The objective of this study was to describe the institutional experience with interventional treatment of atrial sequelae late after atrial correction for transposition of the great arteries (TGA). A retrospective observational study identified 13 long-term survivors of atrial correction for TGA (median age, 20.5 years; range, 13.8-33.0) with atrial inflow obstruction and/or interatrial defects. Balloon-expandable stents were used for relief of atrial inflow obstructions and interatrial defects closed with devices. Feasibility, periprocedural complications, residual or new obstructions or leaks at follow-up were investigated. Fourteen successful procedures were performed in 12 patients; one procedure failed. Five stents were placed for obstruction of the superior caval vein, three for obstruction of the inferior caval vein, and one for obstruction of the pulmonary venous return. Five septal occluders were implanted. Localization of the interatrial defects required atypical implantation techniques and resulted in atypical device positions. No complications occurred with stent or device implantation. There were no residual shunts through or around the septal occluders. None of the patients had new implant-related obstruction or leakage during a median follow-up of 21 months (range, 6-45). Stent implantation for obstruction of the pulmonary or systemic venous return in patients after atrial redirection for TGA is safe and effective. Follow-up suggests excellent maintenance of patency. Interatrial defects can be closed with septal occluders despite atypical defect positions in these patients. Combined use of both devices in adjacent positions is feasible. These interventions help to avoid high-risk surgery.

In October and November 2010, six children and one woman were presented with symptoms of aseptic meningitis in Jena, Thuringia, Germany. Enterovirus RNA was detected in the cerebrospinal fluid of all patients by RT-PCR, and preliminary molecular typing revealed echovirus 18 (E-18) as causative agent. Virus isolates were obtained from stool samples of three patients and several contact persons. Again, most isolates were typed as E-18. In addition, coxsackievirus B5 (CV-B5) and echovirus 25 (E-25) were found to co-circulate. As only few complete E-18 sequences are available in GenBank, the entire genomes of these isolates were determined using direct RNA-sequencing technology. We did not find evidence for recombination between E-18, E-25 or CV-B5 during the outbreak. Viral protein 1 gene sequences and the cognate 3D polymerase gene sequences of each isolate and GenBank sequences were analysed in order to define type-specific recombination groups (recogroups).

Of the variables examined, environmental factors had a greater detrimental effect on child development than biological factors in this population. Interventions that enhance social capital and alleviate poverty are advocated.

Background and Purpose: Cardiac pathologies are the second most frequent risk factor (RF) in children with arterial ischemic stroke (AIS). This study aimed to analyze RFs for AIS in children with cardiac disease and cardiac intervention. Methods: Data were drawn from the Swiss Neuropediatric Stroke Registry. Patients with cardiac disease and postprocedural AIS registered from 2000 until 2015 were analyzed for the cause of cardiac disease and for potential RFs. Results: Forty-seven out of 78 children with cardiac disease had a cardiac intervention. Of these, 36 presented a postprocedural AIS. Median time from cardiac intervention to symptom onset was 4 days (interquartile range, 2–8.5); time to diagnosis of AIS was 2 days (interquartile range, 0–5.8). Main RFs for postprocedural AIS were hypotension, prosthetic cardiac material, right-to-left shunt, arrhythmias, low cardiac output, and infections. Conclusions: In children with postprocedural AIS, time to diagnosis was delayed. Most patients presented multiple potentially modifiable RFs as hemodynamic alterations and infections.