PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of milrinone on diastolic function during coronary artery bypass grafting surgery (CABG). METHODS: Fifty patients undergoing CABG were randomized to receive a bolus and infusion of milrinone or placebo before cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) until skin closure. Hemodynamic and transesophageal echocardiographic measurements of systolic and diastolic ...

The aim of the present study was to analyze heart function in subclinical hyperthyroidism (sHT) in otherwise healthy subjects by new methods using intramyocardial ultrasonic techniques. Twenty-four newly diagnosed and untreated sHT patients (20 women, 4 men; mean age: 42+/-4 yr) and 24 sex- and age-matched healthy volunteers were studied. ...

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate regional myocardial dyssynchronicity and velocity of the left ventricle in patients with coronary artery disease. METHODS: Tissue synchronization imaging analysis of the time to peak velocity (Tp) and peak velocity (Vp) of left ventricular longitudinal myocardial segments was performed for 60 ...

AIM: Our objective was to evaluate regional systolic myocardial contraction properties along the long and short axes of the left ventricle (LV) in patients with isolated LV non-compaction (IVNC). METHODS AND RESULTS: Pulsed tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) was used to record myocardial velocities along these axes in 25 patients with ...

BACKGROUND: We examined the potential role of Doppler myocardial imaging including tissue velocity imaging, strain imaging, and strain rate imaging for detection of left ventricular systolic dysfunction in cardiac amyloidosis (CA) and determined the minimum dataset required to make the diagnosis. METHODS AND RESULTS: Doppler myocardial imaging was performed in ...

BACKGROUND: At present about 80% of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) will be cured following treatment with multi-drug chemotherapy. A major concern for this growing number of survivors is the risk of late effects of treatment. The aim of this study was to determine whether signs of cardiomyopathy were ...

BACKGROUND: Transmitral flow patterns derived from Doppler echocardiography carry prognostic information in patients with chronic heart failure and systolic dysfunction. In such patients, chronic kidney disease (CKD) defined as a reduction in estimated glomerular filtration rate less than 60 mL/min/1.73 m(2) is frequent, but its prognostic impact relative to that ...

BACKGROUND: Assessment of right ventricular (RV) function by echocardiography is challenging. Newer techniques such as tissue Doppler echocardiography and strain echocardiography may allow accurate and quantitative assessment of RV function. We sought to determine which echocardiographic variable or variables best correlated with RV ejection fraction (RVEF) by cardiac magnetic resonance. ...

Cardiac parameters in growth hormone (GH) deficiency and the effects of GH replacement treatment (GHRT) are still controversial. We investigated 19 adult patients (mean age: 45 +/- 10 years, 7 male), with GH deficiency before and after 12 months of GHRT. Twenty age- and sex-matched healthy individuals (mean age: 44 ...

Although normal or exaggerated early diastolic mitral annular velocity (E') provides an excellent specificity for differentiating constrictive pericarditis (CP) from restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM), its sensitivity has been shown to be lower, especially in patients with CP who had underlying myocardial abnormality. This study sought to evaluate the incremental value of ...

Anabolic steroids cause a variety of side effects, among them a slight concentric left ventricular hypertrophy. The objective of the present study was to clarify if they also induce alterations in left ventricular function. 14 male body builders with substantial intake of anabolic steroids (users) were examined by standard echocardiography ...

OBJECTIVE: We sought to evaluate the effect of acute coronary thrombectomy, as adjunctive treatment to primary percutaneous coronary intervention, on the systolic and diastolic left ventricular function, in patients with acute S-T elevation myocardial infarction. METHODS: In a prospective randomized study, patients with acute S-T elevation myocardial infarction were randomized ...

Although cardiac involvement is common in adult sickle cell disease (SCD) patients, it is unknown when cardiac dysfunction appears in the course of SCD. Diastolic function has not been comprehensively analyzed in children with SCD. Thus, our aim was to evaluate diastolic function in pediatric SCD patients. Echocardiograms were performed ...

We sought to compare the feasibility and accuracy of myocardial blood flow reserve (MBFR) measured by quantitative real-time myocardial contrast echocardiography with those of coronary flow velocity reserve (CFVR) obtained by transthoracic Doppler echocardiography for detecting left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) stenosis. We studied 71 patients who underwent adenosine ...

OBJECTIVE: Accelerated atherosclerosis is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Altered coronary microvascular function may act as a marker of changes that predispose to the development of significant coronary vascular disease. The purpose of this study was to compare coronary flow reserve ...

Echocardiography is currently the primary clinical method for the noninvasive measurement of right heart hemodynamic parameters and is an indispensable tool for the initial assessment, diagnosis, longitudinal follow-up, and prognostication of patients with abnormal right heart function. This review will discuss the echocardiographic methods used to estimate right heart hemodynamic ...

Left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction is an important cause of heart failure in hypertensive heart disease. The aim of this study is to establish the effects of beta blockers on LV diastolic function and long axis motion in patients with arterial hypertension. METHODS: Sixty patients (aged 55 +/- 8 y) ...

