[Aneurysm of the interatrial septum. Apropos of a retrospective study of 41 cases].

The authors undertook a retrospective study of 41 patients in whom an atrial septal aneurysm (ASA) had been diagnosed at transoesophageal echocardiography performed for ischaemic cerebrovascular events in 26 cases. No significant differences in this size, thickness or mobility of the ASA or the associated cardiac abnormalities were demonstrated in this context. However, patients presenting with cerebrovascular accidents were older, had several cardiovascular risk factors and more cardiac arrhythmias.

[Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with left ventricular dynamic obstruction syndrome in hypertensive adult patients].

Seven adult patients with old and severe arterial hypertension were found to have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with left ventricular obstruction demonstrated by an isoproterenol test. Whenever feasible, confirmation that systolic obstruction of the left ventricular outflow tract was due to anterior systolic movement of the mitral valve was obtained. Echocardiography revealed a number of ultrasonic features (asymmetrical septal hypertrophy, small left ventricle and clear-cut reduction of the left ventricular outflow tract) which put these cases closer to the primary hypertrophic cardiopathy group than to the hypertensive cardiomyopathy group, with a similar history of hypertension.

[Rendu-Osler-Weber disease. Diagnostic and therapeutic assessment by angiography].

The principal manifestation of Rendu-Osler-Weber disease is epistaxis, associated multiple mucocutaneous localizations generally being asymptomatic. Full advantage does not appear to have been taken of the various possible treatments of epistaxis: though they are all palliative, certain of them provide aleatory effects in relation to others (surgery or radiotherapy and embolization). In consequence, embolization should be the initial procedure, and should be repeated whenever necessary and possible, for all epistaxis requiring hospitalization for transfusion.