[Echo-Doppler study of myxomatous mitral valve insufficiency and the results of reparative surgery]. / Studio eco-Doppler dell'insufficienza mitralica mixomatosa e dei risultati della chirugia riparativa.

The aim of conservative management of mitral regurgitation caused by floppy mitral valve is to restore a valvular function which closely resembles that of normal physiology. Fifty-eight patients affected by floppy mitral valve underwent surgical procedures for severe mitral regurgitation due to chordal elongation and/or rupture. Of these, 28 presented posterior mitral prolapse corrected by quadrangular excision of the prolapsed part and posterior anuloplasty achieved by apposition of a polytetrafluoroethylene conduit. The remaining 30 patients presented anterior or bilateral prolapse corrected by transposition of chordae from the posterior leaflet to the anterior cusp together together with anuloplasty. A complete echo-Doppler study was performed preoperatively, 10 days after the operation and every 6 months thereafter. Mean follow-up was 16.1 +/- 6.3 months. Preoperatively, 44 patients presented severe mitral regurgitation and 14 had moderate regurgitation (quantified by means of pulsed Doppler). All patients showed severe enlargement of the left cavities (LVDD 67.1 +/- 8.6 mm, left atrium 53.4 +/- 10.9 mm) with normal mitral area (6.08 +/- 2.14 sqcm, Doppler measurement). Following surgery we found a significant reduction in: 1) the degree of mitral regurgitation (29 patients had no regurgitation; 20 had mild protosystolic mitral regurgitation (29 patients had no regurgitation; 20 had mild protosystolic mitral regurgition, confirmed by color-M-mode; moderate or severe regurgitation was found in 6 cases); 2) the left ventricle and left atrium dimensions (LVDD 53.4 +/- 5.2 mm, p less than 0.01; left atrium 43.8 +/- 11.1 mm, p less than 0.01). Color flow imaging provided information about the recovery of a normal valvular function.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Quantitative regional contraction analysis of cineventriculography: reporting, filing, and retrieval functions using a personal computer.

A new method for the semiobjective evaluation of left ventricular wall contraction is proposed that uses a percent reduction of areas. The calculation model uses orthogonal coordinates, an internal reference system, and the concept of nonuniform reduction of the cavity, with its obliteration at the apex. From a normal patient population (ten males, four females; aged 45 +/- 13 years), a "normal reference curve" of contraction was obtained. A second patient group (56 males, two females, aged 56 +/- 7 years) with definite contraction abnormalities was then analyzed. A third group (eight males, one female, aged 56 +/- 10 years) was studied before and after nifedipine administration (1 mg over 2 min IV). Specific algorithms compare individual patient contraction curves with the normal reference curve and compute the score point system of contraction analysis. Data are automatically codified and filed during introduction. This saves time and allows a rapid retrieval of data grouped under different coded features. These features include the location and type of wall contraction abnormalities. This method of reading ventriculograms has been shown to be in accordance with the diagnosis of experienced observers and can detect small contraction changes that are induced pharmacologically. The method is proposed as a valuable tool for semiobjective evaluation of left ventricle wall contraction and to facilitate data collection in multicenter collaborative studies.

[Proposal of a standardized graphic system for collecting coronary angiographic data. Processing with a personal computer]. / Proposta di uno schema grafico standard di raccolta dati per le angiografie coronariche. Elaborazione con personal computer.

