Multimodal echocardiography in the diagnosis of masses localized to the proximal portions of pulmonary arteries.

Proximal pulmonary artery masses are exceedingly rare, and their diagnosis and therapy are important and challenging for clinicians. This study reviews our experience exploring the value of a combination of transthoracic echocardiography and contrast echocardiography for the differential diagnosis of proximal pulmonary artery masses. Between January 2018 and June 2021, 44 patients diagnosed with a mass attached to the major pulmonary artery and straddling the bilateral pulmonary arteries or pulmonary valve on transthoracic echocardiography were referred to this study. Contrast echocardiography was performed in 17 patients. Masses were diagnosed based on their site of attachment, shape, size, mobility, hemodynamic consequences on transthoracic echocardiography, and tissue perfusion on contrast echocardiographic perfusion imaging. Pathological data were collected from medical records and analyzed. The most frequent location of proximal pulmonary artery masses was the major pulmonary artery trunk. Twelve patients underwent complete mass resection, whereas nine patients underwent percutaneous pulmonary artery biopsy puncture and had a pathological diagnosis. Another 24 patients were confirmed with the validation methods. Contrast echocardiography has good sensitivity and specificity for differentiating thrombi from pulmonary artery sarcomas (PAS). The mass types were distributed as follows: thrombi (19, 43%), PAS (15, 34%), metastatic tumors (6, 14%), vegetations (3, 7%), and primary benign lesions (1, 2%). The majority of proximal pulmonary artery masses were thrombi or PAS. A combination of transthoracic echocardiography and contrast echocardiography offers advantages in the early identification of proximal pulmonary masses and provides clinically important information about the characteristics of masses, especially for differentiating thrombi from PAS.

Simultaneous transthoracic intervention for multiple cardiac defects in children.

BACKGROUND: Transthoracic intervention for isolated congenital heart disease (CHD) has been well tested for its technological feasibility and is increasingly used in clinical practice. We aimed to present our experience in simultaneous transthoracic intervention for multiple cardiac lesions in a series of pediatric patients. METHODS: Between March 2015 and December 2019, 20 patients with multiple CHD were referred to this study; mean age was 18.8±8.6 (range, 4-36) months. The transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) diagnosis was atrial septal defect (ASD) and perimembranous ventricular septal defect (pmVSD) in 7 patients, patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) and ASD in 6, pmVSD and PDA in 2, pmVSD and valvular pulmonary stenosis (PS) in 2, ASD and PS in 2, and doubly committed subarterial VSD (dcsVSD) and PS in 1 patient. These patients underwent simultaneous transthoracic interventions with transesophageal echocardiography guidance. The procedure sequence was PS→VSD→PDA→ASD. Electrocardiography and TTE were scheduled at discharge and follow-ups. RESULTS: All patients were occluded successfully without any thoracotomy conversion. Operation time was 56-120 (mean, 75±13) minutes. A 1.5-2.0-cm median sternum incision was performed in 6 ASD&PDAs, 2 ASD&PSs, and 1 dcsVSD&PS. In 11 other patients, a 1.5-2.0-cm incision in the inferior sternum was made and the chest closed with a drain. There were no serious complications before discharge and at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Simultaneous transthoracic intervention for multiple cardiac defects in children is feasible with good short-term outcomes. For different lesions, the appropriate surgical incision and operational sequence can render the intervention minimally invasive and safer.

Efficacy of transthoracic device closure versus traditional surgical repair on atrial septal defects: A systematic review and meta-analysis / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#Objective    To compare the effects of transthoracic device closure and traditional surgical repair on atrial septal defect systemically. Methods    A systematic literature search was conducted using the PubMed, EMbase, The Cochrane Library, VIP, CNKI, CBM, Wanfang Database up to July 31, 2018 to identify trials according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Quality was assessed and data of included articles were extracted. The meta-analysis was conducted by RevMan 5.3 and Stata 12.0 software. Results    Thirty studies were identified, including 3 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and 27 cohort studies involving 3 321 patients. For success rate, the transthoracic closure group was lower than that in the surgical repair group (CCT, OR=0.34, 95%CI 0.16 to 0.69, P=0.003). There was no statistical difference in mortality between the two groups (CCT, OR=0.43, 95%CI 0.12 to 1.52, P=0.19). Postoperative complication occurred less frequently in the transthoracic closure group than that in the surgical repair group (RCT, OR=0.30, 95%CI 0.12 to 0.77,  P=0.01; CCT, OR=0.27, 95%CI 0.17 to 0.42, P<0.000 01). The risk of postoperative arrhythmia in the transthoracic closure group was lower than that in the surgical repair group (CCT, OR=0.56, 95%CI 0.34 to 0.90, P=0.02). There was no statistical difference in the incidence of postoperative residual shunt in postoperative one month (CCT, OR=4.52, 95%CI 0.45 to 45.82, P=0.20) and in postoperative one year (CCT, OR=1.03, 95%CI 0.29 to 3.68, P=0.97) between the two groups. Although the duration of operation (RCT MD=–55.90, 95%CI –58.69 to –53.11, P<0.000 01; CCT MD=–71.68, 95%CI -– 79.70 to –63.66, P<0.000 01), hospital stay (CCT, MD=–3.31, 95%CI –4.16, –2.46, P<0.000 01) and ICU stay(CCT, MD=–10.15, 95%CI –14.38 to –5.91, P<0.000 01), mechanical ventilation (CCT, MD=–228.68, 95%CI –247.60 to – 209.77, P<0.000 01) in the transthoracic closure group were lower than those in the traditional surgical repair group, the transthoracic closure costed more than traditional surgical repair during being in the hospital (CCT, MD=1 221.42, 95%CI 1 124.70 to 1 318.14, P<0.000 01). Conclusion    Compared with traditional surgical repair, the transthoracic closure reduces the hospital stay, shortens the length of ICU stay and the duration of ventilator assisted ventilation, while has less postoperative complications. It is safe and reliable for patients with ASD within the scope of indication.