[Value of transesophageal echocardiography in the diagnosis of peripheral embolic event]. / Interet de l'echocardiographie transoesophagienne dans le bilan d'un accident embolique peripherique.

Ischemic cerebro-vascular events are in 15% of cases secondary to a cardiac embolus. The prevalence of echocardiographic anomalies, susceptible of being at the origin of a cerebral embolus may reach 50%. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is superior to transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) in the detection of a thrombus of the left atrial appendage, spontaneous echocontrast, intra-aortic atherosclerotic plaque lesion, patent foramen ovale or an atrial septal aneurysm. The high prevalence of these anomalies in a population who presented an ischemic cerebrovascular accident does not suffice to establish a causal relationship between the anomaly and the cerebral event. Further studies seem to be necessary to establish the responsibility of these different anomalies and determine their embolic risk, by defining certain risk factors. Pending the results of such studies, TEE should be indicated more systematically in the case of an ischemic cerebrovascular accident of the young patient without a clinically evident cardiopathy, independently of the results of TTE.

Multiple cerebral infarcts associated with an atrial septal aneurysm. Superimposed thrombus detected by transesophageal echocardiography.

The authors describe the case of a patient referred for evaluation of multiinfarct dementia. Conventional echocardiography revealed an aneurysm of the interatrial septum. A transesophageal echocardiogram demonstrated superimposed thrombus. This rare cause of systemic emboli can be diagnosed only by transesophageal echocardiography and is of major interest to avoid recurrence of ischemic strokes.

[First Lebanese series of percutaneous mitral commissurotomies]. / La première série libanaise de commissurotomie mitrale percutanée.

From January 1993 to January 1994, we realized at Risk Hospital 11 percutaneous mitral commissurotomies (PMC). This first Lebanese series comprised 9 women and 2 men. The mean age was 36 y (18-73 y). Ten patients were en class III of the NYHA and one in class IV (pregnant woman on the end of the 7th month). The predilatation evaluation was done by transthoracic echocardiography for the just 2 patients and by transthoracic with transesophageal multiplane echocardiography for the 9 others. The mean gradient was at 20 mmHg (10-24 mmHg) and the mean mitral area at 1 cm2 (0.65-1.5 cm2). We used the Inoue balloon for all these procedures with a stepwise technique and a color echo-doppler control between inflations. We obtain bicommissural opening in 8 patients and unicommissural opening in 3 patients. The mean gradient post dilatation was at 4 mmHg (3-8 mmHg) and the mean mitral area at 2.3 cm2 (1.5-2.8 cm2). No mitral regurgitation > 2/4 was noted. After a general review, we concluded the PMC is at present the treatment of choice of non or discrete calcified mitral stenosis and this procedure has to be taken on charge by the Ministry of Health in Lebanon.

[Coronary artery-cardiac fistulas. Review of the literature. Two accidentally discovered cases]. / Les fistules coronaro-cardiaques. Revue de la littérature. A propos de deux cas de découverte fortuite.

We report two cases of coronary artery fistula discovered accidentally during coronary-angiography. One case between the left anterior descending and the pulmonary artery and another case between the circumflex and the left ventricule. Both cases were associated with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. There was a spontaneous closure of the fistula in the first case. A brief review of the literature is presented because this anomaly is being discovered frequently because of the possibility of diagnosis with transesophageal echocardiography.

[Evaluation of embolic cerebrovascular complication: contribution of transesophageal echography]. / Le bilan d'un accident vasculaire cérébral embolique: apport de l'échographie transoesophagienne.

Ischemic cerebrovascular accidents are classically attributed to an embolism of cardiac origin in 15% of cases. This longstanding concept is questioned by trans-esophageal echocardiography (TEE). The incidence of anomalies which could be the origin of a cerebral embolism involves more than 50% of cases in certain series. The superiority of TEE over trans-thoracic echocardiography (TTE) emerges in particular when certain abnormalities such as an intra-atrial thrombus, spontaneous atrial contrast, an intra-aortic atherosclerotic plaque, a patent foramen ovale or an aneurysm of the inter-atrial septum are sought. The high incidence of such abnormalities in a population having sustained an ischemic cerebrovascular accident is not sufficient to establish a cause-and-effect relationship between the abnormality and the cerebral event. Certain abnormalities are commonly associated with each other or with emboligenic arrhythmias (atrial fibrillation). Studies hence remain required to determine the respective responsibilities of these various abnormalities and stratify their embolic risk by defining certain risk factors. While awaiting the result of such studies, it would seem valid to suggest the more routine use of TEE in the investigation of ischemic cerebrovascular accidents in young patients free of clinically obvious heart disease, and this regardless of the result of TTE.

[Primary aspergillus endocarditis]. / Endocardite aspergillaire primitive.

