Cardiac computed tomography assessment of congenital aortic diseases: a case series.

Background: Congenital aortic diseases (CAoD) encompass a wide variety of disorders that range from asymptomatic findings to life-threatening conditions. Multiple imaging techniques are available for the assessment of CAoD.

Case Summary: We present seven case reports of congenital aortic diseases, including obstructions in the aortic arch (coarctation, hypoplasia, and interruption) and vascular rings, in which the clinical manifestations throughout the cases are discussed, highlighting the heterogeneity of the symptoms.

Kounis Syndrome: Acute Coronary Syndrome Induced by a Loxosceles Laeta Bite in a 9-Year-Old Boy.

• Loxoscelism can present with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction pattern on electrocardiogram. • The differential of this presentation includes coronary vasospasm and perimyocarditis. • In children, Kounis syndrome must be distinguished from Kawasaki disease.

Role of the Antioxidant Activity of Melatonin in Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury.

Ischemia-reperfusion injury is a common problem in the age of interventional cardiology; it is primarily mediated by oxidative stress and reactive agents. Melatonin has antioxidative properties that make its use promising for treating ischemia-reperfusion injury. Multiple experimental studies in murine and porcine models have been performed with good results.

Right Heart Chambers Longitudinal Strain Provides Enhanced Diagnosis and Categorization in Patients With Pulmonary Hypertension.

Background: Increased systolic pulmonary arterial pressure (sPAP) could lead to the mechanical dysfunction and myocardial fibrosis of the right heart chambers. Echocardiographic strain analysis has not been adequately studied in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH).

Study Design And Methods: A cross-sectional cohort of patients with suspected PH and echocardiographic strain evaluation was recruited.

Right Atrial and Right Ventricular Function Assessed by Speckle Tracking in Patients with Inferior Myocardial Infarction.

Background: In patients with inferior myocardial infarction (MI), involvement of the right chambers has a prognostic impact. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of left ventricular (LV) inferior wall MI in the right atrial (RA), and right ventricular (RV) longitudinal strain (LS) by 2D speckle tracking echocardiography (STE).

Methods: 60 consecutive patients who underwent myocardial perfusion (MP) gated SPECT for chest pain were included.

Computed tomography assessment of saw-tooth cardiomyopathy: a case series.

Background: Saw-tooth cardiomyopathy (STC) is an unusual type of left ventricular dysplasia. To our knowledge, six cases have been reported in the literature. Two new cases are presented with a review of all the case reports that have been published.

Fatal Sinus of Valsalva Aneurysm and Dissection into the Left Ventricle With Extension to the Interventricular Septum: A Challenging Diagnosis.

• SVA is a rare condition caused by weakness of elastic lamina. • The right coronary sinus is involved in 67% to 85% of the reported cases. • Clinical features are varied and nonspecific, demanding a high index of suspicion.

Case Report: A Rare Case of a Ventricular Perivascular Epithelioid Cell Tumor With Histologic Characteristics That Resembled a Primary Cardiac Rhabdomyoma.

We present the case of a young male patient with an initial diagnosis of a rhabdomyoma that was surgically treated at a different hospital when he was 17. After a 2-year disease-free period, the patient presented another intra-cardiac mass. He refused surgical treatment and died 5 years later.