T WO UNUSUAL features have prompted us to report the following case of dissecting aneurysm of the aorta. The x-ray shadow of the aneurysm was interpreted as due to a paramediastinal effusion in a patient with known pulmonary tuberculosis. An attempted aspiration led to perforation through the dissection into the lumen of the aorta which resulted in a fatal cardiac tamponade. At necropsy the aor...

Coarctation of the aorta is frequently associated with left ventricular inflow tract abnormalities that may be difficult to detect even at cardiac catheterization. This study involved patients with coarctation who underwent comprehensive two-dimensional echocardiographic investigations emphasizing visualization of the mitral valve and its apparatus. Of the 56 patients studied, 23 had completely...

BACKGROUND Atrial en-face reconstructions are commonly used to assess mitral valve morphology in three dimensional (3D) echocardiography but may miss important abnormalities. OBJECTIVE To present a systematic method for the analysis of the regurgitant mitral valve using a combination of en-face and longitudinal views for better anatomical evaluation. METHODS Detailed 3D assessment was done ...

Background: Atrial en-face reconstructions are commonly used to assess mitral valve morphology in three dimensional (3D) echocardiography but may miss important abnormalities. Objective: To present a systematic method for the analysis of the regurgitant mitral valve using a combination of en-face and longitudinal views for better anatomical evaluation. Methods: Detailed 3D assessment was done o...

We describe a system dedicated to the analysis of the complex threedimensional anatomy and dynamics of an abnormal heart mitral valve using three-dimensional echocardiography to characterize the valve pathophysiology. This system is intended to aid cardiothoracic surgeons in conducting preoperative surgical planning and in understanding the outcome of “virtual” mitral valve repairs. This paper ...

One difficulty with external repair of left ventricular rupture after mitral valve replacement is collateral bleeding in friable myocardium adjacent to the rupture. The bleeding is caused by tension on the closing sutures, whether or not pledgets have been used. We report the case of a 69-year-old woman who underwent an uneventful mitral valve replacement. After cardiopulmonary bypass was termi...

Several forms of congenital heart disease that cause left ventricular inflow obstruction have similar M-mode findings, and frequently the exact anatomic diagnosis cannot be made by M-mode echocardiography alone. We examined five children with various forms of left ventricular inflow obstruction using two-dimensional echocardiography. The diagnosis was confirmed by cardiac catheterization and su...

Congenital mitral ring is a rare type of congenital mitral stenosis. There are two types of mitral ring: the intramitral ring and the supramitral ring. Intramitral rings are often associated with complex valve pathology, and therefore have a worse prognosis than supramitral rings, in which the mitral apparatus is usually normal. The role of echocardiography in the evaluation of the mitral valve...

Successful mitral valve repair is dependent upon a full understanding of normal and abnormal mitral valve anatomy and function. Computational analysis is one such method that can be applied to simulate mitral valve function in order to analyse the roles of individual components and evaluate proposed surgical repair. We developed the first three-dimensional finite element computer model of the m...

AIMS The accurate postoperative assessment of mitral valve repair is important not only to document operative outcome, but also to confirm the functional morphology of the repaired valve. METHODS AND RESULTS We assessed 25 consecutive patients following mitral valve repair with transthoracic real-time 3-dimensional echocardiography (RT3DE) and 2-dimensional echocardiography (2DE). We compared...