Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography : official publication of the American Society of Echocardiography
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J Am Soc Echocardiogr · Feb 2002
Comparative StudyComparison of left atrial dimensions by transesophageal and transthoracic echocardiography.
Left atrial (LA) size, as determined by transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), predicts the risk of atrial fibrillation and stroke and the success of cardioversion. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is increasingly used in these clinical situations. However, unlike TTE, measurement of LA size by TEE has not been standardized. ⋯ The measurement from this view provided a value that had the highest correlation between TTE and TEE (r = 0.758, P <.0001, 95% confidence interval 0.68-0.86; bias 0.37 +/- 1 cm). Overall, TEE underestimated the LA dimension by 9% compared with TTE. These results suggest that the short-axis view at the level of the aortic valve is the preferred site for measuring the LA dimension by TEE.
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J Am Soc Echocardiogr · Feb 2002
Case ReportsEmbolization of a huge tricuspid valve bacterial vegetation.
A case of a woman who had tricuspid valve bacterial endocarditis is presented. Her course was complicated by persistent disseminated intravascular coagulation and acute renal failure, followed by pulmonary embolization of the vegetation. Transthoracic echocardiography showed almost complete obstruction of the right pulmonary artery. The case demonstrates the impressive size to which right-sided infective vegetations can progress and the relative paucity of symptoms and hemodynamic derangements with which they may be associated, even in the context of potentially life-threatening complications.