Elevated Lipoprotein A Levels and Development of Moderate or Severe Cardiac Allograft Vasculopathy in Patients with Heart Transplants.

Background: Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) is a high-incident complication of heart transplant (HT) and is the leading cause of death beyond the first post-HT year. Traditional risk factors have been related to CAV development. Elevated lipoprotein (a) (Lp[a]) is an independent, genetic, and causal risk factor for cardiovascular disease; nonetheless, its association with the development or worsening of CAV in HT has not been firmly established.

Three-Dimensional Transesophageal Echocardiography in the Anatomical Assessment of Isolated Parachute Mitral Valve in an Adult Patient.

Parachute mitral valve (PMV) is a rare congenital anomaly of the mitral valve apparatus usually evidenced in infants and young children. Adult presentation is extremely rare and is generally mild in terms of mitral stenosis. A 73-year-old woman was admitted to the emergency department due to progressive dyspnea, with NYHA functional class IV symptoms on presentation.