title: Ebstein's anomaly in adult patients over 50 years of age.
abstract: Ebstein's anomaly (EA) is a rare congenital heart disease of the tricuspid valve, and less than 5% of patients with EA survive beyond the age of 50. We report two unoperated cases of EA in adult patients aged over 50 years. Two patients, a 70-year-old Japanese woman and a 59-year-old Chinese woman, were referred to us for tachyarrhythmias. Transthoracic echocardiography demonstrated apical displacement (>8 mm/m(2) body surface area) of the septal leaflet of the tricuspid valve from the atrioventricular ring with tricuspid regurgitation in both patients. The former suddenly expired 20 months later after suffering from repetitive supraventricular tachyarrhythmias and/or heart failure, and the latter is alive with minimal signs of heart failure 12 months after the diagnosis of EA. Although the natural history of EA is extremely variable, these two patients are exceptional in that they tolerated EA well for over 50 years without any surgical intervention.
authors: Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Munakata Suikokai General Hospital.
authors: Shigeaki
authors: S
authors: Aoyagi
authors: Kiyonobu
authors: K
authors: Yoshitake
authors: Atsutoshi
authors: A
authors: Matsuo
authors: Kei-Ichiro
authors: K
authors: Tayama
authors: Satoru
authors: S
authors: Hida
authors: Takahiro
authors: T
authors: Mito
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004232:Diuretics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004437:Ebstein Anomaly / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D013610:Tachycardia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D013997:Time Factors; D014261:Tricuspid Valve / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014262:Tricuspid Valve Insufficiency / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents; D004232:Diuretics