Comparison of transcatheter patent ductus arteriosus closure between children and adults.

The data comparing the characteristics and effect of transcatheter patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) closure between children and adults is scarce. We analyzed 54 consecutive patients who underwent transcatheter PDA closures. We divided the patients into 2 groups of < 18 years and ≥ 18 years and compared the hemodynamic changes before and after the PDA closure. Adults had a higher incidence of heart failure on admission, diagnoses by heart failure and incidental echocardiography, PDA calcifications, and procedural complications than children (all P < 0.05). The left ventricular end-diastolic volume index (LVEDVI), left atrial diameter index (LADI), and LV mass index (LVMI) decreased after the PDA closure in children but not in adults. The LV ejection fraction (LVEF) significantly decreased 1 day after the PDA closure in both groups but remained low at 6 months after the procedure in only adults. The percent change in the LVEDVI, LADI, LVMI, and LVEF from baseline to 6 months after the procedure was significantly lesser in adults than children (LVEDVI: - 5.2 ± 29.1% vs. - 34.9 ± 18.9%, LADI: - 7.0 ± 13.2% vs. - 22.1 ± 18.9%, LVMI: - 11.0 ± 16.5% vs. - 34.1 ± 15.7%, LVEF: - 5.9 ± 7.6% vs. 6.1 ± 9.1%, all P < 0.05). Transcatheter PDA closure was not associated with a reduction in the LV and LA volume as well as an improvement in the LV hypertrophy and LV function in adults as compared to children. We suggested that an early diagnosis and transcatheter PDA closure during childhood might provide clinical benefit before progressive LV remodeling and heart failure.

Electric Polarization of Soft Biological Tissues Induced by Ultrasound Waves.

Ultrasound irradiation makes it possible to generate alternating electric polarization through the electromechanical coupling of materials. It follows that electromagnetic fields are often emitted to the surrounding environment when materials are acoustically stimulated. We investigate the acoustically stimulated electromagnetic (ASEM) response of soft biological tissues. The ASEM signal is detected through a capacitive resonant antenna tuned to the MHz frequency of the irradiated ultrasound waves. The signal is well explained by the stress-induced polarization, which responds linearly to the applied acoustic stress. Induced polarization is clearly observed in the Achilles tendon, aortic wall, and aortic valve samples, whereas it is small in adipose tissue and myocardium samples, indicating that fibrous tissues exhibit electromechanical coupling.

Predictors of Early Postoperative Supraventricular Tachyarrhythmias in Children After the Fontan Procedure.

Postoperative arrhythmias are a frequent and fatal complication after the Fontan operation. However, clinical evidence demonstrating early postoperative arrhythmias in children undergoing the Fontan operation is limited. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of arrhythmias and identify the predictors of early postoperative supraventricular tachyarrhythmias (SVTs) after the Fontan procedure.Data were analyzed from 80 pediatric patients who underwent Fontan procedures between April 2000 and December 2017 in a single-center retrospective study. Early postoperative SVTs were defined as arrhythmias within 30 days after the Fontan procedure. We divided the patients into two groups, with or without early postoperative arrhythmias, and the predictors of early postoperative arrhythmias were analyzed. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to determine independent predictors of early postoperative SVTs after the Fontan procedure.Early postoperative SVTs were observed in 21 patients (26.3%). The most common arrhythmia was junctional ectopic tachycardia. After an adjustment, an atrioventricular valve regurgitation (AVVR) grade of ≥2 (odds ratio 10.54, 95% confidence interval 2.52 to 44.17, P = 0.001) and preoperative arrhythmias (odds ratio 26.49, 95% confidence interval 1.64 to 428.62, P = 0.021) were significant predictors of early postoperative SVTs after the Fontan operation.An AVVR grade ≥2 and preoperative arrhythmia were significant predictors associated with early postoperative SVTs. Intervention for AVVR may provide clinical benefit for preventing early postoperative arrhythmias after the Fontan operation.

Progress of pulmonary hypertension and high manganese levels through congenital portosystemic shunt closure.

A 6-year-old girl with congenital portosystemic shunt presented with abnormal manganese levels and improving pulmonary hypertension even 1 year after shunt vascular ligation. As the progress after portal vein blood flow recovery varies among individuals, long-term follow-up of patients with congenital portosystemic shunt is needed.

Low-dose aspirin-induced gastric mucosal injury after Fontan surgery in an adolescent.

