Special supplement of the Cor et Vasa journal focused on case reportsEditorial

Michael Aschermann

Cor Vasa 2025, 67(Suppl.3) | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2025.088  

Late-onset acute limb ischemia after transcatheter patent foramen ovale closure with Occlutech Figulla Flex II PFO OccluderCase reports

Juraj Dúbrava, Maria Hajzoková, Erika Drangová, Ivo Gašparovič

Cor Vasa 2025, 67(Suppl.3):89-92 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2025.078  

Background: Thrombus formation is an exceedingly rare complication after transcatheter patent foramen ovale (PFO) occlusion. To the best of the authors' knowledge, a case of late symptomatic thrombosis of Occlutech Figulla Flex II PFO occluder has not yet been published. Case presentation: A 45-year-old man with a history of peripheral artery embolism, and subsequent PFO closure with Occlutech Figulla Flex II PFO occluder. The patient completed dual antiplatelet therapy with clopidogrel (75 mg/day) and aspirin (100 mg/day) after 6 months and subsequently continued single antiplatelet therapy (SAPT) with clopidogrel for other eight months. Five...

Giant Right Ventricle Myxoma Presenting as Right Heart Failure - a Case ReportCase reports

Štefan Lukačín, Tomáš Toporcer, Vilém Rohn, Pavel Kočan, Anton Bereš, Marián Homola, Michal Trebišovský, Adrián Kolesár

Cor Vasa 2025, 67(Suppl.3):83-88 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2025.034  

Introduction: Primary cardiac tumors are generally a very rare condition, with an incidence of only 0.0001% to 0.3% in autopsies. Despite the fact that myxoma is the most common primary heart tumor, fewer than 5% of myxomas, which vary in size, occur in the ventricles. Case report: A 19-year-old patient with an unremarkable medical history presented with a one-month history of exertional dyspnea, fatigue, facial edema, and palpitations. Echocardiography recorded a mass measur- ing 60 × 70 mm in the right ventricle, spontaneous echo contrast in the right atrium, a maximum blood flow velocity in the pulmonary trunk of 3 m/s, enlargement of right atrium...

From weak knees to a troubled heart - a case of severe autonomic dysfunction in Guillain-Barré syndromeCase reports

Adriana Pacheco, Leandra Fagundes, José Beato Coelho, Raquel Ferreira, Ana Briosa

Cor Vasa 2025, 67(Suppl.3):80-82 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2025.017  

Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) is an autoimmune inflammatory disease of the peripheral nervous system, often preceded by respiratory or gastrointestinal infection. A serious complication is autonomic dysfunction, particularly cardiovascular, manifesting as blood pressure fluctuations, arrhythmias, and electrocardiographic changes. Myocardial infarction is rare and its diagnosis may be challenging in this setting. We report the case of a 67-year-old man with a recent upper respiratory infection who presented with progressive weakness of the lower limbs. He rapidly developed tetraparesis, dysphagia, respiratory failure, and acute pulmonary edema, accompanied...

A Rare Case of Carotidynia: Aneurysm and Kinking of the Left Internal Carotid ArteryCase reports

Ali Maksut Aykut, Metin Onur Beyaz, Okan Eren Kuguoglu, Didem Melis Oztas, Murat Ugurlucan

Cor Vasa 2025, 67(Suppl.3):76-79 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2025.043  

Chronic neck pain can be attributed to various etiologies, including carotidynia, a relatively rare condition characterized by pain in the region overlying the carotid artery attributed to underlying vascular pathologies. In this case report, we present the case of a 47-year-old female patient who experienced chronic neck pain and was diagnosed with left internal carotid artery aneurysm and kinking. Surgical reconstruction was performed, resulting in a successful outcome without neurological complications. This case highlights the importance of early diagnosis and appropriate surgical intervention of an aneurysm and kinking of the left internal carotid...

Thoracic aortic aneurysm with an aberrant right subclavian artery and truncus bicaroticusCase reports

Carlos Daniel Quintana Baños, Štefan Lukačín, Tomáš Toporcer, Adrián Kolesár, Matej Moščovič, Peter Šafár

Cor Vasa 2025, 67(Suppl.3):71-75 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2025.036  

Introduction: Arteria lusoria, or aberrant right subclavian artery (ARSA), is an anomaly of origin of the supra-aortic branches with an estimated incidence of 0.2-1.7%. 8% of these patients with ARSA go on to develop a thoracic aortic aneurysm, in contrast to 4.4% of the population without an aortic arch anomaly. Case report: This case report presents a 56-year-old male, without associated comorbidities, who presented with an aortic arch anomaly composed of a truncus bicaroticus with a concomitant aberrant right subclavian artery without Komerell diverticulum and with a retroesophageal course, in association with an extensively calcified saccular aneurysm...

