[Utility of echo enhancers in the study of pulmonary circulation time]. / Utilidad de los eco realzadores en el estudio del tiempo de circulación pulmonar.

UNLABELLED: Pulmonary circulation time (PCT) varies under different clinical conditions. To evaluate the PCT, the persistence of contrast in both ventricles and the digital arterial saturation of oxygen with peripheral intravenous injection of microbubbles, were examined 14 patients. Groups: I normals, II left ventricular hypertrophy (EF > 50%), III with mitral stenosis and IV in congestive heart failure. In seven patients, isosorbide S/L was administered after the first injection. The transpulmonary transit in beats was 7.3 in normals, and larger in the others. The persistence of echo contrast in right chambers was 31 beats in group I, and larger in the other groups. In left chambers it was 20.6 beats in group I, and larger in others. There were no alterations with regards to peripheral arterial saturation of oxygen. AII patients with isosorbide presented shorter PCT and persistence of contrast in right chambers. CONCLUSIONS: There are differences in PCT among normals, patients with mitral stenosis and those with congestive heart failure. Prolonged persistence contrast in right chambers indicates abnormally slow transpulmonary transit. Patients with congestive heart failure and ventricular damage, have longer persistence of echo contrast. PCT studied with contrast is an easy means of evaluating some aspects of pulmonary circulation.

[Usefulness of transesophageal echocardiography in the diagnosis of aortic intramural hematoma]. / Utilidad de la ecocardiografía transesofágica en el diagnóstico de hematoma intramural aórtico.

Aortic intramural hematoma or atypical aortic dissection is an aortic dissection without intimal tear nor flow communication and it may be the first step of a typical dissection. We describe five cases, in which transesophageal echocardiography detected intramural hematoma of the aorta. Transesophageal echocardiography is a safe, accurate and specific method that allows bedside diagnosis as well as follow-up of patients with hematoma of the aorta.

[Postoperative evaluation of different surgical procedures in genuine stress urinary incontinence: a retrospective study]. / Evaluación del posoperatorio de los diferentes procedimientos quirúrgicos para incontinencia urinaria genuina de esfuerzo: estudio retrospectivo.

An evaluation of the surgical treatment for stress and mixed urinary incontinence and pelvic relaxation. One-year follow-up, was done. A retrospective study with 144 files from the surgeries performed between February 1993 and June 1994, at the Clínica de Urología Ginecológica del Instituto Nacional de Perinatología. We excluded 37 files because of incomplete information. The age, parity, hormonal stage, preoperative diagnosis by urodynamic studies, surgical treatments and one-year follow-up were analyzed. The mean age was 45.5 years. Pereyra procedure was performed in 53, Burch procedure in 47, anterior colporrhaphy in 5, and sling procedure in 2 patients. The incidence of complications was similar between the different groups. Resumption of spontaneous postsurgical voiding was delayed in the Pereyra group. The Burch urethropexy and Pereyra procedures were equally effective, with no statistical differences observed. Burch vaginal suspension was not more effective for the correction of urinary stress incontinence than Pereyra procedure.