Low-dose aspirin (LDA)-induced gastric mucosal injury always requires rigorous follow-up while taking LDA, even in adolescents, and after a long time from the start of LDA.

Successful radiofrequency catheter ablation of life-threatening atrial tachycardia in an infant with asplenia syndrome.

A 1-year-old infant with asplenia syndrome and congenital heart disease consisting of common atrium, common inlet left ventricle with a common atrio-ventricular (AV) valve, pulmonary atresia, and total anomalous pulmonary venous connection was admitted to our hospital for radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) of supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) before total cavo-pulmonary connection. After antiarrhythmic medications were discontinued for RFCA, she suffered from SVT that resulted in the rapid deterioration of hemodynamic status. Antiarrhythmic medications and cardioversion were not effective in terminating SVT. The baseline electrocardiogram confirmed the existence of twin AV nodes; however, this SVT was revealed to be focal atrial tachycardia (AT) with enhanced automaticity. The origin of AT was not related to surgical scar. Emergent RFCA for AT was successful in our case of asplenia syndrome. AT is a life-threatening complication in a single ventricle and delayed treatment can be fatal. It is important to perform RFCA promptly when drug treatment is not effective. We suggest that the AV node is not always the target site for ablation in patients with asplenia syndrome and twin AV nodes. .

Severe neurotoxicities in a case of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2 caused by vincristine for acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

SUMMARY: We report a 13-year-old male patient with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) type 2 who developed severe neuropathy because of vincristine (VCR) for his acute lymphoblastic leukemia. A clumsy gait, muscle weakness in his fingers, and inverted champagne bottlelike muscle in the lower limbs were noticed after remission induction treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, which included VCR at a total dose of 8 mg/m. An electrophysiologic study showed an almost normal median motor nerve conduction velocity (approximately 50 m/s), markedly reduced M-wave amplitude and sensory disturbance. He was diagnosed as CMT type 2 based on his symptoms and electrophysiologic findings. His symptoms gradually worsened, and even after VCR was discontinued, he could not walk alone for 7 months. VCR has previously been considered to be relatively safe in CMT type 2, however, some patients with CMT type 2 might show severe neurologic toxicities, as seen in patients with CMT type 1.

Clinicopathologic characteristics and management of minute esophageal lesions diagnosed by narrow-band imaging endoscopy.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Magnifying narrow-band imaging (NBI) endoscopy enables the diagnosis of minute esophageal neoplasia. We aimed to evaluate clinicopathological diagnosis of minute esophageal neoplasia by using magnifying NBI endoscopy and biopsy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In total, 309 patients (127 men and 182 women) with minute esophageal lesions of intrapapillary capillary loop (IPCL) type IV were enrolled. Of these patients, 249 underwent biopsy for histologic diagnosis and also for treatment. Of the 249 patients, 123 underwent follow-up with endoscopy. We analyzed the clinicopathologic characteristics and prognosis of these lesions after biopsy. RESULTS: Of the 249 biopsied lesions, we histologically diagnosed 11 as high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (HGIN), 41 as low-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (LGIN), and 197 as non-neoplasia (Non-N) including inflammation. Six of the 11 HGINs and 11 of the 41 LGINs showed slight elevation. Background coloration was observed in 9 of 11 HGINs, 34 of 41 LGINs, and 33 of 197 Non-Ns. Of the 249 biopsied lesions, 147 were microscopically measurable. The average diameter was 1.4 mm for HGINs and 0.8 mm for LGINs. Of the 123 patients who underwent post-biopsy follow-up, 93 (76 %) showed no lesions at the biopsied sites during the NBI examinations and were suspected to have undergone complete resection by biopsy. CONCLUSIONS: Biopsy was useful for diagnosis and treatment of minute esophageal lesions, diagnosed as IPCL type IV by magnifying NBI endoscopy.

Successful emergent coil embolization of an inferior epigastric artery perforation in a neonate.

A 28-day-old neonate with a postoperative ventricular septal defect and coarctation of aorta suffered from a right inferior epigastric artery perforation at the time of a central venous catheter placement. It resulted in a rapid and extreme hemoglobin decrease and decrease in the systolic blood pressure. The contrast computed tomography scan revealed a large amount of retroperitoneal hemorrhaging and a hematoma. Pressure hemostasis was not effective in eliminating the extravasation and surgical hemostasis seemed uncertain to succeed, because the baby was too small and its condition was unstable. An emergent coil embolization using a Target® coil (Stryker Inc., Tokyo, Japan) was effective in completely eliminating the extravasation, resulting in saving its life. We speculated that a coil embolization was the only solution to rescue a neonate with a retroperitoneal hemorrhage due to an artery perforation. .

