Biomedical subjects

Haw-Kwei Hwang

Publications and source records attributed to Haw-Kwei Hwang.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Cardiovascular changes in mucopolysaccharidoses in Taiwan.

From 1991 to 2002, we managed 72 patients with mucopolysaccharidoses. We retrospectively reviewed the records of 37 for whom detailed physical findings and cardiovascular evaluation were available. Twenty patients had serial electrocardiographic (ECG) examinations, and none had arrhythmias. All 20 patients had low R wave voltage in V6. One type VI patient had ischaemic changes secondary to severe cardiomyopathy at the terminal stage of her disease. Among the 37 patients in whom echocardiography was performed, cardiovascular abnormalities progressed with age, although most had mild clinical signs and symptoms. The most common changes were abnormalities of the mitral and aortic valves hypertrophy of the interventricular septum, especially in types I, II, and VI. During the follow-up period of up to 5 years, 3 type II patients and I type VI patient expired. In at least 3 of these patients, death was related to cardiopulmonary failure. As MPS patients are surviving longer, complete cardiac evaluation at regular intervals is mandatory and should be part of their routine assessment.

Age Distribution↗

PubMed2005

Cardiac catheterization in low birth weight infants.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The increased survival of low birth weight infants means that more of these infants may be candidates for cardiac catheterization. There is a lack of data from Taiwan on the results of cardiac catheterization in these infants. This study investigated the outcome of cardiac catheterization in infants weighing less than 2500 g in a single hospital over an 11-year period. METHODS: The records of 41 infants (17 males and 24 females) weighing less than 2500 g at the time of cardiac catheterization from August 1993 to July 2004 were reviewed. Morbidity and mortality were compared between diagnostic and intervention groups. RESULTS: Interventional procedures were performed in 14 and diagnostic catheterizations in 27 infants. These interventional procedures included 5 balloon valvuloplasties for pulmonary stenosis and 1 for aortic stenosis, 1 balloon angioplasty for critical coarctation, 1 aortic valvuloplasty, 1 dilatation for coarctation plus aortic valvuloplasty, 1 temporary pacemaker implantation, and 5 balloon atrioseptostomies. The median age at catheterization was 5 days and the median weight was 2.35 kg. All diagnostic and interventional procedures were successfully performed without mortality. Complications included 2 cases each of arrhythmia, bleeding, apnea, and thromboembolism in the diagnostic group and, in the intervention group, 2 cases each of supraventricular tachycardia and bleeding, and 1 case of linear dissection of a coarctation. CONCLUSIONS: None of the 41 catheterized low birth weight infants died. Furthermore, the complication rate in the intervention group was no higher than in the diagnostic group. We conclude that cardiac catheterization, even with an interventional procedure, can be performed safely in low birth weight infants.

Cardiac Catheterization↗

PubMed2004

Acquired aortic regurgitation after coil occlusion of patent ductus arteriosus.

Some patients with patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) may develop new aortic regurgitation (AR) after coil occlusion. This study evaluated the risk factors for the development of AR after coil occlusion of PDA. A total of 23 patients with PDA were managed with coil embolization over a three-and-a-half-year period. Three patients with pre-embolization AR were excluded. A post-occlusion transthoracic echocardiogram was performed within 24 hours after the procedure. Ten patients developed AR and 10 did not. Gender, age, weight, body surface area (BSA), pulmonary artery pressure, and pulmonary vascular resistance did not differ significantly between the 2 groups. Both larger PDA size (either corrected for weight or BSA, p = 0.008 and 0.002, respectively) and a higher ratio of pulmonary to systemic flow (Qp/Qs) [p = 0.013] were significant risk factors for the development of AR after coil occlusion. Re-evaluation of the patients at 3 and 6 months after the procedure revealed 7 patients still had a regurgitant jet. The results of this study suggest that the larger the PDA and larger the shunt, the greater the likelihood of developing AR after coil occlusion.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Horseshoe lung with pseudo-ring-sling complex.

We report on a 1-month-old boy who presented with a "horseshoe" lung, complete "O" rings of the trachea, and an unusual course of the left pulmonary artery mimicking a left pulmonary artery sling. Computed tomography, cardiac catheterization, and bronchoscopy were performed to confirm the rare coexistence of these anomalies. To our knowledge, such a combination of anomalies has not been reported in the English-language literature.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