Every Patent Foramen Ovale Should Be Closed.

At present, the patent foramen ovale (PFO) does not receive the deserved medical attention. The PFO poses a serious threat to health and even the life of mankind. The first respective case report in the medical literature dates back to the 19th century. It led to death. The fact that a PFO is present in roughly 25% of people underscores its overall potential to cause harm. Yet at the same time, the sheer number discourages the medical community from screening for it and from treating it. About 5% of the population have particularly dangerous forms of PFOs. Such PFOs portray a high enough risk for clinical events, the likes of death, stroke, myocardial infarction, or ocular, visceral, and peripheral embolism, to justify screening for them. Highly significant health incidents being at stake, it appears obvious that PFO closure should be used for primary prevention. This is supported by the fact that closing a PFO is the simplest intervention in cardiology, with presumably the highest clinical yield. Being mainly a preventive measure, PFO closure represents a mechanical vaccination. When closing PFOs for one of the rarer therapeutic indications (migraine, platypnea orthodeoxia, etc.), patients automatically profit from the collateral benefit of getting, at the same time, mechanically vaccinated for life against paradoxical embolism. Vice versa, closing a PFO for the prevention of paradoxical embolism betters or cures migraine or exercise dyspnea not infrequently, thereby improving quality of life as a collateral benefit.

A Unique Case of a Gigantic Left Ventricular Myxoma Resulting in Embolic Acute Lower Limb Ischemia in a Pediatric Patient.

BACKGROUND: The presence of a primary cardiac tumor in a pediatric patient is a rare echocardiographic finding. CASE REPORT: We report the case of an 11-year-old female patient with multiple peripheral embolisms, due to a gigantic left ventricular tumor, with a unique echocardiographic appearance. The patient was referred to the emergency department due to acute pain and loss of sensitivity in both of her legs. Past medical history was significant for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Upon physical examination, suspicion of bilateral lower leg ischemia was raised. Doppler arterial ultrasound of both legs confirmed the suspicion mentioned above, as the right lower extremity suffered from partial arterial occlusion of the external iliac artery and total occlusion of the femoral arteries. Meanwhile, in the left lower extremity, the occlusion was localized in the proximal tibio-peroneal artery. Cardiac sonography revealed a massive, mobile, left ventricular intracavitary mass. Aside from its large dimensions (6.3 cm by 3 cm), its aspect was striking as well as it had very mobile and friable edges. Emergency bilateral endarterectomy and excision of the left ventricular tumor were performed alongside systemic anticoagulant therapy, with excellent results, as no tumoral residual masses could be seen in the left ventricle, and the arterial blood flow was restored completely in both lower extremities. The histopathological aspect of the excised masses was that of a myxoma. The patient recovered well after surgery and was discharged on postoperative day 14. CONCLUSION: Despite only a handful of cases of cardiac myxomas being reported due to their rarity in the pediatric population, clinical presentation with peripheric embolism triggered a high index of suspicion of embolic mechanism in our patient and prompted a rapid assessment and successful management.

Peripheral embolism as first and only clinical symptom of a true aneurysmal degeneration of the radial artery after ligation of a radiocephalic fistula.

True aneurysmal degeneration of the inflow artery after arteriovenous fistula ligation is extremely rare. Pain is the most common symptom and surgical treatment by an autologous venous bypass is considered as the treatment of choice with good long-term results. We present a patient with peripheral embolism as first and only symptom leading to the diagnosis of a true aneurysmal degeneration of the entire left radial artery. It was discovered 5 years after the ligation of his radiocephalic fistula. As illustrated by this case, a conservative treatment by antiplatelet and anticoagulation therapy should be considered a satisfying alternative to the standard bypass surgery in patients with anatomical variations (e.g. an incomplete arterial palmar arch) since the latter include a higher risk of postoperative ischemic complications.

Transcatheter Closure of Patent Foramen Ovale in Patients With Peripheral (Noncerebrovascular) Embolism.

