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Introduction: Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD) is a common congenital heart disease. Three therapeutic approaches exist to treat this anomaly: observation and regular follow-up, surgical closure, and Tran’s catheter intervention. We seek through this study to determine the appropriate indications for surgical and non­surgical treatment of VSD. Methods: We conducted a retrospective multicentric study between January 1, 2000 and June 30, 2020 on 942 VSD carriers. Cases with isolated VSD were studied for age of presentation, sex, type of VSD, and VSD outcome. Results: Majority of our patients (60.5%) had a perimembranous VSD. During 20 years of follow-up, 220 underwent an intervention for their cardiac anomaly (either surgery or catheterization) and 722 received medical treatment and were under observation. Among patients who were solely monitored, 36.7% patients had a complete spontaneous closure of their VSD, 20.9% had a partial closure, and 39.9% had an unchanged VSD size. Patients with perimembranous and inlet types were significantly more likely to undergo an intervention (p=0.018). The most common reason behind intervention was severe pulmonary arterial hypertension seen in 140 cases. Furthermore, 18 cases out of 457 unclosed VSD developed complications during follow-up. Conclusion: We found that 36.7% of VSDs might totally close over time, particularly if VSD is of muscular type. This rate might also increase with a longer follow-up period.

Concurrently with the quick development of COVID-19 vaccines globally, concerns about vaccination efficacy and safety are rising. Neurological complications such as transverse myelitis (TM) are major worries because they can cause lifelong disabilities, which may require long term care. Here, we report a case of longitudinal extensive transverse myelitis (LETM), with sixth nerve palsy in a young female occurring shortly after ChAdOx1 nCov-19 vaccine. The patient recalled developing strabismus, progressive ascending bilateral lower limb weakness, along with upper extremity paresthesia, abnormal sensation below T6 dermatomes, and difficulty in urination. She presented to the hospital with complete paralysis below the neck associated with urinary retention. Extensive diagnostic studies were performed to rule out alternative etiologies, including but not limited to demyelinating diseases, para-post infectious agents, paraneoplastic syndromes, tumors, and autoimmune diseases. She was treated with corticosteroids and discharged upon clinical improvement. However, the patient clinically deteriorated and intravenous immunoglobulin was administered. Unfortunately, the patient is still suffering from physical impairment. We suggested that LETM could be induced by an autoimmune process triggered molecule mimicry. In conclusion, safety monitoring of the COVID-19 vaccines is of great importance in the post marketing surveillance, particularly for rare adverse events.

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