Echocardiographic Assessment in Patients with Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis.

Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) is one of the most common forms of systemic vasculitis, which usually involves the upper and lower respiratory tract, but it may affect also multiple organs. The aim of the study was an echocardiographic evaluation of cardiac involvement in GPA patients during remission. Eighty eight patients with GPA were evaluated in the study. The control group consisted of 40 age and sex-matched patients without a previous history of cardiovascular disease. We found that there were no differences between GPA and control groups regarding left atrial enlargement and interventricular septal hypertrophy. In one GPA patient, all heart chambers were enlarged. Left ventricle systolic function was decreased (LVEF ≤ 50%) in eight patients with GPA, and left ventricle wall motion abnormalities were observed in 12 patients. Left ventricle relaxation dysfunction, mitral valve and tricuspid valve regurgitation were observed with the same frequency in both GPA and control groups. Aortic regurgitation was the single abnormality that occurred significantly more often in the GPA group than in controls (28% vs. 7.5%; p = 0.03). Pericardial effusion was observed in three GPA patients and in none from the control group. We conclude that the most common echocardiographic manifestation in GPA patients in remission was aortic valve regurgitation. However, cardiac involvement in such patients is rather rare and in the majority of cases clinically insignificant.

High-fat diet induces cardiac remodelling and dysfunction: assessment of the role played by SIRT3 loss.

Mitochondrial dysfunction plays an important role in obesity-induced cardiac impairment. SIRT3 is a mitochondrial protein associated with increased human life span and metabolism. This study investigated the functional role of SIRT3 in obesity-induced cardiac dysfunction. Wild-type (WT) and SIRT3 knockout (KO) mice were fed a normal diet (ND) or high-fat diet (HFD) for 16 weeks. Body weight, fasting glucose levels, reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, myocardial capillary density, cardiac function and expression of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α/-2α were assessed. HFD resulted in a significant reduction in SIRT3 expression in the heart. Both HFD and SIRT3 KO mice showed increased ROS formation, impaired HIF signalling and reduced capillary density in the heart. HFD induced cardiac hypertrophy and impaired cardiac function. SIRT3 KO mice fed HFD showed greater ROS production and a further reduction in cardiac function compared to SIRT3 KO mice on ND. Thus, the adverse effects of HFD on cardiac function were not attributable to SIRT3 loss alone. However, HFD did not further reduce capillary density in SIRT3 KO hearts, implicating SIRT3 loss in HFD-induced capillary rarefaction. Our study demonstrates the importance of SIRT3 in preserving heart function and capillary density in the setting of obesity. Thus, SIRT3 may be a potential therapeutic target for obesity-induced heart failure.

Giant left atrium secondary to tight mitral stenosis leading to acquired Lutembacher syndrome: a case report with emphasis on role of echocardiography in assessment of Lutembacher syndrome.

Lutembacher syndrome is an unusual clinical entity of congenital secundum atrial septal defect in combination with rheumatic mitral stenosis. Although this classic form is seldom seen by the adult cardiologist, spontaneous Lutembacher syndrome as discussed later or the iatrogenic variant is not infrequently encountered. The pathophysiologic, clinical, and hemodynamic differences of mitral valve disease in the presence of atrial septal defect compared with isolated mitral stenosis are highlighted in this case review. Special emphasis has also been given to echocardiographic evaluation of this syndrome complex, particularly in the setting of percutaneous mitral valvuloplasty, which produces the iatrogenic form of Lutembacher syndrome.

Preoperative cardiac assessment of the thoracic surgical patient.

The preoperative cardiac assessment of the thoracic patient differs very little from the assessment of any patient for noncardiac surgery, aside from a few special issues. Therefore, rather than reviewing the general issue of evaluation for noncardiac surgery, which is a topic that has been reviewed many times in the recent past, this article focuses on the purposes, methods, and limitations of risk assessment in the noncardiac surgical patient with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD), including thoracic surgical patients. Because risk assessment is imprecise and the main indications for invasive coronary procedures prior to noncardiac surgery are the same for any person for whom life-expectancy is expected to be prolonged, meticulous preoperative evaluation for CAD is not usually warranted, even for patients undergoing high-risk surgery or with multiple risk factors for CAD. To help understand this point of view and to utilize cardiology consultants appropriately, implications of basic pathophysiology as well as statistical principles are also discussed.

An economic analysis of the Survival and Ventricular Enlargement (SAVE) Study. Application to the United Kingdom.

