Rare association of a patient with Alagille syndrome and mitral valve regurgitation.

A 9-year-old patient with known Alagille syndrome presented to our institution with progressive mitral valve regurgitation due to prolapse of the posterior valve leaflet. She underwent successful mitral valve replacement with a mechanical prosthesis 4 years after the initial diagnosis. To the best of our knowledge, an association between mitral valve regurgitation and Alagille syndrome has not been previously described.

"Asthma": an unusual presentation of cor triatriatum.

We discuss an extremely unusual presentation of a 19-month-old child with cor triatriatum and an intact interatrial septum, who presented for the first time at the age of 16 months with wheezing and repeated lower respiratory tract infections. At surgery, a thick fibromuscular membrane with a 2-3 mm eccentrically placed orifice was identified, and following surgical resection of the membrane the child made an uneventful recovery. This case demonstrates the need for investigating children with "asthma" who do not respond to conventional medical management.