Surgical correction of partial anomalous pulmonary venous return in a patient with persistent left superior vena cava: cannulation techniques and challengesCase reports

Andrej Domonkos, Panagiotis Artemiou, Štefan Durdík, Ivo Gašparovič, Michal Hulman

Cor Vasa 2025, 67(Suppl.3):68-70 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2025.023  

Partial anomalous pulmonary venous return (PAPVR) associated with a sinus venosus atrial septal defect (SVASD) and a persistent left superior vena cava (PLSVC) presents significant surgical challenges. These anomalies require careful planning of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and venous cannulation strategies. A 38-year-old woman presented with a history of supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) and a hemodynamically significant left-to-right shunt (Qp : Qs = 1.87) due to SVASD and PAPVR. Preoperative imaging revealed drainage of the right upper pulmonary vein into the PLSVC. The patient underwent successful surgical cor- rection using the double-patch technique...

Chronic Venous Insufficiency in a 55-Year-Old Female: Highlighting Overlooked Cases for Increased AwarenessCase reports

Nathania Nathania, Fadhilah Mahrus Tauhid, Jesselyn Wijaya, Attaillah Moza, Al Fatih Muhammad Ismail, Georaldhy Yussufy Caecarma, Niko Azhari Hidayat

Cor Vasa 2025, 67(Suppl.3):63-67 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2025.014  

Introduction: Chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) is a prevalent condition characterized by impaired venous flow leading to venous hypertension. This dysfunction often results from valve failure due to varicose veins, deep vein damage, or vein wall weakness influenced by altered collagen and elastin. CVI manifests as dilated veins, leg edema, pain, and skin changes. Despite its significant impact, CVI remains underdiagnosed and undertreated, often progressing to postphlebitic syndrome and venous ulcers. This study aims to highlight the prevalence of CVI in this high-risk population and to provide insights into effective preventive measures and management...

Off label treatment of intraabdominal dissection with iliac stent graft extension. A case reportCase reports

Alexander Daskalov, Boris Ilchev, Boryana Minkova

Cor Vasa 2025, 67(Suppl.3):60-62 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2024.093  

Aortic dissection limited to the abdominal aorta is an uncommon condition, accounting for only 1% to 4% of all aortic dissections. There is limited evidence on the optimal management of symptomatic isolated abdominal aortic dissections (IAAD). The two primary interventional methods are open surgery and the endovascular approach. Treating nonaneurysmal aortic disease is challenging with conventional stent-graft systems due to limb competition in a narrow distal aorta. This case report describes our clinical experience with an off-label endovascular treatment for an asymptomatic infrarenal aortic dissection, accompanied by severe aortic atherosclerosis,...

(Popliteal vein aneurysm in a patient with pulmonary embolism)Case reports

Anežka Neumannová, Jan Kuchař

Cor Vasa 2025, 67(Suppl.3):55-59 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2025.013  

Pulmonary embolism as a manifestation of venous thromboembolism is the third most common acute cardiovascular disease. The most common source of pulmonary embolism is deep vein thrombosis of the lower extremities. In a certain percentage of cases, this is not identified by ultrasound examination; however, another anomaly of the venous system may be detected as a probable source of embolus. In the case of our patient with manifest thromboembolism, it is a large, so far completely asymptomatic aneurysm of the popliteal vein. It is a rare, poorly documented venous pathology with a non-uniform therapeutic approach. In our case, a surgical solution was...

Rare Cause of Acute Coronary Syndrome in a Young Female Patient: Coronary EmbolismCase reports

Amr Youssef Hassan, Ahmed Esmail Fathalla, Ahmed Mohy El-Din Mahmoud, Hussien Heshmat Kassem

Cor Vasa 2025, 67(Suppl.3):51-54 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2025.045  

Background: Coronary embolization in patients with mechanical prosthesis as a cause of coronary artery occlusion has been considered a rare condition with unknown incidence. Moreover, there is a lack of consensus for effective treatment and management of coronary emboli in this setting. Discussion: This case demonstrated coronary embolization may complicate mechanical thrombus with suboptimal INR levels and can be successfully treated with percutaneous angioplasty.

