Isolated and severe left main coronary ostial stenosis is a rare case. In the majority of these patients ostial stenosis was associated with any of the conditions known to involve the coronary ostia. These conditions include syphilitic aortitis, Takayasu's aortitis, familial hypercholesterolemia, and aortic valve disease. A 34-year young female patient was presented with exertional and stabbing anterior chest pain. There was no history of syphilis, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and smoking. Coronary angiogram showed isolated left main coronary ostial stenosis. Transesophageal echocardiography(TEE) showed acute angle takeoff of the left main coronary artery. She underwent surgical angioplasty of coronary ostia with a patch of autologous pericardium. After angioplasty, TEE showed dilatation of left main coronary ostium and her clinical symptom improved.
Angioplasty ; Aortic Valve ; Aortitis ; Chest Pain ; Constriction, Pathologic* ; Coronary Vessels ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Dilatation ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperlipidemias ; Hyperlipoproteinemia Type II ; Hypertension ; Pericardium ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Syphilis ; Syphilis, Cardiovascular

To determine the effect of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty on the left ventricular diastolic filling in patients with coronary artery disease, diastolic filling was serially examined before, early(within 2 days) and late(5~15 days) after PTCA using pulsed Doppler echocardiography in 14 patients(12 unstable angina; 2 stable angina). The Control group was consisted of 20 normal persons with similar age and sex distribution. The left anterior descending artery was dilated in 10 patients, the right coronary artery in 3 patients, and the circumflex artery in 1 patient. Peak velocity of early diastolic rapid inflow(E), peak velocity of late diastolic inflow (A), A/E ratio, and deceleration time of E wave were measured by pulsed Doppler echocar diography. 1) LVangiogram was performed in 10 patients, and showed normal wall motion in 7 cases and regional hypokinesia in 3 cases. Delta area decreasing rate was 59+/-10%, and LVEDP was 11+/-4 mmHg. 2) A/E ratio was greater in patient group(1.00+/-0.28) than in normal control (0.64+/-0.10) (p<0.05). There was no significant difference in A and E values between two groups. 3) A/E ratio decreased significantly from 1.00+/-0.28(pre-PTCA) to 0.85+/-0.24 (late post-PTCA) (p<0.01), but there was no significant change at early post-PTCA(0.94+/-0.32). Deceleration time also decreased significantly from 213+/-56 msec(pre-PTCA) to 177+/-34 msec (late post-PTCA) (p<0.05), but there was no significant change at early post-PTCA (199+/-34 msec). In conclusion, there was impairment of left ventricular diastolic filling in patients with coronary artery disease which gradually improved after PTCA, and this result probably is related to post-ischemic "stunned" myocardium.
Angina, Unstable ; Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary ; Arteries ; Coronary Artery Disease* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Deceleration ; Echocardiography, Doppler, Pulsed* ; Humans ; Hypokinesia ; Myocardium ; Sex Distribution

Balloon angioplasty of stenosis involving a bifurcation of coronary arteries carries a significant risk of iatrogenic permanent occlusion of one of the adjacent branches. In order to prevent this complication, kissing balloon technique, inhitially, used for aortoplasty in Leriche synrome, was introduced into coronary angioplasty. Alternatively Oesterle described the single-guide, two-wire technique which is less traumatic with nearly equal outcomes. Among 200 coronary angioplasty cases done in our laboratory, 3 cases of unstable angina pectoris with stenosis involving major bifurcation sites were encountered. In 2 cases with stenosis involving left anterior descending artery and diagonal branch, kissing balloon technique was performed. Single-guide, two-wire technique was performed in remaining 1 case with stenosis of posterior descending and posterior lateral branchs. The outcome were successful without major complications.
Angina, Unstable ; Angioplasty* ; Angioplasty, Balloon ; Arteries ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Coronary Vessels

Perforation of the interventricular septum complicating acute myocardial infarction is uncommon. The condition was first described anatomically by Latham in 1845 and the first antemortem diagnosis was made by Brunn in 1923. In both cases, bedside catheterization utilizing a flow directed catheter detected a step up of O2 saturation at the ventricular level, compatible with ventricular septal defect, and two dimensional echocardiogram allowed direct visualization and localization of the postmyocardial infarction VSD. Finally cineventriculogram confirmed them.
Catheterization ; Catheters ; Diagnosis ; Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular ; Infarction* ; Myocardial Infarction

