[Morphological study by transesophageal echocardiography and clinical aspects of ruptured chordae tendineae in the elderly].

Ruptured mitral chordae tendinae is a classical complication of myxomatous mitral valves or Barlow's syndrome. This complication is controversial in non-myxomatous mitral valve. Of 91 consecutive patients with mitral valve prolapse examined over an 18 months period by transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography, 42 (18 women and 24 men) with an average age of 76 +/- 8 years (60-93 years) had ruptured mitral chordae tendinae.

[Early constrictive pericarditis after coronary revascularization. Apropos of a case].

The authors report a case of severe constrictive pericarditis occurring 6 weeks after coronary bypass surgery and in the absence of any other predisposing factor. The diagnosis was confirmed by CT scan and cardiac catheterisation which showed signs of a diastole. The patient died despite early surgical reoperation because of the severity of the pericardial fibrosis.

[Puerperal thrombosis of the right ovarian vein. Clinical and radiological aspects apropos of a case].

The authors report the case of puerperal thrombosis of the right ovarian vein complicated by recurrent small pulmonary emboli in a 32 year old woman. The clinical features of this rare condition are reviewed. The echographic, angiographic and CT scan and magnetic resonance imaging abnormalities are described.

Lipid peroxidation and protective enzymes during myocardial infarction.

Fasting blood taken from 34 patients with myocardial infarction, 19 with unstable angina and 40 healthy controls, was analysed for malondialdehyde and erythrocyte detoxification enzymes, superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase. Malondialdehyde concentration was raised in the patients with myocardial infarction during the initial 48 h after an attack, and correlated with the severity of the attack. 12 days after the infarct, malondialdehyde concentrations were lower but still raised.

[Ventricular tachycardia during theophylline overdose. Apropos of a case of reduction by magnesium chloride].

The authors report a case of ventricular tachycardia (VT) induced by theophylline toxicity in a patient with ischaemic heart disease complicated by left ventricular failure and chronic asthma. Two episodes of VT were reduced by intravenous injection of magnesium chloride. The aggravating role of a moderate magnesium deficiency is suggested by the synergy of hypomagnesemia and theophylline on intracellular calcium fluxes contributing to an accumulation of intracytoplasmic calcium, a situation which has been shown experimentally to generate delayed after depolarisations.