[Accessory mitral valve: report of four cases and literature review].

OBJECTIVE: To describe the echocardiographic and clinical findings of patients with accessory mitral valve (AMV). METHODS: Four adult patients were diagnosed to have AMV by Doppler echocardiography. RESULTS: All the four patients had cardiac murmur but 2 were asymptomatic. Echocardiogram showed that two cases had isolated AMV with significant left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction. Another patient was complicated by idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis and his systolic pressure gradient across the LVOT reduced to normal after taking negative inotropic drugs. The fourth patient was associated with complex congenital cardiac anomalies but without LVOT obstruction. CONCLUSIONS: AMV may not be very rare as previously reported. An echocardiographic examination can detect AMV and differentiate it from other causes of LVOT obstruction.

Aortic Artery and Cardiac Valve Calcification are Associated with Mortality in Chinese Hemodialysis Patients: A 3.5 Years Follow-up.

BACKGROUND: This study was to investigate the relationship among aortic artery calcification (AAC), cardiac valve calcification (CVC), and mortality in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients. METHODS: All MHD patients in Shanghai Ruijin Hospital in July 2011 were included. To follow up for 42 months, clinical data, predialysis blood tests, echocardiography, and lateral lumbar X-ray plain radiography results were collected. Plasma FGF23 level was measured using a C-terminal assay. RESULTS: Totally, 110 MHD patients were involved in this study. Of which, 64 (58.2%) patients were male, the mean age was 55.2 ± 1.4 years old, and the median dialysis duration was 29.85 (3.0-225.5) months. About 25.5% of the 110 MHD patients had CVC from echocardiography while 61.8% of the patients had visible calcification of aorta from lateral lumbar X-ray plain radiography. After 42 months follow-up, 25 (22.7%) patients died. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that patients with AAC or CVC had a significant greater number of all-cause and cardiovascular deaths than those without. In multivariate analyses, the presence of AAC was a significant factor associated with all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR]: 3.149, P = 0.025) in addition to lower albumin level and lower 25-hydroxy Vitamin D (25(OH)D) level. The presence of CVC was a significant factor associated with cardiovascular mortality (HR: 3.800, P = 0.029) in addition to lower albumin level and lower 25(OH)D level. CONCLUSION: Lateral lumbar X-ray plain radiography and echocardiography are simple methods to detect AAC and CVC in dialysis patients. The presence of AAC and CVC was independently associated with mortality in MHD patients. Regular follow-up by X-ray and echocardiography could be a useful method to stratify mortality risk in MHD patients.

Association of E/E' and NT-proBNP with renal function in patients with essential hypertension.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the association of left ventricular (LV) diastolic function and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) with renal function in essential hypertension. METHODS: LV diastolic function was estimated by the ratio of early diastolic velocities (E) from transmitral inflow to early diastolic velocities (E') of tissue Doppler at mitral annulus (septal corner); NT-proBNP was measured in 207 hypertensive patients (mean age 56±14 years). The subjects were classified into 3 groups: E/E'≤10 group (n = 48), 1015 group (n = 50). The renal function was estimated by glomerular filtration rate (GFR) with (99m)Tc-DTPA. GFR from 30 to 59 ml/min/1.73 m(2) was defined as Stage 3 chronic kidney disease (CKD). GFR was also estimated using the modified MDRD equation. Albuminuria was defined by urinary albumin/creatinine ratio (UACR). RESULTS: GFR was lower and UACR was higher in E/E' >15 group than in 10< E/E' ≤15 group or E/E' ≤10 group (p<0.0001), GFR was significantly negative and UACR was positive correlated with E/E' and NT-proBNP (p<0.0001). In multivariate stepwise linear analysis, GFR had significant correlation with age (p = 0.001), gender (p = 0.003), E/E' (p = 0.03), lgNT-proBNP (p = 0.001) and lgUACR (p = 0.01), while eGFR had no significant correlation with E/E' or lgNT-proBNP. Multivariate logistic regression analysis, adjusted for potential confounding factors, showed that participants in E/E'>15 group were more likely to have Stage 3 CKD compared with those in E/E'≤10 group with an adjusted odds ratio of 8.31 (p = 0.0036). CONCLUSIONS: LV diastolic function, assessed with E/E' and NT-proBNP is associated with renal function in essential hypertension.

A primary right atrium paraganglioma in a 15-year-old patient.

Thoracic pheochromocytomas account for less than 2% of reported cases, while primary cardiac paragangliomas are even rare. The following case illustrates a 15-year-old patient with primary right atrium paraganglioma. This patient was referred for paroxysmal hypertension and excessive perspiration. Pheochromocytoma was suspected and then confirmed by very high serum nor-metanephrine which increased more than 30-fold above the upper limit of normal. 131I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) scintigraphy showed high uptake only in the middle mediastinum, but not in the adrenal glands or elsewhere. Both contrast CT and gated MRI of the chest disclosed a 5.0 x 4.0 cm2 mass in the right atrium. Coronary angiography demonstrated the mass with feeding vessels from the right coronary artery. When the patient's blood pressure was well controlled with doxazosin and metoprolol, surgery was then performed. A 6.0 x 4.9 x 4.0 cm3 round solid right atrium paraganglioma weighing 41.7 g was resected. The second day after surgery, serum nor-metanephrine and urinary noradrenaline levels dropped rapidly to normal range, and the patient was free of clinical symptoms with normal BP. Postoperative cardiac function, as measured by echocardiogram, was normal. Although cardiac paraganglioma may be difficult to resect, it can be cured.