Comparison of durability of bioprostheses in tricuspid and mitral positions.

BACKGROUND: Few reports have assessed differences in the durability of mitral and tricuspid bioprostheses after simultaneous implantation of the same bioprosthesis in both positions. We investigated the long-term outcome after simultaneous mitral valve replacement (MVR) and tricuspid valve supraannular implantation (TVSI) with the Carpentier-Edwards bioprostheses in patients with severe tricuspid regurgitation and advanced mitral valve disease. METHODS: Between 1982 and 1998, 37 patients in our hospital underwent MVR and TVSI with Carpentier-Edwards bioprostheses. The mean age of the patients was 55+/-11 years. The average postoperative follow-up was 7.9+/-4.5 years after surgery (range 0 to 14.6 years, 315.1 patient-years). The follow-up rate was 100%. We evaluated the actuarial survival rate, the actuarial freedom from structural valve deterioration (SVD) and reoperation, and postoperative complications. RESULTS: The overall actuarial survival rate at 13 years after the operation was 69%+/-31%. The actuarial freedom from SVD and reoperation in the mitral and tricuspid positions were 78+/-22 and 100% and 70+/-30 and 90%+/-10% (p = 0.03), respectively. No patient had systemic or pulmonary thromboembolism, or complications associated with fatal arrhythmia. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the bioprostheses in the tricuspid position yield significantly better long-term results than those in the mitral position after simultaneous MVR and TVSI.

Venous function and delayed leg swelling following saphenectomy in coronary artery bypass grafting.

Some patients are troubled by leg swelling following saphenectomy long after CABG. Postsaphenectomy venous function in the leg has not, however, been well clarified. To determine whether venous dysfunction caused postsaphenectomy swelling, we measured the maximum venous outflow and time constant (tau) in the leg by venous occlusion strain-gauge plethysmography in 45 patients; a venous Doppler test was also conducted in 33 of the 45 at a mean 57.6 +/- 21.3 months after CABG. The saphenous vein was harvested unilaterally from the lower leg or from both the thigh and lower leg in all patients. Edema was seen in 4 patients (8.9%) and 8 reported leg swelling after saphenous vein harvest (17.8%). Legs were classified into three groups: group 1 consisted of 12 with edema or reports of swelling ipsilateral to the saphenous vein harvest site, group 2 consisted of 33 ipsilateral to the saphenous vein harvest without edema, and group 3 consisted of the 45 nonoperated-on, contralateral legs of the same patients as controls. No significant differences were seen in maximum venous outflow, tau, or the incidence of deep vein reflux among groups. No significant relationship was found between venous function and leg swelling occurring delayed after saphenectomy.

Physiological and pharmacological responses of arterial graft flow after coronary artery bypass grafting measured with an implantable ultrasonic Doppler miniprobe.

BACKGROUND: The present study was designed to investigate physiological and pharmacological responses of the arterial graft flow measured by the directly implanted ultrasonic pulsed Doppler miniprobe after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). METHODS AND RESULTS: Our original 5-MHz, 5-mm-diameter, Doppler mini-flow probe catheter, which has four silicone brims in front to facilitate its fixation onto the graft without direct suture, was attached onto internal thoracic artery (ITA) and gastroepiploic artery (GEA) grafts during CABG in 10 patients. Approximately 2 weeks postoperatively, when the patient's condition was quite stable without medication, changes of flow velocity in those grafts induced by catecholamine, exercise, taking meals, and coronary vasodilating drugs were measured. Dobutamine significantly increased both ITA and GEA graft flow velocity (p < 0.01), whereas dopamine had no distinct positive effect. Upon the patient taking meals, the GEA graft showed an 83% increase of the flow velocity (p < 0.05), whereas the ITA graft showed no significant change. Walking exercise for 6 minutes increased both grafts' flow velocity up to two times that of control values (p < 0.01). Oral intake of coronary vasodilating drugs showed no significant effect. After the investigation was completed, the probe was removed easily at bedside without difficulty. CONCLUSIONS: Using this implantable Doppler miniprobe, postoperative function in the individual coronary bypass graft under various conditions was effectively investigated.

Doppler miniprobe to measure arterial graft flow in coronary artery bypass grafting.

