Craniosynostosis is a developmental craniofacial anomaly, resulting in impairment of brain development and abnormally shaped skull. The main cause of craniosynostosis is premature closure of one or more cranial sutures. It usually occurs as an isolated condition, but may also be associated with other malformations as part of complex syndromes. When left untreated, craniosynostosis can cause serious complications, such as developmental delay, facial abnormality, sensory, respiratory and neurological dysfunction, anomalies affecting the eye, and psychological disturbances. Thus, early diagnosis, expert surgical techniques, postoperative care, and adequate follow-up are of vital importance in treating craniosynostosis.

No abstract

SUMMARYTo review the outcome of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) therapy in all implanted Slovenian patients with drug-resistant epilepsy, data on 48 patients implanted between 2001 and 2015 were obtained retrospectively from medical records. The outcome was assessed in 2016. Out of 48 patients, 39 responded at follow up. The seizure frequency was reduced in 18 (46.2%) patients; 13 (33.3%) of them reported ≥50% reduction after 12 months of therapy. The responder rate was higher among patients implanted before the age of six years. Ictal severity decreased in 22 (56.4%), seizure duration in 19 (48.7%) and post-ictal recovery time in 22 (56.4%) patients. Favorable effects on the quality of life (QOL) were improved alertness in 33.3%, concentration in 41.0%, energy and mood in 38.5%, and memory in 17.9% of patients. Reduced seizure burden and improved QOL were more often observed in patients implanted at a younger age. Shorter duration of epilepsy was significantly associated with QOL improvement. Adverse effects were transient. Overall positive effects showed VNS to be a safe, well-tolerated and effective adjunctive treatment in most severe drug-resistant epilepsy patients. Implantation at a younger age and shorter duration of epilepsy before implantation could be important predictors of better outcome.

Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Introduction Intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) is gaining increasingly wider adoption in interventional electrophysiology (EP) and represents an all-round tool for ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF). The key upgrade to the usefulness of ICE is its integration into three-dimensional (3D) electroanatomic mapping (EAM) system (ICE/EAM automatic integration system). Purpose The aim of this single-centre retrospective study was to evaluate feasibility, safety and acute efficacy of ICE/EAM automatic integration system guided fluoroless ablation of AF.  Methods Patients with symptomatic paroxysmal or persistent AF referred for first pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) from September 2017 to August 2020 were included in the study. Those who underwent additional ablations for concomitant arrhythmias were excluded from statistical analysis. All procedures were performed without the use of fluoroscopy. A detailed 3D virtual anatomy of the left atrium (LA) and structures relevant to AF ablation was constructed from ultrasound contours obtained with ICE probe inside the LA. Pulmonary veins (PVs) and antral regions were additionally mapped with fast anatomical mapping. PVI was performed with contact force (CF) sensing catheter. Procedural endpoint was successful PVI.  Results A total of 56 patients underwent RFCA (35.7% females, median age 62.7 years, 53.6% paroxysmal AF). Acute PVI was achieved in all patients (100%). Adverse events were detected in two patients (3.6%). The median procedure duration was 110.5 min (IQR 100.0-133.8). First-pass isolation was achieved in 50/56 LPVs (89.3%) and in 44/56 RPVs (78.6%). In patients where first-pass isolation was no achieved, intravenous carina had to be ablated in 3/6 (50%) of LPVs and 9/12 (75%) of RPVs.  Conclusions Flouroless PVI using ICE/EAM automatic integration system is feasible, safe and acutely effective. We achieved high rate of first-pass isolation.

Introduction The clinical presentation of cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) ranges from an incidentally discovered condition to heart failure with risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD). As there is no single reliable test for detecting CS, noninvasive multimodality imaging plays a crucial role in establishing the diagnosis and SCD risk-stratification. We present a case of a young patient diagnosed with CS in whom, on the basis of multiple imaging results, dual-chamber ICD for primary prevention was implanted outside practice guidelines. Case A 37-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital due to occasional palpitations and incidentally recorded nonsustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia (VT). One year ago she was diagnosed with pulmonary sarcoidosis and was put on methylprednisolone; ECG, 24-h Holter monitoring and echocardiogram were normal. In the present admission control echocardiogram, with the exception of decreased longitudinal deformation of the basal and mid segments of the infero- and anterolateral left ventricle (LV) wall, was unremarkable. However, cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) showed sub-epicardial late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) along the lower third of the antero- and inferolateral LV free wall and in the apical lateral segment of LV. Apart from some focal metabolically active lesions in the lungs and liver, fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography with computed tomography (FDG PET/CT) displayed increased metabolic activity in the apical half of the antero- and infero-lateral segments of the LV. On the basis of this results CS was confirmed. Given the age, reduced longitudinal strain, notable LV LGE presence and increased cardiac metabolic activity, dual-chamber ICD to prevent SCD and possible bradycardia risk was implanted. The patient continued with immunosupressive therapy; 8 mg of methylprednisolone every other day. Conclusion In our case, integrated multimodality imaging played a crucial role in establishing CS diagnosis and SCD risk stratification. A comprehensive evaluation of patients with CS is vital for making the best clinical decisions.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract