Partial anomalous pulmonary venous connection is a rare congenital heart defect and it is usually difficult to identify by transthoracic echocardiography alone. Here we report a case in a newborn, ...identified by echocardiographic imaging techniques with subcostal views, to detect the anomalous venous return. Our case is an uncommon one, as regards both its anatomy and early diagnosis. Surgical repair can be safely managed by means of multiple techniques with low morbidity. This correction may be associated with complications such as superior vena cava occlusion and sinus node dysfunction.
INTRODUCTIONPaediatric pulmonary hypertension (PH) represents a heterogeneous illness that is responsible for high morbidity and mortality if left without treatment. Idiopathic pulmonary arterial ...hypertension (IPAH) is a subtype of PAH rarely seen in paediatrics. Limited long-term data are available. METHODSOver a period of 20 years, 10 paediatric patients were enrolled at two tertiary centres. Their clinical, echocardiographic, and right heart catheterisation (RHC) features and outcome were evaluated. RESULTSThe mean age at first diagnosis was 5.7 ± 5.7 years. The age at the last follow-up was 12.4 ± 6.1 years. The average follow-up was 6.6 ± 0.8 years. There was a female prevalence of 60% (p < 0.05) in this case series. Regarding the NYHA functional class, 80% of IPAH subjects were in class III or IV. The mean saturation was 91 ± 5%. In this regard, 70% of the patients were on a combination of three drugs, with sildenafil (90%) included. On echocardiography, longitudinal right ventricular contractility (TAPSE) was slightly reduced (13.4 ± 2.6 mm), whilst RVSP was severely elevated (101 ± 19 mmHg). The RHC data showed that mPAP was 61.8 ± 23.1 mmHg (p = 0.0017 with RVSP on echocardiography), mRAP was 10.7 ± 3.8 mmHg, CI was 2.6 ± 1 L·min-1·m-2, PVRi was 16.8 ± 12.6 WU·m2, and SVO2 was 63.6 ± 14.8%. Regarding the outcome, two male IPAH patients (20%) died, and 50% underwent lung transplant or were on transplant assessment or already on the waiting list for lung transplantation. One patient underwent a ductus arteriosus stenting (reverse Potts shunt) and another underwent atrial septostomy and stenting. CONCLUSIONSNotwithstanding the progress in medical therapy, IPAH continues to represent a serious challenge, particularly in the paediatric population, with the need for lung transplantation and significant mortality.
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