Importance of accurate diagnosis using real-time three-dimensional echocardiography in the surgical treatment of congenital intramitral ring in infants.

Congenital mitral ring is a rare type of congenital mitral stenosis. There are two types of mitral ring: the intramitral ring and the supramitral ring. Intramitral rings are often associated with complex valve pathology, and therefore have a worse prognosis than supramitral rings, in which the mitral apparatus is usually normal.

A biodegradable ring enables growth of the native tricuspid annulus.

Background And Aim Of The Study: The study aim was to assess the growth potential and function of the tricuspid valve (TV) annulus after annuloplasty with the intra-annular biodegradable ring.

Methods: Among 11 children (median age 4.5 years; age range: 0.

[Closure of major aorto-pulmonary collateral artery with the Amplatzer vascular plug in an infant with pulmonary atresia and ventricular septal defect - a difficult therapeutic problem].

A case of a 2-day-old newborn with congenital heart disease, pulmonary atresia and ventricular septal defect is described. The Blalock-Taussig shunt was created 6 days after birth. After the procedure, the newborn developed symptoms of increased pulmonary blood flow and respiratory distress.

Difficult to treat recurrent stenosis of the aorta.

The risk associated with repeated treatment of aortic stenosis is as high as 5% and increases to as much as 25% in complex heart diseases. Among the methods that are commonly accepted and used in the treatment of recurrent aortic stenosis are balloon dilatation and stent implantation. In this study we describe five patients with recurrent stenosis of the aorta treated with stent implantation.

[Is atrial septal defect always a simple defect?].

A case of an asymptomatic 4-year-old girl with hemodynamically significant type II atrial septal defect is described. The patient underwent TEE in order to assess the eligibility for interventional device closure. Due to unfavorable anatomy and suspicion of the sinus venous type of the defect the child was selected for surgical treatment.

[Right atrial thrombus following surgical closure of atrial septal defect--a case report].

A case of an 11-year-old girl with atrial septal defect is described. The patient underwent surgical closure of the defect, which was complicated by asymptomatic thrombus formation in the right atrium. Anticoagulant therapy was initially successful, but thrombus recurred.

Is device closure for direct access valved stent implantation safe?

Objective: Despite the progress made in the development of valved stents for trans-apical valve replacement, a reliable closure of the access orifice remains a major issue. The present study was designed to evaluate if device closure of the ventricular wall is safe.

Materials And Methods: Transventricular access for pulmonary valve replacement was simulated with a 26F sheath and the resulting orifice was closed with an Amplatzer Muscular VSD Occluder (AMuscVSDO) in chronic sheep experiments (body weight 45-48 kg).

Closure of perimembranous ventricular septal defect using transcatheter technique versus surgical repair.

Introduction: Since the Membr VSD occluders have been introduced into clinical practice it is now possible to compare two treatment methods -- surgical and percutaneous.

Aim: Assessment of the effectiveness and risk of complications in patients with perimembranous ventricular septal defect (VSD) treated with the Membr VSD occluder or surgery as well as comparison of postprocedural left and right ventricular systolic functions.

Methods: The study involved 11 children with perimembranous VSD treated with occluder implantation (Group A) and 12 children with surgical repair (Group C).

Mid-term experience with valved bovine jugular vein conduits.

From June 1999 to January 2004, 43 children underwent implantation of a valved bovine jugular vein conduit and correction of complex congenital heart defects. Median age was 1.98 years (range, 11 days - 13.

Congenital heart defect with associated malformations in children.

Background: Children with multisystem involvement including congenital heart defect (CHD) are a very salient problem. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incidence of CHD associated with malformations of other systems and to assess the modalities of treatment and perioperative mortality among patients referred to the department of pediatric cardiac surgery.

Methods: The medical records of 1856 children were reviewed retrospectively from 1997 to 2002 to establish CHD and types of associated malformations.

[Percutaneous procedures for the repair of iatrogenic occlusion or stenosis of peripheral vessels in children--report of 5 cases].

Invasive percutaneous diagnostic or therapeutic procedures are associated with the risk of thrombosis and occlusion of peripheral vessels which are used for vascular access. Data on the transcatheter therapy of vascular complications in children are scarce. We described five children in four of whom percutaneous transluminal balloon angioplasty of occluded peripheral vessels was successfully performed.

Closure of left ventricle perforation with the use of muscular VSD occluder.

Growing experience in interventional cardiology leads to the use of large diameter of vascular equipment. In some instances, the so-called hybrid procedures are performed. After performing the interventional procedure, the opening in ventricular wall is closed surgically.

Use of muscular VSD Amplatzer occluder for closing right ventricular free wall perforation after hybrid procedure.

In some patients, so cold hybrid cardiologic procedures are performed whereas a heart is exposed surgically to puncture directly the heart cavity. After performing the interventional procedure, the opening in ventricular wall is closed surgically. We present our initial experience with closing the right ventricular (RV) cavity opening with the muscular ventricular septal defect Amplatzer occluder (A-MVSDO).

Transcatheter closure of perimembranous ventricular septal defect using an Amplatzer occluder--early results.

Background: Transcatheter closure of perimembranous ventricular septal defect with the use of an Amplatzer occluder was introduced in 1999, however, clinical experience with this method remains limited.

Aim: To assess short-term safety and efficacy of this technique in children.

Methods: Since 2001, nine children underwent transcatheter closure of perimembranous ventricular septal defect in the cardiac centre in Bratislava (Slovak Republic) or in our centre.

[Stent implantation for aortic recoarctation--a case report].

A case of a 17-year-old boy with a history of aortic coarctation, treated with surgery at the age of 10 years, is presented. Due to recoarctation, the patient underwent successful CP stent implantation.

Aortoventriculoplasty and left ventricle function: long-term follow-up.

Objective: Depressed cardiac function after aortoventriculoplasty is well known during the postoperative period. Little data exist concerning the long-term follow-up. The aim of this study is to determine whether septal incision has any permanent effect on the left ventricle function.

Echocardiographic parameters of left ventricular systolic and diastolic function in infants, children and adolescents before and after surgical correction of secundum atrial septal defect.

Background: Left ventricular (LV) dysfunction has been described in adults with secundum atrial septal defect (ASD II) and heart failure (CHF). This anomaly has been rarely regarded as a cause of CHF in pediatric patients with ASD II.

Aim: To assess LV systolic and diastolic function in patients with ASD II before and after cardiosurgery as well as to establish the prognostic value of these parameters in infants, children and adolescents with ASD II.

Arterial switch operation in neonates with complex congenital heart defects.

The aim of the study was to analyze short-term results of the arterial switch operation in 29 neonates with simple transposition of the great arteries (group A) and 18 (group B) with complex heart defects: transposition with a ventricular septal defect (10), coarctation of the aorta (5), or Taussig-Bing anomaly (3). The operations were usually performed on the 7th day of life (2nd-30th day), after a Rashkind procedure when necessary. The mean weight was 3,530 +/- 780 g, body surface area was 0.

Infection risk factors in pediatric cardiac surgery.

Cardiac operations were preformed in 499 children from January 1998 through December 1999. Their median age was 263 days. A positive culture from blood, bronchoalveolar lavage, wound, or central catheter was obtained in 110 patients (22%).