1/8. giant cell arteritis confined to intramural coronary arteries. Unforeseen hazards myocardial protection.A 74-year-old woman underwent elective double valve replacement (aortic and mitral) for rheumatic valvular disease. She failed to wean from cardiopulmonary bypass due to marked left ventricular dysfunction. At autopsy, severe giant cell arteritis confined to the intramural coronary arteries was seen. Furthermore, there were multiple areas of recent microscopic myocardial infarction around the intramural coronary arteries. This report describes a rare case of giant cell arteritis confined to intramural coronary arteries which lead to inadequate myocardial protection at the time of surgery.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = giant (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/8. Thrombosed giant left atrium mimicking a mediastinal tumor.A patient with rheumatic heart disease, mitral stenosis, and mitral insufficiency is described. The thrombosed giant left atrium paralyzed the left vocal cord and completely obstructed the bronchi to the middle and lower lobes of the right lung. The giant left atrium mimicked a mediastinal tumor on the chest x-ray film.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 3keywords = giant (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/8. Effect of left atrial compliance on pulmonary artery pressure: a case report.BACKGROUND: Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction, with secondary atrial pressure elevation, is a well-known concept. On the contrary, effect of left atrial compliance on pulmonary pressure is rarely considered. CASE PRESENTATION: We report the echocardiographic case of a 9-year-old child who presented severe rheumatic mitral valve regurgitation with a giant left atrium, in contrast to a normal artery pulmonary pressure, testifying of the high left atrial compliance. CONCLUSION: Left atrial compliance is an important determinant of symptoms and pulmonary artery pressure in mitral valve disease.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.5keywords = giant (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/8. Giant left atrium with rheumatic mitral stenosis.A chest radiograph of a 38-year-old woman, who was diagnosed with rheumatic mitral stenosis, revealed cardiac enlargement due to a giant left atrium that was distorting the cardiac structures. The patient's cardiothoracic ratio was approximately 0.90. A giant left atrium can readily be delineated by echocardiography. Optimal timing of surgery is important in cases of mitral stenosis, because delaying mitral valve replacement can lead to fatal outcomes. To our knowledge, the left atrial diameter of 18.7 cm that we found in our patient is the largest reported to date.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = giant (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/8. The CT appearance of the giant left atrium.The Giant Left Atrium (GLA) is a well-known, albeit rare, complication of mitral valve disease. Although traditionally diagnosed by chest X-ray or echocardiography (1, 2), when the left atrium achieves massive proportions, these modalities may be difficult to interpret or even misleading. We report, not only the first description of this entity using computer tomography (CT), but also one of the largest left atria described in the literature. We feel that CT may be reliable when making this diagnosis as well as useful in evaluation of those patients in whom the symptoms suggest some of the complications of this disease.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2keywords = giant (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/8. Isolated rheumatic tricuspid regurgitation and stenosis.The case of a 73-year-old man with right heart failure and systolic and diastolic murmur at the fourth left intercostal space is described. There was a history of rheumatic fever. Two-dimensional echocardiography showed rheumatic change of the tricuspid valve with giant right atrium and ventricle, which was confirmed during operation. This is an unusual case of isolated tricuspid regurgitation and stenosis with convincing evidence of rheumatic etiology.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.5keywords = giant (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/8. Giant Lambl's excrescences of papillary muscle and aortic valve: echocardiographic, angiographic, and pathologic findings.A 54-year-old female with rheumatic heart disease was found to have a mass in the left ventricle by echocardiography and angiography. Subsequently, giant Lambl's excrescences of papillary muscle and aortic valve were confirmed by operation and pathologic examination. Possible complication from cardiac catheterization could be avoided by the utilization of echocardiography prior to catheterization.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.5keywords = giant (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/8. Silent giant left atrium. A case report.A sixty-two-year-old white woman with a 14.5 cm (145 mm) silent giant left atrial enlargement secondary probably to rheumatic heart disease is presented. Aside from mild progressive shortness of breath during the past year, the patient had been asymptomatic all her life. Her clinical picture was manifested for the first time by syncope secondary to slow atrial fibrillation, for which a permanent pacemaker was required. The correct diagnosis of the enlarged chamber was not possible through the routine chest roentgenogram. In this case, the echocardiogram, nuclear angiogram, and computed tomography were the pertinent studies needed to reach the diagnosis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2.5keywords = giant (Clic here for more details about this article) |