Recent studies have shown that ACE inhibitors reduce morbidity and mortality after myocardial infarction (MI). While these trials have obvious clinical implications, the widespread introduction of a new treatment for a condition as common as MI also has clear cost implications. The results of the post-MI studies with ACE inhibitors suggest that restricted use of treatment-in high-risk patients-is likely to be most cost effective, whereas treatment of all MI survivors, many of whom are at low risk, will be least cost effective. An approach somewhere in between may maximise clinical benefit at an acceptable cost. Economic analysis may help in deciding how these drugs might be best used after MI. We have conducted a cost-effectiveness and cost-utility analysis of the Survival and Ventricular Enlargement (SAVE) study, which reported the benefit of ACE inhibitors in intermediate-risk patients. Assuming all MI survivors require measurement of left ventricular function before selection for treatment (the approach used in the SAVE study), the incremental cost per life-year gained (LYG), over 4 years, using prophylactic captopril is approximately 10000 pounds sterling (Pounds) [1994 to 1995 values]. The cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) is similar. These incremental cost per LYG and cost per QALY ratios compare favourably with other commonly used symptomatic and prophylactic treatments, and argue for extending post-MI use of ACE inhibitors to intermediate-as well as high-risk patients.

Magnetic resonance imaging of cardiac hypertrophy in malignant arterial hypertension.

The major target organs that become damaged as a consequence of long-standing arterial hypertension are the kidneys, heart, and brain. Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) cannot be considered only as an adaptive process to elevated blood pressure (BP), and the heart is also a major target organ in malignant arterial hypertension (MH). Magnetic resonance (MR) was used as a method for visualization of the heart in 68 patients with MH including 18 with essential hypertension, 16 with chronic glomerulonephritis, 13 with chronic pyelonephritis, 16 with renovascular hypertension, eight with adrenal tumors, and in 20 healthy volunteers (as a comparison group). Electrocardiogram-gated, double spin-echo magnetic resonance imaging was performed to image the right and left ventricles (RV and LV), interventricular septum, apex and LV posterior wall, left atrium, and aortic root. In all the patients, symmetric LV hypertrophy was registered and in the most severe cases LV wall thickness was more than 20 mm. There was no LV cavity enlargement or local contractility abnormalities. There was close correlation of LVH and diastolic BP. The degree of LVH and diastolic dimensions of the LV differed between etiologies of MH. These findings show that different pathophysiologic mechanisms of development of MH influence the processes of myocardial hypertrophy. The highly informative yield of MR tomography for evaluating structural and functional changes of the heart under MH must be underlined.

Validity of the ECG diagnosis of left ventricular hypertrophy in normotensive and moderately hypertensive men when using the echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular mass index as reference.

The diagnostic validity of ECG criteria for left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) was assessed in 100 men aged 22-64 (mean 47) years with moderate hypertension (Group 1) and 95 age-matched normotensive men (Group 2) using echocardiographic recordings of LV mass index (MI) as reference. A diagnosis of LVH was made in subjects with LVMI greater than or equal to 125 g/m2. Mean LVMI was 126 +/- 34 g/m2 in Group 1 vs. 100 +/- g/m2 in Group 2 (P less than 0.001), and the prevalence of LVH was 48% and 11% respectively (P less than 0.001). The mean ECG voltage according to Sokolow-Lyon (S-L) was 28 +/- 8 mm in Group 1 and 27 +/- 7 mm in Group 2 (NS); with 19% having LVH in Group 1 and 14% in Group 2 (NS). Using the Cornell criterion Group 1 had on average 15 +/- 6 mm vs. 12 +/- 5 mm in Group 2 (P less than 0.001), but only two Group 1 patients had LVH. In Group 2 a significant negative correlation between age and S-L voltage was found (r = 0.33, P less than 0.001). LVMI was not correlated with any of the two voltage criteria using linear regression analysis whereas multiple regression analysis revealed a weak, but significant correlation between LVMI and S-L voltage in Group 1 (t = 2.06, P = 0.04). No subject had LV strain pattern or LVH according to the Romhilt Estes point score system. In the assessment of possible LVH in normal or moderately hypertensive men less than 65-70 years of age, ECG has limited value.

An echocardiographic assessment of asymptomatic elderly women with radiological cardiac enlargement.

