Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography : official publication of the American Society of Echocardiography
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J Am Soc Echocardiogr · Dec 2000
Case ReportsThe value of repeat transesophageal echocardiography in the evaluation of embolism from the aorta.
Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is now widely used in the evaluation of patients with unexplained stroke or transient ischemic attack, in part to exclude the presence of protruding aortic arch atheromas. We report two cases in which repeated TEE revealed an aortic clot not seen on the earlier transesophageal echocardiogram performed immediately after embolization. These cases illustrate the dynamic nature of aortic thrombus and the role of TEE in its diagnosis.
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J Am Soc Echocardiogr · Nov 2000
Case ReportsAneurysm of the anterior leaflet of the mitral valve secondary to aortic valve endocarditis.
Aneurysm of the anterior mitral leaflet is a rare complication of infective aortic valve endocarditis, the natural evolution of which is generally its rupture, with subsequent acute and severe mitral regurgitation. Its presence cannot be recognized with transthoracic echocardiography and even in surgery. We describe a 78-year-old man with aortic valve endocarditis, in whom transesophageal echocardiography was essential for the diagnosis of this complication, its therapeutic management, and the postoperative follow-up after simple valve repair. In addition, the most appropriate surgical approach is discussed.
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J Am Soc Echocardiogr · Oct 2000
Comparative StudySuperiority of 3-dimensional versus 2-dimensional echocardiography for left ventricular volume assessment in small piglet hearts.
To evaluate the accuracy of 3-dimensional (3D) echocardiography in the estimation of left ventricular (LV) volume in vivo, we studied 15 newborn piglets ranging in weight from 2.6 to 11.8 kg. Measurements of beating LV volumes by 3D echocardiograms were compared with measurements by conductance catheter and transthoracic 2-dimensional (2D) echocardiograms with the use of Simpson's rule. ⋯ The SEE values for LV end-diastolic volume for 2D and 3D echocardiograms were 2.30 mL and 1.85 mL, respectively, and 1.52 mL and 0.5 mL for LV end-systolic volume. We conclude that 3D echocardiography not only accurately measures LV volume and systolic function in a newborn heart, it is more precise than measurements from 2D echocardiography in the assessment of small beating hearts.
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J Am Soc Echocardiogr · Oct 2000
Case ReportsMigration of a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) stent: evaluation by transesophageal echocardiography.
Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunting (TIPS) is a procedure for end-stage liver disease that involves angiographically guided placement of an intrahepatic expandable metal stent. Mechanical complications of intrahepatic stent placement have been reported, including stent migration to the central venous circulation. This report describes a patient who had embolization of a stent after a TIPS procedure, with subsequent failed percutaneous attempts at stent removal. Transesophageal echocardiography documented the stent caught in the tricuspid valve and apparatus, with its distal end projecting into the right ventricular cavity.
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J Am Soc Echocardiogr · Sep 2000
Noninvasive indexes of left atrial diastolic function in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Our goal was to noninvasively assess left atrial diastolic function and its relation to the impaired left ventricular filling in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. ⋯ Echocardiographic indexes of left atrial relaxation and filling are abnormal in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy but not in secondary forms of left ventricular hypertrophy. These indexes are abnormal in all forms of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy irrespective of left ventricular outflow tract obstruction and distribution of hypertrophy; they are not solely attributable to left ventricular diastolic dysfunction. The above may imply that hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a cardiac myopathic disease that involves the heart muscle as a whole, irrespective of distribution of hypertrophy and obstruction.