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Atrioventricular valve parachute deformity was generally seen in the mitral position, which is called parachute mitral valve. Parachute deformity is also seen in the tricuspid position, but this has rarely been reported as sporadic cases. All of these cases were associated with other congenital defects, such as double outlet right ventricle, left to right shunt. We herein present two- and three-dimensional echocardiographic features of a parachute tricuspid valve in a patient with atrial septal defect and prominent eustachian valve., (© 2012, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Aims: The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of mitral stenosis (MS) on left atrial (LA) function using two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2DSTE)., Methods and Results: The study subjects consisted of 52 patients with asymptomatic MS and 52 control subjects. LA function was assessed using prototype speckle tracking software and manual tracking method. Maximal LA volume (LAVmax) and minimal LA volume (LAVmin) and LA volume before atrial contraction (LAVpre-a) were measured. Using these volumes, LA reservoir, conduit and booster pump fuction parameters were calculated. Indexed LAVmax, LAVmin, and LAVpre-a measurements via speckle tracking were highly correlated with manual tracing methods in both groups. Expansion index (67.8 ± 36.4 vs. 148.3 ± 44.2), diastolic emptying index (37.7 ± 12.9 vs. 58.0 ± 8.5), passive emptying (37.3 ± 14.1 vs. 70.4 ± 10.4) and passive emptying index (13.3 ± 6.3 vs. 41.3 ± 10.6) were decreased significantly in MS patients (P < 0.001). In contrast active emptying index (62.6 ± 4.1 vs. 29.5 ± 10.1) increased in MS group (P < 0.001) while active emptying (28.1 ± 13.0 vs. 28.3 ± 6.9) remained same among both groups., Conclusions: This is the first study relating LA volumes and function assessed by 2DSTE to MS. 2D speckle tracking analysis of LA volume is relatively easy and provides more detailed information regarding the changes in LA volumes during the cardiac cycle., (© 2012, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Objective: Cardiac syndrome X is characterized by angina-like chest pain, a positive stress test, and normal coronary arteries. A patient's mean platelet volume, which potentially reflects platelet function and activity, is associated with coronary atherosclerosis and endothelial dysfunction. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the mean platelet volumes of patients with cardiac syndrome X, those with coronary artery disease and normal subjects., Methods: Two hundred thirty-six subjects (76 patients with cardiac syndrome X, 78 patients with coronary artery disease, and 82 controls) were enrolled in the study. All of the subjects were evaluated with a detailed medical history, physical examination, and biochemical analyses. The mean platelet volumes were compared between the three groups., Results: The mean platelet volumes in the patients with cardiac syndrome X and with coronary artery disease were significantly higher than those that were observed in the control group. There were no significant differences in the mean platelet volumes between the cardiac syndrome X and the coronary artery disease groups., Conclusion: We have established that patients with cardiac syndrome X and coronary artery disease exhibit higher mean platelet volumes compared to controls. Patients with cardiac syndrome X exhibited higher mean platelet volumes compared to the controls, reflecting the presence of subclinical atherosclerosis. These findings suggest that, in addition to endothelial dysfunction, the presence of atherosclerosis may also contribute to the etiopathogenesis of cardiac syndrome X.

Rupture of a sinus of Valsalva aneurysm is a rare, but life-threatening cardiac abnormality that requires surgical correction when diagnosed, and is frequently associated with other congenital defects, particularly with ventricular septal defect, aortic valve regurgitation, and bicuspid aortic valve. We present the case of a 21-year-old man who had a ruptured aneurysm of the noncoronary sinus into the right atrium, a ventricular septal defect, a persistent left superior vena cava and a noncompaction of the ventricular myocardium diagnosed by two-dimensional echocardiography. Surgical repair was carried out and the patient made an uneventful recovery.

Objective: To investigate the anatomic and hemodynamic properties of testicular venous drainage and its effects on varicocele formation and reflux using color Doppler ultrasound (US) with emphasis on renal vein entrapment syndrome., Material and Methods: Upper abdominal and scrotal US examinations of 35 varicocele patients and 35 healthy male subjects were performed in the supine position during rest, during a Valsalva maneuver and in the erect position. The aortomesenteric angle and distance (AMA and AMD, respectively), peak mean velocities (PVs) and diameters of different segments of renal veins, testicular vein diameters and duration of flow inversion were measured., Results: In the varicocele group, the lateral segment of the left renal vein (LRV) had a larger diameter and slower PV, and the medial segment of the LRV had a smaller diameter and faster PV. The diameter of the dominant draining vein correlated with the PV of the medial and lateral segments of the LRV, whereas there was no correlation between the diameter of the dominant draining vein and the diameters of the right renal vein (RRV) and the lateral segment of the LRV or the PV of the RRV. The duration of flow inversion correlated with the diameter and PV of the medial segment of the LRV. No correlation between the diameters and PVs of the RRV and the lateral segment of the LRV was detected., Conclusions: The decreases in the AMA, AMD, diameter of the medial segment of the LRV and PV of the lateral segment of the LRV, and the increases in the PV of the medial segment of the LRV and the diameter of the lateral segment of the LRV in varicocele patients in all positions suggest the entrapment or impingement of the left renal vein between the aorta and the superior mesenteric artery. This has been defined as the "nutcracker phenomenon", which is known to affect varicocele formation.

Coarctation of the aorta (CA) accounts for 5% of all congenital heart disease. One of the most feared complications of coarctation of the aorta is the development of saccular aortic aneurysm. In this paper, we described a 20-year-old man with coarctation of the aorta in association with a large calcified saccular thoracic aneurysm just distal to the coarcted segment detected both in aortography and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA).

A 52-year-old woman with acute deterioration of recurrent abdominal pain was admitted to the hospital. Spiral computed tomography (CT) of abdomen was performed. A left paraduodenal hernia was identified on CT. There was no clinical sign or imaging finding suggesting intestinal obstruction or mesenteric ischemia. She refused surgical intervention since her pain was intermittant and decreasing. On the fifth day of hospitalization the patient's pain resolved completely and the follow-up CT demonstrated regression of the herniation.