Thoracic aorta atherosclerosis burden index predicts coronary artery disease in patients undergoing transesophageal echocardiography.

AIMS: The severity of thoracic aortic atherosclerosis (TAA) is associated with the extent of coronary artery disease (CAD). The aim of this study is to quantitative this relationship by developing a novel atherosclerotic index. METHODS AND RESULTS: Two hundred and forty six consecutive patients underwent transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) and coronary angiography. A grading system was used to define the extent of TAA for individual segment of the thoracic aorta. TAA burden index (TAABI) was defined as the sum of the grading for each segment. Of the derived values TAABI had the greatest specificity and sensitivity in predicting CAD. A TAABI of greater than 6 was associated with 16-fold increase in the probability of CAD with a specificity of 88% and a sensitivity of 81%. The positive predictive value was 77% and the negative predictive value 90%. CONCLUSION: A TAABI value of greater than 6 accurately predicts the presence of CAD. Patients with no or mild TAA are at low risk of having angiographically significant CAD.

Acute improvement of aortic mechanics following hemodialysis in patients with chronic renal failure.

BACKGROUND: Evidence suggests that distensibility of the aorta is decreased in patients with end-stage renal failure, while the underlying mechanisms are unclear. HYPOTHESIS: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the distensibility of the aorta in patients at the end stage of chronic renal failure before and after hemodialysis (HD). METHODS: The diameter of the ascending aorta and distensibility were assessed in 48 patients on HD (31 men, 17 women, aged 45+/-14 years) and in 27 normal subjects (17 men, 10 women, aged 44+/-14 years). The diameter of the aorta was evaluated by M-mode in the parasternal long-axis view. RESULTS: Aortic distensibility was significantly lower in patients on HD before HD (1.9+/-0.7 cm(2) x dyn(-1) x 10(-6)) than in normal control subjects (3.8+/-1.0 cm(2) x dyn(-1) X 10(-6), p< 0.0001). After dialysis, it increased to 2.6+/-1.2 (p < 0.05 compared with baseline, p < 0.001 compared with controls). The change of aortic distensibility correlated with age (R(2) = 0.629 p < 0.001) and ultrafiltration volume (R(2) = 0.168, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Aortic distensibility in patients with end-stage renal disease is significantly lower than in normal subjects, and it is significantly improved after HD.

Cardiac hydatid cysts: echocardiographic findings.

Cardiac hydatid disease is rare. Many patients are asymptomatic, hence cardiac involvement is often discovered incidentally. Diagnosis is also difficult because of a long period between parasitic infection and the manifestation of disease. Rupture of a cardiac cyst is a serious complication. Diagnosis of cardiac hydatid cysts is often made using transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) provides details of the cysts. We present the cases of 3 patients with nonspecific symptoms of their endemic parasitic disease. The results of sonographic examinations in all patients strongly suggested the presence of cardiac hydatid cysts. One patient had a cyst in the external surface of the left ventricular apical-lateral wall visualized with TTE and TEE. Parasitic serology was negative. She underwent surgery, which confirmed a cyst located in the pericardium, and then was treated with albendazole. Another patient had a cyst in the left ventricle demonstrated by TTE and TEE and confirmed with serology. Color Doppler sonography verified that her cardiac cyst was in communication with the left ventricle. She was not a surgical candidate and was treated with albendazole. The final patient had a septated cyst in the media basilar portion of the interventricular septum demonstrated using TTE, and CT. He refused surgical treatment and albendazole was prescribed. Chest radiographs in 3 patients failed to show the cysts, and serology in 1 patient failed to indicate a hydatid cyst. Follow-up at 1-2 years revealed no recurrence in any patient. In all 3 cases, cysts could be visualized from the subcostal view via echocardiography. Imaging is critical for the early diagnosis, assessment, and follow-up of patients with this disease.

Echocardiographic and electrocardiographic prognostic factors of heart failure in young patients with beta-thalassemia major: a 10-year (1995--2004) follow-up.