OBJECTIVES: Scarce data exist on noncerebrovascular peripheral embolism (NCPE) patients undergoing transcatheter patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure. The objectives of this study were to determine the clinical and procedural characteristics, and long-term outcomes of patients with NCPE undergoing transcatheter PFO closure. METHODS: This was a multicenter study including 1136 consecutive patients who underwent PFO closure after a thromboembolic event. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to the type of event leading to PFO closure, ie, cerebrovascular event (CVE, n = 1099 [96.7%]) and NCPE (n = 37 [3.3%]). The median follow-up was 3 years (interquartile range, 1-8), with follow-up complete in 98%. RESULTS: Patients in the NCPE group exhibited higher rates of prior or concomitant pulmonary embolism (29.7% vs 3.4%; P<.001), and prior myocardial infarction (24.3% vs 1.8%; P<.001). Most NCPE events were located in the limbs (41%), followed by coronary (27%) and renal/splenic/mesenteric arteries (12%). PFO closure was successful in all patients, with a low complication rate (<1%) in both groups. NCPE patients were more frequently treated with anticoagulation following PFO closure (63% vs 13%; P<.001). There were no differences between NCPE and CVE groups in death (0 per 100 patient years vs 0.4 per 100 patient-years; P=.53) or cerebrovascular events (1.3 per 100 patient-years vs 0.4 per 100 patient-years; P=.15) at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with NCPE events undergoing PFO closure exhibited differential baseline characteristics compared with patients with CVEs; limbs and coronary arteries were the most frequent NCPE location. PFO closure results and long-term outcomes were similar to their CVE counterparts, with a very low rate of recurrent thromboembolic events. Further studies are needed in this population.

Multiple emboli caused by ascending aorta thrombus-Surgical approach.

Embolizing aortic thrombus can be associated with severe complications. Here, we present images showing a rare presentation of an ascending aorta thrombus.

The usefulness of Duplex Doppler ultrasound in the angiological and dermatological diagnosis of patients with blue toe syndrome.

INTRODUCTION: Peripheral microembolism is one of the most frequent causes of acute limb ischemia. In order to effectively prevent relapses it is essential to localize and eliminate the source of embolism. AIM: To evaluate the role of Duplex Doppler ultrasound examination in identifying the causes of blue toe syndrome (BTS). MATERIAL AND METHODS: The group of 165 patients with clinical symptoms of BTS on their upper limbs (n = 16) and lower limbs (n = 149) was investigated. They all underwent Duplex Doppler ultrasound of the major arteries of the extremities, where ischemic changes occurred. RESULTS: Morphological and functional changes which might be potential sources of microembolism were identified in 146 patients. These changes included significant short-length stenoses or unstable atherosclerotic plaque (n = 73), true aneurysms (n = 42) and pseudoaneurysms (n = 17). In 11 cases, pathology of vascular prostheses in the form of anastomotic aneurysms, infection and residual thrombi after fibrinolysis was detected. In all cases, Duplex diagnosis was confirmed by other imaging and intraoperative tests. CONCLUSIONS: Duplex Doppler ultrasound of the arteries in the affected limb with a full length view should be the first-line examination in diagnosing patients with BTS. In the absence of hemodynamic blood flow disturbances in the major arteries in patients with symptoms of BTS, it is advisable to start haematological tests to identify/exclude congenital or acquired thrombophilia.

Coexistence of Acute Cerebral Infarction and Peripheral Embolism in a Patient with Cardiac Myxoma

There are rare reports of vascular complications in patients with cardiac myxoma, including both central and peripheral arterial thrombosis. We report on a patient with cerebral infarctions affecting multiple territories, which may have been related to cardiac myxoma. The patient also exhibited cyanosis of the hand. A diagnosis was made of peripheral artery occlusion with myxomatous emboli. A careful physical examination with suspicion of concomitant peripheral embolism is needed in patients with acute embolic stroke induced by cardiac myxoma.