Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to M Paquet.
Supraventricular or ventricular ectopy has been reported in association with cardiac fibroma. We report two patients, one with acquired complete heart block and one with mixed ventricular and supraventricular arrhythmias associated with this rare tumor of the heart.
Between February 1988 and September 1989, 15 patients underwent closure of patent ductus arteriosus by the Rashkind technique modified by Mullins. The insertion of the occluder was achieved in all cases; however, in one patient, the prosthesis migrated to the abdominal aorta several hours after implantation. No other complications were observed. All patients were discharged from hospital under 24 hours after the procedure. The follow-up period ranges from 3 to 12 months. The rate of complete closure of the ductus was 50% 24 hours after implantation, 57% at 3 months, 66% at 6 months and 82% 12 months after the procedure. Our results suggest that the Rashkind technique for the closure of patent ductus arteriosus by the transvenous femoral approach is an effective and low risk procedure.
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We described a cluster of 8 independent sibships of Friedreich's ataxia in the St-Fabien parish of Rimouski and have shown that they are all related within 6 generations. The study of this geographic and genetic isolate permitted the investigation of certain unusual features of the disease such as constant myopia, delayed reaction times to pain, flexor spasms, and a rapid evolution.
Echocardiographic examination, performed in a 12-year-old boy who had signs of mitral regulation, showed the presence of an abnormal mass of echoes in the left atrium and mitral orifice. These were initially interpreted as representing an atrial myxoma. Surgical exploration showed that the tumor originated from the posterior leaflet of the mitral valve, and, microscopically, the lesion was diagnosed as a fibrolipoma. The clinical and echocardiographic features of this unique type of cardiac tumor are discussed.
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Left ventricular (LV) size and function were studied by echocardiography in 145 normal children. The LV end-diastolic diameter (EDD) and its percentage change with systole (%deltaLVD) were measured and mean velocity of circumferential fiber shortening (Vcf) calculated. The LV pre-ejection period (PEP) and ejection time (LVET) were determined from recordings of aortic valve motion. The EDD increased by approximately threefold during childhood and was best correlated with the log of body weight (r = 0.95) and the log of body surface area (r = 0.96). The mean %deltaLVD was 36 +/- 4 (SD), and this index of LV function was independent of age and heart rate. Mean Vef was higher, and the absolute values of PEP and LVET shorter, in younger children with a faster heart rate. The mean ratio of PEP/LVET was 0.31 +/- 0.003, and was relatively independent of age (r = 0.41) and heart rate (r = 0.37). The %deltaLVD and PEP/LVET appear to be particularly useful indices of LV function because they remain constant during the course of childhood.
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Seven patients, four months to ten years of age, with total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC) were studied by echocardiography. The diagnosis was confirmed by cardiac catheterization, angiography, and surgery in each. The connection was to the left vertical vein in four patients, to the coronary sinus in one, to the inferior vena cava in one, and directly to the right atrium in one. All patients exhibited the echocardiographic criteria of right ventricular diastolic volume overload (RVDVO). In addition, an echo-free space was identified dorsal to the posterior wall of the left atrium. Indocyanine green dye studies done in one of the patients provided evidence that this echo-free space represents the common pulmonary venous chamber. The combination of echocardiographic evidence of RVDVO and demonstration of an echo-free space dorsal to the left atrium is strongly suggestive of TAPVC and should allow an early diagnosis in infants with this anomaly.