• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.48 no.6
• /
• pp.426-428
• /
• 2015

A 70-year-old man who visited Samsung Medical Center reported experiencing palpitation for 2 weeks. He had undergone excision of a mass in the right buttock due to rhabdomyosarcoma 7 years prior to this visit. Transesophageal echocardiography showed a pedunculated mass in the left ventricle, which was thought to be a vegetation of infective endocarditis, metastasis of the primary tumor, or thrombus. He underwent removal of the cardiac tumor, and the pathologic report was metastatic rhabdomyosarcoma. Thus, here, we report a rare case of metastatic rhabdomyosarcoma in the left ventricle.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.47 no.5
• /
• pp.478-482
• /
• 2014

A 39-year-old man presented with cough, chest discomfort, and weight loss. On the basis of the patient history and laboratory findings, he was diagnosed with the hypereosinophilic syndrome. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed a large thrombus in the left ventricle. Medical treatment with anticoagulation and immunosuppression was commenced immediately. Fourteen days after the initial diagnosis, the patient presented with acute pain in his right leg. Computed tomographic angiogram showed embolic occlusion of the infrarenal abdominal aorta and bilateral iliac (including common, external, and internal iliac) arteries. Emergent thromboembolectomy and left ventricular thrombectomy were performed. The postoperative course was uneventful, and the patient has undergone follow-up for 2 months without any evidence of recurrence of thromboembolism.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
• /
• v.38 no.5
• /
• pp.215-220
• /
• 2021

The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between vertebral left atrial size (VLAS) and NT-proBNP levels. Sixty-three dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) were recruited for this study. The MMVD group was classified according to the ACVIM stage based on medical history, clinical signs, and thoracic radiography and echocardiography findings. The N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels were measured using fluorescent immunoassay. VLAS and VHS values were measured using a digital caliper in the right lateral view. There were significant differences in VLAS for each American college of veterinary internal medicine (ACVIM) stage (p < 0.01). As the ACVIM stage increased, it tended to increase. Vertebral heart score (VHS) also showed a tendency to increase with the ACVIM stage (p < 0.01). VLAS was divided into three groups: VLAS <2.6, 2.6≤ VLAS <3.1, and VLAS ≥3.1. NT-proBNP values were significantly different between the three groups (p < 0.01), and VLAS and NT-proBNP values showed a strong positive correlation (r = 0.756, p < 0.01). In conclusion, there were significant differences among ACVIM stages B1 and B2, B1 and C-D, and B2 and C-D groups regarding VLAS. Furthermore, NT-proBNP increased proportionally as VLAS increased. Measurements of VLAS may be helpful in the diagnosis of MMVD in addition to the existing radiological and echocardiographic methods.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
• /
• v.38 no.6
• /
• pp.279-284
• /
• 2021

A 10-year-old spayed female Yorkshire terrier dog with a history of pleural effusion and dyspnea for a week was referred to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Radiography revealed pulmonary edema and pleural effusion. A mass infiltrating the right atrial lumen and especially the supra-tricuspid valve was identified with echocardiography. The mass was diagnosed as intracardiac neoplasia. Symptomatic treatment was prescribed to alleviate the symptoms of heart failure. Despite symptomatic treatment, the patient died a few days later. After obtaining consent from the owner, necropsy and histopathological evaluation were performed. The result was consistent with cardiac leiomyoma, and the diagnosis was confirmed by immunohistochemical staining. To the authors' knowledge, this case is the first report of intracardiac leiomyoma in a dog in Korea.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.36 no.6
• /
• pp.422-426
• /
• 2003

Primary cardiac tumor has very low incidence, especially in cases of malignancy. A 29 year old male patient visited our cardiologic clinic for recent aggrevation of dyspnea on exertion and palpitation. Echocardiography showed a large tumor in the left atrium, which suggested the left atrial myxoma. Urgent open heart surgery was taken. The operative finding was fossa ovalis based a large tumor (35$\times$90$\times$50 mm) that invaded the posterior wall of LA and right superior pulmonary vein directly. The tumor was excised well by simple dissection, and the final pathologic report was malignant myxofibrosarcoma. His postoperative course was smooth and he was discharged in good health. Postoperative radiation and chemotherapy had taken with satisfactory clinical outcome.

