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Biomedical subjects

C Ovaert

Publications and source records attributed to C Ovaert.

27 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

Reopening of persistent left superior caval vein after bidirectional cavopulmonary connections.

Persistent left superior vena cava (SVC) is a not uncommon finding in patients with congenital heart disease. This anatomical variant must be recognised before doing a Glenn anastomosis, bidirectional cavopulmonary connection or a Fontan-type procedure. Following these procedures, reopening of a left SVC leading to clinical cyanosis can occur. Five cases are described in whom persisting left SVCs were excluded before performing a bidirectional cavopulmonary connection or Fontan procedure but (re-)opened after surgery, leading to cyanosis either by reducing effective pulmonary blood flow (bidirectional cavopulmonary connection) or by an obligatory right to left shunt (Fontan). These observations suggest that, embryologically, the lumen of the left SVC obliterates rather than disappears. Balloon occlusion angiography of the innominate vein before cavopulmonary connections or Fontan procedures might improve detection of these collateral vessels.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1998

Late homograft valve insertion after transannular patch repair of tetralogy of Fallot.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS OF THE STUDY: Transannular patch repair of tetralogy of Fallot leads to pulmonary insufficiency and progressive right ventricular dilatation responsible for a decreased exercise capacity. We studied the impact of late homograft insertion on the regression of the right ventricular volumes in symptomatic patients. METHODS: Between July 1992 and August 1996, 15 consecutive patients (age range: 4 to 24 years) were operated on at a median of 13 years (range: 3 to 20 years) after transannular patch repair of tetralogy of Fallot. All patients complained of exertional dyspnea and fatigue. Syncopes were reported in six patients and four patients had sustained episodes of ventricular tachycardia. Fourteen had pulmonary regurgitation grade 3 or 4 and one had an associated stenosis and insufficiency. All patients had a dilated right ventricle. At reoperation, no patients presented with major aneurysm. The patch was resected and the right ventricular outflow tract reconstructed with a cryopreserved pulmonary homograft. Right ventricular volumes were studied before the procedures and at the last follow up consultation. RESULTS: There was no operative death. One patient who had a concomitant patch repair of a hypoplastic left pulmonary artery needed extracorporeal circulatory support for eight days. After a median follow up of 25 months (range: 3 to 54 months) all patients but one are in NYHA class I. There were no late deaths. The mean end-diastolic diameter of the right ventricle decreased from 36 +/- 9 mm before surgery to 31 +/- 6 mm (not significant). The mean ratio between the end-diastolic diameter of the right and left ventricles decreased from 0.94 +/- 0.3 to 0.74 +/- 0.2 (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: An increasing number of patients who had transannular patch repair for tetralogy of Fallot will require reoperation for symptomatic long-term pulmonary regurgitation. Homograft reconstruction of the right ventricular outflow tract of these patients induces regression of their right ventricular dilatation and leads to their functional recovery.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Ross procedure in congenital patients: results and left ventricular function.

