Paradoxical brain embolism caused by pulmonary arteriovenous fistula and coincident pulmonary embolism--a case report.

The authors encountered a very rare case of paradoxical brain embolism resulting from pulmonary arteriovenous fistula and coincident pulmonary embolism. Enhanced computed tomography was useful for diagnosing this infrequent condition.

Reverse redistribution phenomenon on rest (99m)Tc-tetrofosmin myocardial single photon emission computed tomography involves impaired left ventricular contraction in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical significance of the reverse redistribution (RR) phenomenon on technetium-99m ((99m)Tc)-tetrofosmin myocardial single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) performed at rest. Twenty-five patients underwent myocardial SPECT 3 weeks after the onset of acute myocardial infarction. Myocardial images were acquired at 40 min (early) and 4 h (delayed) after the injection of 740 MBq of (99m)Tc-tetrofosmin. The regional myocardial uptake of the tracer in 26 segments of the left ventricular (LV) wall was visually scored from 0 (no activity) to 3 (normal activity), and then the RR was defined as a decrease of more than 1 point in the activity score on the delayed image compared with that on the early image. Regions with an activity score of 3 on both the early and delayed images were defined as normal, and those with a score of 0 or 1 on the early image were considered to have a fixed defect. The regional myocardial (99m)Tc-tetrofosmin uptake and washout rate were also quantitatively assessed in each region. In addition, exercise stress electrocardiograph-gated SPECT with (99m)Tc-tetrofosmin was performed within 1 week of the rest study, and the percent count increase (%CI) during myocardial contraction in each corresponding region was studied. RR was observed in 18 of the 25 patients. The regional washout rate of (99m)Tc-tetrofosmin was significantly higher in the RR regions (45.0+/-3.8%) than in either the normal regions (36.4+/-4.1%, p<0.001) or in those with a fixed defect (39.7+/-3.9%, p<0.001). The %CI in the RR regions (10.4+/-10.4%) was significantly less than that in the normal regions (23.5+/-10.1%, p<0.001); however, no significant difference was found between the RR regions and those with a fixed defect (8.0+/-7.2%). In patients with acute myocardial infarction, the regions showing the RR phenomenon on (99m)Tc-tetrofosmin SPECT have severely impaired LV wall contraction after exercise.

The mechanism of emergence and clinical significance of apically directed intraventricular flow during isovolumic relaxation.

The mechanism of emergence and the clinical significance of apically directed intraventricular flow during isovolumic relaxation were investigated. The relation between the spatial distribution of the flow and left ventricular (LV) apical wall motion abnormality, as well as LV performance, was studied in 97 patients who underwent cardiac catheterization for evaluation of chest pain. According to the distribution of the flow, the patients were classified into the following 3 groups: flow observed in the whole area between the tip of the papillary muscle and the apex (spread flow) (n = 38), flow observed in the same area that did not fill the whole area (localized flow) (n = 15), and no apparent flow observed in the area (without flow) (n = 44). An absence of flow disclosed apical asynergy with a sensitivity of 97% and specificity of 87%. The time constant of LV relaxation was significantly shorter in patients with spread flow than in those without flow. A significant difference was also observed in end-systolic volume index (18.8 +/- 6.8 vs 30.9 +/- 7.7 vs 42.3 +/- 20.2 mL/m(2), spread flow < localized flow < without flow, P <.05) among the 3 groups. The propagation velocity of LV early diastolic filling flow was significantly greater in patients with spread flow (47.0 +/- 8.3 cm/s) than in those with localized flow (30.7 +/- 7.8 cm/s) or without flow (28.6 +/- 7.8 cm/s) (P <.001). These findings indicate that the greater magnitude of LV elastic recoil and the faster LV relaxation in patients without LV apical asynergy produce apically directed intraventricular flow during isovolumic relaxation, enhancing the speed of LV early diastolic filling. Apically directed intraventricular flow during isovolumic relaxation may play an important role as a mediator of better LV systolic performance and LV relaxation to LV early diastolic filling. Absence of apically directed intraventricular flow during isovolumic relaxation is a manifestation of LV apical asynergy and global LV dysfunction from end systole to early diastole.

Myocardial oxidative metabolism in remote normal regions in the left ventricles with remodeling after myocardial infarction: effect of beta-adrenoceptor blockers.

UNLABELLED: In patients with myocardial infarction (MI), an expansion of the remote normal regions of the left ventricle is often observed. However, the characteristics of such regions are not fully understood. Thus, we investigated this issue from the standpoint of myocardial oxidative metabolism using (11)C-acetate PET. METHODS: In 33 patients with recent MI (24 not receiving beta-blockers, 9 receiving beta-blockers) and 12 age-matched normal control subjects, (11)C-acetate dynamic myocardial PET scanning was performed at rest. Time-activity curves of (11)C-acetate in 5-7 regions of interest (ROIs) on the midventricular transaxial image in each subject were generated, and the clearance rate constant (K(mono)) in each ROI was calculated by monoexponential fitting as an index of myocardial oxidative metabolism. The left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic volume index as an index of LV remodeling and the heart rate. pressure product were obtained in all subjects. RESULTS: The LV end-diastolic volume index was significantly larger in patients with MI without beta-blockers than in normal control subjects (101 +/- 22.5 vs. 61.6 +/- 12.8 mL x m(-2); P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in the heart rate x pressure product between the patients with MI without beta-blockers and the normal control subjects (8,229 +/- 1,503 vs. 8,311 +/- 1,311 mm Hg x min(-1)). The K(mono) in remote normal regions was significantly greater in patients with MI without beta-blockers even when compared with the highest K(mono) on the anteroseptal wall of the left ventricle in normal control subjects (0.078 +/- 0.022 vs. 0.065 +/- 0.007 min(-1); P < 0.01). In contrast, the heart rate. pressure product (6,911 +/- 1,135 mm Hg x min(-1)) and the K(mono) (0.054 +/- 0.009 min(-1)) in remote normal regions were significantly less in patients with beta-blockers than in those without beta-blockers (P < 0.001). No significant difference in the LV end-diastolic volume index was found between the MI patients with and without beta-blockers. Multivariate regression analysis showed that beta-blockers significantly and directly decreased the K(mono) in remote normal regions after adjusting the effect of the heart rate x pressure product, although the prime determinant of the K(mono) in such regions was the heart rate x pressure product. CONCLUSION: Myocardial oxidative metabolism in remote normal regions is accelerated in the left ventricles with remodeling after acute MI. Therapy using beta-blockers normalizes the myocardial oxidative metabolism in such regions through the reduction of the heart rate x pressure product and their direct effect on the myocardium.