The RAC, bleb, and crossed aorta signs: retroaortic anomalous coronary artery visualization by transthoracic echocardiographyCase reports

Victoria Vannoni, Sofia Inclan, Daiana Cattaneo, José Guillén, Alejandro Diaz

Cor Vasa 2025, 67(Suppl.3):47-50 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2025.089  

Transthoracic echocardiography is a useful screening tool for identifying congenital coronary artery (CA) anomalies. It has effectively dispelled the notion that CA anatomy cannot be identified noninvasively. There are three recognized echocardiographic signs associated with anomalous left coronary artery. These signs are the retroaortic circumflex (RAC) sign, the blew sign, and the crossed aorta sign. The RAC sign is highly specific and should strongly indicate an anomalous coronary artery on echocardiogram reports. However, it is crucial to distinguish it from similar-looking structures. Therefore, coronary computed tomography angiography is recommended...

Double-vessel disease of acute myocardial infarction in a 27-year-old young female: a case reportCase reports

Okky Wahyu Firmansyah, Christian Pramudita Budianto, Pandit Bagus Tri Saputra, Faizal Ablansah Anandita

Cor Vasa 2025, 67(Suppl.3):41-46 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2025.077  

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is an uncommon occurrence in young people. Furthermore, females suffering from AMI reported much lower rates due to poor symptom recognition, less defined "atypical" chest pain, and some normal angiographic findings. However, recent studies have highlighted an increase in the incidence of AMI in younger patients with single-vessel disease, which is the most prevalent angiographic feature. To date, AMI in young females has received less study, especially in cases of double-vessel disease. The present case study aims to contribute to the existing body of knowledge by offering a detailed analysis of a young female patient...

Catheter ablation of a right lateral accessory pathway using ibutilide: a case reportCase reports

Michele Di Silvestro, Marco Lo Presti, Rosario Bonanno, Giulia Laterra, Marco Barbanti

Cor Vasa 2025, 67(Suppl.3):37-40 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2025.037  

Introduction: Catheter ablation of an accessory pathway can be challenging in patients with recurrent episodes of atrial fibrillation. The use of antiarrhythmics can significantly interfere with the accessory pathway, making its catheter mapping impossible. Methods: This case report describes the use of ibutilide to prevent atrial fibrillation during endocardial catheter mapping and ablation of a right lateral accessory pathway in a young patient without significantly interfering on accessory pathway. Conclusion: Successful catheter mapping and ablation of a right accessory pathway in a young patient with episodes of atrial fibrillation using ibutilide.

Epicardial Pacing Lead Implantation in Complete Heart Block as a Manifestation of Cardiac Mass: Case ReportCase reports

Cornelia Ghea, Rerdin Julario, Budi Baktijasa Dharmadjati, Ragil Nur Rosyadi, Muhammad Rafdi Amadis, Ruth Irena Gunadi, Makhyan Jibril Al-Farabi

Cor Vasa 2025, 67(Suppl.3):31-36 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2025.025  

Background: Atrioventricular (AV) conduction abnormalities can manifest with a wide spectrum of clinical presentations, ranging from asymptomatic cases to severe bradycardia-associated symptoms. While transvenous pacemaker implantation is widely regarded for its minimal invasiveness and clinical efficacy, this approach may be contraindicated in patients with anatomical anomalies or significant comorbidities. This report presents a rare case of an intracardiac mass obstructing the AV conduction pathway, where the conventional transvenous approach was not feasible. In such complex scenarios, epicardial pacemaker implantation emerges as the most suitable...

Successful Implantation of a Dual-Chamber Permanent Pacemaker in a Patient with Persistent Left Superior Vena Cava and Absence of Right Superior Vena Cava: Tips and TricksCase reports

Vahid Demir, Oguz Yildirim, Pinar Keskin, Murat Gul, Halil Aktas, Sinan Inci

Cor Vasa 2025, 67(Suppl.3):28-30 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2024.100  

An absent right superior vena cava associated with persistent left superior vena cava (PLSVC) is a rare and generally asymptomatic congenital malformation. It is usually discovered incidentally during pacemaker (PM) implantation. In this report, we describe our experience with implanting a dual-chamber pacemaker in a patient with such complex anatomy and the clinical value of peripheral phlebography for clearly describing venous anatomy in the surgical room. In particular, we highlight the methods used to ensure correct lead positioning.

