1.Contrast echocardiogram in diagnosing rare type of persistent left superior vena cava
The Medical Journal of Malaysia 2018;73(6):413-414
We report a rare case of persistent left superior vena cava
(PLSVC) with direct drainage into the left atrium in a 3-yearsold
boy who had been electively admitted for hypospadias
repair, when he was noticed to have finger clubbing and mild
hypoxia but was otherwise asymptomatic. The diagnosis of
PLSVC can be made without an invasive tool as direct
drainage of PLSVC into the left atrium be visualised using
transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) by injecting agitated
saline into the left arm.
2.Cortical hyperostosis, rare adverse effect of prostaglandin
Ng Rui Lun ; Koay Han Siang ; Mohammad Tamim Jamil,
The Medical Journal of Malaysia 2020;75(6):748-749
We describe here an infant girl with ductal dependent
complex cyanotic heart disease, who required prostaglandin
infusion for a total of five months prior to Blalock-Taussig
shunt procedure. Her alkaline phosphatase activity was
raised after seven weeks being on prostaglandin and only
dropped to the normal range seven days after discontinuing
prostaglandin infusion. During our review at five months
old, her limbs were grossly swollen and radiographic
examination showed dense periosteal reaction in the long
bones. Based on the clinical findings and investigations,
she was diagnosed to have cortical hyperostosis, which is
an uncommon side effect of prostaglandin. She underwent
right Blalock-Taussig Shunt procedure successfully with no
major complications. Unfortunately, she succumbed to
infection two months after surgery.