BACKGROUND We aimed to investigate the cardiac effects of left bundle-branch block (LBBB) using myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) to ascertain the value of MCE for detecting coronary artery disease (CAD) and to uncover the mechanism that affects the accuracy of single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in these patients. METHODS AND RESULTS Sixty-three symptomatic LBBB patie...

BACKGROUND Absolute quantification of perfusion with cardiovascular magnetic resonance has not previously been applied in patients with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Owing to increased contrast bolus dispersion due to the greater distance of travel through a bypass graft, this approach may result in systematic underestimation of myocardial blood flow (MBF). As resting MBF remains norm...

BACKGROUND Preservation of myocardial perfusion during general anesthesia is likely important in patients at risk for perioperative cardiac complications. Data related to the influence of general anesthesia on the normal myocardial circulation are limited. In this study, we investigated myocardial microcirculatory responses to pharmacological vasodilation and sympathetic stimulation during gene...

INTRODUCTION We aimed to evaluate whether the hyperemic myocardial blood flow (MBF) can be estimated using cadmium zinc telluride (CZT)-based single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) cameras with a single, rapid rest/stress dynamic scan. Dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used as a reference modality for flow measurement. MATERIALS AND METHO...

UNLABELLED Regional myocardial blood flow (MBF) can be measured with 15O-water and PET using the 1-tissue-compartment model with perfusable tissue fraction, which provides an MBF value that is free from the partial-volume effect. Studies with 15O-water have several advantages, such as the ability to repeat a scan. However, because of the short scanning time and the small distribution volume of ...

BACKGROUND Depressed myocardial blood flow (MBF) has been reported in dilated cardiomyopathy. The aim of this study was to investigate whether MBF impairment is an independent predictor of prognosis in patients with idiopathic left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. METHODS AND RESULTS Sixty-seven patients (52 male, mean age 52+/-12 years) with different degrees of idiopathic LV systolic dysfuncti...

Effects of DQ-2511, a new peripherally acting anti-ulcer agent, on vagally induced gastric acid output and mucosal blood flow (MBF) were investigated in urethane-anesthetized rats with gastric fistula. Intravenous infusion of DQ-2511 (2 or 20 mg/kg/hr, for 30 min) reduced the vagally induced gastric acid output and MBF, and these inhibitory effects were abolished by pretreatment with phentolami...

BACKGROUND We tested the hypothesis that sodium nitroprusside (SNP) might improve the impairment of hepatosplanchnic microcirculatory blood flow (MBF) in septic shock. METHODS Fourteen pigs were anaesthetized and their lungs mechanically ventilated. Sepsis was induced with i.v. infusion of live Pseudomonas aeruginosa [1x10(8) colony forming units (CFU) ml(-1) kg(-1)] for 1 h. Sixty minutes la...

Mental stress causes a substantial sympathetic response, thus increasing myocardial blood flow (MBF). However, the effects of mental stress on global CBF have not been elucidated. In this study, changes in CBF and MBF in relation to mental stress were measured by a dual positron emission tomography system that can measure CBF and MBF simultaneously. CBF and MBF were measured in 10 healthy men w...

Myocardial blood flow/unit mass (MBF) and the determinants of myocardial oxygen consumption were measured in seven control subjects (group I) and 15 patients (pts) with cardiomyopathy (CM), group II (group IIa-congestive CM: 10 pts; group IIb-hypertrophic CM: 5 pts). In group I left ventricular (LV) MBF was 64 +/- 8 (SD) ml/100g-min; it was significantly lower in IIa (45 +/- 15 ml/100g-min, P l...