Journal of cardiology
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Journal of cardiology · Jan 2001
Mitral annular calcifications and aortic plaques as predictors of increased cardiovascular mortality.
Mitral annular calcifications (MAC) and aortic plaques are predictive for higher incidence of recurrent embolic events, the presence and severity of coronary artery disease and total cardiac deaths. However, no data exist comparing the impact of combined presence of both aortic plaques and MAC on embolic events, deaths associated with cerebral embolism or cardiac deaths during the follow-up. ⋯ The findings of both aortic plaque and mitral annular calcification are highly predictive not only for strokes, but also for deaths associated with cerebral embolism and total cardiac deaths and are probably strong markers for higher severity of coronary artery disease. They are more predictive if both are present simultaneously compared to the presence of either MAC or aortic plaque alone.
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Journal of cardiology · Jan 2001
Doppler evaluation of systolic and diastolic heart failure in patients with cardiomyopathy.
Analysis of transmitral flow with Doppler echocardiography can currently evaluate left ventricular diastolic function noninvasively and easily. In addition, measurement of pulmonary venous flow and left atrial appendage flow clarifies not only left ventricular diastolic function but also left atrial systolic function in patients with left ventricular systolic failure and diastolic failure. ⋯ Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction is somewhat distinct between patients with left ventricular systolic failure and patients with left ventricular diastolic failure. Atrial reversal flow in pulmonary vein has the potential to predict left ventricular filling pressure in patients with diastolic failure.
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Journal of cardiology · Jan 2001
Real-time, volumetric echocardiography: usefulness of volumetric scanning for the assessment of cardiac volume and function.
A novel imaging system has been introduced which uses a dedicated two-dimensional echo probe for rapid beam forming to scan a pyramidal volume in real time. Real-time volumetric echocardiography has the potential to determine accurate cardiovascular anatomy, volume and function in the beating heart without reconstructions. The results of animal and human studies using volumetric echocardiography are evaluated for the potential for clinical applications. IMAGING METHODOLOGY: A new type of ultrasound imaging, high-speed volumetric scanning based on phased array principles permits real-time three-dimensional, volumetric echocardiography (real-time 3-DE). The system requires no off-line reconstruction techniques, thus enabling dynamic three-dimensional visualization and quantification of the heart in real time using a transthoracic approach. Real-time 3-DE uses a 2-D matrix phased array transducer. Image formation employs 16:1 parallel processing to scan a pyramidal volume composed of multiple steering directions in the azimuth dimension and in the elevation dimension. The finished transducer is mounted in a hand-held case with a circular aperture of 16 mm diameter. The array consists of approximately 1,600 elements, operating at 2.5 MHz. Real-time 3-DE permits simultaneous, multiple plane display of two sector arcs (B-scans) and C-scan (parallel to the transducer face or inclined) on a single monitor, conveying the three-dimensional nature of the ultrasound data. This system also allows these planes to be angled for extra diagnostic flexibility. The motion of all the structures during the cardiac cycle can be evaluated in dynamic mode. ⋯ Transthoracic real-time, volumetric echocardiography opens a new and exciting field of echocardiography. The results of these studies demonstrate that this system can accurately measure the ventricular volume and function without use of geometric assumptions. This volumetric mode or V-mode scanning is a new imaging modality that provides a practical methodology to investigate important clinical and research questions.