RECENTLY we observed an infant with severe aortic insufficiency and progressive left ventricular failure. Postmortem studies revealed aneurysmal dilatation of the base of the aorta and a large communication with the left ventricle. The aneurysm involved the right sinus of Valsalva but was not limited to that region. The rarity of congenital aortic insufficiency in general and of this lesion in ...

Aortic valvular insufficiency caused by syphilis cannot be differentiated by murmur or other clinical characteristics from other causes of aortic insufficiency, and the aid of serological tests is often sought. Routine serological tests for syphilis, such as the VDRL slide test, which utilize cardiolipin antigens, are reactive in only 75 to 95 per cent. of patients with cardiovascular syphilis ...

PURPOSE This is the first report describing combined spinal epidural anaesthesia for labour and unexpected Caesarean section in a patient with mitral and aortic stenosis and insufficiency. CLINICAL FEATURES The patient was a 30-yr-old GIPO with a history of rheumatic fever. She had moderate stenosis and insufficiency of the mitral and aortic valves. Combined spinal epidural anaesthesia was us...

The bicuspid aortic valve is known to be the most common congenital cardiac malformation, with an approximate incidence rate of 1-2% in the general population. Most patients are unaware of the disease until the onset of infective endocarditis, which is a life-threatening complication that may affect a heart valve or other cardiac structures at the site of endothelial damage. A 22-year-old man p...

Acute Type A aortic dissection is a surgical emergency. Urgent repair is indicated to avoid complications such as acute aortic insufficiency, coronary ischemia and aortic rupture with cardiac tamponade. This report details the management of a patient with acute Type A aortic dissection complicated by an extensive anterolateral myocardial infarction and cardiogenic shock who was successfully bri...