[AL-amyloidosis with cardiac involvement. Diagnostic capabilities of non-invasive methods].

There are presented the literature data and a description of the clinical course of the disease in isolated/predominant cardiac amyloidosis. Amyloid cardiomyopathy is the most common phenocopy of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The modern possibilities of non-invasive diagnostics using osteoscintigraphy for the differential diagnosis between amyloid cardiomyopathy caused by AL- and transthyretin amyloidosis are described in detail.

[Perfusion, Metabolism and Regional Myocardial Contractility in Patients With Valvular Heart Disease: a Long-Term Follow-Up After Valve Replacement].

AIM: To perform complex assessment of myocardial perfusion, metabolism, and regional contractility in patients with valvular heart disease (VHD) in remote period after surgical correction of heart defects. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We examined 30 patients with VHD in 1-8 years after heart valve replacement because of mitral (n=13) or aortic (n=17) valve defects of the following etiology: rheumatic heart disease (n=10), degeneration of connective tissue (n=13), infective endocarditis (n=7). For assessment of myocardial perfusion, metabolism, and regional contractility, we used single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). RESULTS: Myocardium of patients who had undergone surgical correction of heart valve defects was characterized by dominating diffuse sclerotic changes localized mostly in basal segments. Hibernating myocardium was a less frequent finding. There were segments of borderline state with normal parameters of metabolism but slight impairment of perfusion without pronounced disturbances of kinetics. Patients with infectious etiology of valvular defects had combined perfusion and metabolic changes in multiple myocardial segments. Extensive derangements of perfusion and metabolism were characteristic for patients with connective tissue degeneration. CONCLUSION: Signs of cardiac failure caused by disturbances of myocardial perfusion and metabolism in patients with valvular heart disease can persist even after successful correction of valvular defect with normalization of intracardiac hemodynamics.

[Long-term results of using mononuclear fraction of autologous bone marrow cells in complex surgical treatment of patients with heart valve failure].

The article is devoted to long-term results of pilot clinical investigation of using mononuclear fraction of autologous bone marrow cells as an additional procedure to standard surgical treatment of heart valve failure in order to improve local perfusion and contractive ability of the myocardium. The article presents results of an analysis of findings of the examination of 7 living patients within 6 years or 7 years after operation as also data of pathologicoanatomical investigation of three dead patients. The data obtained show the safety and effectiveness of this method of cell therapy in patients with heart valve failure.

[Individual approach to choosing the exposure time during myocardial perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography].

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether the quality of the results of myocardial perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) may be improved by applying an individual approach to choosing the exposure time of a study. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The results of myocardial perfusion SPECT with the radiotracer (RT) Technetril upon 25-sec (short) and 60-sec (long) exposures in 22 patients with valvular heart disease (VHD) and coronary heart disease (CHD) were retrospectively analyzed. The basis for the comparative assessment of the study results was the number of myocardial impulses (NMI). The reference informative value was taken as a NMI equal to 21,000-77,000. All the patients were divided into two groups: 1) those with a NMI of below 21,000 and 2) those with a NMI of above 21,000. The raw counts of RT and lesion extent were compared in each group during two exposure modes. RESULTS: No statistically significant differences were found between the raw counts of RT in the left ventricular segments upon short and long exposure regardless of NMI. Evaluation of lesion extent revealed differences in sizes and/or location in 14 (63,6%) patient upon various exposures, most (10 patients) of them were from Group I and only 4 patients were from Group 2, these patients having marked myocardial hypertrophy. CONCLUSION: To enhance the informative value of myocardial perfusion SPECT, it is expedient to individually choose exposure time for each patient, being oriented to the time taken to achieve a NMI of at least 21,000, which can be determined by making one planar scintigram in the left anterior oblique projection (LAO 45 degrees).

[Computer program for processing lung scintigrams]. / Programma obrabotki pul'monostsintigramm na EVM.

The paper is concerned with an algorithm of a program for pulmonoscintigram processing. The program developed in the algorithmic languages Basic and Assembler on the basis of this algorithm, made it possible to facilitate the data processing, to lower a physician's competence as a computer operator, to raise the objectivity of diagnosis of pulmonary diseases, etc. The program is intended for computers Vip-450, Vip-550 and MCS-560, Technicare, USA.