Using a 5 X 5-mm ultrasonographic Doppler miniprobe, the flow volume of arterial grafts (internal thoracic artery and gastroepiploic artery) was measured four times during the course of coronary artery bypass grafting. Graft flow just before sternal closure was almost equivalent to that in the preoperative phase when the anastomosis was optimal. Use of the Doppler miniprobe facilitated evaluation of the arterial graft flow pattern easily and quickly. We conclude that the Doppler miniprobe can provide helpful information for the evaluation of results of coronary artery bypass grafting in real time without necessitating any additional procedures.

[Long-term prognosis in patients with echocardiographic left ventricular dysfunction masquerading as dilated cardiomyopathy].

The long-term prognosis and prognostic factors were assessed in patients with left ventricular dilatation with impaired function secondary to idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) or to heart diseases of various pathogeneses masquerading as DCM (DCM-like). The echocardiographic criteria for DCM-like disease were 1) left ventricular end-diastolic dimension exceeding 60 mm and 2) fractional shortening less than 15%. Those who showed improvement in either of these 2 parameters within 3 months were excluded from this study. One hundred and fifty-eight of 35,250 serially examined patients fulfilled the definitions. The pathogeneses of diseases were valvular heart disease (VHD) in 30 patients, ischemic heart disease (IHD) in 37, alcoholic cardiomyopathy (AC) in 12, hypertensive heart disease (HHD) in 31 and DCM in 48. All of the survivors were followed for more than 24 months; an average of 40 months. During this period, there were a total of 75 deaths, 18 (27%) of whom were judged as sudden death. Five-year survival rates calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method in AC and HHD were 86% and 77%, respectively, which were significantly higher than those in DCM (48%; p < 0.05); whereas, patients with VHD and IHD had lower values (60% and 46%, respectively) which were nearly equal to those in DCM. Factors that contributed to the increase in total cardiac mortality were advanced age, higher NYHA functional class, larger cardiac size on chest radiograph and history of heavy alcohol intake. Each of these factors were closely related to the specific pathogeneses as follows: age to IHD, cardiac size to VHD, and NYHA functional class to DCM. Long-term prognosis of DCM-like heart diseases, especially those of IHD and VHD, seemed to be as bad as those of DCM.

[Tricuspid regurgitation in mitral valve prolapse studied by two-dimensional color flow mapping].

To assess the incidence of tricuspid regurgitation (TR) in mitral valve prolapse (MVP), 96 patients with MVP and 23 normal control subjects were studied. Subjects in the MVP group were further classified as a group with mitral regurgitation (MR(+) group: 61 cases), and MR(-) group (35 cases). The presence of TR in each group was studied by two-dimensional color flow mapping using a Toshiba SSH-65A apparatus. The incidence of TR was 49% in the MR(+) group and 34% in the MR(-) group, and both (35 cases). The presence of TR in each group was studied by two-dimensional color flow mapping using a Toshiba SSH-65A apparatus. The incidence of TR was 49% in the MR(+) group and 34% in the MR(-) group, and both values were statistically greater than 9% in the control group (p less than 0.001 and p less than 0.05, respectively). A female preponderance was observed only in the MR(+) group. Tricuspid valve prolapse was observed in six cases (10%) in the MR(+) group, two cases (6%) in the MR(-) group, and none in the control group. The mean tricuspid ring dimension did not differ significantly among the three groups. The female patients in MR(+) group had statistically greater measurements than the normal female subjects (p less than 0.01). In conclusion, the incidence of TR was statistically greater in female patients in the MR(+) group than in females in the other groups. It is suspected that functional or pathological changes which induce MVP are likely to progress to the tricuspid ring in female patients.

[Metastatic thyroid cancer to the right ventricle causing obstruction of the right ventricular outflow tract and associated with disseminated intravascular coagulopathy: a case report].

A case of thyroid cancer causing right ventricular outflow tract obstruction is described. A 72-year-old woman was admitted because of shortness of breath, some ecchymoses, and marked anasarca. Her liver was palpable four fingerbreadths below her costal margin. Laboratory findings included leukocytosis, marked thrombocytopenia, and an increase in fibrinogen degradation products due to disseminated intravascular coagulopathy. Two-dimensional echocardiography demonstrated a solid mass in the right ventricle, which protruded into the right atrium and main pulmonary artery. Right ventricular outflow tract obstruction and tricuspid regurgitation were demonstrated by contrast echocardiography. These findings were confirmed by CT scans, RI angiography, and contrast angiography. The mass was partially resected from her right ventricle and her tricuspid valve was replaced successfully, but she died of sepsis three weeks after surgery. At autopsy, undifferentiated thyroid cancer and cardiac metastasis were verified. To date, only eight cases with initial symptoms of congestive heart failure due to right ventricular outflow tract obstruction caused by metastatic intracavitary tumors have been reported. Very rarely have cardiac tumors resulted in disseminated intravascular coagulopathy.