METHODS: From April 1990 to August 1995, 121 patients (median age 42 years) underwent aortic valve replacement with allografts (69 patients) or autografts (52 patients). In this latter group, 24 Ross procedures have been performed in congenital patients since November 1991 (median age 10 years, range five months to 27 years): aortic incompetence (n = 17), isolated aortic stenosis (n = 5), small stenotic prosthesis (n = 2). Transthoracic echocardiography was obtained preoperatively in all patients and serially after surgery with the aim of measuring aortic and pulmonary annuli and evaluate gradients and incompetence and to study the left ventricular function. Intraoperative transoesophageal echocardiography was routinely used. Complete root replacement was performed in all patients. RESULTS: One patient died in the early postoperative period (4%). There was no late death. All survivors remained in NYHA class I and were free of complications and medications. No gradient nor any significant aortic incompetence could be demonstrated. In 17 patients with predominant aortic incompetence before surgery, the left ventricular function was followed prospectively, end-diastolic left ventricular dimensions diminished drastically from 2 +/- 3.4 S.D. above normal to -0.63 +/- 2.4 S.D. at one week postoperatively (day 10) to reach a normal value one to three months after surgery. Left ventricular mass remained abnormal at day 10 (from 4.7 +/- 3.3 S.D. to 5.3 +/- 3.8 S.D.) and diminished more progressively to reach a normal value (0.14 +/- 1.4 S.D.) at three months. This resulted in a significant decrease of end-systolic wall stress (-3.6 +/- 2.1 S.D.) and in a hyperdynamic function in the immediate postoperative days except in two patients. These two patients were characterized preoperatively by more severely dilated left ventricle (end diastolic dimension 5.3 +/- 0.03 versus 1.6 +/- 3 S.D.) with decreased left ventricular wall thickness (1.19 +/- 0.7 versus 3.44 +/- 1.9 S.D.), decreased ratio between end diastolic wall thickness and end diastolic dimension (0.14 +/- 0.06 versus 0.2 +/- 0.06) and a decreased velocity of shortening. Unlike the other 15 patients, the left ventricular function did not recover completely at mid term follow-up in those two patients. CONCLUSION: The Ross operation is a safe procedure and allows us to suppress completely the abnormal loading conditions of the left ventricle, resulting in a complete recovery of left ventricular function in most patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Early balloon dilatation of the pulmonary valve in infants with tetralogy of Fallot. Risks and benefits.

BACKGROUND: Balloon dilatation, an established treatment for pulmonary valve stenosis, remains a controversial procedure in tetralogy of Fallot. METHODS AND RESULTS: Balloon dilatation of the pulmonary valve was performed in 19 infants with tetralogy of Fallot. Its effects on the severity of cyanosis, the growth of the pulmonary valve and pulmonary arteries, and the need for transannular patching were evaluated. Clinical, echographic, angiographic, hemodynamic, and operative data were analyzed. The procedure was safe in all, without significant complications. After balloon dilatation, systemic oxygen saturation increased from a mean value of 79% to 90%. This increase proved to be short-lasting in 4 patients, who required surgery before the age of 6 months. Balloon dilatation increased pulmonary annulus size in each case, from a mean value of 4.9 to 6.9 mm (P < .001). This gain in size remained stable over time, with a mean Z score of -4.8 SD before dilatation, -3.1 SD immediately after the procedure, and -2.7 SD at preoperative catheterization (P < .001). Pulmonary artery dimensions remained unchanged immediately after balloon dilatation but increased at follow-up from a Z score mean value of -2.5 to -0.06 SD and from -2.2 to 0.04 SD for right and left pulmonary arteries, respectively (P < .001). At the time of corrective surgery, the pulmonary annulus was considered large enough to avoid a transannular patch in 69% of the infants. This represented a 30% to 40% reduction in the need for a transannular patch compared with the incidence of transannular patch expected before balloon dilatation. CONCLUSIONS: Pulmonary valve dilatation in infants with tetralogy of Fallot is a relatively safe procedure and appears to produce adequate palliation in most patients. It allowed the growth of the pulmonary annulus and of the pulmonary arteries, resulting in a mean gain of 2 SD for those structures.

Cardiac Catheterization↗
PubMed1995

[Cardiovascular evaluation in athletic children].

Although rare, sports related sudden cardiac deaths in children and adolescents justify the search for risk factors in any child or adolescent who wishes to practice sports. Each time that history and careful clinical cardiovascular examination point to a possible cardiovascular abnormality, an electrocardiogram and an echocardiography must be performed. Exercise testing is useful to appreciate the cardiovascular tolerance, either in normal subjects or in subjects with a cardiovascular abnormality; its interpretation requires good knowledge and understanding of hemodynamic responses to exercise. Indications, risks and procedures of exercise testing are discussed with reference to exercise physiology.

Cardiovascular Diseases↗
PubMed1993

[Iron deficiency anemia is not always simple].