Percutaneous mitral ballon vavuloplasty(PMV) using the double-ballon technique was performal in a 48 year old female patient with recurrent mitral stenosis 16 years after surgical open mitral commissurotomy. PMV resulted in an increase in mitral valve area by Gorlin's method from 0.9 to 2.2 cm2, a decrease in mean mitral diastolic pressure gradient from 30 to 17 mmHg, and an increase in cardiac output from 4.7 to 5.5 L/min. There was no evidene of significant left to right shunt through the atrial septal punture site PMV. After PMV minimal grade 1 mitral regurgutation developed. Mitral ballon valvuloplasty can be performed effectively and safely in selected patients with restenosis after surgical commissurotomy.
Blood Pressure ; Cardiac Output ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Mitral Valve ; Mitral Valve Stenosis

Objectives: . The association between pet sensitization and pet ownership remains unclear. Therefore, we aimed to elucidate the association between pet sensitization and pet ownership by age. Methods: . We retrospectively reviewed 2,883 patients who visited our allergy clinic for nasal symptoms from January 2003 to December 2014, of whom 1,957 patients with data on skin-prick tests and questionnaire responses were included and divided into adults (age >19 years) and children (age ≤19 years). The association between pet sensitization and pet ownership was evaluated in both groups. Results: . Among children, dog and cat sensitization showed no associations with dog and cat ownership, respectively. However, among adults, dog sensitization was significantly associated with dog ownership (odds ratio [OR], 3.283; P<0.001), and cat sensitization with cat ownership (OR, 13.732; P<0.001). After adjustment for age, sex, familial history of allergy, sinusitis, diabetes mellitus, other pet ownership, and non-pet sensitization, significant associations remained between dog sensitization and dog ownership (adjusted OR [aOR], 3.881; P<0.001), and between cat sensitization and cat ownership (aOR, 10.804; P<0.001) among adults. Dog ownership did not show any association with allergic rhinitis, asthma, or atopic dermatitis, whereas atopic dermatitis had a significant association with cat ownership in adults (aOR, 4.840; P<0.001). Conclusion . Pet ownership in adulthood increased the risk of pet sensitization. However, pet ownership was not associated with the prevalence of atopic disorders, regardless of age, except for atopic dermatitis and cat ownership in adults.

Objectives: . The association between pet sensitization and pet ownership remains unclear. Therefore, we aimed to elucidate the association between pet sensitization and pet ownership by age. Methods: . We retrospectively reviewed 2,883 patients who visited our allergy clinic for nasal symptoms from January 2003 to December 2014, of whom 1,957 patients with data on skin-prick tests and questionnaire responses were included and divided into adults (age >19 years) and children (age ≤19 years). The association between pet sensitization and pet ownership was evaluated in both groups. Results: . Among children, dog and cat sensitization showed no associations with dog and cat ownership, respectively. However, among adults, dog sensitization was significantly associated with dog ownership (odds ratio [OR], 3.283; P<0.001), and cat sensitization with cat ownership (OR, 13.732; P<0.001). After adjustment for age, sex, familial history of allergy, sinusitis, diabetes mellitus, other pet ownership, and non-pet sensitization, significant associations remained between dog sensitization and dog ownership (adjusted OR [aOR], 3.881; P<0.001), and between cat sensitization and cat ownership (aOR, 10.804; P<0.001) among adults. Dog ownership did not show any association with allergic rhinitis, asthma, or atopic dermatitis, whereas atopic dermatitis had a significant association with cat ownership in adults (aOR, 4.840; P<0.001). Conclusion . Pet ownership in adulthood increased the risk of pet sensitization. However, pet ownership was not associated with the prevalence of atopic disorders, regardless of age, except for atopic dermatitis and cat ownership in adults.

