Ductus arteriosus: more than just the patent ductus arteriosus.

The ductus arteriosus is important to fetal circulation. Failure to close at birth is a common event. In this educational pictorial essay, we illustrate the association of the ductus arteriosus with a variety of congenital cardiac, vascular and pulmonary lesions.

Radiographic Detectability of Retained Neuropatties in a Cadaver Model.

Background: Counts are the commonest method used to ensure that all sponges and neuropatties are removed from a surgical site before closure. When the count is not reconciled, plain radiographs of the operative site are taken to determine whether the missing patty has been left in the wound. The purpose of this study was to describe the detectability of commonly used neuropatties in the clinical setting using digital technologies.

Imaging of a carotid aneurysm in two patients following extracorporeal membrane oxygenation therapy.

Following extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), two patients subsequently developed carotid aneurysms at the site of cannulation. Given the invasive nature of ECMO, vascular ultrasound and/or computerized tomographic imaging should be considered to rule out cannulation-site complications post-ECMO.

Repair in infancy of right aortic arch with aberrant left brachiocephalic artery in the setting of a variant of the hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

A right aortic arch, with a retroesophageal transverse arch and an aberrant left brachiocephalic artery, is a rare anomaly by itself. When combined with severe mitral stenosis and hypoplasia of the left ventricle, it is rarer still. We describe the diagnosis and treatment of this rare anomaly in an infant using a modification of the Norwood operation.

Utilization of ultrasound for the detection of pneumothorax in the neonatal special-care nursery.

Pneumothorax is a potentially life-threatening condition in the setting of the neonatal special-care nursery (SCN) that may result in rapid deterioration and death. The familiar appearances associated with pneumothorax on AP supine chest radiograph are highly specific, but limited in sensitivity. In this case report, we describe the theory and technique of thoracic ultrasound for detection of pneumothorax in the SCN, providing a viable alternative to the cross-table lateral radiograph without ionising radiation, with highly accurate results, and with minimal patient positioning.

Congenital heart defects and coronary anatomy.

Coronary artery anomalies are a well recognized feature of many cardiac malformations and have been catalogued in a number of reviews. This overview concentrates on 1) the interplay between congenital heart defects and coronary morphogenesis, examining how some of the embryology fits with the experiments of nature encountered in clinical practice; and 2) the influence of coronary anatomy on patient management. This overview uses, as examples, pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum, complete and congenitally corrected transpositions of the great arteries, and tetralogy of Fallot.