BACKGROUND: Malabsorption of oraliron is rare, and more frequently suspected than proved. It could be due to prolonged iron deficiency. CASE REPORTS: Case no. 1: A boy was admitted at the age of 5 months for recurrent bronchitis. His hemoglobin was 8.2 g/dl, mean corpuscular volume (MCV) 60 micron3, mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) 15 ng and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) 25 gHb/dl. The serum iron was 1 microgram/dl, iron binding capacity (IBC) was 284 micrograms/dl and ferritin was 14.9 ng/ml. Dietary iron was inadequate. The patient was given ferrous sulfate but iron deficiency persisted at the ages of 11 months and 3 years, probably due to poor compliance. Similar hematologic data (Hb: 6.4 g/dl, MCV 55 micrograms/m3, MCH 13.9 ng, MCHC 24 gHb/dl) were found at the age of 9 years. The patient was then given ferrous sulfate orally as test but the serum iron levels were unchanged during the 4 hours following ingestion. A parenteral iron preparation (iron-dextran, 500 mg) improved the hematologic data. 6 months later, a new oral test with ferrous sulfate improved the serum iron level. Case no. 2: A boy with complex congenital cardiopathy was operated on in the neonatal period and given oral iron at the age of 9 months because of anemia with microcytosis and hypochromia. This anemia was still present at 17 months and was associated with normal or high serum ferritin. Electrophoresis of hemoglobin was normal. At the age of 4 yr 5 mo, Hb was 9.7 g/dl, MCV 62.8 micrograms/m3, MCH 18.4 ng, iron 16 micrograms/dl and ferritin 94.1 ng/ml. An oral test with ferrous sulfate failed to increase the serum iron. The patient was then given parenteral iron-dextran without benefit, and a second oral test remained ineffective. After a second course of parenteral iron-dextran, Hb was 11.5 g/dl, MCV 74.1 micrograms/m3, MCH 23.7 ng while the serum iron remained low (23 micrograms/dl) and ferritin increased to 587 ng/ml. A third oral test with ferrous sulfate was still ineffective, as was a test using 4 mg/kg iron. CONCLUSION: The first patient suffered from iron malabsorption, presumably due to iron deficiency. The second patient could have abnormal metabolism and/or abnormal ferritin.

Anemia, Hypochromic↗
PubMed1989

[Experimental goitrogenesis].

Various modern aspects of experimental goitrogenesis are reviewed and discussed. Regulation of follicular cell proliferation clearly involves several stimulatory but also inhibitory mechanisms. Furthermore, different stimuli are probably involved. Growth of the vascular and connective interstitial tissue probably involves paracrine factors and that of the follicles maybe autocrine factors; indeed, several growth factors are secreted by stimulated follicular cells. The formation of nodules is still poorly understood. They could derive from different cell populations or from cells being in different reactivity status with respect to the variations of the iodine fluxes in the gland. Finally, the relationship between iodine toxicity, nodularity and autoimmunity are discussed.

Aging↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Changes in perceived health of children with congenital heart disease after attending a special sports camp.

Sports camps for children with cardiac anomalies have existed for many years. However, no formal evaluation of the benefits of attending such camps has been undertaken heretofore. We assessed potential changes in the self-perceived health of children with congenital heart disease who attended a special sports camp. Thirty-one children with cardiac anomalies attended a 3-day multisports camp. Sixteen children, all of whom were 10 years or older, literate, and Dutch- or French-speaking, completed the Child Health Questionnaire (CHQ-CF87) before and after attending the camp. The scores of the children were compared with those of healthy peers by calculating mean standardized differences. After attendance at the sports camp, the children achieved significant improvements in the self-perception of their physical functioning, role functioning due to emotional problems, role functioning due to behavioral problems, mental health, and general behavior. The children's self-esteem and general behavior after the camp were significantly better than that of their healthy counterparts. We conclude that children with congenital heart disease who participate in activities at special sports camps may reap benefits in terms of their subjective health status. Although further research is needed, we recommend the participation in sport activities by children with heart defects, and more specifically their participation in sports camps.

Adolescent↗