A prospective study of helical computed tomography angiography versus angiography for the detection of renal artery stenoses in hypertensive patients.

OBJECTIVE: To compare helical computed tomography angiography with arterial digital subtraction angiography in the diagnosis of renal artery stenoses. METHODS: Fifty hypertensives (24 men; mean age 53 years) were prospectively studied with computed tomography (Somaton Plus S, Siemens) and digital angiography (double-blind evaluation). Computed tomography was performed both in the sequential (the length of the abdomen) and in the helical (6 cm around renal arteries) modes during injection of 120 cm3 contrast medium. RESULTS: Digital angiography visualized 16 significant (< 50% on quantitative angiography) stenoses (16/131 renal arteries, including 32 accessory), in 14 (28%) patients. On helical computed tomography, 16 stenoses were detected, in 49 patients (16/122 renal arteries, seven accessory arteries were not identified because they were located out side the scan area); two patients had false-positive helical computed tomography results. The computed tomography sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were 87.5% (14/16), 98.2% (111/114), 87.5% and 98.2%, respectively. In the sequential mode, two cases of bilateral adrenal hyperplasia, two aortic aneurysms and one renal neoplasm were detected. None of these patients had renal artery stenosis. CONCLUSIONS: Helical computed tomography is a suitable new non-invasive diagnostic modality for the detection of renal artery stenosis or adrenal pathology. With continued development and evaluation computed tomography could prove useful as a screening tool or as a replacement for digital angiography in patients with possible secondary hypertension.

Frequency of provoked coronary arterial spasm in 1089 consecutive patients undergoing coronary arteriography.

We established the incidence of coronary artery spasm provoked by 0.4 mg of methergine in 1089 consecutive patients undergoing coronary angiography. The test was performed after routine coronary arteriography. Subjects included patients with angina, both typical and atypical, patients who had recently had myocardial infarction and patients with either valvular disease or congestive cardiomyopathy. Patients with spontaneous spasm, left main narrowing or severe three-vessel disease were excluded. One hundred thirty-four patients experienced focal spasm. Focal spasm was uncommon in patients with atypical precordial pain (1.2%), angina of effort (4.3%), valvular disease (1.95%) or cardiomyopathy (0%). It occurred most often in patients with angina at rest and less often in patients with angina both at rest and induced by exercise. Spasm was provoked in 20% of patients with recent transmural infarction, but in only 6.2% of patients studied later after infarction. Spasm was superimposed on fixed atherosclerotic lesions in 60% of the patients. No serious complications were encountered. Although the patients who underwent provocation tests in this study are not representative of all patients with coronary artery disease, spasm occurred in 20% of patients who experienced a coronary event and in 15% of patients who complained of chest pain.

[Acute hemodynamic effects of betaxolol in uncomplicated arterial hypertension in young persons]. / Effets hémodynamiques aigus du bétaxolol dans l'hypertension artérielle essentielle non compliquée du sujet jeune.

Acute hemodynamic changes induced by Betaxolol (B.) were studied in 10 patients (7 men, 3 women, mean age: 36 years), with uncomplicated essential hypertension. The brachial artery was cannulated with a short Teflon catheter and Swan-Ganz catheter was introduced into the pulmonary artery. Brachial (BAP) and Pulmonary arterial pressures (PAP), cardiac output (dye dilution) were recorded before (To) and after intravenous infusion of B. (0.2 mg/kg) during 5 minutes (T1), followed by the infusion of B. at a rate of 0.4 mg/kg during 15 minutes (T2). Cardiac index (C.I.), Stroke index (S.I.), Systemic Vascular (SVR) and Pulmonary Vascular Resistances (PVR), Left Ventricular Stroke Work Index (LVSWI) were calculated. C.I. declined significantly. This resulted from a significant decrease of heart rate, since S.I. was unsignificantly changed. BAP (systolic and mean) decreased significantly, since unsignificant changes of PAP were noted. SVR and PVR were significantly increased and LVSWI was significantly decreased. Plasmatic Renin Activity was unsignificantly decreased.

Coronary sinus blood flow at rest and during isometric exercise in patients with aortic valve disease. Mechanism of angina pectoris in presence of normal coronary arteries.

In 46 patients with aortic valve disease, coronary sinus blood flow was measured using a continuous thermodilution method both at rest and during isometric handgrip exercise. All patients had normal coronary angiograms. The patients were separated into three groups: Group I, 12 patients with aortic stenosis (systolic gradient 72 +/- 12 mm Hg); Group II, 15 patients with both aortic stenosis and regurgitation; Group III, 19 patients with aortic regurgitation. At rest, the coronary sinus blood flow was two to three times normal. However, when corrected for left ventricular mass (ml/100 g), flow was within normal limits. The ratio diastolic pressure-time index/systolic pressure-time index (DPTI/SPTI) was decreased in all three groups at rest. During isometric exercise, coronary sinus blood flow increased significantly: by 60 percent in Group I, by 88 percent in Group II and by 118 percent in Group III. There was a significant reduction of the DPTI/SPTI ratio. Of the 18 patients with angina on effort during the test, 7 were in Group I, 6 in Group II and 5 in Group III. There were no differences in the coronary sinus blood flow between the patients with angina and those who were pain-free, either at rest or during exercise. Angina pectoris does not appear to be caused by a failure of coronary blood flow to increase. There was no discrepancy between myocardial demand, as measured by the pressure-time index and coronary blood flow. However, the DPTI/SPTI ratio was significantly lower during exercise in the patients with angina than in those who were pain-free. Underperfusion of the subendocardial muscle seems to be a causative factor in the patients with angina.

