0000000000863189
AUTHOR
Gaetano Gargiulo
What have we learnt 50 years after the first Fontan procedure?
The Fontan procedure is often the only definitive palliative surgical option for patients with a variety of complex CHD sharing in common, a single, dominant ventricle. In recent decades, imaging and therapeutic improvement have played a crucial role in those patients in whom many complications can hamper their life. After 50 years from the first procedure, heart transplantation remains the only definitive treatment for those with a failing Fontan circulation.
Recurrent respiratory infections caused by a double aortic arch: The diagnostic role of spirometry
AbstractA young woman with a clinical history characterized by recurrent respiratory infections, occurring since early infancy, was referred to our hospital. When the patient was a young girl, she underwent sweat chloride test, serum analysis of immunoglobulins, and evaluation of blood lymphocyte subsets; all these diagnostic tests were normal, as well as chest X ray aside from pneumonia episodes. Skin prick tests were positive for several different allergens, and a diagnosis of allergic rhinitis was made. At the age of 11 years, she started to complain of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms, and a gastroscopy detected a hiatal hernia with esophagitis. Despite pharmacologic trea…