Ernesto Juaneda

Percutaneous balloon dilatation in congenital mitral stenosis.

A three year old girl with severe congenital mitral stenosis was successfully treated by percutaneous balloon dilatation of the mitral valve. Cardiac catheterisation and cross sectional and Doppler echocardiography indicated that the orifice of the mitral valve had doubled in area. A small atrial septal defect was found at follow up cardiac catheterisation and angiography. Balloon dilatation of the mitral valve is a reasonable alternative to surgical treatment for typical congenital mitral stenosis even in young children.

Clinical features of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in the young.

BACKGROUND We analysed the experience with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in two paediatric centres to establish the differences from older patients. METHODS Out of 45 young patients seen from 1974 to 1999, we included 38. Criterions for exclusion were secondary forms, or association with severe congenital cardiac disease which could alter the outcome. RESULTS The patients presented at the age of 5.7 years, and were followed for 7.0 years. The 34 patients referred because of a murmur or cardiomegaly were older than the four with heart failure, presenting at 6.2 as opposed to 2.1 years of age, p = 0.08. Of the patients, 29 (76%) had primary cardiomyopathy, while 9 (24%) had secondary forms associated with Noonans and LEOPARD syndromes. Familial tendency was ascertained in 7 patients (18%). The septal thickness in mm/m2 at presentation was greater in patients under 2 years than in older children (29 vs 18, p = 0.02). Obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy was found in 17 patients (45%), with six of these having mild associated congenital cardiac defects. Nine had symptomatic arrhythmias. Overall, treatment was medical in 31, with DDD pacing used in 5, and surgery, radiofrequency ablation, and transplantation in one patient each. Total mortality was 24%, at a rate of 4.3% per year. Four patients died in heart failure and 5 had sudden death. Those in failure were significantly younger (p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in the young is characterized by referral for murmur or heart failure; frequent secondary forms; the obstructive variant being as common as the non-obstructive form; a mortality rate similar to that for adults attending tertiary centres; and less frequent familial forms than in older populations.

Superoinferior ventricles with criss-cross atrioventricular connections and intact ventricular septum

SummaryWe report a 6-year-old girl with superoinferior ventricles, criss-cross atrioventricular (AV) relationships with solitus atria, a D-loop, L-transposition of the great arteris, subpulmonary stenosis, but without a ventricular septal defect (VSD). The diagnosis was made by echocardiographic examination and was strengthened by cardiac catheterization and angiocardiography. Balloon atrial septostomy in the neonatal period and a modified Blalock-Taussig shunt at the age of 16 months were performed to alleviate hypoxia. Following the shunt operation, the clinical condition of the patient deteriorated with progressive cardiac enlargement, congestive heart failure, and tricuspid regurgitation. We assume that the absence of a VSD contributed to this deterioration. Subsequent improvement was obtained with balloon enlargement of the atrial septal defect and a bidirectional Glenn anastomosis.

Surgical ligation of a persistent arterial duct in one of conjoined thoracopagus twins prior to surgical separation.

One of conjoined thoracopagus twins, with separate hearts and a common pericardial sack, presented with respiratory distress because of a persistent arterial duct causing congestive heart failure in the neonatal period. Surgical ligation of the duct was performed prior to subsequent separation, with an excellent outcome.