoma was echocardiographically diagnosed and confirmed by left atriography. On the fourth day after the diagnosis of myxoma, with a high efficiency of all examinations and organizational measures the patients was successfully operated.

[Valve prosthesis in cardiac defects: indications and potentials].

Valvular prosthesis made a good reputation in the treatment of acquired and a series of congenital heart diseases. At the Research Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, 288 subjects were implanted a total of 324 valves from 1965 to 1979. Only from January 1, 1977 to May 1, 1979--132 patients got valvular prostheses, 71 of them with mitral prostheses, 42--with aortic prostheses and 19--with double valvular prostheses,with a total and immediate postoperative lethality of 22.

[Clinical diagnostic problems in myxoma of the left atrium].

The difficulties in the diagnosis of left auricle myxoma are discussed, proceeding from seven patients, observed by the authors. In two of them the diagnosis was confirmed by EchoCG and intracardial investigation (left atriography), in three--it was realized by exploratory thoracotomy, and in one of them proceeded directly into operation with extracorporal circulation (ECC), the second was radically operated (with ECC) after one month and the third died during operation due to acute obturation of mitral ostium by an extremely big myxoma; the other two patients were also successfully operated, the diagnosis being preoperatively made. Two patients died of cardiac failure, their diagnosis made at necropsy.