A 38-year old man was admitted for investigation of suspected endocarditis presenting with two cerebrovascular accidents and pyrexia. The initial clinical, echocardiographic and infectious investigations were normal, apart from a neutrophilic leukocytosis. The clinical course was marked by the recurrence of systemic embolism in the lower limbs, the appearance of cervical and axillary lymphadenopathy and, within a short period of time, of massive aortic valve vegetations. The diagnosis of aspergillosis was made from the culture of a peripheral embolus recovered by a Fogarty catheter and this was confirmed by the positivity of serological investigations. The patient died within two months despite antifungal therapy. Aspergillus endocarditis is characterised by its rapid progression, the volume and embolic tendency of the vegetations, the relative inefficacy of medical therapy and the potential benefits of early surgical management.

Intracardiac hemodynamics in man during short periods of head-down and head-up tilt.

The intracardiac hemodynamic responses to short periods of 70 degrees head-down and head-up tilts were studied in 12 normal male subjects, ages 19-24 years. Echo-Doppler techniques were used to measure the transmitral and transaortic flow velocities as well as cardiac index, and to evaluate the peripheral impedance. Head-down tilt (HDT) rapidly induced an increase (9.7%, p < 0.05) in the early passive filling of the left ventricle (ME peak of the transmitral flow velocity curve) and in transaortic flow velocity (8%, p < 0.05), as well as in cardiac output (6%, p < 0.05). In spite of a peripheral vasodilation, the blood pressure increased (7%, p < 0.05 for the systolic; 15%, p < 0.01 for the diastolic) and remained at a high level for the 5 min of the experiment. Head-up tilt (HUT) induced inverse responses; i.e., a large initial decrease in the transmitral (-15%, p < 0.05) and transaortic (-16%, p < 0.001) flows. The shape of the arterial peripheral flow indicated an increased vascular impedance. After a short drop, the blood pressure rapidly recovered a level statistically close to that of the pretest. In both cases, tachycardia occurred. We conclude that, in man, the cardiac responses to the changes in posture appear to be related more to the passive changes in ventricular filling due to the blood shift than to the nervous regulation by the arterial baroreflexes, whereas these reflexes mainly act in the control of the vascular impedance.

[Acute rheumatoid aortic insufficiency treated by valve replacement. Apropos of a case]. / Insuffisance aortique aiguë rhumatoïde traitée par un remplacement valvulaire. A propos d'un cas.

Rheumatoid valvular heart disease and aortic valve replacement for a rheumatoid lesion have been previously reported in the literature. The authors report the first case of emergency surgery for acute aortic regurgitation due to necrosis and rupture of a rheumatoid granuloma: the anatomopathological lesions observed were patholognomic.

[Holter monitoring, exercise test and atropine test in isolated congenital atrioventricular block in children]. / Evaluation par enregistrement Holter, épreuve d'effort et test à l'atropine des blocs auriculo-ventriculaires congénitaux isolés de l'enfant.

Twenty-four patients with isolated congenital heart block were investigated by 24-hour Holter monitoring at an average age of 9.3 +/- 5.5 years. Six patients were symptomatic and 18 were asymptomatic. Eight asymptomatic patients underwent exercise stress tests and an atropine test was performed in 10 asymptomatic patients to evaluate the capacity to accelerate the heart rate. The symptomatic patients were older than the asymptomatic patients. None of the parameters which analyse ventricular rate were significantly different in the two groups of patients. Significant ventricular arrhythmias (Lown Grade 2 or over) were recorded in 1 symptomatic and 3 asymptomatic patients. The incidence of these ventricular arrhythmias increased with age and degree of bradycardia. The percentage increase in ventricular rate after atropine correlated with what was observed on effort (r = 0.95, p = 0.01) but there was no relationship between the ventricular rates during these two tests and those recorded on Holter monitoring. The results of this series of children with isolated congenital heart block show the Holter parameters cannot distinguish symptomatic from asymptomatic patients. The exercise stress and atropine tests gave very similar results but their prognostic value has not yet been established.

[Incidence and factors favouring ventricular arrhythmia after surgical repair of tetralogy of Fallot]. / Incidence et facteurs favorisant les arythmies ventriculaires après réparation de tétralogie de Fallot.

The prevalence and factors favorising postoperative ventricular arrhythmias in 62 patients undergoing surgical repair of tetralogy of Fallot between 1971 and 1982 were analysed. Nineteen patients (31 %) had significant ventricular arrhythmias (Lown greater than or equal to 2) on Holter monitoring or exercise stress testing. The arrhythmia could only be recorded after stress testing in 5 patients. The patient's age at operation, the duration of follow-up and age at evaluation were significantly greater in the group with ventricular arrhythmias. However, age at operation was closely related to the other two parameters and a discriminating analysis showed that the age at operation was not a favorising factor for the occurrence of ventricular arrhythmias (p = 0.23), in contrast to the duration of follow-up (p = 0.0015) and age at evaluation (p = 0.0007). No relationship was found between ventricular arrhythmias and the following factors: previous anastomosis, outflow patch, necessity of a ventriculotomy or reoperation, presence of residual ventricular septal defect, postoperative systolic right ventricular pressure, severity of intraventricular conduction defects, and effort tolerance. These results suggest that after surgical repair of tetralogy of Fallot, the incidence of ventricular arrhythmias increases with time. The main problem is to identify patients with a high risk of sudden death, i.e. those with high degree ventricular arrhythmias and poor haemodynamic results of repair.