Alcohol septal ablation for hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy – 8 years follow up

BackgroundAlcohol septal ablation is emerging as an alternative to surgical myectomy in the management of symptomatic cases of Hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM). This involves injection of absolute alcohol into 1st septal perforator thereby producing myocardial necrosis with resultant septal remodelling within 3–6 months. This results in reduction of septal thickness and LV outflow gradients with improvement in symptoms.MethodsFifty three patients had undergone alcohol septal ablation, there were 2 early and 2 late deaths and 4 patients lost to follow up. Forty-five (85%) of them were followed up to a mean period of 96 ± 9.2 months. Clinical, ECG, and Echocardiographic parameters were evaluated during follow up.ResultsOnly 4 out of 51 patients remained in NYHA class III or IV at the end of 6 months. Significant reduction of LV outflow gradients (79 ± 35 to 34 ± 23 mmHg) and septal thickness (23 ± 4.7 mm to 19 ± 3 mm) were observed during 6 months follow up. Beyond 6 months there was no further decrease in either septal thickness or LVOT gradients noted. Ten percent of patients needed pacemaker implantation. There was 92% survival at the end of 8 years.ConclusionAlcohol septal ablation is a safe and effective nonsurgical procedure for the treatment of HOCM. By minimizing the amount of alcohol to ≤2 ml, one can reduce complications and mortality. The long-term survival is gratifying.     

Is there an optimal contralateral testicular cut-off size that predicts monorchism in boys with nonpalpable testicles?

ObjectiveTo identify a contralateral testicular cut-off size that would predict monorchism (intra-abdominal vanishing testis or inguinal/scrotal nubbin) in boys with unilateral nonpalpable testis (NPT).Materials and methodsBoys with cryptorchidism, treated by a single surgeon at a tertiary care center from 2009 to 2013, were grouped based on intra-operative findings: boys with a solitary gonad (monorchism group, M) and two control groups: intra-abdominal testis (IAT) and palpable undescended testis (pUDT). Immediately before the procedures, the contralateral descended testes were measured using callipers. Boys with NPT underwent diagnostic laparoscopy. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, likelihood ratios and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were calculated.ResultsOut of the 324 boys with cryptorchidism, 58 were found to have pUDT and 85 had NPT. Of these 85 boys with NPT, 50 had an IAT and 35 had monorchism. Mean ages at surgery for groups M, IAT and pUDT were similar (28.0, 31.3 and 30.4 months, respectively; P = 0.4). Mean length of the contralateral descended testes in groups M, IAT and pUDT was 24.3, 16.5 and 18.8 mm, respectively. Contralateral testicular cut-off lengths of 18, 19 and 20 mm had positive likelihood ratios (LR+) of 6.5, 7.4 and 10.1, respectively. The area under the ROC curve was 95% (95% CI: 91–100%).ConclusionA contralateral testicular cut-off length of 19–20 mm had the best accuracy in predicting monorchism in boys aged 11–30 months with unilateral NPT.     

Pulse-cancellation echocardiography in Fabry disease diagnosis

Pulse-cancellation imaging is a novel echocardiographic imaging modality developed for detection of myocardial fibrosis. This technique cancels echocardiographic reflections from the normal myocardium but clearly displays the abnormal tissue. We describe, for the first time, pulse-cancellation echocardiography application in detecting Fabry disease myocardial involvement. We present the case where both pulse-cancellation imaging and cardiac MRI concurrently revealed myocardial deposits in a patient with genotypically confirmed Fabry disease.     

Association of asymptomatic otitis media with effusion in patients with adenoid hypertrophy

ObjectiveClinical symptoms of otitis media with effusion are rarely brought forward to the guardians of young children who the disease is most prevalent in. This often leads to poor scholastic performances and difficult social interactions. The objective of this study was to identify asymptomatic cases of otitis media with effusion present in individuals with adenoid hypertrophy.Material and MethodsIn a cross sectional study advocated in Justice K.S.Hegde Hospital, Karnataka India we evaluated one hundred patients above the age of three from August 2016 to December 2017. Candidates who presented with an adenoid nasopharyngeal ratio of more than 0.5 were selected for the study. Individuals who complained of otological symptoms were not considered for the study. Patients cleared of other pathological otological conditions were underwent audiological evaluation with pure tone audiometry and tympanometry for evaluating the middle ear status and hearing loss.ResultsThe study showed a total of 36% of patients evaluated presented with asymptomatic otitis media with effusion. In candidates who presented with a bilateral B tympanogram, 40% had significant conductive hearing loss of more than 25dB.ConclusionAn objective test such as impedance audiometry in all patients with adenoid hypertrophy would aid in the diagnosis of fluid in the middle ear, so that timely intervention can be done and possible complications be averted.     

儿童腺样体肥大与耳鼻咽喉科常见疾病关系的研究进展

腺样体肥大(AH)是小儿耳鼻咽喉科的常见病、多发病。国内外学者关于AH的病因、临床症状及治疗方式均有深入研究并达成共识,但其与耳鼻咽喉科相关疾病的关系仍未得到广泛关注和重视。研究发现,AH与小儿耳鼻咽喉科的过敏性鼻炎(AR)、急慢性鼻-鼻窦炎(ARS/CRS)、急性中耳炎、分泌性中耳炎、中耳胆脂瘤、急慢性扁桃体炎、扁桃体肥大、儿童阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停综合征(OSAS)及其他咽喉部疾病等均有密切联系。     

Unilateral hypertrophy of the labia minora: A case series

Asymmetric hypertrophy of the labia minora is a variant of normal anatomy that has not been described in the pediatric dermatology literature. Although often asymptomatic, in some cases, it can cause functional, emotional, and psychological problems. We report the clinical characteristics and outcomes of four children who presented with unilateral labium minus hypertrophy. This case series aims to establish awareness of this condition among pediatric dermatologists and provide recommendations regarding management.