Embolic thrombus on mitral anulus calcification.

Embolic thrombus on mitral anulus calcification (MAC) was demonstrated in an 83-year-old woman with retinal embolism. Mitral anulus calcification has been associated with a significant increase of stroke in elderly people. Atrial fibrillation and calcific emboli have been reported, and embolic thrombus by MAC may be another potential cause.

[Heart valve prosthesis from autologous pericardium. Preliminary results apropos of 15 patients].

The concept of a heart valve prosthesis made from autologous pericardium is based on the idea of creating and developing a valve with a longer life than heterografts or homografts due to the absence of tissue degeneration causing the deterioration of both of these types of bioprostheses. The first attempts using the fascia lata or the pericardium, implanted in the seventies, were unsuccessful due to problems with pretreatment of the pericardium and other purely technical difficulties. J.

[Myxoma of the mitral valve; apropos of 2 surgically treated cases. Review of the literature].

The authors report two cases of anterior mitral valve myxoma. This is an exceedingly rare localisation and these cases add to the other 8 previously reported cases. Intracardiac tumours and valvular endocarditis may be detected non-invasively by echocardiography but the precise diagnosis may be extremely difficult: mitral valve myxoma is an exceptionally rare condition.

Thrombosis of the abdominal aorta. A rare complication of the intraaortic balloon pumping device.

We describe a patient who died due to thrombosis of the abdominal aorta and its branches after placement of an intraaortic balloon pumping device. This rare complication, which occurred despite careful insertion technique, underscores the need to select balloon size as a function of the individual patient's morphology.

[Cardiac hydatidosis. Review of recent literature and report of 15 cases].

In the context of a personal series of fifteen cases of hydatid cyst of the heart, the authors present a computerized review of the last one hundred cases published in the literature. The modern features of the disease are discussed together with its severity (mortality of 23.47% in 98 recent cases).

[Successful cardiac transplantation after 38 days of circulatory assistance with a heterotopic artificial heart].

The survival of a patient with irreversible cardiac failure on the cardiac transplantation waiting list was assured for 38 days by circulatory assistance with heterotopic Pierce Donachy prosthetic ventricles and followed by successful cardiac transplantation. This method of circulatory assistance is relatively simple to install from the technical point of view and provides a satisfactory haemodynamic result whilst waiting for a compatible donor organ. Several complications, some of them serious, were observed.

[Septal rupture repaired in the acute stage of myocardial infarction. Clinical, hemodynamic and angio-coronarography findings in the evaluation of surgical risk].

Between 1977 and 1987, 27 consecutive patients (16 men, 11 women, mean age 66 years, range 54 to 75 years) with ventricular septal rupture complicating acute myocardial infarction underwent surgical repair. The purpose of this retrospective study was to analyse the post-operative mortality factors from clinical, haemodynamic and operative data in all patients and also from coronary angiographic data in 23/27 patients whose haemodynamic status allowed this type of exploration. Seventeen patients (63 p.

[Giant leiomyoma of the inferior vena cava].

The authors report an uncommon case of giant leiomyoma of the inferior vena cava with intracardiac extension and arising from the external iliac vena. This case report illustrates the diagnostical problems usually encountered with this type of tumour. Indeed, despite ultrasound and transverse CT scan, the diagnosis was only assessed by histopathological analysis following a successful surgical removal of the leiomyoma.

[Results of cardiac surgery in patients over 70 years of age. Apropos of a retrospective study of 170 patients].

The ever increasing age of the general population and the frequency of coronary and aortic lesions in patients aged 70 or older make cardiac surgery in the elderly a topic of current interest. In a retrospective study of 170 cases the overall mortality rate was 14 p. 100 (4.

[Disobstruction of the inferior vena cava under extracorporeal circulation].

An original technique used to remove obstructions of the inferior vena cava under cardiopulmonary bypass is described. This technique is indicated in pulmonary embolectomy or to dispose of a vena cava clot prolapsed into the right cardiac cavities. Through a rigid and blunt thoracic drain introduced via the right atrium, a Fogarthy venous catheter is pushed into the inferior vena cava, thus avoiding the risks of accidental passage into the supra-hepatic or renal veins and blockage in a thebesian valve.

[Peculiar indications and results of the use of a blood cell saver apparatus in cardiac surgery].

Results are reported of the use of autotransfusion by means of the blood cell saver in a group of patients at high risk for hemorrhage in Heart Surgery Department. Methods employed are described, and results are discussed: these were encouraging both from the clinical and biological viewpoints. The cost benefits of this procedure are emphasized and technical perspectives outlined with respect to recovery of plasma and platelets.

[False subaortic aneurysm after surgery of calcified aortic stenosis. Apropos of a case treated successfully].

The authors report a case of false aneurysm of the posterior subaortic region of the left ventricle after a technically difficult surgical decalcification in a case of aortic stenosis. At reoperation, the surgeon used the femoral artery and both vena cavae for canulation. A direct approach of this "vascular" tumour, which was exterior to the great vessels, confirmed the diagnosis and enabled the localisation of the internal orifice inside the left ventricle.

[Tricuspid endocarditis with right-left shunt in the atrium].

A case of tricuspid regurgitation due to endocarditis causing a right-to-left shunt through a patent foramen ovale is reported. Tricuspid valve endocarditis occurred after septic abortion and caused valvular regurgitation with dyspnea and cyanosis. The diagnosis was made by echocardiography and the finding of peripheral arterial desaturation, and it was confirmed at surgery.

[Indications and results of surgery in native valve infectious endocarditis. Apropos of 104 surgically-treated cases].

From 1972 to 1984, 104 cases of aortic valve infectious endocarditis were treated surgically. The average age of the patients was 40 years and the majority were men (69/104). Forty patients had no previous cardiac disease; 44 patients had documented valvular heart disease, which was unlikely in the remaining 20 patients.

[Symptomatology of hydatid cyst of the heart. Study of a continuous series of 13 cases and value of x-ray computed tomography].

Thirteen consecutive cases of cardiac hydatic cyst were studied. The cysts were usually multiple, predominantly left ventricular. There were two cases of rupture of left ventricular cysts with systemic embolism, and three ruptures of right ventricular cysts causing pulmonary embolism.

[Value of the aminoglycoside-fosfomycin combination. Apropos of a case of bacterial endocarditis].

The authors report a case of Staphylococcus epidermidis prosthetic valve endocarditis. After two unsuccessful treatments, the association Gentamicin-Fosfomycin provided adequate serum bactericidal titers and had a good efficacy.

[Coronary occlusion immediately following a successful coronary angioplasty. Treatment by repeat angioplasty].

The authors report the case of a 52 year old patient with a significant stenosis of the medial portion of the left anterior descending artery (LAD) with excellent left ventricular function. Transluminal coronary angioplasty (TCA) was indicated following a positive exercise stress test. This was initially performed successfully.

[Suspension of the heart during aortocoronary bypass. A simplified technic].

A technique for suspending the heart, thereby facilitating exposure of the coronary arteries, is described. In this perfectly simple and safe technique, the heart is suspended by a gauze compress passed behind the inferior vena cava and forming a sling.