• Journal of Cardiovascular Imaging
• /
• v.31 no.3
• /
• pp.125-132
• /
• 2023

BACKGROUND: There is limited data on the residual echocardiographic findings including strain analysis among post-coronavirus disease (COVID) patients. The aim of our study is to prospectively phenotype post-COVID patients. METHODS: All patients discharged following acute COVID infection were systematically followed in the post-COVID-19 Recovery Clinic at Vancouver General Hospital and St. Paul's Hospital. At 4-18 weeks post diagnosis, patients underwent comprehensive echocardiographic assessment. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was assessed by 3D, 2D Biplane Simpson's, or visual estimate. LV global longitudinal strain (GLS) was measured using a vendor-independent 2D speckle-tracking software (TomTec). RESULTS: A total of 127 patients (53% female, mean age 58 years) were included in our analyses. At baseline, cardiac conditions were present in 58% of the patients (15% coronary artery disease, 4% heart failure, 44% hypertension, 10% atrial fibrillation) while the remainder were free of cardiac conditions. COVID-19 serious complications were present in 79% of the patients (76% pneumonia, 37% intensive care unit admission, 21% intubation, 1% myocarditis). Normal LVEF was seen in 96% of the cohort and 97% had normal right ventricular systolic function. A high proportion (53%) had abnormal LV GLS defined as < 18%. Average LV GLS of septal and inferior segments were lower compared to that of other segments. Among patients without pre-existing cardiac conditions, LVEF was abnormal in only 1.9%, but LV GLS was abnormal in 46% of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: Most post-COVID patients had normal LVEF at 4-18 weeks post diagnosis, but over half had abnormal LV GLS.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.59 no.4
• /
• pp.432-435
• /
• 2005

An 82-year-old female non-smoker with a history of hypertension presented with increasing dyspnea, cough and some purulent sputum without fever. Upon admission, the patient was in a distressed condition. Auscultation revealed diminished breath sounds with no rales over the right lung. An examination of the heart revealed a regular rhythm and a systolic murmur radiating from the apex of the heart. There was no pitting edema in the lower extremities. The blood tests showed mild leukocytosis and an increased C-reactive protein level. The $O_2$ saturation was 98 % whilst breathing room air. The electrocardiogram demonstrated sinus tachycardia. The chest radiograph showed a moderate cardiomegaly, right lobe infiltrates, and blunting of the both costophrenic sulcus suggesting a small pleural effusion. Three days after admission, the symptoms became slightly aggravated despite being treated with empirical antibiotics for presumed community-acquired pneumonia. Transthoracic color Doppler echocardiography indicated an ejection fraction of 48 %, mild left ventricular enlargement, and moderate left atrial enlargement resulting in severe mitral regurgitation. The clinical symptoms and right pulmonary edema resolved quickly with intravenous furosemide treatment.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
• /
• v.32 no.2
• /
• pp.118-121
• /
• 2015

Cardiogenic embolic stroke accounts for approximately 20% of ischemic strokes and the likelihood of its recurrence is high. Paradoxical embolism may be an important cause of cardioembolic stroke, which can be evaluated through multiple diagnostic modalities including transesophageal echocardiography (TTE) or transcranial Doppler. A persistent left superior vena cava (PLSVC) is a rare congenital vascular anomaly, which mainly drains to the right atrium via the coronary sinus. Although rare, PLSVC draining into the left heart predisposes the patient to paradoxical embolism through a right-to-left shunt. We report on a 78-year-old female patient with an ischemic stroke associated with PLSVC draining into the left atrium through the pulmonary vein, which was investigated via TTE with an agitated saline test and computed tomography.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
• /
• v.24 no.2
• /
• pp.244-253
• /
• 1990

