Left superior vena cava in pediatric cardiology associated with extra-cardiac anomalies.

Background: In case reports and small series, the coexistence of a persistent left superior vena cava (LSVC) and extra-cardiac anomalies has been noted. However, an association between LSVC and extra-cardiac anomalies has not been documented. We investigated the association between LSVC and extra-cardiac anomalies in patients referred to our tertiary pediatric cardiology department between 1998 and 2005.

Echocardiographic assessment of preload conditions does not help at the neonatal intensive care unit.

To determine the value of noninvasive assessment of right ventricular preload in neonates, a prospective unblinded study was performed. Thirty-seven neonates without heart disease (median birth weight 1390 g, range 900 to 4400) were studied at the neonatal intensive care unit, comparing directly measured central venous pressure (CVP) and two-dimensional echocardiographic measurement of the maximum and minimum diameter of the inferior vena cava and calculated vena cava index (VCI). CVP was higher in conventionally ventilated and high-frequency oscillatory ventilated neonates than in those breathing spontaneously ( p < 0.

Transient foramen ovale incompetence in the normal newborn: an echocardiographic study.

Unlabelled: To assess presence, predominant direction and natural history of interatrial shunt flow in the normal newborn period an uncontrolled pilot study was performed. Twenty term ( > 36 completed weeks gestational age) newborns were studied using cross sectional, M-mode and colour Doppler echocardiography; cardiac, pulmonary or renal disease were excluded before entry to the study. In 11 of 20 normal term newborns a predominant left to right interatrial shunt was detected on the 1st day after birth.

Doppler echocardiographic evaluation of left ventricular diastolic function after surgical correction of atrial septal defect during childhood.

Transmitral flow was studied using Doppler echocardiography with the A/E ratio as a parameter of left ventricular diastolic function in 21 patients (ages 2.5-30.0 years) who had undergone early surgical correction of an isolated secundum type atrial septal defect (ASD) compared to a healthy cohort of 21 subjects.