Usefulness of the Red Blood Cell Distribution Width to Predict Heart Failure in Patients With a Fontan Circulation.

The red blood cell distribution width (RDW) is a quantitative measure of the variability in the size of circulating erythrocytes. We aimed to study whether higher levels of the RDW were associated with heart failure in a Fontan circulation and to analyze its clinical value compared to brain natriuretic peptide. This retrospective study included 38 consecutive pediatric patients with a Fontan circulation who underwent routine cardiac catheterization at the International Medical Center, Saitama Medical University from October 2010 to July 2014. We assessed the relation between the RDW and catheterization data such as the central venous pressure (CVP), mixed venous oxygen saturation (SvO2), and cardiac index (CI). The RDW was positively correlated with the CVP (p = 0.0002). The elevated RDW group had a significantly greater CVP than the normal RDW group (p = 0.0003). Also, the RDW was negatively correlated with the SvO2 (p = 0.0004). The elevated RDW group had a significantly less SvO2 than the normal RDW group (p <0.0001). The CI in the elevated RDW group was lower than that in the normal RDW group (p = 0.0421). In the multivariate regression analysis, the RDW was a significant independent predictor of the CVP and SvO2. The BNP level did not have any significant relation with the CVP, SvO2, or CI. The RDW is a convenient and powerful marker for detecting heart failure in a Fontan circulation.

Clinicopathological features of minute pharyngeal lesions diagnosed by narrow-band imaging endoscopy and biopsy.

AIM: To evaluate the utility of magnified narrow-band imaging (NBI) endoscopy for diagnosing and treating minute pharyngeal neoplasia. METHODS: Magnified NBI gastrointestinal examinations were performed by the first author. A magnification hood was attached to the tip of the endoscope for quick focusing. Most of the examinations were performed under sedation. Magnified NBI examinations were performed for all of the pharyngeal lesions that had noticeable brownish areas under unmagnified NBI observation, and an intrapapillary capillary loop (IPCL) classification was made. A total of 93 consecutive pharyngeal lesions were diagnosed as IPCL type IV and were suspected to represent dysplasia. Sixty-two lesions of approximately 1 mm in diameter were biopsied in the clinic, and 17 lesions with larger diameters were resected by endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) at the Hiroshima University Hospital. In addition to the histological diagnoses, the lesion diameters were microscopically measured in 45 of the 62 biopsies. Thirty-four of the 62 biopsied patients received endoscopic follow up. RESULTS: Minute pharyngeal lesions were diagnosed in 93 of approximately 3000 patients receiving magnified NBI examinations at the clinic. Of the 93 patients with IPCL type IV lesions, 80 were men, and 13 were women. Fifty-six were drinkers, and 57 were smokers. Two had esophageal cancer. Twenty-one lesions were located on the posterior hypopharyngeal wall, and 72 lesions were located on the posterior oropharyngeal wall. All 93 lesions were flat and showed similar findings in the magnified and unmagnified NBI examinations. Although almost all of the IPCL type IV lesions showed faint redness when examined under white light, it was difficult to diagnose the lesions using only this technique because the contrast was weaker than that achieved in the NBI examinations. Of the 93 lesions, only 3 had diameters greater than 2.1 mm. Sixty-two lesions of approximately 1 mm were biopsied in the clinic, whereas 17 larger lesions were treated by ESD at the Hiroshima University Hospital. Of the 79 pharyngeal lesions that were biopsied or resected by ESD, 5 were histologically diagnosed as high-grade dysplasia, 39 were diagnosed as low-grade dysplasia, and 39 were determined to be non-dysplastic lesions. There were no cancerous lesions. Histologically, abnormal cell size variations and increased nuclear size were observed in all of the high-grade dysplasia lesions, while the incidence of these findings in the low-grade dysplasia lesions was low. Of the 62 biopsied lesions, 45 were microscopically measurable. The measured diameters ranged from 0.1 to 2.0 mm. The dysplasia ratios increased with the diameters. A follow-up endoscopic examination of the 34 biopsied patients found the rate of complete resection by biopsy to be 79%. The largest lesion in which complete resection was expected was a low-grade dysplasia of 1.9 mm in diameter. CONCLUSION: Minute pharyngeal lesions suspected to be dysplasia that are identified by NBI magnifying endoscopy should be biopsied to determine the diagnosis and further treatment.