Guilherme Rafael Sant’Anna Athayde

Safe fertility-preserving management in gynecological malignancies

AbstractObjectiveTo provide a review in the available literature about the safe fertility-preserving management in gynecological malignancies, focusing on the selection criteria of the patients, treatment options and follow-up.DesignLiterature survey.ResultsThe incidence of cancer in women who still want to get pregnant is increasing significantly. An early detection in gynecological malignancies allows less aggressive approaches to cure such disorders. A more conservative management, which preserves fertility, is considered safe and an option for those who have not completed their child-bearing.ConclusionsSelected patients with cervical, endometrial and ovarian cancer may be candidates to a safe fertility-preserving management. A careful stage and follow-up of the patients is essential to achieve success with this practice.

Update on percutaneous mitral commissurotomy

Percutaneous mitral commissurotomy (PMC) is the first-line therapy for managing rheumatic mitral stenosis. Over the past two decades, the indications of the procedure have expanded to include patients with unfavourable valve anatomy as a consequence of epidemiological changes in patient population. The procedure is increasingly being performed in patients with increased age, more deformed valves and associated comorbidities. Echocardiography plays a crucial role in patient selection and to guide a more efficient procedure. The main echocardiographic predictors of immediate results after PMC are mitral valve area, subvalvular thickening and valve calcification, especially at the commissural level. However, procedural success rate is not only dependent on valve anatomy, but a number of other factors including patient characteristics, interventional management strategies and operator expertise. Severe mitral regurgitation continues to be the most common immediate procedural complication with unchanged incidence rates over time. The long-term outcome after PMC is mainly determined by the immediate procedural results. Postprocedural parameters associated with late adverse events include mitral valve area, mitral regurgitation severity, mean gradient and pulmonary artery pressure. Mitral restenosis is an important predictor of event-free survival rates after successful PMC, and repeat procedure can be considered in cases with commissural refusion. PMC can be performed in special situations, which include high-risk patients, during pregnancy and in the presence of left atrial thrombus, especially in centres with specialised expertise. Therefore, procedural decision-making should take into account the several determinant factors of PMC outcomes. This paper provides an overview and update of PMC techniques, complications, immediate and long-term results over time, and assessment of suitability for the procedure.

Primary Angioplasty for Cardiac Allograft Vasculopathy Presenting as ST-Elevation Acute Myocardial Infarction during Endomyocardial Biopsy

Cardiac allograft vasculopathy is still a major issue, with significative mortality in heart transplant patients, and the best therapeutic options are not yet established. The progressively higher survival rates after transplantation have made it a major concern. This is a case report about a patient who underwent cardiac transplantation due to chagasic cardiomiopathy. During an endomyocardial biopsy more than 2 years after the transplant, the patient arrested in ventricular fibrillation, with ST-elevation in anterior leads after defibrillation. The angiography showed total occlusion of proximal left anterior descending artery, promptly treated with primary angioplasty, with excellent angiographic and clinical results.

Impact of left atrial compliance improvement on functional status after percutaneous mitral valvuloplasty

Conventional hemodynamic parameters may not accurately predict symptomatic improvement after percutaneous mitral valvuloplasty (PMV). Changes in left heart chamber compliance following adequate relief o0066 mitral stenosis (MS) may be useful in determining functional capacity after PMV. This study aims to determine the acute effects of PMV on compliance of the left heart and whether its changes relate to the patients functional capacity.

