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We report the case of a 24-year-old man, presenting with fever, headache, vomiting and seizures, subsequently diagnosed with cyanotic congenital heart disease. Evaluation revealed non-obstructive supracardiac total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC) as the underlying disorder. Surprisingly, the patient denied any past cardiac symptoms. Presentation in adulthood is infrequent for TAPVC, and primary manifestation with cerebral abscesses is still more unusual.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the safety and efficacy of the Frontrunner XP CTO (chronic total occlusion) catheter (Cordis Corporation) for recanalization of CTO of femoropopliteal arteries., Methods: A retrospective analysis of consecutive patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI) who underwent femoropopliteal angioplasty for TransAtlantic Inter-Society Consensus (TASC) class D lesions between 2009 and 2011 was performed. Twenty-two patients were enrolled with a mean age of 58.9 ± 11.5 years. Patients were enrolled with totally occluded arteries (mean occlusion length, 18.0 ± 10.1 cm) that were treated with the Frontrunner XP CTO catheter. All lesions were complex (TASC D) and 86.4% of the lesions were mildly calcified. A Frontrunner catheter was used to treat 22 CTOs after guidewire failure., Results: Twenty-two of the 33 cases (66.7%) had failed previous attempts of percutaneous intervention with conventional guidewire. The Frontrunner catheter was used to treat 22 CTOs after guidewire failure. The Frontrunner catheter successfully facilitated the placement of a guidewire into the distal true lumen in 21 cases (95.5%). Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction 3 flow was achieved in all target vessels after further balloon angioplasty or stenting., Conclusions: The Frontrunner XP CTO catheter is safe and effective for successful recanalization of CTO of femoropopliteal arteries and it should be an alternative method after guidewire failure.

A 71-year-old Asian-Indian male agriculturist presented with fever since 3 months. Clinical examination revealed hepatosplenomegaly and an early diastolic murmur in the aortic area. Echocardiography confirmed aortic regurgitation with large vegetations on the aortic valve leaflets, and also showed mild left ventricular dilatation with systolic dysfunction. Although blood cultures were persistently sterile, serology for Brucella was strongly positive. On retrospective questioning, the patient confirmed frequent occupational exposure to cattle. Surgical intervention was offered, but refused by the patient on financial grounds. Medical therapy for brucellosis with rifampicin, doxycycline and streptomycin resulted in complete and durable recovery.

Background: The left atrial appendage (LAA) is a common site of thrombus formation and is the source of systemic thromboembolism in patients with rheumatic mitral stenosis. LAA contractile dysfunction is a common finding in these patients. The aim of this study was to assess immediate and 6-month follow-up LAA function by transesophageal Doppler echocardiography in patients who underwent percutaneous transvenous mitral commissurotomy (PTMC)., Methods: Forty-seven consecutive patients with symptomatic critical mitral stenosis who underwent PTMC were enrolled. All had underwent transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography before, 24 hours after, and 6 months after PTMC. Pulse Doppler velocities of the LAA were measured, including peak early diastolic (E wave), peak late diastolic (A wave), and peak systolic (S wave). The corresponding tissue Doppler velocities of the LAA, including peak early diastolic (E(LAA)), peak late diastolic (A(LAA)), and peak systolic (S(LAA)), were also measured. LAA ejection fraction was measured using the modified Simpson's method., Results: The mean age of the 47 enrolled patients was 31.7 ± 10.26 years. Thirty-eight patients were in sinus rhythm, and the remaining nine were in atrial fibrillation. PTMC was successful in all patients. The pulse Doppler velocities of the LAA at baseline, after PTMC, and at 6-month follow-up were as follows: for the E wave, 15.29 ± 2.26, 17.02 ± 2.25, and 17.97 ± 2.55 cm/sec, respectively (P < .001); for the A wave 22.45 ± 4.11, 24.19 ± 4.21, and 25.99 ± 4.51 cm/sec, respectively (P < .001); and for the S wave, 28.52 ± 4.37, 31.45 ± 5.37, and 33.06 ± 4.99 cm/sec, respectively (P < .001). The corresponding tissue Doppler velocities of LAA were as follows: for E(LAA), 4.65 ± 0.91, 5.28 ± 0.85, and 5.80 ± 0.84 cm/sec, respectively (P < .001); for A(LAA), 6.67 ± 1.12, 7.33 ± 1.17, and 7.88 ± 1.22 cm/sec, respectively (P < .001); and for S(LAA), 4.67 ± 1.12, 5.52 ± 1.18, 6.07 ± 1.11 cm/sec, respectively (P < .001). There was a nonsignificant increase in LAA ejection fraction (48.97 ± 8.14% vs 52.3 ± 13.76% vs 52.11 ± 16.3%, respectively, P = .052). On subgroup analysis between patients in sinus rhythm and those with atrial fibrillation, there was no significant difference for LAA ejection fraction and pulse and tissue Doppler velocities. Very good intraclass correlation of the LAA parameters was also observed for the reproducibility of the data., Conclusions: The present study shows contractile dysfunction of the LAA in patients with critical mitral stenosis, which significantly improved after PTMC, and a further improvement was observed at 6-month follow-up. Favorable 6-month improvements in LAA parameters suggest continuous structural remodeling of the LAA after PTMC, which is clinically attributed to the absence of thromboembolism. Although there was an improvement in LAA function, it was far below the normal range, suggesting a need for continuous long-term monitoring and management of thromboembolism in these patients., (Copyright © 2011 American Society of Echocardiography. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.)