Tissue Motion Annular Displacement Predicts Mortality/Transplant After the Bidirectional Glenn.

Background: Quantifying right ventricular function in patients with a systemic right ventricle (RV) is difficult but important for prognosis. Tissue motion annular displacement tracks displacement of the tricuspid annulus toward the apex. We evaluated this measure alongside fractional area change (FAC) on patients with single, RV prior to the bidirectional Glenn procedure.

Right Ventricular Longitudinal Shortening Before and After Stage I Surgical Palliation Correlates with Outcomes.

Quantification of right ventricular function is difficult, but important, in patients with single ventricles. Tissue motion annular displacement (TMAD) is an echocardiographic tool that measures displacement of the tricuspid valve relative to the apex. We evaluated TMAD, lateral annular displacement (LAD), and fractional area change (FAC) for correlation with outcomes.

Surgical repair of anomalous coronary arteries arising from the opposite sinus of Valsalva in infants and children.

Background: Unroofing of anomalous coronary artery originating from the opposite sinus of Valsalva has become the procedure of choice for this congenital lesion, with surgery performed in children as young as two years old. An increasing number of this anomaly is diagnosed in infancy with no clear indication whether surgical repair should be done in this age group. This paper reviews our experience with this anomaly, and focuses on its surgical management in infants.

Adapter molecule DOC-2 is differentially expressed in pressure and volume overload hypertrophy and inhibits collagen synthesis in cardiac fibroblasts.

DOC-2 (differentially expressed in ovarian carcinoma) is involved in Ras-, beta-integrin-, PKC-, and transforming growth factor-beta-mediated cell signaling. These pathways are implicated in the accumulation of extracellular matrix proteins during progression of hypertrophy to heart failure; however, the role of DOC-2 in cardiac pathophysiology has never been examined. This study was undertaken to 1) analyze DOC-2 expression in primary cultures of cardiac fibroblasts and cardiac myocytes and in the heart following different types of hemodynamic overloads and 2) examine its role in growth factor-mediated ERK activation and collagen production.

Double atrial septum with persistent interatrial space: echocardiographic features of a rare atrial septal malformation.

We describe the echocardiographic features of 4 new cases of a rare atrial septal malformation consisting a double atrial septum with a midline chamber between the left and right atrium. Half of the cases had major left-sided obstructive lesions. Transthoracic, transesophageal, intracardiac, and fetal echocardiographic features of this anomaly are demonstrated.