Publications by authors named "Farirai Takawira"

Background: A coronary cameral fistula is a rare connection between a coronary artery and a cardiac chamber or vein bypassing the cardiac capillary bed system. Most of these fistulae are congenital and solitary, although they can be acquired and multiple.

Cases Presentation: Case 1: A 10-year-old black South African boy presented with a long-standing history of fatigue; he had a heart murmur, and a bounding pulse and wide pulse pressure.

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Hepatic hemangiomas are considered to be the most common benign tumors of the liver. They are often found incidentally while investigating for other causes of liver disease. Hemangiomas that are less than 10 cm are not expected to cause any problems.

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We report on a two-month-old infant with an unusual form of scimitar syndrome, associated with an absent right pulmonary artery, obstructed inferior vena cava, hemi-azygous continuation and the VACTERL association. The infant posed a major management problem and eventually died from a lower respiratory tract infection.

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The development of a pseudoaneurysm is a rare complication following repair of a coarctation of the aorta. Surgical management of pseudoaneurysms is associated with high morbidity and mortality. We describe the successful endovascular deployment of a covered stent in a sick infant with a descending aorta pseudoaneurysm, following the repair of an aortic coarctation.

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Subvalvular aneurysms of the left ventricle are very rare and often the cause is uncertain. Most of the cases of subvalvular left ventricular aneurysms described in the literature are due to congenital weakness of the fibromuscular annuli. We describe a unique case of a child with a tuberculous subaortic aneurysm observed at different stages of development by serial transthoracic echocardiography.

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We report on a premature neonate who presented with cyanosis soon after birth. She was found on echocardiography to have an unguarded tricuspid valve orifice associated with pulmonary valve atresia and an intact interventricular septum. Owing to the small-sized pulmonary arteries, she was initially managed conservatively with prostaglandin infusion, and at one year of age underwent a successful bidirectional cavo-pulmonary (Glenn) shunt operation.

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Background: The prevalence of thrombosis after the Fontan procedure depends upon the surgical technique used and the method of detection employed. Current investigations for thrombosis lack sensitivity and specificity or, in the paediatric population, require a general anaesthetic. We undertook a study to examine the feasibility of using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to detect thrombosis within the conduit, cardiac chambers and pulmonary arteries after the extracardiac conduit modification of the Fontan procedure.

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