Long-term results of Fontan procedure in 43 patients.

Background: The Fontan operation eliminates the systemic hypoxemia and ventricular volume overload characteristic of prior forms of palliation, however, late outcome of systemic venous and right atrial hypertension were unknown when the procedure was initially proposed.

Aim: We assessed the late mortality and the present clinical status atresia and other forms of univentricular heart who had modified Fontan procedure performed between 1981 and 1998, and survived early perioperative period.

Methods: We reviewed the clinical records of 43 early survivors of the modified Fontan procedure.

Staged transcatheter closure of chronic postinfarction ventricular septal defects with the Amplatzer septal occluder.

Ventricular septal rupture is a serious complication of myocardial infarction with an extremely poor outcome. There are single reports of transcatheter closure of postmyocardial septal defects and clinical experience is limited. This paper reports on a successful staged transcatheter closure of two chronic postmyocardial defects using the Amplatzer septal occluder in a 52-year-old male.

[Frequency of DRB1* and DQB1* alleles in Polish patients with dilated cardiomyopathy].

We investigated distribution of HLA class II alleles among 52 unrelated patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) (25 consecutive men, 27 consecutive women, mean age 38 +/- 16 years) to determine if there is any immunogenetic predisposition to the disease. DCM was diagnosed according to WHO criteria. HLA-DR and DQ alleles were examined by PCR-SSP typing.

Late results of percutaneous balloon mitral commissurotomy in patients with restenosis after surgical commissurotomy compared to patients with 'de-novo' stenosis.

Background And Aims Of The Study: The outcome of percutaneous balloon mitral commissurotomy (BMC) has been reported as poor in patients with prior surgical commissurotomy. The study aim was to evaluate immediate and long-term follow up results of BMC in patients with restenosis after surgical commissurotomy compared to patients with 'de-novo' mitral stenosis.

Methods: Between October 1988 and September 1999, a total of 1,027 patients underwent BMC.