Sixty-four patients with paradoxical ventricular wall motion noticed both in angiocardiography or 2-dimensional echocardiography were assessed by ECG gated blood pool scan (GBPS). Endless cine loop image, phase and amplitude images and paradox image obtained by visual inspection of each cardiac beat or Fourier transformation of acquired raw data were investigated to determine the incremental value of GBPS with these processing methods for identification of paradoxical ventricular wall motion. The results were as follows: 1) Paradoxical wall motions were observed on interventricular septum in 34 cases, left ventricular free wall in 26 and right ventricular wall in 24. Underlying heart diseases were ischemic (23 cases) valvular(9), congenital heart disease (12), cardiomyopathy (5). pericardial effusion(5), post cardiac surgery(3), col pulmonale (2), endocarditis(1) and right ventricular tumor(1). 2) Left ventricular ejection fractions of patients with paradoxical left ventricular wall motion were significantly lower than those with paradoxical septal motion(p<0.005). 3) The sensitivity of each processing methods for detecting paradoxical wall motion was 76.9% by phase analysis, 74.6% by endless cine loop mapping and 68.4% by paradox image manipultion respectively. Paradoxial motions visualized only in phase, paradox or both images were appeared as hypokinesia or akinesia in cine loop image. 4) All events could be identified by at least one of above three processing methods, however only 34 cases (48.4%) showed the paradoxical molies in all of the three images. By these findings, we concluded that simultaneous inspection of all above three processing methods-endless cine loop, phase analysis and paradox image-is necessary for accurate identification and assessment of paradoxical ventricular wall motion when performing GBPS.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.41 no.1
• /
• pp.1-11
• /
• 2008

Background: The Damus-Kaye-Stansel (DKS) procedure is a proximal MPA-ascending aorta anastomosis used to relieve systemic ventricular outflow tract obstructions (SVOTO) and pulmonary hypertension. The purpose of this study was to review the indications and outcomes of the DKS procedure, including the DKS pathway and semilunar valve function. Material and Method: A retrospective review of 28 patients who underwent a DKS procedure between May 1994 and April 2006 was performed. The median age at operation was 5.3 months ($13\;days{\sim}38.1\;months$) and body weight was 5.0 kg ($2.9{\sim}13.5\;kg$). Preoperative pressure gradients were $25.3{\pm}15.7\;mmHg$ ($10{\sim}60\;mmHg$). Eighteen patients underwent a preliminary pulmonary artery banding as an initial palliation. Preoperative main diagnoses were double outlet right ventricle in 9 patients, double inlet left ventricle with ventriculoarterial discordance in 6,. another functional univentricular heart in 5, Criss-cross heart in 4, complete atrioventricular septal defect in 3, and hypoplastic left heart variant in 1. DKS techniques included end-to-side anastomosis with patch augmentation in 14 patients, classical end-to-side anastomosis in 6, Lamberti method (double-barrel) in 3, and others in 5. The bidirectional cavopulmonary shunt and Fontan procedure were concomitantly performed in 6 and 2 patients, respectively. Result: There were 4 hospital deaths (14.3%), and 3 late deaths (12.5%) with a follow-up duration of $62.7{\pm}38.9$ months ($3.3{\sim}128.1$ months). Kaplan-Meier estimated actuarial survival was $71.9%{\pm}9.3%$ at 10 years. Multivariate analysis showed right ventricle type single ventricle (hazard ratio=13.960, p=0.004) and the DKS procedure as initial operation (hazard ratio=6.767, p=0.042) as significant mortality risk factors. Four patients underwent staged biventricular repair and 13 received Fontan completion. No SVOTO was detected after the procedure by either cardiac catheterization or echocardiography except in one patient. There was no semiulnar valve regurgitation (>Gr II) or semilunar valve-related reoperation, but one patient (3.6%) who underwent classical end-to-side anastomosis needed reoperation for pulmonary artery stenosis caused by compression of the enlarged DKS pathway. The freedom from reoperation for the DKS pathway and semilunar valve was 87.5% at 10 years after operation. Conclusion: The DKS procedure can improve the management of SVOTO, and facilitate the selected patients who are high risk for biventricular repair just after birth to undergo successful staged biventricular repair. Preliminary pulmonary artery banding is a safe and effective procedure that improves the likelihood of successful DKS by decreasing pulmonary vascular resistance. The long-term outcome of the DKS procedure for semilunar valve function, DKS pathway, and relief of SVOTO is satisfactory.