A standardized method for the representation and filing of coronary angiographies is proposed. Semi-automatic reference is guided by a computer algorithm. The final report displays a diagram which shows all the information in graphic and alpha-numeric form. Personalized coronary anatomy is drawn using the Coronary Artery Surgery Study (CASS) guidelines. The algorithm semi-automatically designs coronary segments according to CASS criteria. Five levels of percentage reduction in luminal transverse diameter (25, 50, 75, 90, 100%) can be represented. In addition, plaque morphology (concentric or eccentric, greater or less than 0.5 cm in size) and plaque complications, (calcification, ulceration, thrombosis, aneurysmal dilatation, wall irregularity, and diffuse disease) can be added as additional information. Twenty pathological entities (stenosis or plaque complications) can be filed for each patient. Collateral circulation can be represented by identifying the site of origin, one or more mid-points on the pathway, and the point of contact with the recipient vessel. As many as 10 single pathways can be identified. The same method can represent and file by-pass grafting using different symbols. Data can be easily put into the computer in three to four minutes. Coding and filing are automatically stored. Ten Mb can contain 4355 reports, including patient data and five lines of optional comment. Data can be retrieved in the original graphic form or the system can analyze filed data and retrieve series of patients with a given angiographic pattern. This option enables comprehensive research to be performed on any patient population, selecting subgroups of patients with specific anatomic and/or pathologic characteristics.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Effect of the sympathetic activation and its inhibition on left ventricular mechanics in mitral prolapse. Echocardiographic study in 35 patients]. / Effetto dell'attivazione simpatica e della sua inibizione sulla meccanica ventricolare sinistra nel prolasso della mitrale. Studio ecocardiografico in 35 pazienti.

Mitral valve prolapse (MVP) is characterized by arrhythmias, atypical anginal chest pain and left ventricular (LV) wall motion abnormalities. The role of autonomic nervous system (ANS) as the origin of these disturbances is still debated. The aim of the study was to determine the possible interference between left ventricle (LV) mechanics and ANS. 35 consecutive patients with MVP (24 female, 11 male) (mean age 30 +/- 9 years), matched with a homogeneous control group, were examined by means of 2D-Echo during resting conditions and during sympathetic activation induced by passive orthostatism (90 degrees Tilting). At rest, no significant difference was found between the two groups regarding heart rate (HR), LV volume (LVV), ejection fraction (EF). Tilting produced a significant increase in HR (p less than 0.1) and LVV reduction (p less than .01) in both groups; on the other hand, EF did not change significantly. At 2D-Echo, LV abnormal wall motion at rest in 10/35 (29%) MVP, increasing to 17/35 (49%) was found during Tilting. This abnormality consisted in LV wall reduced systolic thickening and motion, localized in the antero-apical region in 11 patients (54%) and in the posterior wall in 6 patients (36%). Thirteen MVP patients with LV abnormal contraction patterns were re-examined after two weeks of beta-adrenergic blockade (200 mg Metoprolol orally per day). In all of them, LV abnormalities disappeared while LVV and EF remained unchanged. These data stress the role of the ANS in inducing LV abnormalities in patients with MVP.

[Contrast echocardiography in the diagnosis of tricuspid insufficiency. Evaluation before and after cardiosurgical intervention in 24 patients]. / L'ecocontrastografia nella diagnosi dell'insufficienza tricuspidale. Valutazione prima e dopo intervento cardiochirurgico in 24 pazienti.

26 patients (pts) (8 males and 18 females), mean age 50 +/- 9 years, with rheumatic valve (MV) disease, candidates to MV replacement, were examined by contrast echocardiography (CE) before and after surgery. This was done in order to assess pre and postoperatively the presence of associated tricuspid regurgitation (TR) and to evaluate the short and long-term results of the operation on the TR itself. For assessing TR, the systolic presence, intensity and persistence of the microbubbles of the contrast medium injected into an antecubital vein, were observed within the inferior vena cava (IVC). We used synchronous time motion (TM) and two dimensional (2D) echocardiography from subcostal view. TR was classified as follows: severe (massive systolic opacification and persistence of the microbubbles in the IVC for at least 20 seconds); moderate (moderate systolic opacification lasting less than 20 seconds); mild (slight systolic opacification lasting less than 10 seconds); insignificant TR (sporadic appearance of the contrast medium into the IVC). On the average, the examination was carried out 48 hours before surgery, 15 days after and, in pts undergoing De Vega tricuspid valvuloplasty, 14 months after the operation. At pre-operative examination, massive TR was found in 16 pts, only 6 of whom showed clinical signs of TR. The findings were confirmed at surgery in 15 pts who underwent not only MV replacement but also tricuspid repair. In the other pts, agreement was found between CE and surgery as far as moderate TR was concerned, meanwhile mild CE TR was not confirmed at surgery. Sensitivity (SN) was 100%, specificity (SP) 38%, positive predictive value (PPV) 78%, negative predictive value (NPV) 100%. Excluding CE mild TR, SP and PPV raised to 75% and 95% respectively, meanwhile SN and NPV remained 100%. Short term post-operative follow-up CE performed on 13 out of the 15 pts with tricuspid repair showed no signs of TR in 7 and slight signs in 6. Furthermore, in those pts undergoing simple MV replacement, CE showed a marked reduction of the contrast echographic effect. Long term post-operative follow-up CE performed in the 13 pts with tricuspid repair showed no signs of TR in 9, slight signs in 3. Moreover in two pts massive TR due to late mitral prosthesis detachment was diagnosed by means of CE and confirmed at cardiac catheterization and surgery.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

