In tricuspid atresia, an obligatory right to left shunt occurs at the atrial level. We have observed several patients with left to right interatrial shunts. Data from cardiac catheterisation in 40 consecutive patients were reviewed to determine the frequency and mechanism of left to right shunting in tricuspid atresia. An increase of 6% or more in oxygen saturation between the superior vena cav...

The two-dimensional echocardiographic features of three patients with congenital aneurysms of the left atrium are described. The aneurysm arose from the left atrial appendage in two patients and from the posterior left atrial wall in one. The aneurysms were characterized by their origin from an otherwise normal left atrium, a well-defined neck, their position within the pericardial space, and d...

The manner in which the left atrium adapts to chronic mitral regurgitation and the role of the adapted left atrium as a modulator of excessive central blood volume were analyzed in seven conscious dogs, instrumented with high-fidelity pressure transducers and ultrasonic dimension gauges for measurement of left atrial and left ventricular pressure and cavity size. After obtaining data in a contr...

Fi uax 1. Apical four-chamber views from preoperative two-dimensional echocardiogram showing dropout of interventriculan/septal echoes (left panel). Peripheral venous D5W injection (middle panel) at first opacifles only right atrium and ventricle, with no right-to-left shunt and possible left-to-right shunt as indicated by negative contrast effect in the right ventricle. With a premature beat, ...

Cardiac papillary fibroelastomas (CPF) are benign cardiac tumors and usually discovered incidentally during echocardiography. This report describes the case of a 68-year-old man, referred to cardiology for multiple masses of the left ventricle and left atrium. The transthoracic echocardiography revealed multiple oscillating masses in the left ventricle and aortic valve, non-mobile mass in the l...

Giant left atrium is a rare condition, with a reported incidence of 0.3%, and following mainly rheumatic mitral valve disease. Although rheumatic heart disease represents the main cause of giant left atrium, other etiologies have been reported. Giant left atrium has significant hemodynamic effects and requires specific management. In this review, we present two cases, discuss the different defi...