[Anomalties of the interatrial septum and latent atrial vulnerability in unexplained ischemic stroke in young adults].

Seventy-four consecutive patients (18 to 55 years) underwent programmed atrial stimulation in the investigation of unexplained ischaemic stroke after a full work-up including transoesophageal echocardiography to exclude abnormalities of the interatrial septum (patent foramen ovale and/or atrial septal aneurysm). The parameters recorded during atrial electrophysiological investigation were: the effective atrial refractory period, loco-regional intra-atrial conduction, the index of latent atrial vulnerability and the inducibility by the extrastimulus technique. Seventy five per cent of patients with a patent foramen ovale and/or an atrial septal aneurysm were inducible compared with only 38% of patients with normal interatrial septa on transoesophageal echocardiography (p = 0.

Prevalence of late potentials in a sample of 487 healthy, middle-aged men from southwestern France.

Late potentials (LPS) have been shown to be predictive of ventricular tachycardia in coronary artery disease subjects, but the prevalence of LP in the general population is not as well-known. The study included 487 men without a history of cardiovascular disease (aged 50-59) living in Southwestern France. Standard-averaged high resolution electrocardiogram was performed using Butterworth filtering at 40-250 Hz.

[Bartonella endocarditis on native valves. Apropos of 2 cases].

The authors report two cases of Bartonella endocarditis in native valves. The first case was a 15 year old North African Girl who lived in poor social conditions and was admitted to hospital with pyrexia and congestive heart failure. Investigations revealed massive mitral regurgitation due to ruptured chordae tendinae, vegetations on the pulmonary valve with severe pulmonary hypertension due to persistent ductus arteriosus.