[The lipoproteic state in patients with coronary heart disease (author's transl)]. / Variazioni del quadro lipoproteico in pazienti affetti da cardiopatia coronarica.

The lipoproteic state of 28 patients with coronary heart disease (CDH) and 44 normal subjects (total N. 72) has been analyzed. In normal subjects the results showed an increase of triglyceride (TG), VLDL with age. For subjects between 20 and 40 years of age, higher values of HDL and lower RF were observed in women than in men. In CHD patients, between 40 and 60 years, higher values of total cholesterol (TC) were observed in women than in men (p less than 0,05). The comparison between male CHD patients and normal male subjects indicated a reduction of HDL and an increase of the risk factor (RF) (p less than 0,05) in coronary patients. However, the female patients showed lower levels of HDL in combination with higher values of TC, LDL, RF, and TG when compared with the control group.

[Echocardiographic study of left ventricular performance during sitting bicycle exercise (author's transl)]. / L'ecocardiografia da sforzo nello studio computerizzato della funzione ventricolare sinistra.

Twelve healthy volunteers, mean age 25.4 +/- 4.18 years, performed sitting bicycle ergometer graded exercise to exhaustion. Recordings of left ventricular echocardiographic dimension, heart rate, arterial blood pressure, were obtained at rest and at two minutes intervals during exercise and recovery. Echocardiographic tracings were digitized and the values of three complexes were combined and means determined for the overall analysis. Heart rate increased from 76.92 +/- 15.09 to 154.91 +/- 12.13 (p less than 0.001) at peak exercise and decreased to 98.50 +/- 11.60 (P less than 0.001) at six minutes recovery. Similarly behaved blood pressure. End diastolic Echo dimension varied significantly from 46.50 +/- 4.66 mm to 51.44 +/- 5.38 mm (P less than 0.005) at peak exercise and to 45.91 +/- 4.52 mm (P less than 0.005) at six minutes recovery, but resulted unchanged at lower levels of exercise. It started to return towards resting values, from two to four minutes of recovery. End systolic dimension did not change significantly at any heart rate. Shortening fraction increased progressively and significantly at every step of exercise, decreasing in the same way during recovery: rest 38.42 +/- 3.62%; peak exercise 44.28 +/- 5.32% (P less than 0.005); end recovery 39.28 +/- 5.89% (P less than 0.001). So did respectively: Stroke volume (Teichholtz) 69.50 +/- 12.16 cc; 84.92 +/- 24.14 cc (P less than 0.005); 67.64 +/- 16.48 cc (P less than 0.005). Cardiac output 5.27 +/- 1.18 lt/min; 12.46 +/- 3.83 (P less than 0.001); 6.25 +/- 1.00 (P less than 0.005). Ejection fraction 68.33 +/- 4.68%, 78.58 +/- 8.80 (P less than 0.001); 68.82 +/- 8.16 (P less than 0.005). Mean normalized velocity of circumferential fibre shortening 1.33 +/- 0.25 circ/sec; 2.37 +/- 0.33 (P less than 0.001); 1.55 +/- 0.031 (P less than 0.001). These results indicate that in untrained healthy subjects, variations of cardiac output during exercise and recovery depend mainly on heart rate and left ventricular fibre shortening rate. Severe exertion produces an increase of left ventricular dimension due to a Frank-Starling effect. Sitting bicycle exercise Echocardiography appears to be a suitable method to assess Left ventricular performance with a chest position relevant to normal human conditions.