CT of two hearts beating in one chest.
OBJECTIVE
Because of the improvements in cardiac transplantation technology, pharmacology, and diagnostic imaging, the survival rate of patients who have undergone heterotopic heart transplantation has significantly increased, which makes postoperative evaluation of these patients increasingly important. Monitoring patients who have undergone heterotopic heart transplantation is technically more demanding than those who have undergone orthotopic heart transplantation because it is more difficult to monitor two hearts beating in one chest. In this article, we describe and evaluate cardiac and vascular anatomy and the status of the lungs in patients who have undergone heterotopic heart transplantation.


CONCLUSIONS
ECG-gated cardiac CT has proven to be particularly important in evaluating the complex anatomy and anastomoses of the donor and recipient hearts as well as the postoperative follow-up status of the two hearts, the cardiac arteries and great vessels, and the lungs, ultimately contributing to the prolonged survival of heterotopic heart transplantation patients.
Lai
Hsin-Yi
HY
Department of Medical Imaging, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Chen
Jeon-Hor
JH
Chiu
Kuan-Ming
KM
Wang
Kao-Lun
KL
Cheung
Wing-Keung
WK
Li
Ai-Hsien
AH
Chu
Shu-Hsun
SH
D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery*; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*