Cardiovascular Journal of Africa

Case Reports

Echocardiographic diagnosis of a pulmonary artery sling: what kept it hidden for seven years?

Pulmonary artery sling (PAS) is a rare cardiovascular anomaly, occurring in approximately 1 in 17,000 individuals, often leading to severe tracheal compression and respiratory distress. This case report details the diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of a seven-year-old female patient with PAS, a condition that remained undiagnosed for years despite multiple hospitalisations.

Late mediastinal haematoma compressing the left atrium after circumflex artery perforation

Mediastinal hematoma is a very rare complication during percutaneous coronary interventions. It is almost always observed because of large artery injuries when the radial route is used, and symptoms manifest themselves in the acute setting. In this case, we presented a mediastinal hematoma occurred at the late phase of coronary artery perforation through a femoral access.

Anomalous aortic origin of the coronary arteries: a presentation of three cases and review of the literature

In this retrospective review of three patients presenting with anomalous aortic origin of the coronary arteries (AAOCA), we sought to highlight the varying presentations, discuss the optimal diagnostic imaging strategy and review current guidelines on the management of this condition. Over a one-year period three patients with AAOCA were identified. Pertinent data were extracted from case records...

An unexpected diagnosis: Brugada Syndrome in a healthy Kenyan male athlete

In this report, we describe an unexpected finding of Brugada Syndrome (BrS) in a young Kenyan athlete presenting with multiple episodes of syncope. This diagnosis could be the index case of BrS in the country, a diagnosis that is well described in Asia and the West, but rarely in Sub-Saharan Africa. A healthy 25-year-old male patient was referred by his teammate for episodes of syncope while...

Cutaneous rupture of infected carotid artery pseudoaneurysm following neck dissection and radiotherapy for thyroid cancer

We report a case of a 72-year-old man with advanced thyroid cancer who presented with massive neck bleeding from a ruptured infected pseudoaneurysm of the left common carotid artery, following radical neck dissection and radiotherapy. Due to active haemorrhage, tissue infection, and haemodynamic instability, endovascular treatment was contraindicated. Emergency surgical ligation of the left...