A multifaceted prosthetic valve infective endocarditisCase reports

Mario Di Marino, b†, Eugenio Genovesi, Alessandro Corazzini, Roberta Magnano, Alberto D'Alleva, Sabina Gallina, Massimo Di Marco

Cor Vasa 2025, 67(Suppl.3):24-27 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2025.021  

Infective endocarditis is a significant public health challenge, with high mortality and morbidity. A 79-year-old man, post-aortic bioprosthetic implantation, presented with chest pain. An electrocardiogram indicated anterior ST-elevation myocardial infarction. Urgent coronary angiography showed critical left anterior descending artery stenosis, treated with angioplasty and a drug-eluting stent. Transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiograms revealed nosocomial endocarditis on the aortic bioprosthetic and a significant peri-prosthetic abscess. Blood cultures identified multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus haemolyticus. Despite surgical recommendations,...

Effusive-constrictive pericarditis following mild COVID-19: a case of combined surgical and medical therapyCase reports

Adriana Pacheco, Ana Faustino, Raquel Ferreira, Ana Briosa

Cor Vasa 2025, 67(Suppl.3):20-23 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2025.018  

SARS-CoV-2 infection, initially perceived as a respiratory illness, is now recognized to cause cardiovascular complications, including rare cases of effusive-constrictive pericarditis. We present a case of a 45-year-old male who developed effusive-constrictive pericarditis following mild COVID-19. The patient was initially admitted with acute pericarditis and moderate pericardial effusion, treated with ibuprofen and colchicine. Two weeks later, he returned with worsening symptoms of heart failure, including orthopnea, edema, and fatigue. Echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) revealed findings consistent with effusive-constrictive pericarditis...

Silent Armor Around the Heart: Calcific Pericarditis in a Young Man: A Case ReportCase reports

Songül Usalp, Sati Selda Pirinç, Süleyman Kürşad Özel, Ege Alp Dğdeviren, Elif Karatekin

Cor Vasa 2025, 67(Suppl.3):17-19 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2025.042  

A 48-year-old male patient was admitted to the emergency room complaining of stomach pain and fatigue. He had no known comorbid diseases, was a non-smoker, and had no family history of heart disease or any other disease. Electrocardiography and X-ray were normal, but a thoracic computerized tomography scan revealed mild pericardial effusion, thickening, and calcification at the base of the heart. Transthoracic echocardiography showed mild pericardial effusion around the pericardium, thickening, and increased echogenicity. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging confirmed pericardial effusion and thickening. The findings were consistent with constrictive...

(Infective endocarditis with an atypical causative agent Tropheryma whipplei or Whipple's endocarditis)Case reports

Kristýna Tůmová, Marek Šebo, Petr Fila, Petr Němec

Cor Vasa 2025, 67(Suppl.3):12-16 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2025.028  

Infective endocarditis (IE) is an inflammatory disease of the endocardium, most commonly caused by pathogens such as Staphylococcus spp., Streptococcus spp., and Enterococcus spp. However, in some cases, the causative organisms are difficult to culture, resulting in blood culture-negative endocarditis (BCNE). One of the rare pathogens associated with BCNE is Tropheryma whipplei, the bacterium responsible for Whipple's disease. When T. whipplei infects the endocardium without other systemic manifestations, the condition is referred to as Whipple's endocarditis. Tropheryma whipplei is a rare cause of IE that often presents...

Brucella prosthetic valve endocarditis: A case studyCase reports

Hüseyin Döngelli, Ahmet Ünal, İsmail Eray Aygün, Ebru Özpelit, Mustafa Oktay Tarhan

Cor Vasa 2025, 67(Suppl.3):7-11 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2024.109  

Brucella bacteria are Gram-negative coccobacilli that typically cause brucellosis, presenting with nonspecific symptoms like fever, fatigue, and arthralgia. It is a multisystem disease that can lead to complications, with brucella endocarditis being the most common cardiovascular manifestation, though rare. Brucella endocarditis accounts for 80% of brucellosis-related deaths, often due to heart failure. The disease is primarily contracted through unpasteurized dairy products. Diagnosing brucellosis can be challenging due to its diverse clinical features. Brucella-related prosthetic valve endocarditis is particularly rare and presents unique diagnostic...

