BACKGROUND Aortic dilatation and dissection are severe complications of pregnancy that may cause maternal death. The purpose of the present study was to investigate risk factors for aortic dilatation or dissection in pregnant Japanese women with Marfan syndrome. METHODS AND RESULTS A total of 28 patients with Marfan syndrome were investigated retrospectively during pregnancy and after deliver...

OBJECTIVE This study investigated the acute hemodynamic responses to multiple sets of passive stretching exercises performed with and without the Valsalva maneuver. METHODS Fifteen healthy men aged 21 to 29 years with poor flexibility performed stretching protocols comprising 10 sets of maximal passive unilateral hip flexion, sustained for 30 seconds with equal intervals between sets. Protoco...

Pseudoaneurysm of the native sinus of Valsalva is exceedingly rare. We present a case of a 32-year-old male who was referred to the hospital after he had been symptomatic for 1.5 years. Transoesophageal echocardiography and computed tomography illustrated a pseudoaneurysm arising from the non-coronary sinus of Valsalva. A prompt operation was performed upon admission, and the patient recovered.

A 38-year-old man with a history of recurrent genital ulceration initially diagnosed as genital herpes was admitted after presenting with paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea. Echocardiography revealed aneurysm formation of the sinus of Valsalva. On diagnosis of an aneurysm of the sinus of Valsalva associated with Behçet's disease (BD), surgeon repaired the affected sinus only, and continuous steroid t...

STUDY OBJECTIVES The objectives of this study were (1) to assess the prevalence of patent foramen ovale (PFO) by means of contrast transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in patients with obstructive sleep apnea, and (2) to determine the potential contribution of right to left interatrial shunting to systemic oxygen desaturation following the performance of Valsalva maneuver. DESIGN Performanc...

Autonomic functions were evaluated in 25 nondialyzed patients with chronic renal failure and eight controls. Eight patients were reassessed after 6.6 +/- 1.0 weeks of hemodialysis and 12 patients were restudied 24 +/- 4.0 weeks after renal transplantation. In addition, six patients who had been on maintenance hemodialysis for a duration of 21.5 +/- 3.0 weeks were also studied. Autonomic functio...

BACKGROUND/AIMS The autonomic pupillary changes in type I and II diabetic patients without clinical evidence of diabetic autonomic neuropathy (DAN) were compared with age matched controls. The relation between pupillary and cardiovascular autonomic function was assessed in the diabetic patients. METHODS A case-control study was performed with diabetics grouped according to type and duration o...

Background and Aims: To assess the difficulties encountered while performing coronary angiography percutaneous intervention in anomalous right artery arising from left sinus of Valsalva.
 Methods: Between January 2016 December 2020, a total 23 patients underwent eight for an angiographic significant lesion Valsalva. The vascular approach, usage catheters, fluoroscopic time, amount contrast...

PURPOSE To evaluate changes at the anterior chamber angle during Valsalva maneuver in eyes suspected to have a primary adult glaucoma. METHODS Seventy-six consecutive patients underwent recording of applanation tonometry, measurement of the anterior chamber angle recess, angle opening distance, angle recess area, scleral spur-iris root distance, iris thickness, iridociliary angle, ciliary bod...