OBJECTIVE The state of pulmonary vascular bed in congenital heart disease is the predictor of the patients clinical condition, prognosis and outcome of surgical intervention. This study aims to investigate the condition of pulmonary vascular bed analyzing pulmonary artery stiffness by means of Doppler echocardiography. METHODS Thirty-three patients (16 females, mean age 26+/-15 years) with va...

PURPOSE Adult patients with congenital heart disease presenting for cardiothoracic operation pose special demands for the arrangement of their perioperative care. This study describes the distinctive perioperative setup for adult congenital heart patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS A retrospective review of 48 adult congenital heart disease cases that received operative intervention from July 200...

Secundum atrial septal defect accounts for 10% of congenital heart disease4 at birth and for 30-40% of cases seen in adults.5 Approximately 300-400 patients undergo surgical closure of atrial septal defect in the United Kingdom each year. Reports of the natural history of atrial septal defect and of the indications for and results of surgery imply that patients become increasingly symptomatic w...

BACKGROUND Most non-chromosomal congenital heart defects are thought to be caused by the interaction of genetic factors involving multiple genes and environmental factors. Families that have several affected members have been reported, however, which suggests that a single autosomal dominant or recessive gene may cause the cardiac defects. A family in which atrioventricular septal defect seemed...

background: brain type natriuretic peptide (bnp) is a cardiac hormone that is secreted mainly by the ventricles in response to volume expansion and pressure load. it can predict post-operative complications after heart surgery in adults. we sought to investigate the prognostic value of bnp in children after heart surgery. methods: we measured the bnp serum levels in 96 children with congenital ...

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES Aortopulmonary septal defect is an uncommon congenital cardiac anomaly. To date, approximately 300 cases have been reported. We present our experience, emphasizing the importance of early correction to avoid irreversible pulmonary hypertension. PATIENTS AND METHOD Between 1979 and 2000, seven patients underwent surgical repair of this heart defect in our hospital. ...

The use of sequential segmental analysis for describing congenital heart malformations was the method of assessment used in a prospective necropsy study covering Jutland, a well defined geographical and demographic area of Denmark. The study group was 1,154 children of whom 261 (22.6%) had a congenital heart malformation. The most common malformations were ductus arteriosus and ventricular sept...

T HE MANAGEMENT of patients with congenital communications between the ascending aorta and the main pulmonary artery is a challenging problem, not only in the establishment of the correct diagnosis preoperatively, but in subsequent surgical treatment as well. Although often described as a rare malformation, aortopulmonary septal defect will probably be encountered in any large group of patients...

Atrial septal defects are among the most common congenital heart defects seen in the adult population. The diagnosis is usually made in children and closure is attempted before they are school age. In other cases, where the diagnosis is missed until adulthood, atrial arrhythmias and congestive heart failure are commonly seen. We report the case of an atrial septal defect (secundum type), which ...

Background: Congenital heart diseases (CHD) comprise about one-third of all major birth defects. Children with delayed diagnosis and improper treatment are at a high risk of morbidity and mortality. Objective: To determine the prevalence of unrecognized congenital heart disease among elementary school students and study the types and frequency of congenital heart disease in Phitsanulok, Pichit,...