[Regression of dilated cardiomyopathy in a chronic alcoholic patient after abstinence from alcohol].

The authors report the case of a 28 year old alcoholic who was admitted to hospital for cardiac failure in 1982 due to a dilated cardiomyopathy. The clinical and paraclinical signs disappeared after cessation of alcohol intake. Three years after abstaining from alcohol, the electrocardiogram, echocardiogram and isotopic ventriculography are normal.

[Value of the head-up tilt test in the etiologic diagnosis of syncope].

The cause of brief syncopes is discovered in only two-thirds of the cases at most. The purpose of this study was to quantify the value of the head-up tilt test in patients whose syncope remained "causeless" after a "conventional" investigation. Forty-nine patients entered the study on the following criteria: at least one syncope, no conduction disturbances or normal electrophysiological study, physiological response to carotid sinus massage, absence of postural hypotension and assessable tilt test.

[Anterior interventricular revascularization using the internal mammary artery. Short and medium-term follow-up of 140 patients].

Between February 1983 and June 1987, 140 patients underwent surgery for anterior interventricular revascularization using the left internal mammary artery (the right had been used once). Operative mortality was 3.5%, but this value decreased to 2.

[Short loss of consciousness: etiology and diagnostic approach. Results of a prospective study].

Transient loss of consciousness is a frequent reason for hospitalization, but very few prospective studies have been devoted to this topic. Our study involved 150 patients who were admitted for sudden and total loss of consciousness (syncope) with spontaneous return to normality. All patients underwent thorough physical examination, standard laboratory tests, electrocardiography (ECG) and radiography of the chest.