A Case of Infectious Mononucleosis Complicated by Myopericarditis

Myopericarditis is an uncommon manifestation, but can be reaely a lethal complication of infectious mononucleosis. We experienced a case of infectious mononucleosis complicated by myopericarditis in which the clinical pictur was confused as acute myocarddial infarction. A 25-year-old male who presented with syncope and chest pain. The diagnosis of infectious mononucleosis was comfirmed by both a positive heterophil antibody test and a high titer of Epstein-Barr virus antibody. He was found to have completely normal findings at cardiac catheterization, including coronary arteriography. Pathologic specimen from right ventricular endomyocardial biopsy demonstrated extensive lymphocytic and eosinophilic infiltration of the myocardium.

ST Segment Elevation in Lead V1on Treadmill Exercise Test in the Patients with Angina : A Predictor of Coronary Artery Disease and It's Location

OBJECTIVES: To assess the relationship between ST segment elevation during exercise testing and coronary artery disease. METHODS: Treadmill exercise electrocardiography and coronary angiography were performed in 137 patients with angina with no Q waves. The J point elevation of > 0.03mV(0.3mm) measured from baseline, the elevation of ST segment at 80msec. from J point(ST80) measured larger in lead V1than in aV1, or both the elevation of ST segment at J point and at ST80 developed earlier than or concomitantly with ST depression were considered as abnormal responses. RESULTS: 1) There was no clinical significance of ST elevation in lead aV1. 2) Exercise-induced ST elevation in lead V1occurred in 29 of 137 patients with angina. 3) Abnormal St elevation in V1was detected in 26 of 86 patients with coronary artery disease, for a specificity of 98%. The patients with left anterior descending coronary artery or left main coronary artery stenosis were observed in 3 of 5(60%) patients with single-vessel disease, in 7 of 9(79%) with two-vessel disease, and in 9 of 10(90%) with three-vessel disease. 4) The standard ST depression yielded a specificity of 55% in the patients with isolated or predominant ST depression in inferior leads(II. III, and aVF) and of 81% in the patients with isolated or predominat ST depressin in precordial leads(p<0.001). 5) Abnormal exercise-induced ST elevation in V1was detected in 13 of 39(33%) patients with isolated or predominat ST depression in inferior leads and yielded a specificity of 94% for coronary artery disease. CONCLUSION: Abnormal ST segment elevation in V1may increase the specificity in isolated or predominat ST segment depression in inferior leads and may predict left anterior descending or left main coronary artery disease.

A Cases of Tuberculous Pericarditis Associated with Pseudoaneurysm of the Left Ventricle

The incidence of left ventricular pseudoaneurysm is not known, but it appears to be quite rare. We experienced a case of apical pseudoaneurysm of left ventricle in a 73-year-old female who presented with progressive orthopnea. On the 2nd hospital day, cardiac tamponade developed. A small pseudoaneurysm of left ventricle with narrow neck associated with massive pericardial effusion was demonstrated by transthoracic echocardiography. Emergency coronary angiogram showed normal. Emergency operation was performed on the suspicion of rupture of the pseudoaneurysm. Microscopic examination of the wall of the aneurysm revealed fibrous tissue adhered to the granulomatous inflammatory pericardium.

The Effect of the Administration of Nitroglycerin and Atropine on the Pattern of Left Ventricular Diastolic Filling as Assessed by Doppler Echocardiography in Normal Human Subjects

BACKGROUND: The diastolic transmitral flow velocity pattern has been commonly used to assess left ventricular(LV) diastolic function. The effects of multiple factors(such as, LV preload, afterload and heart rate, etc.) make difficulties in accurate interpretation. METHODS: In order to investigate the diastolic transmitral filling patterns according to the changes of the proload or heart rate, we studied 27 normal subjects with pulsed Doppler echocardiography after the administration of nitroglycerin(0.6mg/tab.) sublingually or atropine(0.5mg/amp.) intravenously. RESULTS: 1) After nitroglycerin administration, the folowings were obtained. ; The systolic blood pressure and LV diastolic filling time(DFT) decreased by 10.1% and 15.3%, respectively(p<0.001), compared with baseline data. The ratio of peak early to late diastolic transmitral flow velocities (E/A) and time-velocity integrals(TVIE/TVIA) decreased by 10.3% and 14.8%, respectively(p<0.01). The early diastolic filling time(Time E) was unchanged. Therefore, we suggest that time E is helpful, compared with the increments of the preload or the diastolic dysfunction. 2) After atropin administration, the heart rate, peak late diastolic transmitral flow velocity(PA) and percent atrial contribution(%AC) significantly increased by 43.6%, 25.1% and 41.4%, respectively(p<0.001). The E/A, TVIE/TVIA and DFT significantly decreased by 42.9%, 38.9% and 43.0%, respectively(p<0.001) compared to the data before drug administration. 3) The heart rate correlated negatively to the E/A, TVIE/TVIA and DFT. It was correlated positively to %AC(r=+0.63; p<0.001). The normalized E/A ratio by DFT(E/A/DFT) didn't correlate. Therefore, E/A/DFT is helpful on the exclusion of the influences of heart rate by the administration of the atropine. CONCLUSION: The decrement of preload or the increment of heart rate changes the diastolic transmitral flow velocity patterns. Therefore, when the diastolic function is assessed by interpretation of the Doppler transmitral flow velocity pattern with pulsed Doppler echocardiogram, the potential influences of preload and heart rate must be taken into account.

Influence of left ventricular function on the pattern of left ventricular diastolic filling assessed by doppler echocardiography in dilated cardiomyopathy

BACKGROUND: Recently, Doppler echocardiography has been widely used to evaluate left ventricular(LV) diastolic filling. However, There are only limited date about the influence of LV systolic function on the pattern of left ventricular diastolic filling. METHODS: To evaluate the changes of Doppler echocardiographic parameters of left ventricular filling induced by variations in left ventricular systolic function in dilated cardiomyopathy(DC) with heart failure(HF), 25 patients(M : F=14 : 11) with DC and HF, and 21 age-matched normal subjects(M : F=13 : 8) were examined by ECG, phonocardiography and echocardiography. From the Doppler recording, A2D(time from second heart sound to the onset of early diastolic mitral flow), peak velocity at early diastole(E) and late diastole(A), ratio of E to A velocity(E/A) and flow velocity integral(FVI) were measured. RESULTS: In 22 patients with DC and HF without mitral regurgitation(MR), A2D was significantly prolonged(119.5+/-12.7 vs 92.4+/-14.1msec, p<0.01), and early diastolic peak velocity and E/A velocity ratio were decreased as compared with the normal subjects(E=0.39+/-0.08 vs 0.57+/-0.12m/sec, p<0.01, E/A : 0.87+/-0.19 vs 1.33+/-0.19 vs 1.33+/-0.18, p<0.05). There were significant correlations between A2D and FVI(r=+0.73, p<0.01), and between E/A velocity ratio and FVI(r=-0.78, p<0.01). However, in 3 patients with MR, A2D(88.7+/-12.1msec), E(0.56+/-0.05m/sec), and E/A(1.32+/-0.12) were similar to those in normal subjects, despite of decreased FVI(12.0+/-0.9cm). CONCLUSIONS: These data show that a change of left ventricular systolic function in patients without MR may influence a diastolic filling pattern of left ventricle but not in patient with MR, and suggest that MR masks left ventricular distolic filling abnormalities.