Prediction of early pulmonary artery stenosis after arterial switch operation: the role of intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography.

Objectives: To investigate prospectively the prediction of the neopulmonary stenosis (neo-PS) after arterial switch operation (ASO) for transposition of the great artery (TGA) with intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography (TEE).

Methods: Infants with TGA undergoing the ASO were prospectively studied over 5 years. The neo-PS was defined when the peak flow velocity was over 3 m/s at the neo main pulmonary artery (neo-MPA) after ASO by TEE (TEEPS).

Surveillance of Kawasaki disease in Taiwan and review of the literature.

Background: Kawasaki disease affects mainly children younger than five years, leading to coronary artery lesions, even to life-threatening myocardial infarctions. Since 1976, Kawasaki disease has occurred in thousands of children in Taiwan; some of them died.

Methods: Questionnaire forms for the survey of epidemiological features of Kawasaki disease were designed and sent to the hospitals of 100 or more beds in Taiwan, in 1987, 1992, 1994, and 2001, for retrospective reviews of their patients with Kawasaki disease encountered during 1976-2000.