American heart journal
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American heart journal · Mar 1984
Case ReportsTwo-dimensional echocardiography in the diagnosis of carcinoid heart disease.
Tricuspid valve disease accounts for significant morbidity and mortality in the carcinoid syndrome, but M-mode echocardiography is often insensitive in completely defining the tricuspid valve. We performed two-dimensional echocardiography (2DE) in seven patients with proven carcinoid syndrome. There were five males and two females whose ages ranged from 53 to 79 years. ⋯ The tricuspid valve was best visualized in the parasternal right ventricular long-axis and short-axis views. The apical four-chamber view was less helpful. Thus, 2DE demonstrated specific tricuspid valve abnormalities in the carcinoid syndrome with thickening, shortening, and immobility of the leaflets when valvular regurgitation was present and thickening and doming when the valve was stenotic. 2DE should be a useful method in the diagnosis and sequential evaluation of patients with carcinoid heart disease.
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American heart journal · Nov 1983
Noninvasive evaluation of Blalock-Taussig shunts: determination of patency and differentiation from patent ductus arteriosus by doppler echocardiography.
Pulsed Doppler echocardiography has been used to detect continuous turbulent flow in the right pulmonary artery after Blalock-Taussig shunts. Since continuous turbulent flow could also arise from patent ductus arteriosus (frequently present in the neonate), continuous turbulent flow in the right pulmonary artery is not specific for Blalock-Taussig shunt function. We evaluated 35 Blalock-Taussig shunts from suprasternal or high parasternal approach for flow in the right pulmonary artery, and in the Blalock-Taussig shunts themselves. ⋯ Twenty-four of 31 functional shunts were identified, and all contained continuous turbulent flow. Three left-sided shunts were missed. All four occluded shunts were identified by Doppler, and had no lumen flow within.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)