Pregnancy After Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve Implantation.

Transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation (TPVI) is a relatively new method of treating patients with significant pulmonary regurgitation or pulmonary stenosis, or both, after reconstruction of the right ventricular outflow tract. It is an attractive alternative to conduit replacement in this group of patients, who are typically young and active. This report includes 4 young women who after successful TPVI became pregnant and gave birth.

Percutaneous pulmonary valve implantation preceded by routine prestenting with a bare metal stent.

Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of percutaneous pulmonary valve implantation (PPVI) with routine prestenting with a bare metal stent (BMS).

Background: PPVI is a relatively new method of treating patients with repaired congenital heart disease (CHD). Results of PPVI performed with routine prestenting have never been reported.

[POL-PAVTI--Polish report on transcatheter pulmonary artery valve implantation of Melody-Medtronic prosthesis in the first 14 patients in Poland].

Aim: To assess the early results of the pulmonary artery valve transcatheter implantation (PAVTI) in pts included into POL-PAVTI registry. Detailed medical and economic analyses were performed.

Methods: Pulmonary artery valve implantation was performed in 14 pts (9 men), aged 16-31 (mean 24.

[Non-surgical, transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation - first experience].

Transcatheter valve replacement has recently been introduced into clinical practice. We present our first experience with non-surgical, transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation in four patients (age 27-31 years, three females) with repaired congenital heart disease who required reintervention to the right ventricular outflow tract due to dysfunction of valve homograft. The Medtronic Melody Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve was successfully implanted in all four patients without complications, releasing the outflow obstruction, and normal function of the biological valve.

[Quality of life in patients after the Ross operation for aortic stenosis].

The pulmonary autograft provides ideal conditions regarding hemodynamics. Its additional value is durability and low thromboembolic hazard. We postulated that the Ross technique results in minimal restrictions on patient's lifestyle as compared to normal controls and we expected the patients to have good quality of life (QoL).

The role of echocardiography in diagnosing double chambered right ventricle in adults.

Objective: To evaluate the utility of echocardiography in diagnosing double chambered right ventricle (DCRV) in adults.

Design: A retrospective study.

Setting: Department of Congenital Heart Diseases and Department of Cardiac Surgery, Institute of Cardiology, Warsaw, Poland.

[Early and mid-term evaluation of the pulmonary autograft function in adolescents and adults].

The aim of this study was to establish the indications to use of pulmonary autograft in the treatment of aortic valve disease in the adolescents and adults; early and mid-term an evaluation of autograft's function and function of left ventricle after Ross operation. In this procedure the patient's own pulmonary valve is removed together with the main trunk of the pulmonary artery and used to replace the aortic valve. Pulmonary homograft is used to reconstruction of right ventricular outflow tract.

Clinical and echocardiographic assessment of a right-to-left shunt across an atrial septal defect secondary to tricuspid regurgitation.

Objective: Cyanosis in conjunction with atrial septal defect does not necessarily indicate the Eisenmenger syndrome. Exceptionally, the right-to-left shunt may result from tricuspid regurgitant flow and its unusual direction.

Methods: We describe thirteen patients with atrial septal defect and accompanying tricuspid regurgitation.

Transcatheter closure of a 16 mm hypertensive patent ductus arteriosus with the Amplatzer muscular VSD occluder.

There is little experience with transcatheter closure of very large, hypertensive patent ductus arteriosus. We present a case of successful closure of a 16 mm ductus with the Amplatzer VSD occluder, a device originally designed for transcatheter closure of congenital muscular ventricular septal defects. To our best knowledge this is the largest ductus ever closed by an interventional technique.

[Hematologic disorders in patients with cyanotic congenital heart disease].

Erythrocytosis, thrombocytopenia, platelets function defects, coagulation factors deficiencies are the main haematologic disorders in patients with cyanotic congenital heart disease. They are responsible for increased bleeding tendency and contraindication of anticoagulation. Phlebotomy in this group of patients should be recommended when erythrocytosis is accompanied by clinical symptoms.

[The influence of digitalis glycosides on certain neural and hormonal functions in patients with chronic heart failure].

Digitalis works not only as a positive agent in congestive heart but as a modulator of neurosecretion as well. Opposite to its positive inotropic activity the latter refers to small doses. It leads to restoring of the autonomic balance.