Despite intense iron-chelation therapy, the life expectancy of patients with beta-thalassemia major (beta-TM) is still limited by the occurrence of heart failure. In the present study, we sought to evaluate the prognostic significance of several clinical factors on the outcome of heart failure or arrhythmias in patients with beta-TM. The study group consisted of 131 consecutive young patients with beta-TM (71 men aged 21+/-4 years, 60 women aged 22+/-5 years) who were initially examined during 1995. The clinical and vital statuses of all patients were biannually reviewed from 1995 to 2004. Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate the association of the occurrence of death or nonfatal events due to heart failure or arrhythmias with clinical factors (systolic and diastolic blood pressures), echocardiographic factors (left and right ventricular diameters, left atrial and aortic root dimensions, left ventricular ejection fraction), electrocardiographic factors (T-wave inversion in leads V1-V3, QRS duration, heart rate), and serum ferritin levels, after controlling for age, sex, and body mass index. During the follow-up, 11 men (16%) and 5 women (8%) had an event (men versus women, P = .212). The age-adjusted event rate was 16 events per 913 person-years (2%). The presence of T-wave inversion in right precordial leads (hazard ratio = 3.06; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1-8.8), increased heart rate (hazard ratio = 1.28; 95% CI, 1.03-1.58), decreased aortic root diameter (hazard ratio = 0.84; 95% CI, 0.73-0.96), and decreased ejection fraction (hazard ratio per 1% change = 0.95; 95% CI, 0.91-0.99) were associated with a higher risk for a cardiac event. We revealed that the presence of T-wave inversions, increased heart rate, low ejection fraction of the left ventricle, and decreased aortic root diameter appear to confer higher risk for cardiac events in young patients with beta-TM.

Successful thrombolysis of a partially obstructed bileaflet prosthetic heart valve in the mitral position.

We describe the case of a woman who presented with dyspnea of abrupt onset and who had recently undergone replacement of the mitral valve with a bileaflet mechanical prosthesis. Transthoracic echocardiographic examination with spectral Doppler recording of transvalvular blood flow revealed a velocity spectrum consistent with obstruction. Transesophageal echocardiography demonstrated partial obstruction of the prosthetic valve due to immobilization of 1 hemidisc in the closed position. This immobilization was apparently caused by a small mass whose appearance was consistent with that of a thrombus. The patient was successfully treated by intravenous administration of a thrombolytic agent. This case demonstrates the value of transesophageal echocardiography in the selection of candidates for thrombolytic treatment in cases of thrombosis of a left-sided valve prosthesis.

Prognosis of spontaneous echocardiographic contrast in the thoracic aorta.

The aim of this study was to assess the predictive value of spontaneous echocardiographic contrast (SEC) detected in the thoracic aorta by transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) on intermediate-term cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. We studied 299 consecutive patients (aged 61 +/- 13 years) without aortic aneurysm or dissection, who underwent TEE in 1995 to 1996. Cardiovascular deaths and nonfatal events were recorded over a period of < or = 60 months. Left ventricular function was classified as preserved versus depressed according to ejection fraction values (>40% vs < or = 40%) on 2-dimensional echocardiography. SEC was identified in 35 patients (11.7%). During follow-up, 66 patients died (36 deaths were due to cardiovascular causes; 10 and 26 cardiovascular deaths occurred in patients with and without SEC, respectively [p <0.001]). Survival time was significantly reduced in patients with versus without SEC (28 +/- 18 vs 39 +/- 19 months, p = 0.0012). Multivariate analysis revealed that the presence of SEC doubled the odds for cardiovascular death and for the combined end point of cardiovascular death and events. There was a significant difference in survival distributions between patients with and without SEC between both genders (p <0.001). In patients with normal or mildly reduced left ventricular function, SEC was predictive of an adverse outcome, whereas this was not the case in patients with more severely depressed cardiac function. It is concluded that the presence of SEC in the thoracic aorta is associated with a high risk of cardiovascular events and/or death over intermediate-term follow-up.

Well-functioning double-orifice mitral valve in a young adult.

We report the case of a rare congenital anomaly, a double-orifice mitral valve, in a 23-year-old woman who was asymptomatic and had no history of heart disease. Transthoracic and multiplane transesophageal echocardiography revealed 2 functionally normal orifices of equal size, the least frequent anatomic presentation of this anomaly. We prescribed antibiotic prophylaxis because of the concomitant presence of a mildly stenotic bicuspid aortic valve and recommended annual follow-up examinations to monitor both lesions for possible progression.

Embolic stroke after "cured" prosthetic aortic valve endocarditis.

The authors report on the case of a patient with infective endocarditis of a prosthetic valve in the aortic position, after receiving percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty. Transesophageal echocardiography provided valuable information about the existence and size of vegetations at the time of initial diagnosis and during followup. Despite successful treatment resulting in good control of the infection and a significant reduction of vegetation size, the patient still suffered a major cerebral embolic event early after hospital discharge.