Echocardiographic segmental approach to complex congenital heart disease in the neonate

A segmental echocardiographic approach to complex congenital heart disease in the neonate allows accurate and precise assessment of intracardiac, as well as extracardiac, anomalies. Determination of abnormalities of atrial and visceral situs, as well as the cardiac situs, provides a fundamental background for the echocardiographic examination. Subsequently, a segmental approach allows precise determination of abnormalities of atrioventricular and ventricular great artery connections. Recent echocardiographic advances including high-frequency (7.5 and 10 MHz) and color flow imaging capabilities have dramatically improved our ability to accurately define abnormalities of anatomy and connection in the neonate. These advances now have expanded our previous echocardiographic criteria and allow application of the echocardiographic segmental approach to characterize complex congenital heart disease in the neonate.     

Color Flow Doppler Observations on Mitral Valve Flow in Tamponade

We studied the M-mode and two-dimensional imaging of color Doppler mitral flow in eight patients with pericardial effusion and tamponade, and in ten control subjects. Pulsed-Doppler recordings of mitral flow were also obtained in all. Marked phasic changes (presumably respiratory) were consistently recorded in all patients with tamponade with respect to brightness, hue, width (duration), and length of the M-mode Doppler color stream; in these patients, phasic changes were noted in width, length, and color of the mitral flow stream on the two-dimensionalechocardiographic recording, with reciprocal changes in tricuspid flow. In the normal subjects, only minimal fluctuations in these color Doppler characteristics were present. Phasic differences in flow velocity of mitral flow by pulsed Doppler were found between the tamponade and the control groups. Large phasic fluctuations in various characteristics of color Doppler mitral flow on M-mode and two-dimensional imaging may constitute yet another echocardiographic sign of tamponade. (ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, Volume 8, September 1991)     

心力衰竭患者心脏机械运动周期时间变化的临床研究

目的应用超声组织多普勒的方法研究心力衰竭(简称心衰)患者心动周期各个间期的比例变化。方法对18例心衰患者(心衰组)及30例健康志愿者(对照组),在静息下标准四腔切面,测量左右心室基底段,同一心动周期中等容收缩期、快速射血期、减速射血期、等容舒张期、快速充盈期、舒张后期及心房收缩期,并换算成在收缩期和舒张期的比例。结果对照组左右心室收缩期和舒张期在心动周期的比例相同,心衰组左室收缩期和舒张期比例无明显变化,右室收缩期比例减小(43.29%±6.64%vs 38.98%±7.05%,P<0.05);在收缩期内,左室等容收缩期和快速射血期比例增加而慢速射血期比例减少,右室等容收缩期比例增加,快速射血期比例减少,慢速射血期比例不变;在舒张期内,左右心室等容舒张期比例均增加,右室快速充盈时间比例显著下降,左室无明显下降,左室舒张后期时间比例下降而右室增加,右室心房收缩时间比例下降而左室增加。对照组左右心室之间各个间期均有非常显著的差异,心衰患者左右心室之间的差异明显减小。结论心衰时心动周期的各个间期的分布比例与正常对照相比存在显著差异。左右心室之间各个间期的差异在正常对照非常显著,心衰时减小。     

Effusive-Constrictive Pericarditis After Pericardiocentesis: Incidence,Associated Findings,and Natural History

Objectives

This study sought to investigate the incidence, associated findings, and natural history of effusive-constrictive pericarditis (ECP) after pericardiocentesis.

Binocular visual-field loss increases the risk of future falls in older white women

OBJECTIVES: To examine the relationship between binocular visual field loss and the risk of incident frequent falls in older white women. DESIGN: A multicenter, prospective cohort study. SETTING: Four clinic centers within the United States in Baltimore, Maryland; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Portland, Oregon; and the Monongahela Valley, Pennsylvania. PARTICIPANTS: Four thousand seventy-one community-dwelling white women aged 70 and older participating in the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures. MEASUREMENTS: Primary outcome was incident frequent falls, defined as two or more falls within 1 year. Primary risk factors were binocular visual field loss, distance visual acuity in the better eye, and contrast sensitivity at low spatial frequency in the better eye. RESULTS: Of 4,071 women, 409 (10%) had severe binocular visual field loss at the eye examination, and 643 (16%) experienced frequent falls within 1 year after their eye examination. Severe binocular visual field loss was significantly associated with frequent falls when adjusting for age, study site, and cognitive function (odds ratio=1.50, 95% confidence interval=1.11-2.02). The data showed a trend for increasing odds of two or more falls with greater binocular visual field loss (P<.001). In older white women with severe binocular visual field loss, 33.3% of frequent falls were attributable to visual field loss. CONCLUSION: Women with binocular visual field loss are at greater risk of future frequent falls. Screening for binocular visual field loss may identify individuals at high risk of falling.     

