No abstract

Εmerging data indicate that various effects of obesity on the cardiovascular system can be evident during childhood. The aim of this study was to detect early changes in left ventricular structure and function in obese normotensive children and explore possible associations of these changes with anthropometric and biochemical parameters. Normotensive 8–11-year-old obese and normal weight children were included in the study. They all underwent anthropometric measurements, laboratory tests, and echocardiography study by conventional and tissue Doppler to assess geometric pattern and function of left ventricle. Statistically significant differences in most anthropometric and metabolic parameters were noticed between groups. Obese children showed higher left ventricular mass index (LVMI) (40.05 ± 9.44 vs. 28.31 ± 6.22), lower E/A ratio (1.76 ± 0.33 vs. 2.08 ± 0.56), and higher E/e’ (6.04 ± 1.13 vs. 5.43 ± 0.96) compared to lean peers. Waist-to-height ratio and hs-CRP correlated significantly with E/A in the obese group. Left ventricular hypertrophy was present in 47.2% of obese children and eccentric was the prominent type. Waist-to-height ratio and serum cortisol levels in plasma increased the odds of having any type of abnormal ventricular geometric pattern. Echocardiographic evaluation of left ventricle and diastolic function could be considered for obese normotensive children based on waist-to-height ratio, hs-CRP, and serum cortisol.

Ectopia cordis and mosaic trisomy 16 are two rare fetal anomalies, which have not been reported in association. We report a case of an isolated ectopia cordis at 11+3 weeks. Subsequent embryological examination confirmed thoracic ectopia cordis with normal heart structure and array comparative genomic hybridization of fetal tissue detected trisomy 16 mosaicism. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 38:386‐388, 2010

A 9-year-old boy, with a history of repair of severe coarctation of the aorta through balloon angioplasty 2 weeks ago, presented in the emergency paediatric department with symptoms consistent with transient cerebral ischaemia. MRI revealed an area of cerebral infarction in the right frontal lobe. Causes of cerebral ischaemia after aortic coarctation repair are briefly discussed.