[Diagnosis of heart myxomas using computerized tomography]. / Diagnostika miksom serdtsa s pomoshch'iu komp'iuternoi tomografii.

Procedures for computed tomography of the heart are discussed. Serial or dynamic computed tomography involving intravenous injection of contrast substance as well as application of computed tomography in synchronism with ECG provide exhaustive information on the site, size, type and mobility of heart myxomas. The latter lesion was diagnosed in 4 (left auricle--2; right auricle--2) out of 250 patients suffering different diseases of the heart and aorta. Two clinical cases are reported. Particular mention is made of the sparing nature of the procedure and its high diagnostic potential for heart myxoma detection.

[Use of a multifunctional catheter for assessing cardiovascular function]. / Primenenie polifunktsional'nogo katetera dlia otsenki funktsii serdechno-sosudistoi sistemy.

A new method of cardiovascular investigation with a multifunctional catheter was used in 56 cardiac and pulmonary patients. The multifunctional catheter enabled simultaneous measurement of the intravascular pressure and liner flow rate in large vessels (both arteries and veins). Prospects are outlined for the multifunctional catheter to be used for continuous hemodynamic monitoring, and developing, on this basis, of a computer monitoring system to assess cardiac performance during surgery.

[Effect of isosorbide dinitrate (isoket) on central hemodynamics and myocardial contraction in patients with ischemic heart disease]. / Vliianie izosorbita dinitrata (izoketa) na sostoianie tsentral'noi gemodinamiki i sokratitel'nuiu funktsiiu miokarda u bol'nykh ishemicheskoi bolezn'iu serdtsa.

The authors studied the effect of isoket on the central hemodynamics and myocardial contractility as well as on the conditions of myocardial functioning in 38 patients aged 28-53 years and suffering from coronary heart disease. The infusion of 2 mg of isoket at a rate of 400 micrograms/min was followed by a decrease in the arterial pressure with the maximum drop seen on the seventh minute (by 26% from the baseline value), a reduction in the end-diastolic pressure by 50%, and a lengthening of the preejection period without any significant changes in either the cardiac output or the total peripheral resistance. Taken as a whole these changes justify the conclusion that the influence of dinitrate isosorbite (isoket) on the central hemodynamics is largely due to its venodilating action leading to a reduction of the pre-load which in turn improves myocardial functioning.

[Contractile function of the myocardium of the left ventricle in patients with isolated lesions of the aortic valve]. / Sokratitel'naia funktsiia miokarda levogo zheludochka u bol'nykh s izolirovannym porazheniem aortal'nogo klapana.

Seventy-five patients (aged 17-53) with an isolated lesion to the aortal valve have been examined. The study of correlations between clinico-instrumental and angiocardiographic findings has shown that the isotonic overload of the left ventricle as against the isometric one causes more pronounced changes in the contractility of the left ventricular myocardium which are expressed in an increased heart volume, the development of electrocardiographic manifestations of the left ventricular overload, a considerable enhancement in the myocardium weight and in the residual and end diastolic volumes of the left ventricle. The value of the gradient of the systolic pressure in patients with isolated aortal ostium stenosis determines the intensity of myocardial alterations. In patients with aortal valve insufficiency, the value of the pulse pressure is directly correlated with the myocardial state. The contractile function of the left ventricular myocardium in patients with combined cardiac aortal disease is dependent on the predominance of isotonic or isometric overloads of the left ventricle.