• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.242-246
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• 2012

A 3-year-old castrated male Korean domestic short-haired cat (weighing 5.2 kg) was referred to the Kangwon National University Veterinary Teaching Hospital, with primary complaints of ascites, pleural effusion and respiratory distress. Diagnostic studies revealed marked chylous and hemorrhagic pleural effusion, cardiomegaly, restrictive filling pattern of transmitral flow and mitral annular tissue Doppler profiles and minimally thickened left ventricular free wall. Based on the echocardiographic findings, the case was tentatively diagnosed as restrictive cardiomyopathy. The case was treated with removal of pleural effusion and medical therapy including furosemide, enalapril, sildenafil, clopidogrel. This is the first case report of restrictive cardiomyopathy in Korea.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.189-194
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• 2012

We report a case of cardiac lymphoma in a 40-year-old man, who had a mediastinal mass which was diagnosed as sclerosing mediastinitis pathologically. The mediastinal mass caused right pulmonary arterial stenosis. The patient developed myocardial hypertrophy and echocardiography showed restrictive physiology and severely decreased left ventricle ejection fraction, 6 months later. MRI showed global left ventricular myocardial hypertrophy and diffuse late gadolinium hyperenhancement after administration of contrast material. Thus, non-ischemic cardiomyopathy was suspected on MRI. However, pathology confirmed the myocardial abnormality as lymphoma after myocardial biopsy. Because a basal part of the left ventricle and global subendocardial myocardium were not involved on contrast-enhanced delayed MRI, the MRI abnormalities could be differentiated from amyloidosis and other myocardial diseases. The peculiar non-mass forming diffuse hypertrophy pattern of cardiac lymphoma has not been known in the MRI literature.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.30 no.9
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• pp.876-884
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• 1997

Fourteen patients underwent orthotopic heart transplantation between March 1994 and May 1996 in Seoul National University Hospital. There were 9 male and 5 female patients, and the mean age was 40.8 $\pm$ 12.4 years ranged from 12 to 56 years. All patient were in NYHA Fc III or IV preoperatively. The underlying heart diseases were dilated cardiomyopathy in 11 and restrictive cardiomyopathy in 3. The mean age of donors was 24.9$\pm$ 10.2 years and the causes of the brain death were head trauma by traffic accidents in 8, subarachnoid hemorrhage in 2, 1 asphyxia, 1 fall down injury, 1 brain tumo , and 1 drowning, respectively The blood type was identical in 11, compatible in 2, and incompatible in 1 patient. The direct bicaval anastomosis technique was used in 11 cases, and standard right atrial anastomosis was done in the remaining 3 cases. The graft ischemic time was 158$\pm$44 minutes ranged 94 to 220 minutes. There were two hospital deaths(14.3%). The causes of deaths were 1 right ventricular failure followed by suspected cyclosporine induced hemolytic uremic syndrome and rejection, and 1 delayed massive bleeding, probably from rupture of the anastomotic pseudoaneurysm, respectively. The follow-up duration was 16$\pm$9 months(3 to 28 months). There was one late death(8.3%). All the other patients were in NYHA Fc I except one patient who was in hospital because of the acute rejection. The actuarial survival rates including hospital deaths were 93.7% at 1 month, 86.9% at 6 months, and 77$\pm$12% at 2 years. Conclusively, heart transplantation is the good strategy for the management of end stage heart disease with acceptable operative mortality and early follow-up results.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.40 no.4 s.273
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• pp.297-300
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• 2007

Idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome is a rare systemic, leukoproliferative disorder characterized by eosinophilmediated tissue injury causing multiple organ failure, including the heart. Cardiac involvement occurs in more than 75% of patients with hypereosinophilic syndrome. Cardiac manifestations include subendocardial fibrosis, thrombus leading to peripheral emboli, restrictive cardiomyopathy, and valvular dysfunction. It is more common in men than in women (9 : 1), and trends to present between the ages of 20 and 50 years. Presentation in childhood is unusual. We report for the first time a case of a 58-year-old man with idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome manifested by prosthetic aortic valve dysfunction that was successfully treated by steroid and hydroxyurea therapy after surgical valvular replacement.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.50 no.8
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• pp.774-780
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• 2007

Purpose : The anthracyclines (AC) are widely used chemotherapeutic agents for pediatric cancers. However, the therapeutic use of these agents is limited by their cardiotoxicity. The aim of the present study was to investigate the usefulness of plasma B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels as a marker for AC-induced cardiotoxicity compared to echocardiography in Korean children with cancer. Methods : Fifty-five pediatric cancer patients who had received chemotherapy including AC were enrolled. The cumulative AC doses, clinical symptoms, and two echocardiography parameters, left ventricular fractional shortening (LVFS) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), were studied and compared with plasma BNP levels. Results : In 55 patients, plasma BNP levels were measured 115 times and echocardiographies were performed 64 times. The median cumulative dose of AC was $325mg/m^2$ (range 120-600; mean 345) and the median plasma BNP level was 10 pg/mL (range 5-950; mean 31). The cumulative AC doses correlated significantly with the plasma BNP levels (P=0.002). The plasma BNP levels correlated significantly with LVFS (P=0.018) and LVEF (P=0.025). Dilated cardiomyopathies were identified in three patients. LVFS and LVEF decreased and plasma BNP levels increased in a patient with acute dilated cardiomyopathy and in that with symptomatic chronic dilated cardiomyopathy. However, LVFS, LVEF and plasma BNP levels were normal in a patient with asymptomatic chronic dilated cardiomyopathy. Conclusion : The results of this study demonstrated that plasma BNP levels could be used as a marker for AC-induced cardiotoxicity; they showed good correlation with echocardiography findings in pediatric cancer patients. Plasma BNP levels may be used for the detection and management of AC-induced cardiotoxicity in Korean children with cancer.