[Ligamentum arcuatum syndrome: color doppler ultrasound diagnosis in abdominal pain of unknown origin in young patients].

Purpose: To assess the diagnostic potential and accuracy of CDS in the diagnosis and management of visceral artery stenosis in young patients with abdominal pain.

Method: 126 patients < 45 y with abdominal pain were examined by CDS. Other diseases were excluded before.

Transesophageal echocardiographic artifact mimicking pseudoaneurysm of the aorta.

Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is a sensitive and specific procedure that gives detailed images of the thoracic aortic anatomy and blood flow; however, there are few reports on pitfalls with TEE. This case describes a patient with a typical history of a possible aortic rupture; artifacts in the TEE mimicked aortic rupture and development of a pseudoaneurysm. Echocardiographers should know this possible pitfall to make the correct diagnosis.

[Acute mitral valve insufficiency caused by a broken mitral valve prosthesis].

Breaks in a mechanical heart valve prosthesis with resulting acute valvar insufficiency are extremely rare. The case is reported of a 49-year-old man who, two-and-a-half years after implantation of a mitral valve prosthesis, suddenly went into acute cardiogenic shock, after having been in good health since the valve replacement. Although the symptoms were unequivocal, the correct diagnosis was not made for more than 40 hours.