Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography : official publication of the American Society of Echocardiography
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J Am Soc Echocardiogr · Feb 2006
Comparative Study Controlled Clinical TrialEffects of ultrasound contrast agents on Doppler tissue velocity estimation.
The combination of Doppler tissue imaging and myocardial contrast echocardiography has the potential to provide information about motion and perfusion of the myocardium in a single examination. The purpose of this study was to establish how the presence of ultrasound contrast agent (UCA) affects measurements of Doppler tissue velocities in vivo and in vitro. We performed echocardiography in 12 patients with ischemic heart disease before and immediately after a slow intravenous infusion of the UCA Optison, using color Doppler tissue imaging to examine the effect of contrast agents in vivo. ⋯ The response was similar for all 3 contrast agents and was not affected by moderate variations in concentration of the agent. We have shown that the presence UCA will affect Doppler tissue measurements in vivo and in vitro. The observed bias is presumed to be an effect of harmonic signal contribution from rupturing contrast agent microbubbles and does not indicate biologic or physiologic effects.
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J Am Soc Echocardiogr · Feb 2006
Randomized Controlled TrialEffects of levosimendan on left ventricular diastolic function after primary angioplasty for acute anterior myocardial infarction: a Doppler echocardiographic study.
Levosimendan is a new Ca-sensitizing drug with combined positive inotropic and vasodilatory effects that offers new therapeutic possibilities in patients with severe heart failure. Compared with other inotropic agents, animal studies demonstrated that levosimendan does not impair left ventricular diastolic function. ⋯ Levosimendan, after primary angioplasty in patients with anterior acute myocardial infarction, appears to improve the Doppler echocardiographic parameters of left ventricular diastolic function.
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J Am Soc Echocardiogr · Feb 2006
Case ReportsIntracoronary stent visualized on transesophageal echocardiogram in a case of coronary dissection complicated by aortic dissection.
We present a case of a patient presenting with a myocardial infarction with subsequent coronary intervention resulting in a coronary dissection complicated by an aortic dissection. The coronary dissection was treated with coronary stents. Transesophageal echocardiogram visualized the intracoronary stent within the intimal flap of the aortic dissection. The aortic dissection was successfully managed conservatively.