Certain angiographic patterns outlining the morphologic characteristics of vessels and defining the lesion-specific characteristics have recently been shown to greatly influence the likelihood of a successful dilation. In 1988, ACC/AHA Subcommitte on percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty proposed the lesion-specific classification as a guide for estimating the likelihood of a successful procedure as well as the the likelihood of developing abrupt vessel closure. To determine the lesion-specific predictors for successful dilation and complications after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, nine angiographic charateristics of 200 lesions in 164 patients who underwent coronary angiplasty between May, 1983 and September, 1989 were analyzed. 1) Successful dilation, defined as a reduction in stenosis diameter to less than 50% without acute myocardial infarction or emergency coronary artery bypass graft, occurred in 175 of 212 lesions(82.5%). 2) Successful dilation occurred in 13 of 15 type A lesions(86.6%), 148 of 178 type B lesions(83.1%) and 3 of 7 type C lesions(42.8%)(p<0.05 for A or B vs C). 3) Acute closure syndrome occurred in none of type A lesions, 6 of type B lesions(3.4%), 2 of type C lesions(28.5%)(p<0.005 for A or B vs C). 4) multivariate analysis showed that lesion-specific characteristic predictors for successful dilation were length of lesion(p<0.05) and accessibility(p<0.05) ; for ischemic events were major branch involvement(p<0.05) and eccentricity(p<0.05); for acute closure syndrome were accessibility(p<0.05) and eccentricity(p<0.05). 5) Procedural predictors for ischemic events were coronary artery dissection(p<0.01), post-PTCA diameter stenosis(p<0.05) and balloon/artery diameter ratio(p<0.01) ; For acute closure syndrome was coronary artery dissection(p<0.005). In this analysis, we found that angiographic lesion-specific characteristics related very importantly to procedural success and were able to define three major independent lesionspecific risk factors whose presence beforehand decreased the likelihood of successful dilation and increased the likelihood of acute closure. In the absence of any of these risk factors, the risk of acute closure is very small. Thus, identification of these factors and their associate risk should improve patients selection and better define the role of coronary angioplasty in the management fo patients with coronary artery disease.
Angioplasty ; Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary* ; Classification ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Coronary Artery Bypass ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Coronary Vessels ; Emergencies ; Humans ; Multivariate Analysis ; Myocardial Infarction ; Risk Factors ; Transplants

To evaluate the effect of alteration of left atrial pressure. volume and wall tension on the circulating plasma level of atrial natriuretic peptide(ANP), 15 patients with left atrial hypertension due to mitral stenosis were studied at the time of percutaneous balloon mitral valvuloplasty(PMV). Hemodynamic measurements and plasma atrial natriuretic peptde levels were obtained before, immediately(5-10min) after and 24h after valvuloplasty, and echocardiographic left atrial size, wall tension and mitral valve area were measured bdfore and 24h after valvuloplasty. 1) Immediately after valvuloplasty, left atrial pressure, pulmonary atrial pressure and mean diastolic pressure gradient across the mitral valve decreased, and the mitral valve area by Gorlin's method increased, significantly. Plasma atrial natriuretic peptide level(atright and left atrium, pulmonary artery and aorta) rose significantly after balloon inflation. This rising may reflect a transient increase in left atrial pressure and volume expansion associated with mitral valve occlusion by balloon. 2) Twenty four after valvuloplasty, mitral valve area increased, and left atrial volume and wall tension decreased, significantly. Plasma atrial natriuretic peptide level(at right atrium, pulmonary artery and aorta) fell significantly, too. In conclusion, change of plasma atrial natriuretic peptide le.vel before and after percutaneous balloon mitral valvuloplasty reflect hemodynamic alteration of right and left atrium.
Atrial Pressure ; Blood Pressure ; Echocardiography ; Heart Atria ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Inflation, Economic ; Mitral Valve ; Mitral Valve Stenosis ; Plasma* ; Pulmonary Artery

To evaluate the effect of alteration of left atrial pressure. volume and wall tension on the circulating plasma level of atrial natriuretic peptide(ANP), 15 patients with left atrial hypertension due to mitral stenosis were studied at the time of percutaneous balloon mitral valvuloplasty(PMV). Hemodynamic measurements and plasma atrial natriuretic peptde levels were obtained before, immediately(5-10min) after and 24h after valvuloplasty, and echocardiographic left atrial size, wall tension and mitral valve area were measured bdfore and 24h after valvuloplasty. 1) Immediately after valvuloplasty, left atrial pressure, pulmonary atrial pressure and mean diastolic pressure gradient across the mitral valve decreased, and the mitral valve area by Gorlin's method increased, significantly. Plasma atrial natriuretic peptide level(atright and left atrium, pulmonary artery and aorta) rose significantly after balloon inflation. This rising may reflect a transient increase in left atrial pressure and volume expansion associated with mitral valve occlusion by balloon. 2) Twenty four after valvuloplasty, mitral valve area increased, and left atrial volume and wall tension decreased, significantly. Plasma atrial natriuretic peptide level(at right atrium, pulmonary artery and aorta) fell significantly, too. In conclusion, change of plasma atrial natriuretic peptide le.vel before and after percutaneous balloon mitral valvuloplasty reflect hemodynamic alteration of right and left atrium.
Atrial Pressure ; Blood Pressure ; Echocardiography ; Heart Atria ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Inflation, Economic ; Mitral Valve ; Mitral Valve Stenosis ; Plasma* ; Pulmonary Artery