Noninvasive detection of total occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery with transthoracic Doppler echocardiography.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the value of transthoracic Doppler echocardiography (TTDE) for the noninvasive detection of total left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) occlusion. BACKGROUND: Total coronary occlusion is associated with an adverse long-term prognosis, and mechanical revascularization may be required for the patient with total coronary occlusion. However, a noninvasive diagnosis of total coronary occlusion before coronary angiography (CAG) has been difficult, especially in patients without clinical signs. METHODS: We studied 103 consecutive patients who underwent CAG for the evaluation of coronary artery disease. The study group consisted of 16 patients with total LAD occlusion (group A) and 87 patients without total LAD occlusion (group B). Coronary flow velocity in the mid-portion of the LAD was recorded by TTDE. RESULTS: Adequate spectral Doppler recordings of diastolic flow in the LAD were obtained in 98 study patients (95%; 15 patients in group A and 83 patients in group B). In group A, retrograde LAD flow was obtained in 14 (93%) of 15 patients. The mean diastolic velocity of the retrograde flow was 21.0 +/- 6.1 cm/s. In group B, antegrade LAD flow was obtained in all 83 patients (100%). The mean diastolic velocity of the antegrade flow was 21.5 +/- 7.1 cm/s. Retrograde LAD flow by TTDE had a sensitivity of 93% and a specificity of 100% for the detection of total LAD occlusion. CONCLUSIONS: Retrograde flow in the LAD by TTDE is a highly sensitive and specific finding that can be used to noninvasively diagnose total LAD occlusion.

Severe acute pancreatitis associated with hyperlipidemia: report of two cases and review of the literature in Japan.

Two cases of severe acute pancreatitis associated with type V hyperlipoproteinemia are reported. A 39-year-old obese woman was hospitalized with continuous severe abdominal pain. The diagnosis was made on the day of admission to our hospital, and treatment using continuous regional arterial infusion of a protease inhibitor and an antibiotic was performed with good results. The other patient was a 35 year-old woman in the 35th week of pregnancy, and a diagnosis of gestational hyperlipidemic pancreatitis was made on the day of onset. She was treated supportively using intravenous hyperalimentation, protease inhibitors, and antibiotics. She recovered from the acute pancreatitis and delivered a healthy term infant. It is difficult to diagnose acute pancreatitis in patients with type V hyperlipoproteinemia, because even when serum amylase levels are high, the value is reduced by high serum triglycerides. Early diagnosis was achieved in both of the present cases, and early intensive therapy was performed, which may be of the utmost importance in saving the life of a patient.