Pulmonary hypertension due to fibrosing mediastinitis treated successfully with stenting of pulmonary vein stenoses.

We describe a patient with fibrosing mediastinitis after childhood histoplasmosis who presented with severe pulmonary hypertension secondary to pulmonary vein stenoses. Stenting of 2 stenosed pulmonary veins via a transseptal approach resulted in an immediate decrease in systolic pulmonary artery pressure from 90 to 68 mm Hg and improvement in dyspnea and cardiac index, which was sustained at 6 months. This case highlights the importance of routinely assessing the pulmonary veins during workup for pulmonary hypertension.

Low gradient aortic stenosis.

OPINION STATEMENT: Severe low-gradient (LG) aortic stenosis (AS) [aortic valve area (AVA) ≤ 1.0 cm(2), mean pressure gradient (MG) < 40 mmHg] represents a frequently encountered and challenging clinical dilemma. A systematic approach, which often requires several imaging modalities, should be undertaken to confirm the hemodynamic findings and rule out measurement error. Low-flow conditions often account for the discrepancy and can be present whether the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is depressed or normal. In patients with classical low-flow (LF), LG AS in which LVEF is reduced (<40-50 %), dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) should be used to distinguish patients with true severe AS and pseudo-severe AS, as well as to evaluate for the presence of left ventricular contractile or flow reserve. Surgical or transcatheter aortic valve replacement (AVR) should likely be reserved for those patients with true severe AS. Patient outcome with medical or surgical management generally relates to patient functional capacity, stenosis severity, and left ventricular functional reserve. Patients with severe LG AS with preserved LVEF can have a stroke volume that is either normal (>35 mL/m(2)) or low (<35 mL/m(2)). New data suggest that DSE can identify pseudo-severe AS in up to 30 % of patients with severe LF-LG AS with preserved LVEF. AVR should likely be restricted to those patients with true severe AS, although there is currently little data to support this strategy. Symptomatic patients with severe LG AS with preserved LVEF, whether they have normal or low flow, should be offered AVR. Transcatheter AVR provides an alternative therapeutic option in the high-risk patient.

Cardiogenic shock in Takotsubo cardiomyopathy: a focus on management.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy has become a well recognized mimicker of acute coronary syndrome. Patients generally do well, although a minority can develop life-threatening complications. We present a case of 1 such patient in a branched self-assessment format designed to challenge the reader's clinical management skills.