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Magnesium (Mg) is a crucial element for cardiovascular system and its deficiency results in a variety of cardiac arrhythmias. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of oral Mg supplementation on the frequency of ventricular extrasystoles (VES) in children. Magnesium supplementation was given to 42 children who had VES without structural heart disease. Clinical, electrocardiographic, and Holter monitoring studies were reviewed. The mean baseline 24 h VES burden on Holter monitoring was 10.26% ± 4.13% and it was decreased to 6.62% ± 3.88% after. There was no significant difference between the pre-treatment serum Mg levels and the decrease in the frequency of VES. In conclusion, oral Mg therapy was found to be effective at suppressing VES in children regardless of serum Mg levels. Large and randomized studies are needed to demonstrate the effect of magnesium on VES suppression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Coarctation of the aorta (CoA) accounts for 3.5% of all congenital heart diseases in children. The clinical manifestations range from heart failure to asymptomatic hypertension. Treatment options include surgical repair, balloon angioplasty, and stenting. We aimed to investigate the long-term results of surgery and balloon angioplasty to identify the possible risk factors for recoarctation and predictors associated with early success in treatment modalities. Materials and Methods: The data of 138 children who underwent examinations at a tertiary center between 2015 and 2020 with the diagnosis of CoA were evaluated. The basic demographic characteristics, clinical and echocardiographic findings, results, and treatment methods of the patients were evaluated retrospectively. Results: The mean follow-up period was 75.1 months (range of 1-223). As initial treatment, 75 patients (60.5%) underwent balloon angioplasty, 44 (35.5%) underwent surgery, and 5 (4%) underwent stenting. The early success rate of balloon angioplasty and surgery was 72.5% and 79.5%, respectively. Recoarctation occurred in 47.6% of patients following the first therapy. The median reintervention-free survival time was 138 months for all patients and was significantly higher in the surgery group (P = .025). The recoarctation rate was slightly lower in the surgery group than in those who underwent balloon angioplasty, but it was not statistically significant. None of the clinical and echocardiographic findings were found to be associated with recoarctation or early success. Conclusion: The rate of recoarctation is still high in long-term follow-up after aortic coarctation treatment, and clinical and echocardiographic findings are insufficient to predict the chance of early success and the risk of recoarctation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Ventricular extrasystole is one of the most common rhythm disorders in children, and almost all of them are characterized by normal cardiac functions without structural cardiac abnormalities. The aim of this study was to assess the clinical course of ventricular extrasystole in children who did not have cardiac structural abnormalities. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study analyzed 24-hour rhythm Holter recordings performed in our clinic in children. Patients diagnosed with isolated ventricular extrasystole in Holter records and without structural heart disease on echocardiography were included in the evaluation. Results: A total of 20 160 Holter results were evaluated in the study, and 226 patients (male; 66%) met the criteria. The mean follow-up time was 8.7 ± 3.2 years. While 81.8% of the patients were asymptomatic, the most common symptom was palpitation and 5 patients had syncope. Of the patients, 72 (31.8%) received medical therapy. Beta-blockers were the most often prescribed medication. Cardiomyopathy did not develop in any of the patients during the followup period. A partial reduction in the frequency of ventricular extrasystole was observed in 42% of the patients, while complete recovery was observed in 22%. Conclusion: Ventricular extrasystole in children generally has a good prognosis; most of them are asymptomatic, and the rates of spontaneous regression over time are quite high, regardless of the origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary signet ring cell carcinoma of the bladder is a rare tumor and it has a poor prognosis and is more mortal than the urothelial cell carnioma. However, most patients apply with painless macroscopic hematuria; rarely do they could apply with urinary tract infection or lower urinary tract symptoms. In this study; a 47-yearold male was referred to our clinic with dysuria, which was antibiotic therapy and symptomatic treatment. In ultrasonography, bladder wall thickening has been seen then patient underwent with cystoscopy. After atypical lesions were seen on the bladder mucosa, random punch biopsies were taken. A pathological examination revealed infiltrative urothelial carcinoma with a poorly differentiated signet ring cell component. As in this case report, patients with signet ring cell bladder cancer, which is rare and has an aggressive course, might only present with non-specific complaints such as dysuria. If atypical lesions are observed during the diagnostic cystoscopy procedure, the threshold should be kept low to decide on biopsy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to compare the success and postoperative complication rates of the novel non-transecting urethroplasty (NTU) technique and conventional excision-primary anastomosis (EPA) in the surgical treatment of short bulbar urethral strictures. Data of the patients who underwent excision-primary anastomosis or NTU procedures at our center for the surgical treatment of bulbar urethral strictures shorter than 3 cm between January 2010 and December 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. Forty-seven patients fulfilled the eligibility criteria for this study. Among these patients, 22 underwent NTU procedure while 25 underwent EPA. There was no difference between the two groups regarding age, stricture length, etiology, past surgical history, and duration of follow-up. The