Doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy 17 years after chemotherapy.

Doxorubicin, an anthracycline antibiotic commonly used as a chemotherapeutic agent for breast cancer, is well known to cause cardiotoxicity. We report the case of an active, otherwise healthy 57-year-old breast cancer survivor who, 17 years after chemotherapy, presented with symptoms of overt heart failure. She had no cardiac risk factors, and neither laboratory nor imaging findings suggested myocarditis or dilated cardiomyopathy.

Echocardiographic predictors of left atrial appendage thrombus formation.

Background: Although transesophageal echocardiography is the definitive test for the detection of left atrial (LA) appendage thrombus, transthoracic echocardiography has yet to prove useful for the determination of increased risk for LA appendage thrombus formation. The authors hypothesized that higher LA volume and/or lower left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) might prove valuable as markers of increased risk for LA appendage thrombus formation and tested this hypothesis in a consecutive retrospective series of patients with atrial fibrillation undergoing both transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography.

Methods: Three hundred thirty-four consecutive patients with atrial fibrillation undergoing transesophageal echocardiography for the detection of LA appendage thrombus were studied.

Comparison of the accuracy of multidetector computed tomography versus two-dimensional echocardiography to measure left atrial volume.

Left atrial (LA) volume is an important prognostic factor in cardiovascular disease. Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) is an emerging cardiac imaging modality; however, its accuracy in measuring the LA volume has not been well studied. The aim of our study was to determine the accuracy of MDCT in quantifying the LA volume.

Gall bladder carcinoid: a case report and review of literature.

Gall bladder carcinoid tumours are rare and usually lack specific symptoms. In most instances, they are incidentally detected after a cholecystectomy and rarely do they manifest with carcinoid syndrome. We report a case of gall bladder carcinoid in a patient who had undergone surgery for rectal carcinoid 10 years back.

Rapunzel syndrome: a case report and review of literature.

Bezoars consist of ingested foreign material or organic matter which forms a mass in the gastrointestinal tract, usually in stomach. Trichobezoars formed by swallowed hair present with malnutrition, weight loss, abdominal pain with signs of gastrointestinal obstruction. Gastric trichobezoar with a tail reaching the small intestine is called Rapunzel syndrome.