The bright minds beyond our machines: Henry Coandă and his ideas.

Most cardiologists rarely remember that new ideas dedicated initially to completely different areas, are the technological background of most medical devices. Also, they almost ignore the bright minds beyond these ideas. The Coandă effect, vital in the color-Doppler assessment of valvular regurgitations with eccentric jets--bears the name of a Romanian inventor whose life (1886-1972) was mostly dedicated to aeronautics and who is considered the 'father' of jet engines.

Recurrent atrial myxoma.

We have chosen this case of sporadic atrial myxoma for our presentation because it had a particular evolution, with recurrence at 8 years after surgical excision (echocardiography was performed every year) and a particular diagnostic means - at echocardiographic follow-up, the patient being asymptomatic. This presentation, together with a review of literature included in the article, emphasizes the importance of a careful postoperative follow-up of the patients and the existence of some particular aspects of the evolution and symptomatology of recurrent atrial myxoma.

The tachyarrhythmic cardiomyopathy--a rare entity in childhood.

Unlabelled: Persistent disturbances of rhythm with high heart rate may lead to reversible depression of left ventricular function and biventricular failure. This phenomenon may appear also in children with incessant supraventricular tachycardia. Because in most cases these patients are long time asymptomatic the diagnosis of these arrhythmias is very difficult and frequently is belated.

Spontaneous echo contrast of unexpected etiology.

Cor triatriatum sinister is a rare congenital anomaly characterized by the presence of a fibromuscular membrane dividing the left atrium into two chambers: one entering the four pulmonary veins, the other connecting to the mitral valve. The extent of the communication between the two chambers and the presence of associated lesions determine the severity of symptoms and the complications. We report the case of a 20-year-old man firstly diagnosed with obstructive cor triatriatum sinister and severe pulmonary hypertension.

Subaortic stenosis produced by an accessory mitral valve: the role of echocardiography.

Subaortic stenosis caused by an accessory mitral valve is an exceedingly rare finding. We report the case of an asymptomatic 14-year-old patient, in whom transthoracic echocardiography revealed an accessory mitral valve in the left ventricular outflow tract, producing mild subaortic stenosis. Except for an aneurysm of the interventricular septum, with no shunt, there were no other anomalies.

Myocardial infarction and patent coronary arteries--an uneventful association?

Background: Although many studies addressed the issue of the occurrence of acute myocardial infarction (MI) in patients with angiographically patent coronary arteries, controversies exist concerning the pathophysiology and clinical outcome in this syndrome.

Aim: To evaluate the clinical course of patients with MI and patent coronary arteries as well as to assess the post-infarction short-term prognosis.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of patients with acute MI admitted to our institution over a period of 8 years (1995-2002) was performed.

The contribution of non-invasive imaging modalities to the diagnosis of left ventricular pseudoaneurysm.

Background: Left ventricular pseudoaneurysm (LVPA) is a rare entity characterized by a tendency to spontaneous rupture due to its morphology, a lack of myocardial fibers and fibrous tissue delineating the cavity. An early diagnosis is essential in order to guide appropriate therapy.

Purpose: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of different imaging techniques, treatment results, and prognosis of patients (pts) with LVPA.