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have reported that cardiovascular involvement in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) occurs frequently. Although ventricular functions of RA have been investigated through the standard Doppler in RA, they have yet to be investigated thoroughly by means of the relatively new and advantageous tissue Doppler imaging (TDI). The present study ...

INTRODUCTION: Right ventricular function is a determinant of prognosis and survival in patients with pulmonary hypertension. The pulmonary hypertensive right ventricle has a complex shape. Transthoracic two-dimensional echocardiography is the primary examination for demonstrating right ventricular impairment. Nowadays, many indices have been linked with pulmonary hypertension. The myocardial performance index ...

BACKGROUND: We assessed the changes of mitral inflow during Valsalva maneuver (VM) in patients with different stages of left ventricular dysfunction and evaluated their value for the differentiation between normal and pseudonormal filling pattern. METHODS: A total of 190 patients (120 with coronary artery disease, and 70 healthy subjects) were ...

AIM: To evaluate left ventricle (LV) diastolic function dynamics in patients after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) after combined operation of coronary artery bypass graft with LV aneurismectomy (CABG + AE) according to the results of tissue Doppler imaging (TDI). METHODS: Forty patients after AMI underwent Doppler echocardiography (EchoCG) with TDI ...

Tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) is evolving as a useful echocardiographic tool for quantitative assessment of left ventricular (LV) systolic and diastolic function. Recent studies have explored the prognostic role of TDI-derived parameters in major cardiac diseases, such as heart failure, acute myocardial infarction, and hypertension. In these conditions, myocardial mitral ...

A number of promising and highly technological echocardiographic imaging tools have recently been introduced to assess left ventricular diastolic function (i.e., the capacity of the ventricle to relax and fill). They permit quantification of distinct features of intraventricular blood flow velocity and pressure fields and myocardial tissue velocities. However, accurate ...

BACKGROUND: Long-term regular exercise is associated with physiologic and morphologic cardiac alterations. Tissue Doppler Imaging(TDI) and Strain Myocardial Imaging(SI) are new tools in the evaluation systolic and diastolic myocardial function. We sought to compare TDI and SI findings in professional football players and age adjusted sedentary controls to assess the ...

Right ventricular (RV) overload and hypoxia in acute pulmonary embolism (APE) may lead to RV myocardium injury reflected by elevated cardiac troponin levels. We studied 26 patients aged 57.2+/-17.8 years with first episode of APE. On admission troponin T (TnT) was measured. Transthoracic echocardiography was performed after 6 months of ...

OBJECTIVES: Perfusion-metabolism mismatch in the subacute phase using thallium-201/radio iodinated beta-methyl-p-iodophenyl pentadecanoic acid (T1/BMIPP) dual scintigraphy is an indicator of viable myocardium in acute myocardial infarction. This study investigated early prediction of myocardial salvage from the T1/BMIPP mismatch and coronary flow velocity (CFV) patterns in patients with acute myocardial infarction. ...

BACKGROUND: In chronic aortic dissection, compression of the true lumen by the expanded false lumen may be a cause of left ventricular afterload elevation, which may result in diastolic dysfunction. We compared the left ventricular diastolic function by echocardiography between those patients who had double-barrel descending aortic dissection and those ...

BACKGROUND: Hypoxia has been suggested to affect myocardial contractile function in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). We sought to determine whether myocardial contractile reserve (MCR), as evaluated by echocardiographic tissue Doppler imaging with dobutamine stress (TDDS), might be depressed in OSA patients. METHODS: Thirty patients with suspected OSA (25 ...

OBJECTIVES: We previously reported that systemic thermal therapy using 60 degrees C dry sauna improves left ventricular systolic function and clinical symptoms in patients with chronic heart failure. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of thermal therapy on left ventricular diastolic function. METHODS: We examined transmitral ...

BACKGROUND: Mitral annulus systolic velocity measured by Doppler tissue imaging (DTI) offers an alternate method for assessment of global left ventricular systolic function. However, there has been no study correlating mitral annulus systolic time intervals with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). METHODS: Patients with angina pectoris (AP, 16 cases) and ...

BACKGROUND: The relationship between regional and global left ventricular function has not been evaluated. The present study aimed to assess whether regional myocardial contraction and relaxation reflect global left ventricular systolic and early diastolic function, respectively. METHODS AND RESULTS: The study involved 45 patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Conventional ...

INTRODUCTION: Asymptomatic individuals with moderate reduction in renal function are at increased risk for congestive heart failure. In this study we investigate the relationship between mild-moderate renal insufficiency and regional left ventricle function in a population free of cardiovascular disease. METHOD: This is a cross-sectional study in 500 individuals > ...

The commonly used anesthetic agent isoflurane (ISO) is a potent coronary vasodilator that could potentially be used in the assessment of coronary reserve, but its effects on coronary blood flow in mice are unknown. Coronary reserve is reduced by age, coronary artery disease and other cardiac pathologies in man, and ...