Impact of percutaneous mitral valvuloplasty on left ventricular function in patients with mitral stenosis assessed by 3D echocardiography

BACKGROUND The status of intrinsic left ventricular (LV) contractility in patients with isolated rheumatic mitral stenosis (MS) has been debated. The acute changes in loading conditions after percutaneous mitral valvuloplasty (PMV) may affect LV performance. We aimed to examine the acute effects of PMV on LV function and identify factors associated with LV ejection fraction (LVEF) changes, and determinants of long-term events following the procedure. METHODS One hundred and forty-two patients who underwent PMV for symptomatic rheumatic MS (valve area of 0.99±0.3cm2) were prospectively enrolled. LV volumes and LVEF were measured by three-dimensional (3D) echocardiography. Long-term outcome was a composite endpoint of death, mitral valve (MV) replacement, repeat PMV, new onset of atrial fibrillation, and stroke. RESULTS The mean age was 42.3±12.1years, and 125 patients were women (88%). After PMV, LVEF increased significantly (51.4 vs 56.5%, p<0.001), primary due to a significant increase in LV end-diastolic volume (65.8mL vs 67.9mL, p=0.002), and resultant increase in the stroke volume (33.9mL vs 39.6mL, p<0.001). Changes in cardiac index and systolic pulmonary artery pressure were associated with LVEF changes after PMV. During a mean follow-up period of 30.8months, 28 adverse clinical events were observed. Postprocedural mitral regurgitation, MV area, and mean gradient were independent predictors of composite endpoints. CONCLUSIONS In patients with rheumatic MS, PMV resulted in a significant improvement in LV end-diastolic volume, stroke volume and consequently increased in LVEF. Changes in cardiac index and systolic pulmonary artery pressure were associated with LVEF changes after PMV. The predictors of long-term adverse events following PMV were post-procedural variables, including mitral regurgitation, valve area, and mean gradient.

In‐hospital mortality risk prediction after percutaneous coronary interventions: Validating and updating the toronto score in Brazil

We aimed to assess the accuracy of the simple, contemporary and well‐designed Toronto PCI mortality risk score in ICP‐BR registry, the first Brazilian PCI multicenter registry with follow‐up information.

Mitral Subvalvular Aneurysm in a Patient with Chagas Disease and Recurrent Episodes of Ventricular Tachycardia

Subvalvular left ventricular aneurysm is a rare disease of obscure origin suggesting unique causes such as congenital, traumatic, and inflammatory or infectious diseases. Its mortality is closely related to heart failure, mitral insufficiency, thromboembolic phenomena, and cardiac arrhythmias. Although association with coronary artery disease is not described, the compression of epicardial vessels by the aneurysm may lead to ischemic manifestations. We report here a case of mitral subvalvular left ventricular aneurysm of probable chagasic origin, in a patient with normal left ventricular function evolving with repeated episodes of monomorphic ventricular tachycardia, despite noninducible electrophysiological testing and the use of optimal medical treatment, including amiodarone. The indication for implantable cardioverter-defibrillator in patients with Chagas cardiomyopathy and segmental wall motion abnormalities but without global systolic dysfunction remains unclear in literature, even in the presence of complex ventricular arrhythmias. A brief review of the literature on morphological features, diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment will be also discussed.

Aplicações do Balão Farmacológico na Doença Arterial Coronária

As estrategias de revascularizacao percutânea evoluiram significativamente nas ultimas decadas. No entanto, toda nova tecnologia apresenta um beneficio sobre a anterior, mas traz consigo tambem novos riscos. A hiperplasia neointimal, associada aos stents nao farmacologicos, e a endotelizacao tardia das hastes e reacao inflamatoria vascular ao polimero, associada aos stents farmacologicos, sao exemplos dessa premissa. Os baloes farmacologicos foram desenvolvidos com o racional de modular a hiperplasia neointimal apos a intervencao e de nao suscitar os problemas tardios relacionados aos stents com eluicao de farmacos antiproliferativos. No entanto, as evidencias e as recomendacoes para sua utilizacao ainda nao foram adequadamente definidas. Esta revisao objetiva apresentar e caracterizar os tipos de balao farmacologico disponiveis no mercado mundial, fazendo uma revisao dos estudos mais relevantes presentes na literatura sobre seu uso nos diversos cenarios clinicos e descrever as principais indicacoes e atuais recomendacoes para seu uso.