[Hemodynamic determinants of late systolic reversed flow in the main pulmonary artery in pulmonary hypertension: a pulsed Doppler echocardiographic study].

Pulsed Doppler echocardiograms of the main pulmonary artery were evaluated in 46 cases including 23 cases with valvular heart disease, 13 with an intracardiac shunt, two with severe right ventricular failure and low cardiac output state, and eight healthy normals. In each Doppler echocardiogram the sample volume was placed at well defined nine locations within the main pulmonary artery. Among 23 cases with valvular heart disease, 10 cases with pulmonary hypertension showed a late systolic reversed flow ("rebound" pattern : type B) in all nine sample volumes examined. This pattern was neither detected in any cases with normal pulmonary arterial pressure, cases with an intracardiac shunt, cases with low cardiac output state, nor healthy normals. A comparative study of 10 cases with "rebound" pattern (type B) and 13 cases without it disclosed that the former had a significantly increased pulmonary arterial pressure (30.9 + 15.1 mmHg vs 17.8 +/- 9.0 mmHg, p less than 0.001), an increased total pulmonary resistance (789 +/- 496 dynes X cm X sec-5 vs 285 +/- 170 dynes X cm X sec-5, p less than 0.001) and a decreased pulmonary arterial compliance expressed as stroke volume divided by pulmonary arterial pulse pressure (1.75 +/- 0.94 ml/mmHg vs 3.80 +/- 1.65 ml/mmHg, p less than 0.01). Mean acceleration of the pulmonary ejection expressed as peak flow velocity divided by acceleration period was also significantly larger in cases with "rebound" pattern (type B) than in cases with "normal" pattern (938 + 255 cm X sec2 vs 675 +/- 160 cm X sec2, p less than 0.01). In conclusion, "rebound" pattern (type B) in pulmonary hypertension is not simple swirl formation, but a totally reversed late systolic flow in the main pulmonary artery, which is caused by sudden interruption of the distal run-off due to markedly elevated total pulmonary resistance under normal right ventricular ejection.

[Effects of beta-blockers and Ca antagonists on diastolic function of the hypertrophied left ventricle: an echocardiographic study].

Left ventricular (LV) relaxation was studied in patients with hypertensive heart disease with LV hypertrophy (HHD, n = 25) and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM, n = 9), and these data were compared with that of normal controls (n = 20). The effects of oral administration of propranolol (n = 11), pindolol (n = 3), nifedipine (n = 6) and diltiazem (n = 5) in patients with HHD and that of propranolol (n = 9) in patients with HCM were also studied. Isovolumic relaxation time (IRT) was measured using dual M-mode echocardiography and peak normalized rate of change of the LV cavity in early diastole (peak dD/dt/D) was calculated by M-mode echocardiography using a digitizer and microcomputer system. IRT was significantly longer in HHD (112 +/- 24 msec, p less than 0.001) and in HCM (85 +/- 40 msec, p less than 0.05) compared with that of normal subjects (64 +/- 24 msec). The normal value of peak dD/dt/D was 3.8 +/- 0.7 sec-1, and it was significantly lower in HHD (2.7 +/- 0.8 sec-1, p less than 0.001). It was also lower in HCM (3.2 +/- 0.8 sec-1), but without a statistical significance. In HHD there was a significant relationship (r = -0.611, p less than 0.01) between peak dD/dt/D and wall thickness of the LV (interventricular septum + LV posterior wall). There was no significant change in IRT before and after the administration of beta-blockers and calcium antagonists except nifedipine in HHD (before: 116 +/- 28 msec, after: 80 +/- 14 msec, p less than 0.005). It was probably due to the effect of an accompanied decrease in heart rate. However, peak dD/dt/D was significantly increased in both HHD and HCM groups after the administration of propranolol, pindolol, nifedipine and diltiazem. These data show that LV relaxation is abnormal in the hypertrophied LV. Although the genesis of this abnormality is not clear, there seems to be a close relationship between the relaxation abnormality and increased LV mass in HHD. Oral administration of propranolol, pindolol and diltiazem for patients with HHD and propranolol for patients with HCM seems to improve the abnormal LV relaxation of each disease.