OBJECTIVE Atrial septal defect (ASD) device closure is routinely done under the guide of transesophageal or intracardiac echocardiography which are expensive techniques and not easily affordable in developing countries. METHODS Using metallic devices, we attempted 32 ASD device closures under transthoracic echocardiography. FINDINGS Of those, 30 procedures were successful (94 %). In two pat...

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of transeophageal echocardiography on management of patients at low-risk for cardiogenic embolism to prevent new potential cardiovascular sources of emboli. METHODS We studied 69 patients with ischemic stroke at low-risk for cardiogenic embolism. Transeophageal echocardiography was performed to access: left atrium enlargement; comm...

BACKGROUND Severe congenital aortic stenosis in infants is a life-threatening congenital heart anomaly that is typically treated using percutaneous balloon aortic valvuloplasty. METHODS The usual route is the femoral artery under radiographic guidance. However, this procedure may be limited by the small size of the femoral artery in low-weight infants. An infant weighing only 7 kg with severe...

BACKGROUND Intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) has a major role in detecting residual lesions during and/or after pediatric cardiac surgery. METHODS All pediatric patients who underwent cardiac surgery between July 2001 and December 2008 were reviewed. The records of surgical procedure, intraoperative TEE, and predischarge transthoracic echocardiograms were reviewed to deter...

Papillary fibroelastomas of the heart valves are benign, slow-growing, rare tumors of the heart. This tumor represents a potential cause of systemic embolism, stroke, myocardial infarction and sudden death. Early diagnosis is very important, as surgical excision of these tumors can prevent cerebrovascular and cardiovascular complications. Diagnosis is usually made by transesophageal echocardiog...

BACKGROUND An unusual sequence of post operative events heralded by hemodynamic deterioration followed by dyspnea and rapidly progressive dilatation of superficial neck and facial veins, resembling a superior vena cava syndrome, two days post surgical resection of filamentous aortic valve masses, closure of a patent foramen ovale, and performance of a modified Maze procedure for atrial fibrilla...

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has become a viable alternative to surgical aortic valve replacement in both high-risk and inoperable patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis [1]. A successful TAVR procedure is heavily dependent on appropriate patient selection and detailed morphologic characterization of the aortic valve complex to prevent device migration, coronary arter...