OBJECTIVES: Tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) is an echocardiographic technique that evaluates longitudinal myocardial tissue velocities during left ventricular systolic and diastolic function, relatively independently of loading conditions. Limited data are available regarding maternal cardiac function using TDI. The aim of this study was to construct reference charts for TDI indices ...

BACKGROUND: We aimed to define differences between systemic right ventricle (RV) in patients with atrial switch procedure for transposition of the great arteries, and congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries (ccTGA), which remodels early on in life and the subpulmonary RV in patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (iPAH) ...

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess left ventricular (LV) systolic and diastolic function and myocardial performance (the Tei index) by tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT). METHODS: We prospectively evaluated 21 patients with PHPT [nine women, 12 men; aged 50 +/- 11 years, ...

OBJECTIVES: We investigated the cause of the midsystolic drop (MSD) in left ventricular (LV) ejection velocities that are observed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and severe obstruction. BACKGROUND: Dynamic obstruction is an important determinant of symptoms and adverse outcome. The MSD in velocity and flow occurs in patients with gradients >60 ...

BACKGROUND: Cirrhotic cardiomyopathy has been reported to be a major cause of morbidity and mortality in liver transplant recipients. However, there is scant data from Asia. With liver transplantation programs gradually being established in the region, Asian hepatologists are bound to face this entity. METHODS: Thirty patients with alcoholic cirrhosis ...

BACKGROUND: In addition to the effects on ventricular repolarization, testosterone could also affect left ventricular performance. The enhancement of left ventricular contractility in testosterone-deficient rats following testosterone replacement implies to the possible testosterone effect. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the current study is to reveal the alterations of left ventricular functions, ...

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the utility of tissue Doppler echocardiography in evaluating the pre-operative left ventricular systolic function and in turn its impact on early post-operative outcomes following arterial switch operation for transposition of great arteries with intact ventricular septum. BACKGROUND: Pre-operative left ventricular function ...

Recently, the Tei-index, a noninvasive index that combines systolic and diastolic time intervals, has been proposed to assess global cardiac performance. However, the effects of isoflurane on the Tei-index have not been characterized. This study aimed at studying the effects of 1.0 minimal alveolar concentration isoflurane anesthesia on the pre-ejection ...

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to correlate Tei index obtained from tissue Doppler echocardiography (TDE-Tei index) defined as the ratio of the sum of isovolumetric contraction time (ICT) and isovolumetric relaxation time (IRT) over the ejection time (ET) with invasive measurements of left ventricular (LV) performance. METHODS: Thirty-four ...

It is unknown whether right ventricular (RV) tissue Doppler (TD) predicts outcome in patients with left ventricular (LV) heart failure (HF) independently of contemporary echocardiographic Doppler variables of LV diastolic function. Comprehensive echocardiographic Doppler examination was performed before discharge in 107 patients hospitalized with LV HF. The primary end point ...

Cardiac function is impaired in adults or children with hypothyroidism and it can be reversed by levothyroxine (L-T(4)) substitution therapy. However, only a few studies are available on left and right ventricular function in neonates with congenital hypothyroidism (CH), most of which were performed with standard echocardiography. The aim of ...

Echocardiography offers comprehensive, noninvasive, and relatively inexpensive tools for diagnosing cardiac pathology in the elderly. With an organized approach using two-dimensional echocardiography and Doppler echocardiography, clinicians can determine the systolic and diastolic left ventricular performance;estimate the cardiac output, pulmonary artery, and ventricular fill-ing pressures; and identify surgically correctable valve disease.Meanwhile, ...

OBJECTIVE: Aim of this study was to investigate the value of systolic indices of tricuspid valve annular motion measured by tissue Doppler imaging for the diagnosis right ventricular failure in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). METHODS: Patients with COPD with right heart failure symptoms and/or right ventricular dilatation ...

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of echocardiographic parameters as predictors of rehospitalization in scleroderma patients. METHODS: Echocardiographic studies were conducted in 38 patients with systolic scleroderma (SSc) to assess cardiopulmonary function. Forty-five age-matched volunteers without any sign of heart failure served as the control ...

BACKGROUND: Propofol is thought to minimally depress myocardial function, but mainly to reduce blood pressure by vasodilation. Transthoracic tissue-Doppler echocardiography (TDE) is a novel, validated method of quantifying myocardial function. It provides new insight into myocardial function by measuring myocardial motion. We examined the effects of propofol upon myocardial function ...

BACKGROUND: Long-term regular exercise is associated with physiologic and morphologic cardiac alterations. Tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) and ventricular early flow propagation velocity (Vp) are new tolls in the evaluation of myocardial function. We sought to compare TDI and Vp findings in professional football players and age-adjusted sedentary controls to assess ...

BACKGROUND: A newly developed program, named cardioGRAF, enabled the evaluation of left ventricular (LV) systolic and diastolic temporal parameters for the estimation of heart failure using ECG-gated myocardial perfusion SPECT (GMPS). OBJECTIVE: The feasibility of those global (g-) and regional (r-) parameters was validated to compare with gated equilibrium radionuclide ...