Circulation. Cardiovascular imaging
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Circ Cardiovasc Imaging · Mar 2010
Preoperative systolic strain rate predicts postoperative left ventricular dysfunction in patients with chronic aortic regurgitation.
The best predictor for postoperative left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction in patients with chronic aortic regurgitation is still a matter of debate. The aim of this study was to assess the clinical significance of preoperative systolic radial strain rate (Ssr) derived from tissue Doppler echocardiography as a predictor of postoperative LV systolic dysfunction in patients with chronic aortic regurgitation. ⋯ Measurement of preoperative averaged Ssr is useful in predicting postoperative LV systolic dysfunction and optimizing surgical timing in patients with isolated chronic aortic regurgitation.
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Circ Cardiovasc Imaging · Mar 2010
Noninvasive assessment of murine pulmonary arterial pressure: validation and application to models of pulmonary hypertension.
Genetically modified mice offer the unique opportunity to gain insight into the pathophysiology of pulmonary arterial hypertension. In mice, right heart catheterization is the only available technique to measure right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP). However, it is a terminal procedure and does not allow for serial measurements. Our objective was to validate a noninvasive technique to assess RVSP in mice. ⋯ Right ventricular systolic pressure can be estimated noninvasively in mice. Echocardiography is able to detect acute and chronic increases in RVSP with high sensitivity and specificity as well as to assess the effects of treatment on RVSP. This noninvasive technique may permit the characterization of the evolution of pulmonary arterial hypertension in genetically modified mice.