(Current position of beta-blockers in acute cardiac care)Review articles

Tomáš Hnát^*, Petr Kala^*, Dagmar Vondráková, Petr Ošťádal

Cor Vasa 2025, 67(Suppl.2):33-39 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2025.058  

Beta-adrenergic blocking agents represent one of the cornerstones of pharmacotherapy in cardiology. This review article describes the effect of beta-blockers on the cardiovascular system, compares different types of currently available medications and discusses the use of beta-blockers in the most common acute situations encountered in cardiac intensive care units.

(Beta-blockers in cardiac arrythmias)Review articles

Miloš Táborský, Milena Kubíčková

Cor Vasa 2025, 67(Suppl.2):26-31 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2025.048  

Beta-blockers have long been among the basic antiarrhythmic drugs. They are indicated for practically all types of arrhythmias except bradycardias. It is a large group of antiarrhythmic drugs that differ in their pharmacokinetic and chemical properties. Some of them block beta-adrenergic receptors selectively, while others act non-selectively. As a result, they reduce the influence of the sympathetic nervous system on the heart, have negative inotropic, chronotropic, bathmotropic and dromotropic effects. Although they have been present in medicine since the early 1960s, they still play a crucial role in the treatment of cardiac arrhyth- mias. They...

(Beta-blockers in the treatment of hypertension)Review articles

Renata Cífková

Cor Vasa 2025, 67(Suppl.2):18-25 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2025.047  

Beta-blockers are currently among the five major classes of antihypertensive drugs with a proven reduction in cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality. The latest recommendations of the European Society of Hypertension (ESH) have reassessed their position in the treatment of hypertension and have included them among the drugs of the first choice in the treatment of hypertension. Prevention of cardiovascular (CV) complications in hypertension has been documented by large clinical trials for atenolol, metoprolol, oxprenolol, and propranolol. Beta-blockers are widely used in the management of hypertension accompanied by comorbidities such as chronic...

(Beta-blockers in the secondary prevention of myocardial infarction with respect to recent results of ABYSS and REDUCE-AMI trials)Review articles

Petr Janský

Cor Vasa 2025, 67(Suppl.2):14-17 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2025.049  

Beta-blockers the prognosis patients myocardial Their is in who signs cardiac or ventricular However, to European the positive also in patients. of that shown a in and have conducted patients major attacks at time diagnosis modern and acute long were available. new trials needed investigate the benefits in with left systolic who being with pharmacotherapy. The contradictory results of the recently published REDUCE-AMI and ABYSS studies do not cur- rently warrant a change in the recommendations for secondary prevention of myocardial infarction.

(Current view on beta-blockers in the therapy of heart failure)Review articles

Filip Málek

Cor Vasa 2025, 67(Suppl.2):7-13 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2024.106  

Beta-blockers are drugs demonstrably modifying course of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. Beta-blockers reduce all cause mortality, risk of sudden death and risk of death due to worsening of heart failure. They reduce cardiovascular mortality and risk of hospitalizations; they influence morbidity of the patients positively. The treatment is usually well tolerated. It is necessary to reach maximal tolerated drug dose, the effect is dose-dependent. Beta-blockers rightfully belong to the group of fundamental drugs for the treatment of heart failure.

(Beta-blockers in cardiovascular diseases 2025 - editorial)Editorial

Jiří Vítovec

Cor Vasa 2025, 67(Suppl.2):5-6 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2025.060  

(2024 ESC Guidelines for the management of elevated blood pressure and hypertension)
Translation of the document prepared by the Czech Association of Preventive Cardiology of the Czech Society of CardiologyGuidelines

Miloš Táborský, Aleš Linhart, Eva Kociánová, McEvoy JW, McCarthy CP, Bruno RM, Brouwers S, Canavan MD, Ceconi C, Christodorescu RM, Daskalopoulou SS, Ferro CJ, Gerdts E, Hanssen H, Harris J, Lauder L, McManus RJ, Molloy GJ, Rahimi K, Regitz-Zagrosek V, Rossi GP, Sandset EC, Scheenaerts B, Staessen JA, Uchmanowicz I, Volterrani M, Touyz RM

Cor Vasa 2025, 67(Suppl.1):4-88 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2025.003  

Štěpán Havránek a kol. Praktická arytmologieBook reviews

Prof. MUDr. Michael Aschermann, DrSc., FACC, FESC

Cor Vasa 2025, 67(3):416 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2025.069  

Miroslav Souček, Bohuslav Kianička, editoři: Vnitřní lékařství 1. díl, 2. díl.Book reviews

Prof. MUDr. Jan Petrášek, DrSc.

Cor Vasa 2025, 67(3):414-415 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2025.068