BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to assess the myocardial reflectivity pattern in severe aortic valve stenosis through the use of integrated backscatter (IBS) analysis. Patients with aortic stenosis (AS) were carefully selected in the Department of Cardiology. METHODS AND RESULTS Thirty-five subjects (AS: valve orifice < or =1 cm2; 12 female; mean age, 71.8+/-6.2 years) and 25 healthy sub...

-Doppler-derived parameters of transmitral flow are useful indices of diastolic dysfunction in the hypertensive heart. Different degrees of myocardial involvement in hypertensive heart can be detected by videodensitometric myocardial textural analysis. The aim of this study was to compare Doppler-derived and ultrasonic videodensitometric parameters in the differentiation of healthy hearts from ...

Twenty-eight patients with cardiac amyloidosis were studied by echocardiography -- 26 by M-mode and 13 by two-dimensional (2D) studies. All had heart failure and biopsy-proved amyloidosis, M-mode features included (1) normal left ventricular (LV) dimension in all; (2) thickened ventricular septum (88%), LV posterior wall (77%), and right ventricular (RV) anterior wall (79%); (3) decreased thick...

The effects of alterations in the diastolic filling pressure of the right ventricle on left ventricular (LV) geometry and filling pressure were studied in six isolated, supported canine hearts. This experimental preparation permitted graded increments in right ventricular (RV) end-diastolic pressure while LV cardiac output, heart rate, and mean aortic pressure were held constant. Endocardial ra...

Background: Conventional fixation methods of posterior wall acetabular fractures feature the use of plating and lagscrews. However, fixation of posterior wall fractures with buttress plating alone offers potential advantages by avoidingthe hardware complications related to hardware placement through the wall fragment. The purpose of this study wasto examine if buttress plating...

We introduce the posterior double cannular sliding technique, which is an easy, fast, safe, and reproducible method for posterior septum resection of the knee joint. Several posterior compartment procedures have been developed. Procedures with anterior-posterior approaches (transnotch approach) and posterior-posterior approaches have become possible for arthroscopic total synovectomy and loose ...

OBJECTIVES We examined the echocardiographic characteristics of highly trained American football players. BACKGROUND Intense physical training is associated with morphologic and physiologic cardiac changes often referred to as the "athlete's heart." Echocardiographic features peculiar to elite football players have not been described. METHODS We studied cardiac morphology and function as as...

The echocardiogram showed marked right heart chamber dilation (right ventricle ‐ RV 52 mm), a slight increase of the left atrium (45 mm), systolic blood pressure of 44 mmHg in the RV. The ascending aorta was normal (37 mm) and showed no myocardial hypertrophy (septum/posterior wall of 11 mm). Left ventricular function (75%) and size (39 mm) were normal. TEE showed major discontinuity of the atr...

Congestive heart failure developed in a patient with low electrocardiographic QRS voltages, diffuse thickening of the septum and free cardiac wall, and a reduction in left ventricular internal diameter, which suggested an infiltrative heart muscle disease. Histological examination at necropsy showed hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with symmetrical left ventricular hypertrophy. Myocardial disarray o...

OBJECTIVES: In athletes, isolated electrocardiogram high voltage criteria are widely used to evaluate left ventricular hypertrophy, but positive findings are thought to represent normal electrocardiogram alterations. However, which electrocardiogram criterion can best detect left ventricular hypertrophy in athletes of various sport modalities remains unknown. METHODS: Five electrocardiogram c...