T he normal pericardium consists of 2 layers: a fibrous outer layer and a serous inner layer. The pericardial space is enclosed within these 2 layers and normally contains 20 to 50 mL of serous fluid. The pericardium serves a variety of functions. In addition to its mechanical effects on the heart (limiting distention, promoting chamber-coupling interaction, maintaining cardiac geometry, enabling frictionless movement, and serving as a barrier to infection), the pericardium has immunologic, vasomotor, paracrine, and fibrinolytic activities.

Background: Platypnea-orthodeoxia syndrome (POS) is a rare clinical phenomenon, associating normal oxygen saturation in a supine position and arterial hypoxemia in an upright position. This pathology can be secondary to an intracardiac shunt, a pulmonary vascular shunt or a ventilation-perfusion mismatch. Cardiac POS occurs in the presence of a right-to-left cardiac shunt, most commonly through a patent foramen ovale (PFO). Methods and results: From our single-center prospective database of percutaneous PFO closure we identified five patients (4 females, mean age: 77 ± 11 years) out of 224 (2.2%) patients with a PFO who presented with a POS of cardiac origin. Transthoracic and transoesophageal echocardiographic examinations revealed the underlying mechanisms of POS and the diagnosis was confirmed by right-and-left cardiac catheterization (RLC) and by measuring serial blood oxygen saturation in the pulmonary veins and left atrium in supine and upright positions. PFO was associated with atrial septal aneurysm and a persistent prominent Eustachian valve in 3 patients. All patients underwent a successful percutaneous PFO closure without any immediate or subsequent complications (mean follow-up of 24 ± 18 months). Immediately after the procedure, mean arterial oxygen saturation improved from 83% ± 3 to 93% ± 2 in an upright position and symptoms disappeared. Conclusion: POS is a rare and under-diagnosed pathology that must be actively investigated in the presence of position-dependent hypoxemia. The diagnostic work-up must exclude other causes of hypoxemia and confirm the intracardiac shunt using either contrast echocardiography or RLC. For cardiac POS, percutaneous PFO closure is a safe and effective technique that immediately relieves orthodeoxia and patient symptoms.

The Vscan used by a trained cardiologist has good diagnostic accuracy in the emergency setting compared with a high-end echocardiograph, despite small screen size and lack of pulse-wave and continuous Doppler.

In our prospective cohort of AS patients, we found no impact of MetS or diabetes on AS progression. Although MetS and diabetes should be actively treated, no impact on AS progression should be expected. Our results support the theory that if cardiovascular risk-factors may play a role at the early phase of AS disease they have no or limited influence on AS progression.

ble (most injuries resulting from pivoting and landing movements). It seems reasonable to assume that the prevention programme also could be modified for these sports. We also suggest that programmes focusing on technique (cutting and landing movements) and balance training (on wobble boards, mats or similar equipments) are implemented in players as young as 10-12 years, before they have established their motion patterns.