Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to R L Van Der Horst.
Thirty-five children under 16 years of age were prepared for pericardiectomy on account of constrictive pericarditis; three died in the immediate preparatory period. Pericardiectomy was undertaken in 32; in 28 the cause was tuberculous. The purpose of this report is to draw attention to the high incidence of constrictive pericarditis in African children in Natal.
An infant is described with partial ectopia cordis and a cardiac diverticulum which orignated from a single ventricle. There was associated deficiency of the lower part of the sternum and lack of pericardial tissue over the diverticulum. These anomalies form part of the midline thoraco-abdominal syndrome in which cardiac anomalies are frequent. The infant died suddenly at 17 days of age owing to haemmorhage from septic ductal necrosis, caused by ascending infection of the tissue between the diverticulum and the thoraci wall.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.