surgical success rates were 88% and 87,2% in the NTU and EPA groups, respectively (p = 0,603). The complication rates were 12% and 13,6% in NTU and EPA groups, respectively. Two groups were similar concerning complication rates (p = 0,603). The novel NTU and conventional EPA techniques are similar regarding surgical success and complication rates in the surgical treatment of bulbar urethral strictures shorter than three centimeters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study investigated the effects of levetiracetam (LEV) treatment on cardiac rhythm and heart rate variability. Methods: The study included two groups of patients diagnosed with non‐lesional epilepsy who had not yet been treated and who presented to the outpatient pediatric neurology clinic at Van Training and Research Hospital, Van, Turkey, between 2019 and 2020. The heart rate variability (HRV) of 47 patients in the first group, before and at the 3rd month of treatment, and intravenous (IV) LEV loading in 13 patients in the second group was evaluated by Holter electrocardiography (ECG). Results: It was determined that the values of triangular index, standard deviation of the RR intervals over a 24‐hour period (SDNN), standard deviation of all 5‐minute mean RR intervals (SDANN), mean of standard deviations of all normal RR intervals (SDNNI), the percentage of RR intervals with >50‐millisecond variation (PNN50), and the square root of mean squared differences of successive RR intervals (RMSSD). HRV of 47 patients under LEV treatment significantly increased in the 3rd month of treatment compared to baseline (p < 0.05). No difference was found in HRV between the intravenous loading and the control group (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Our study suggests that the sympathovagal balance before treatment in the patient group is in favor of the sympathetic nervous system and that the sympathovagal imbalance improves after treatment. Our results show that LEV monotherapy and loading have no negative effect on HRV and potential cardiac arrhythmia risk in children with epilepsy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) is an echocardiographic measurement used for evaluating right ventricular systolic function. While established reference values of TAPSE exist for the adult population, only a limited number of studies have attempted to evaluate reference values for the pediatric population. The aim of the present study was to determine the reference values for TAPSE in healthy children in Turkey. Methods: A total of 765 healthy children aged between 0 and 18 years, all of whom were referred to our clinic with cardiac murmurs, were evaluated prospectively. Patients with no cardiac pathologies or other disorders were excluded from the study. The measurement of TAPSE was obtained using a 2D-guided M-mode technique with echocardiography, and the relationship between age and surface area with TAPSE was investigated. The statistical analysis was carried out using the SPSS 20.0 software package (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA, 2012). Results: The mean TAPSE value was found to be 19.56±5.54mm, and no significant difference was identified between male and female children. TAPSE values showed a positive correlation with increasing age and surface area. The mean TAPSE value was 9.09±1.36 mm in newborns and 25.91±3.60 mm in the 13-18 years age group. A negative correlation was seen between TAPSE and heart rate. Conclusion: In the present study, the reference values for TAPSE in healthy Turkish children were presented in percentile tables and the corresponding z-scores were determined. These reference values may be useful in daily practice for the evaluation of right ventricular systolic function in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The article presents a cases study of a 15-year-old male presented with recurrent syncope while climbing stairs. Topics discussed include right ventricular hypertrophy revealed in electrocardiography; performing thorax high-resolution computed tomography, pulmonary function test, serologic tests for connective tissue disorders and coagulation studies; and diagnosis of moyamoya disease with pulmonary hypertension.

The article presents a case study of a 17-year-old boy was diagnosed with suspected accessory mitral valve (AMV) during the evaluation of a cardiac murmur with no other associated anomalies, aortic regurgitation (AR), and followed up for 8 years by serial transthoracic echocardiography.

A response from the author of the article "Huge thrombus formation 1 year after percutaneous closure of an atrial septal defect with an Amplatzer septal occluder" in the previous issue is presented.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and feasibility of a novel method of narrowing pulmonary arteries with catheter angiography using radiofrequency energy in rabbits., Methods: A total of nine New Zealand white rabbits weighing 3.0 to 4.2 kg each were utilized in this experimental study. After the location of pulmonary artery was confirmed by echocardiography and angiography, radiofrequency energy was applied by starting with 5 W energy for the first time and increasing by 5 W, if there was no rupture to a maximum of 20 W. Multiple applications of radiofrequency energy with different durations were performed at different levels of the pulmonary artery. Eight weeks later, surviving rabbits were sacrificed. The pulmonary arteries were removed for histological investigation., Results: Five rabbits remained alive after the experiment. There was a significant correlation between radiofrequency power and the degree of vessel thickness change in the pulmonary artery. The endothelial integrity of the tunica intima was impaired in all groups and the diameter of vessel was thickened by an average of 3.5 times., Conclusion: The narrowing of the pulmonary artery using radiofrequency energy was successfully performed in a small sample size of experimental animals in this study., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest: The authors declared no conflicts of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article., (Copyright © 2022, Turkish Society of Cardiovascular Surgery.)