Laura Schweikert¹, Dominik Gabbert¹, Sylvia Krupickova², Inga Voges^1,*

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.16, No.6, pp. 551-560, 2021, DOI:10.32604/CHD.2021.016635

Abstract Background: An isolated bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is associated with structural and functional abnormalities of the aorta and the left ventricle (LV). Although ~50% of patients with aortic coarctation (CoA) have a BAV, less is known about its impact on LV function and aortic geometry and function in CoA patients. In this cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) study, we analysed markers of LV and aortic function as well as aortic geometry in a large cohort of CoA patients with a BAV and compared them with CoA patients with a tricuspid aortic valve (TAV). Methods: We included 48 patients with a… More >

Marie Laure Yammine^#,*, Camilla Calvieri^#, Marcello Chinali, Salvatore Giannico, Giulia Cafiero, Ugo Giordano

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.16, No.5, pp. 457-467, 2021, DOI:10.32604/CHD.2021.015896

Abstract Background: In recent decades, aortic stenting has become a promising alternative to surgery for both native aortic coarctation and re-stenosis in children and adults. However, comparative long-term outcomes have poorly been investigated. Methods: We included 212 patients with previous aortic repair (19 ± 8.7 years) divided into 3 groups: 139 with single-time surgical repair (CoA-S group); 18 with single-time percutaneous stenting (CoA-PS group); and 55 hybrid patients with multiple aortic procedures because of re-coarctation occurrence (CoA-H group). All patients underwent 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and trans-thoracic echocardiography. Results: After a median follow-up of 17 years after aortic repair, antihypertensive… More >

Samuel Menahem^1,2,*, Arvind Sehgal^3,4

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.16, No.2, pp. 189-196, 2021, DOI:10.32604/CHD.2021.014903

Abstract Most congenital heart disease (CHD) is readily recognisable in the newborn. Forewarned by previous fetal scanning, the presence of a murmur, tachypnoea, cyanosis and/or differential pulses and saturations all point to a cardiac abnormality. Yet serious heart disease may be missed on a fetal scan. There may be no murmur or clinical cyanosis, and tachypneoa may be attributed to non-cardiac causes. Tachypnoea on day 1 is usually non-cardiac except arising from ventricular failure or a large systemic arteriovenous fistula. A patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) may support either pulmonary or systemic duct dependent circulations. The initially high pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR)… More >

Maryanne Caruana¹, Victor Grech²

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.12, No.5, pp. 588-595, 2017, DOI: 10.1111/chd.12488

Abstract Objectives: To investigate survival and freedom from reintervention after aortic coarctation repair in Maltese patients and to compare cardiovascular mortality in coarctation repair survivors with that in the general population.
Design: All 72 aortic coarctation patients with any type of repair, born by end-1997 and logged in the local database were included. Trends in timing and type of repair were determined by comparing patients born before and after 1985. Kaplan-Meier analyses of survival and reintervention-free survival were performed on the 59 repair survivors with complete follow-up data (mean follow-up 26.13 ± 9.62 (range 1.05–44.55 years). Cardiovascular mortality in repair survivors… More >

Adam B. Christopher¹, Abraham Apfel², Tao Sun², Jackie Kreutzer¹, David S. Ezon³

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.13, No.5, pp. 713-720, 2018, DOI:10.1111/chd.12637

Abstract Objective: The most accurate noninvasive parameter to predict whether a patient with aortic coarctation will meet interventional criteria at catheterization remains elusive. We aim to determine the best independent echocardiographic predictors of a coarctation peak‐to‐peak pressure gradient ≥20 mm Hg at catheterization, the ac‐ cepted threshold for intervention.
Design: Retrospective query of our catheterization database from 1/2007 to 7/2016 for the diagnostic code of aortic coarctation was performed. Multiple echocardio‐ graphic measurements and blood pressure gradients prior to cardiac catheterization were collected. Univariate correlation of variables with the continuous catheteriza‐ tion peak were calculated using Spearman’s rho. Univariate association with… More >