1,720,993 research outputs found

    An Amulet to Say "Big is Not Enough"

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    We report the case of a man affected by non-valvular atrial fibrillation in whom a severely enlarged left atrial appendage with a narrow neck was successfully closed with a 34 mm Amplatzer Amulet device (St. Jude Medical). In the presence of a huge appendage with a narrow neck, as in this case, the Amulet should be considered an available option to ensure the feasibility of percutaneous closure

    Left atrial appendage closure: beyond the artifact.

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    Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) represents the gold standard technique to detect left atrial appendage (LAA) thrombosis. Several conditions may be erroneously interpreted as LAA thrombus at TEE, including artifacts mimicking thrombi. We report a case of a 78-year-old man with atrial fibrillation and contraindication to anticoagulation who was referred to our institution for percutaneous left appendage closure with a transcatheter trans-septal approach. Intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography revealed a thrombus-mimicking image, related to reverberations of left upper pulmonary vein ridge, located at twice the distance of the ridge from the transducer

    Endomyocardial biopsy under echocardiographic monitoring

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    Endomyocardial biopsy is a common procedure for monitoring cardiac allograft rejection; several techniques have been described so far, throughout different access sites and under echocardiographic or X-ray control. We describe the routine technique adopted at our centre based on echo-guided puncture of jugular vein and echocardiographic assessment of endomyocardial sampling with direct visualization of the bioptome tip. We also report the most common complications of the procedure, especially concerning the risk of iatrogenic tricuspid regurgitation, and same examples of histopathological findings drawn from our own iconographic collection

    Right-to-left interatrial shunt secondary to right hemidiaphragmatic paralysis: An unusual scenario for urgent percutaneous closure of patent foramen ovale

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    A 66 year-old female presented with a refractory hypoxaemia in association with an isolated paralysis of the right hemidiaphragm. Transoesophageal echocardiography (TEE) with both colour Doppler and bubble test demonstrated a significant patent foramen ovale (PFO)-mediated right-to-left shunt (RTLS) without an increased interatrial pressure gradient. The PFO was urgently closed by deployment of an AMPLATZER(®) occluder device, resulting in complete recovery of the arterial oxygen saturation and patient's symptoms. As noted on TEE, the RTLS was due to redirection of blood flow from the inferior vena cava directly through the PFO secondary to distortion of the cardiac anatomy by right hemidiaphragmatic paralysis
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