Monitoring large thrombus straddling patent foramen ovale using cardiac point-of-care ultrasound.

We used cardiac POCUS to capture a thrombus through and straddling PFO and determined its peripheral venous source. Complete dissolution of large trapped thrombus and remission of signs of pulmonary embolism was monitored in time, which was of great value for subsequent treatment and decision-making.

Large-scale three-dimensional measurement via combining 3D scanner and laser rangefinder.

This paper presents a three-dimensional (3D) measurement method of large-scale objects by integrating a 3D scanner and a laser rangefinder. The 3D scanner, used to perform partial section measurement, is fixed on a robotic arm which can slide on a guide rail. The laser rangefinder, used to compute poses of the 3D scanner, is rigidly connected to the 3D scanner. During large-scale measurement, after measuring a partial section, the 3D scanner is straightly moved forward along the guide rail to measure another section. Meanwhile, the poses of the 3D scanner are estimated according to its moved distance for different partial section alignments. The performance and effectiveness are evaluated by experiments.

Echocardiographic diagnosis of anomalous pulmonary venous connections: Experience of 84 cases from 1 medical center.

We sought to evaluate the value of echocardiography in the diagnosis of different types of anomalous pulmonary venous connections (APVCs) and summarize the diagnostic experience. A total of 84 patients with APVC were confirmed by surgery (n = 82) or computerized tomography angiography (CTA) (n = 2) in the last 6 years (2008-2014) at the Wuhan Union Hospital. The total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC) cases account for 60.7%, and partial anomalous pulmonary venous connection (PAPVC) cases account for 39.3% among the 84 cases that were identified. The 51 TAPVCs were classified by the Darling method-type I (41.1%), type II (52.9%), type III (1.9%), and type IV (3.9%). The most common drainage path of type I was common pulmonary drainage to the left innominate vein via vertical vein, and the coronary sinus drainage was the most common path in type II. Compared with surgical or CTA results, the sensitivity and specificity of echocardiography in the diagnosis of APVCs were 97.6% and 99.9%, respectively. The echocardiography misdiagnoses were mainly seen in PAPVCs. Of the TAPVCs and PAPVCs correctly diagnosed by echocardiography, the diagnostic accuracy of classification were 94% and 100%, respectively. Echocardiography has specific value in diagnosing and classification of APVC, especially the supracardiac and cardiac TAPVCs. Multiplane scan views and color Doppler improve the display of drainage pathway.