Variations in the Evaluation and Management of Vascular Rings: A Survey of American Clinicians.

Vascular rings are arterial malformations that lead to the compression of the trachea and/or esophagus. While "tight" rings often produce symptoms and require surgery, "loose" rings rarely produce symptoms. Given advances in fetal echocardiography, this diagnosis is now more often made prenatally.

Photoplethysmographic assessment of pulse transit time correlates with echocardiographic measurement of stroke volume in preterm infants with patent ductus arteriosus.

Objective: We aimed to correlate photoplethysmographic parameters with stroke volume in infants with PDA. Photoplethysmography constitutes the optical signal in pulse oximetry.

Study Design: Stroke volume was determined echocardiographically.

Assessing Myocardial Function in Infants with Pulmonary Hypertension: The Role of Tissue Doppler Imaging and Tricuspid Annular Plane Systolic Excursion.

Transthoracic echocardiography is the most common noninvasive method of evaluating pulmonary hypertension (PH) in infants. Identification of reliable, quantitative indices of myocardial function may enhance the diagnostic value of echocardiography in this population. We hypothesized that pulsed wave tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) would be reproducible measurements and would suggest decreased ventricular function, in infants with PH.

Association of A Dilated Coronary Sinus in the Fetus with Actual and Apparent Coarctation of the Aorta and Diminutive Left Heart Structures.

Evidence suggests an association between left heart obstructive lesions and dilated coronary sinus (DCS), but this has not been studied in fetuses. A retrospective review of fetal echocardiograms (FE) over an 8-year period was conducted, and patients with DCS were identified and confirmed postnatally. There were 5840 FE performed on 4920 women during this period.

Intravenous immunoglobulins in severe Guillian-Barre syndrome in childhood.

Objective: This is a retrospective analysis of 25 children with severe Guillain-Barre syndrome admitted to our PICU.

Method: All children were treated with intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG) in a dose of 2 g/kg body weight over 2-5 days in addition to supportive and respiratory care. Seventeen children were elective admissions to the PICU whereas 8 children were transferred from other hospitals in a critical condition.