Pulsed Doppler tissue imaging can help to identify patients with right ventricular infarction

This study was planned to assess whether tissue Doppler imaging is a useful method for the detection of the right ventricular myocardial infarction. Forty-eight patients with acute inferior myocardial infarction and 24 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were included in this study. Twenty-four patients had electrocardiographic signs of inferior myocardial infarction without right ventricular infarction (group I), and the other 24 patients had electrocardiographic signs of inferior myocardial infarction with right ventricular infarction (group II). From the echocardiographic apical four-chamber view, peak systolic, early diastolic, and late diastolic velocities of the tricuspid annulus at the right ventricular free wall were recorded with the use of pulsed-wave Doppler tissue imaging. The tricuspid annular peak tissue Doppler imaging systolic velocity was significantly lower in group I (14.03 ± 2.57cm/s, P 0.005) and in group II (8.50 ± 0.84cm/s, P 0.005) than in controls (16.63 ± 2.31cm/s). The tricuspid annular peak systolic (8.50 ± 0.84cm/s vs 16.63 ± 2.31cm/s) and peak early diastolic (10.99 ± 3.28cm/s vs 19.39 ± 4.3cm/s) velocities were significantly lower in group II than in group I, as compared with controls (P 0.001). Peak early diastolic velocity of tricuspid annulus (10.99 ± 3.28cm/s vs 19.39 ± 4.3cm/s) was significantly lower in group I than in controls (P 0.001); however, late diastolic velocity was significantly lower in group II (15.98 ± 5.08cm/s, P 0.05) than in group I (18.21 ± 2.63cm/s, P 0.05) and in controls (19.02 ± 5.29cm/s). The results of this study indicate that tricuspid annular peak systolic and early diastolic velocities are reduced in patients with right ventricular infarction. The velocity of the tricuspid annulus by tissue Doppler imaging is simple and can be used to distinguish whether patients with inferior myocardial infarction have right ventricular infarction.This study was presented at the XXIII. Congress of the European Society of Cardiology, Stockholm, Sweden, 1–5 September 2001     

Intracellular pH and contraction of isolated rabbit and cat papillary muscle: effect of superfusate buffering

The influence of external buffering on surface pH (pHs), intracellular pH (pHi) and developed twitch tension was investigated in rabbit and cat papillary muscle. pHs and pHi were measured using single and double-barreled microelectrodes respectively. In 20 mM HEPES buffered solution, steady state pHi is close to that in control CO2/HCO-3 (25 mM HCO-3, 5% CO2) solution. pHs and developed tension also do not differ greatly from their control values. Decreasing the HEPES concentration to 5 mM, at constant external pH, lowers pHs considerably. The surface acidosis is associated with a small intracellular acidification; steady state pHi in 5 mM HEPES is always more acid than that in control CO2/HCO-3. A significant decrease in developed tension is also seen in 5 mM HEPES. Alteration of the superfusion velocity influences pHs only slightly. Stimulation of the muscle at high frequency is shown to increase surface acidification, the extent of which is dependent on the buffer concentration. The conclusion from the present experiments is that in papillary muscle external buffering influences intracellular pH and contraction via its effect on pHs.     

慢性肾功能衰竭患者心脏损害的彩色多普勒超声心动图研究

本文应用彩色多普勒超声心动图、心电图，X线照像对40例慢性肾功能衰竭（简称CRF）患者的心脏进行了检查及心功能测定。并选择了对照组，结果发现心脏受损38例（95％），心电图，X线的检出率分别为67％，44％，超声心动图发现CRF患者心脏损害以心脏扩大肥厚为主，伴有心包、瓣膜病变。21削（52．5％）被检出瓣膜有返流，其中双瓣返流占15％，三瓣返流占7．5％。（正常组只1例二尖瓣返流）心功能受损较晚，相当一部分病人心排血量是增加的，而左室舒张功能受损早于收缩功能。     

经皮球囊瓣膜成形术治疗先天性肺动脉瓣狭窄

对16例肺动脉瓣狭窄施行经皮球囊瓣膜成形术。跨瓣压差平均下降71±12.2％。肺动脉瓣口面积平均增加95±44％。单、双球囊治疗各8例。结果表明:双球囊技术比单球囊技术优越、安全、并发症少。PBPV前后连续式多普勒探测肺动脉瓣最大瞬时压整、平均压差及瓣口面积与心导管相应测值比较相关密切。     

肺动脉瓣球囊扩张术前后应用多普勒超声估测跨瓣压差的临床价值研究

目的 通过与心导管测量对比来评价经皮肺动脉瓣球囊成形术（PBPV）前后应用Doppler超声心动图估测跨瓣压差的临床价值。方法 对178例患者在行PBPV术前利用Doppler测量肺动脉瓣跨瓣压差（△P’）,与相应的心导管测量值（△P）作相关性分析;并利用Doppler对PBPV术后48例患者进行了4～102个月（平均19.5个月）的随访。结果Doppler测量的△P’值与导管测量的△P值之间有着良好的直线相关性,r值为0.80,P<0.05;随访中Doppler测量的△P’值与PBPV术后即刻导管测量的△P值之间差异无显著性（P=0.05）。结论Doppler超声作为一种准确、无创、简便而有效的检查方法,对估计PBPV术前肺动脉瓣狭窄程度,评价术后疗效有较高的临床应用价值。