[Evaluation of carotid intima-media thickness in patients with severe aortic stenosis. Thrombosis group study in eastern Brittany]. / Evaluation de l'épaisseur intima-média carotidienne chez les patients porteurs d'un rétrécissement aortique serré. Groupe d'Etude de la thrombose de Bretagne occidentale.

Coronary angiography is a recommended investigation in the preoperative assessment of aortic valve replacement for aortic stenosis in the absence of a reliable non-invasive diagnostic method. Ultrasonographic quantification of carotid artery intima-media thickness, being correlated to the severity of coronary atherosclerosis, could therefore be useful in the screening of coronary artery disease in severe aortic stenosis. The authors studied a group of 100 patients (69.5 +/- 8.5 years: 64 men) with severe aortic stenosis. A control group of 45 patients with coronary artery disease without valvular disease (69.5 +/- 6 years: 30 men) was used for reference. Significant coronary artery disease was found in 21 of the 100 study cases. The average intima-media thickness was 0.608 +/- 0.090 mm. There was no significant difference in intima-media thickness between the coronary and non-coronary patients of the study group (0.612 +/- 0.094 mm and 0.607 +/- 0.094 mm respectively). It was, however, significantly greater in the control group patients compared with the 21 coronary patients in the study group (0.699 +/- 0.082 mm and 0.612 +/- 0.094 mm; p = 0.0004). Finally, 71.1% of patients in the control group had atheromatous carotid artery plaques compared with 59% in the study group (p = 0.005). The measurement of carotid intima-media thickness does not allow detection of coronary patients in severe aortic stenosis. The finding of a lower intima-media thickness in this population compared with coronary patients without valvular disease suggests that aortic stenosis may have a protective effect on the wall thickness of carotid arteries.

[Short and medium-term outcome after radiofrequency ablation of the atrioventricular junction]. / Evolution à court et moyen termes après ablation de la jonction auriculoventriculaire par courant de radiofréquence.

The aim of this retrospective study was to assess short and long-term mortality and morbidity after radiofrequency ablation of the atrioventricular junction in patients with supraventricular arrhythmias resistant to treatment. This cooperative series included 91 patients (47 men, mean age 68 +/- 9 years). The arrhythmia was paroxysmal in 56% of cases. The mean duration of symptoms was 67 +/- 61 months and 45 patients (49.4%) were in the NYHA Classes III and IV. An escape rhythm was present in 58 patients with a mean frequency of 39 +/- 9/min. Early complications were observed in 5 patients (venous thromboses, pulmonary embolism, mild pericardial effusion and haemothorax). The hospital mortality was 4 patients (4.4%). Death was of cardiac origin in 1 case (cardiac failure). The mean follow-up of patients was 14.5 +/- 8.6 months. Eleven patients died during this period, 8 of cardiac causes: cardiac failure (3 cases), sudden death (3 cases), thrombosis of a valve prosthesis (1 patient) and major electrolyte disturbances causing loss of stimulation in 1 case. Six patients had recurrences. Long-term morbidity was either related to cardiac pacing (3 cases) or cardiac failure (3 cases). Thirteen patients were in NYHA Classes III or IV at the end of follow-up. The authors conclude that radiofrequency ablation at the atrioventricular junction is an effective method of treating resistant supraventricular arrhythmias. Complications are not frequent but mortality appears to be high, probably due to the presence of advanced cardiac disease in the majority of cases. Sudden death seems to be rare and unrelated to pacing defects.