Unorthodox diagnostic procedure in a rare case of intrapericardial malignant schwannoma.

To establish preoperatively the cytology of a large right atrial tumour, an echoguided transcutaneous thin needle aspiration using a transhepatic approach was performed. Cytology suggested myxoma, which had been mimicked by regressive changes within the tumour, while the histologic examination of the removed specimen revealed a malignant pericardial Schwannoma. In spite of this discrepancy we think that solid tumours located at the free atrial wall are accessible to ultrasound guided puncture without great risk.

[Ventriculo-cardiac shunt in an adult with a fatal complication: diagnostic and therapeutic aspects. Case report]. / Ventrikulo-kardialer Shunt im Erwachsenenalter mit letaler Komplikation: diagnostische und therapeutische Aspekte. Fallbericht.

A 29-year-old patient with a Pudenz-Heyer-shunt was assigned to examination because of exercise-induced dyspnea after 10 years of uncomplicated follow-up. Echocardiography established the diagnosis of advanced cor pulmonale, the cause being multiple pulmonary embolism produced by thrombotic layers on the shunt-tube. During anticoagulant therapy right heart decompensation with fatal outcome occurred.

[A transient right ventricular thrombus following myocardial infarct of the posterior wall--diagnosis using 2-dimensional echocardiography]. / Transienter rechtsventrikulärer Thrombus nach Hinterwandmyokardinfarkt--Diagnostik mittels zweidimensionaler Echokardiographie.

We present a right ventricular thrombus formation following a left ventricular posterior wall myocardial infarction; diagnosis was achieved by two-dimensional echocardiography. Follow-up revealed the decreasing echogenity of the thrombus and lastly its resolution.

[A transient mobile left ventricular thrombosis in dilated cardiomyopathy]. / Transienter mobiler linksventrikulärer Thrombus bei dilativer Kardiomyopathie.

We present a transient mobile left ventricular thrombus formation in a case of dilated cardiomyopathy; diagnosis was achieved by two dimensional echocardiography. Resolution of the thrombus was documented after 36 hours of treatment with anticoagulant therapy.

[Mitral ring calcification in dialysis patients. Echocardiographic diagnosis and etiological factors]. / Mitralringverkalkung bei Dialysepatienten. Echokardiographische Diagnostik und ätiologische Faktoren.

Echocardiography for assessment of presence of mitral ring calcification was performed in 96 dialysis patients. The control group consisted of 1758 consecutive patients without renal disease. For the first time it was shown that dialysis patients with mitral ring calcification (group I) had aortic valve sclerosis, renal osteopathy and peripheral angiopathy more frequently than dialysis patients without mitral ring calcification (group II). There were no significant differences between both groups for calcium, phosphate, calcium-phosphate product, magnesium, parathormone and lipids. There were equal numbers of hypertensive patients in both groups. In comparison to patients without renal disease dialysis patients had calcifications of the mitral ring more frequently (P less than or equal to 0.001) an at an earlier age.

[Poisoning with andromedotoxin-containing honey]. / Vergiftungen mit andromedotoxinhaltigem Honig.

Two patients poisoned by andromedotoxin-containing honey were treated in Austrian hospitals in 1981 and 1982. The toxin-containing honey had in both cases been obtained in the coastal mediterranean part of Turkey. Both patients had severe arterial hypotension, bradycardic arrhythmias, syncope and CNS symptoms. Symptomatic treatment was fully successful in both patients within 24 hours.

[Profound granulocytopenia in a patient treated with propafenon ]. / Fallbericht einer schweren, möglicherweise propafenonverursachten Granulozytopenie.

A case report concerning a 75 year old female patient whose treatment of multifocal ventricular extrasystoles and a ventricular tachycardia after an acute myocardial infarction consisted of multiple drugs, one of them being the antiarrhythmic substance Propafenon, is given. The patient developed a profound, but reversible, granulocytopenia, which disappeared nine days after discontinuing of most of the drugs. With the exemption of Propafenon all of the drugs were reinstituted after the remission: The not anymore needed ones only for a few days, all others until now, without ill effect. The patient is doing fairly well one year after this episode.