[Detection of coronary artery spasm by the methylergometrin test. Technic. Results. Indications]. / La détection du spasme des artères coronaires par le test à la méthylergométrine. Technique. Résultats. Indications.

Methylergometrine (Methergin) was given intravenously (0.4 mg) to 118 patients undergoing coronary arteriography. The electrocardiogramme and intraaortic pressure was continuously monitored whilst coronary arteriography was performed, 1,3, and 5 minutes after the injection of the ergot alkaloid. The test was positive if: 1) coronary spasm was observed; 2) if ST segment elevation was recorded with or without pain. Positive tests were obtained in 13 out of 14 patients with Prinzmetal angina. The test was negative in the other patients. However in 3 patients with Prinzmetal angina, the test produced typical coronary spasm without electrocardiographic changes. In Prinzmetal angina the sensitivity of this test was 93 p. 100 with a high specificity: 96-100 p. 100 depending on whether or not electrocardiographical changes associated with spasm are considered. Taking into account current therapeutic methods of treating Prinzmetal angina the indications of this test of coronary spasm are: 1) patients presenting with resting angina whatever the state of their coronary arteries; 2) patients with documented Prinzmetal angina with "angiographically normal" coronary arteries.

Coronary arteriography in acute transmural myocardial infarction.

Coronary arteriography was performed 16 +/- 3 days (range 7 to 21 days) in 106 patients with acute transmural myocardial infarction (61 posterior infarct, 45 anterior infarct). Coronary arteriography was performed without serious complications. Only 44% of patients with anterior infarct had total occlusion of the left anterior descending artery while a significant stenosis of the vessel was observed in the others -27% had a single vessel disease, 49% had two lesions and 22% had three lesions; one patient had angiographically normal coronary arteries. Among the patients with posterior infarction, 21% had one vessel disease and double or triple lesions accounted for 39% of each. Sixty per cent of patients with anterior infarction and 45% with posterior infarction had no collateral vessels. In the others patients collateral circulation had a protective effect only in anterior infarction. Age has no effect on the distribution and number of lesions nor on the development of a collateral circulation. The location and severity of the lesions were not different in patients who presented with arrythmias and those who did not.

Left ventricular compliance in acute transmural myocardial infarction in man.

130 patients with recent transmural myocardial infarction were studied in order to evaluate changes in left ventricular compliance. Left heart catheterization and cineangiographic left ventriculography were performed. The modulus of chamber stiffness (K) was determined from the slope of the linear relation between volume stiffness (dP/dv) and pressure; the modulus of muscle stiffness was evaluated by the Laird index (asymptotic slope of logP vs log V). Patients were divided in 3 groups: Group A included 5 patients studied before and after myocardial infarction who experienced an increase in the modulus of chamber and muscle stiffness after infarction. Group B included 10 patients who were studied at the onset of infarct and 15 days later: this group demonstrated changes in LV compliance with, most often a rightwardshift of P-V curve in anterior infarct and inversely a leftward shift in posterior infarction. The 115 patients of Group B are roughly equally distributed in the areas of normal, increased or decreased compliance. Any correlation was found between the extent of asynergy and changes in modulus of chamber stiffness. However, ejection fraction or VCF were higher in patients with a reduction of compliance than in patients with an increase of compliance.

[Coronary arteriography in recent myocardial infarct]. / L'artériographie coronaire au cours de l'infarctus du myocarde récent.

Sixty patients with a recent transmural acute myocardial infarction had seletive coronary arteriography carried out between the 7th and the 29th day (mean 17 +/- 2 days) after the onset of the condition. The anterior infarction (n = 25 cases) had a total obliteration in 36% of cases, and most often (64%) a stenosis of the anterior descending artery with an excellent distal bed (80%). The collateral circulation is often zero (76% of cases); 80% have adjacent lesions on the right coronary or circumflex artery, but 7 patients out of 25 would have been able to have a preventive bypass operation. The posterior infae lesions are often sited electively at the level of the artery of the S/A node or in the middle of the second vertical segment in the region of the right ventricular branch. Thus the infarct is the result of a complex lesion of the right coronary and circumflex arteries, because the latter is affected in three cases out of four. 63% of patients with a postero-inferior infarction have diffuse lesions, and 13 out of 35 could have had a preventive bypass procedure. This study shows: 1. That this investigation is well-tolerated after a recent infarction; 2. The high incidence (43%) of stenoses at the edge of the area of necrosed myocardium; 3. The importance of this investigation in finding the nearby lesions which are very frequently associated: in 33% of cases, preventive bypass would have possible.