[Long-term treatment of morphologically verified myocarditis: successes and probable errors. Case report].

Diagnosis and treatment of myocarditis can be challenging, including determining indications for heart transplantation. We present a 6-year medical history of a 54 years old patient with severe morphologically verified viral-negative lymphocytic myocarditis and systemic manifestations (onset of hemorrhagic vasculitis) combined with moderate coronary atherosclerosis, which regressed according to repeated coronary angiography. For 5 years, the patient received immunosuppressive therapy with methylprednisolone and azathioprine with a significant improvement. Repeated relapses of atrial fibrillation required correction of basic therapy and plasmapheresis. The disease was complicated by thyrotoxicosis and multi-organ dysfunction; the autopsy showed persistent myocarditis activity. The myocarditis is a chronic condition and requires a review of the treatment strategy at each stage.

[Сardiac myxoma: challenge in diagnostics. Case report].

Cardiac myxoma is the most common primary benign cardiac tumor (up to 50% of all primary cardiac neoplasms). The implementation of the modern imaging techniques into the clinical practice, particularly, 2D echocardiography, computed tomography and magnetic resonance tomography (MRI) results to the prompt diagnosis of the myxoma. However, the absence of specific clinical features, insufficient awareness of this condition among the physicians along with a rare prevalence, may lead to a misdiagnosis. This case report is notable for the relatively late diagnosis of a giant left atrial myxoma due to a number of circumstances but with successful surgical treatment.

[Pericarditis in contemporary therapeutic clinic: nosological spectrum, approaches to diagnosis and treatment].

AIM: To analyze the register of pericarditis in a therapeutic clinic, to evaluate their nosological spectrum, to optimize approaches to diagnosis and treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For the period 20072018, the register includes 76 patients with the diagnosis of pericarditis (average age 53.115.7 years, 2085 years, 46 female). Patients with hydropericardium were not included in the register. Diagnostic puncture of pericardium was carried out in 5 patients, pleural puncture in 11 patients. Morphological diagnostics included endomyocardial/ intraoperative biopsy of myocardium (n=4/2), thoracoscopic/intraoperative biopsy of pericardium (n=1/6), pleural puncture (n=5), transbronchial (n=1), thoracoscopic biopsy of intrathoracic lymph nodes (n=2), lung (n=1), supraclavicular lymph node biopsy (n=1), salivary gland (n=1), subcutaneous fat and rectum biopsy per amyloid (n=6/1). The genome of cardiotropic viruses, level of anti-heart antibodies, C-reactive protein, antinuclear factor, rheumatoid factor (antibodies to cyclic citrullinized peptide), antibodies to neutrophil cytoplasm were determined, extractable nuclear antigens (ENA), protein immunoelectrophoresis, diaskin test, computed tomography of lungs and heart, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, oncologic search. RESULTS: The following forms of pericarditis were verified: tuberculosis (14%, including in combination with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy HCM), acute / chronic viral (8%) and infectious immune (38%), including perimyocarditis in 77%, pericarditis associated with mediastinum lymphoma/sarcoma (4%), sarcoidosis (3%), diffuse diseases of connective tissue and vasculitis (systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, diseases of Horton, Takayasu, Shegren, Wegener, 12%), leukoclastic vasculitis, Loefflers endomyocarditis, AL-amyloidosis, thrombotic microangiopathy (1% each), HCM (8%), coronary heart disease (constriction after repeated punctures and suppuration; postinfection and immune, 4%), after radiofrequency catheter ablation and valve prosthetics (2%). Tuberculosis was the main causes of constrictive pericarditis (36%). Treatment included steroids (n=39), also in combination with cytostatics (n=12), anti-tuberculosis drugs (n=9), acyclovir/ganclovir (n=14), hydroxychloroquine (n=23), colchicine (n=13), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (n=21), L-tyroxine (n=5), chemotherapy (n=1). In 36 patients different types of therapy were combined. Treatment results observed in 55 patients. Excellent and stable results were achieved in 82% of them. Pericardiectomy/pericardial resection was successfully performed in 8 patients. Lethality was 13.2% (10 patients) with an average follow-up 9 [2; 29.5] months (up to 10 years). Causes of death were chronic heart failure, surgery for HCM, pulmonary embolism, tumor. CONCLUSION: During a special examination, the nature of pericarditis was established in 97% of patients. Morphological and cytological diagnostics methods play the leading role. Tuberculosis pericarditis, infectious-immune and pericarditis in systemic diseases prevailed. Infectious immune pericarditis is characterized by small and medium exudate without restriction and accompanying myocarditis. Steroids remain the first line of therapy in most cases. Hydroxychloroquine as well as colchicine can be successfully used in moderate / low activity of immune pericarditis and as a long-term maintenance therapy after steroid stop.

[Successful treatment of massive thrombosis of the vena cava inferior with nephrotic syndrome and chronic bilateral pulmonary artery thromboembolism in a patient with genetic thrombophilia].

A case is reported of a 23-year-old male patient who developed, after severe blunt injury of the lumbar region, massive thrombosis of the vena cava inferior (VCI), both renal veins, bilateral pulmonary artery thromboembolism (PATE), nephrotic syndrome (NS). In spite of anticoagulant therapy, the condition of the patient progressively aggravated for 1.5 year: thrombosis involved the ileac and femoral arteries on the right, thrombus floated in the right atrium with PATE recurrent episodes, pulmonary hypertension reached 120 mm Hg with formation of decompensated cor pulmnonale, proteinuria and hypoalbuminemia deteriorated, anasarca edema developed Multigenic thrombophilia was diagnosed (1 homozygous and 5 heterozygous mutations). A radical one-stage operation was successful: thromboectomy from the VCI, right ileac and left renal veins, thrombendarterectomy from the pulmonary arteries, suture of the interatrial septum defect, installation of cava-filter After the operation pulmonary pressure lowered to 40-45 mm Hg, right heart volume normalized, immunosuppressive therapy with prednisolone and cyclosporine led to nephropathy remission. The discussion covers mechanisms and factors (including genetic) of thrombosis progression, correlations between intravascular thrombosis, NS and chronic glomerulonephritis (possible NS development due to bilateral thrombosis of the renal veins and nephropathy role in thrombosis progression), approaches to conservative and surgical treatment of such patients. Global experience in conduction of pulmonary thrombendarterectomy and thrombectomy from VCI is reviewed (one-stage operations were not described earlier).

[Spontaneous restoration of cardiac rhythm in patients with a persistent form of atrial fibrillation]. / Spontannoe vosstanovlenie ritma u bol'nykh s pospoiannoi formoi mertsatel'noi aritmii.

A total of 15 patients with spontaneously arrested sustained atrial fibrillation (its duration 7.0 +/- 1.6 years) were followed up. After termination of atrial fibrillation, all the patients had signs of the sick sinus syndrome (profound sinus bradycardia, pacemaker migration, inferior atrial and atrioventricular rhythms). Thirteen of 15 patients suffered from rheumatic heart disease, nine of them had severe heart failure. Four patients immediately died. An atrial fibrillation relapse occurred in the immediate period in most cases, and rhythm recovery was unaccompanied by the improvement of the patients' condition.