To determine the significance of increased cardiothoracic ratio in elderly women without hypertension, symptoms or signs of cardiac disease, echocardiographic measurements from 22 elderly women (mean age 75.1 +/- 3.9 years) with increased cardiothoracic ratio (mean ratio 0.59 +/- 0.04), were compared with those from 21 women (mean age 75.3 +/- 5.6 years) with normal cardiothoracic ratio using M-mode, cross-sectional and Doppler echocardiography. Subjects with increased cardiothoracic ratio had greater left ventricular end diastolic dimension and volume, and greater right ventricular diastolic dimension (P less than 0.05). There was no difference in all other cardiac dimensions, nor in the ejection fraction and fractional shortening. Thirty-three to sixty-four percent of subjects in both groups had increased thickness of the septum and left ventricular posterior wall. Regurgitation at one or more valves on Doppler examination occurred in 91% of subjects with abnormal and 86% of subjects with normal cardiothoracic ratio. Compared to a group of 43 healthy young female subjects (mean age 27.9 +/- 6.3 years), elderly subjects had thicker interventricular septum and left ventricular posterior wall, increased left atrial and aortic root size, greater mitral valve A:E ratio, and higher frequency of valvular regurgitation detected by Doppler. The ejection fractions in elderly and young subjects, however, were similar. It is concluded that, in the majority of cases, increased cardiothoracic ratio in asymptomatic normotensive elderly women with normal physical examination and electrocardiogram is unlikely to represent cardiac pathology.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Assessment of left ventricular function from the electrocardiogram in left bundle branch block.

The QRS duration, maximum right precordial S amplitude, sum of amplitudes of the maximum right precordial S and T wave and T wave polarity in lead I have been analyzed in order to identify electrocardiographic predictors of left ventricular end-diastolic volume index and ejection fraction in 165 patients with complete left bundle branch block and various forms of heart disease. Multivariate analysis selected the duration, maximal amplitude of the S wave and polarity of the T wave in decreasing order of discriminatory power, which correctly identify 76.6% of the patients with a normal end-diastolic volume index less than or equal to 90 ml/m2 and a normal ejection fraction greater than or equal to 60% (n = 64) and 73.3% of those with an end-diastolic volume index greater than 90 ml/m2 or an ejection fraction less than 60% (n = 101). The comparisons of the QRS duration with the end-diastolic volume index and the ejection fraction give the best single correlations: r = 0.57 and -0.63, respectively. Multiple correlations lead to no substantial improvement of the r values: 0.06 and -0.65, respectively. A QRS duration less than 140 msec is almost always predictive of the presence of a normal end-diastolic volume index and a normal ejection fraction (sensitivity 100%, specificity 91.9%, positive predictive value 73.3%). A QRS duration greater than 170 msec is most accurate in predicting depressed left ventricular ejection fraction less than 55% (sensitivity 36.5%, specificity 98%, positive predictive value 92%). Thus, only the QRS duration provides a useful reference and guide for the evaluation of left ventricular function in the presence of left bundle branch block.

Two-dimensional echocardiographic assessment of the right ventricle in patients with chronic obstructive lung disease.

A consecutive series of 40 patients (39 men, one woman; mean age 54.1 +/- 8.2 years) with chronic obstructive lung disease (COLD) underwent right heart catheterization and 2-D echocardiographic examination within 72 hr. An adequate 2-D echocardiographic study was obtained in 32 patients (80 percent) using the apical and/or subcostal views. Mean pulmonary artery pressure at rest and during exercise were correlated with right ventricular diameters and areas in end-systole and end-diastole (r = 0.63 to 0.73). Correlations between right ventricular free wall thickness and pulmonary artery pressure were weak (r = 0.51 and 0.57). Right ventricular end-diastolic pressure was also weakly correlated with right ventricular dimensions (r = 0.45 to 0.51), whereas right ventricular area fractional shortening was not correlated with hemodynamic parameters. Patients with previous episode of right heart failure had larger right ventricles than those without such episodes. Thus, 2-D echocardiography appears useful to study the right heart chambers in patients with COLD.

Body surface mapping for the assessment of left ventricular hypertrophy in patients with essential hypertension.

To investigate the electrocardiographic abnormalities of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), body surface potential maps were acquired from 42 patients with essential hypertension. We adopted the time integral technique for analyzing body surface mapping data and used echocardiographic left ventricular muscle mass (LV mass) as the index of advance of LVH. The QRS, ST-T and QRST isointegral maps in normal volunteers all demonstrated smooth bipolar surface distribution patterns, with positive values located over the precordium and negative values over the right upper chest and back. In patients with essential hypertension, changes in the isointegral maps were observed as LVH advanced; A QRS increased on the upper left lateral chest and decreased (became more negative) on the right chest, A ST-T decreased on the lower left lateral chest and increased on the right upper chest, and areas of significant difference in A QRS and A ST-T were expanded as LVH advanced. A QRST decreased on the lower left lateral chest and increased on the right upper chest only in patients with severe LVH. We conclude that the changes of QRS and ST-T isointegral maps depend on the degree of advance of LVH and the severe grade of LVH causes the alterations in intrinsic repolarization properties.

Cost-effectiveness of echocardiography and electrocardiography for detection of left ventricular hypertrophy in patients with systemic hypertension.

Although echocardiography is more accurate than electrocardiography for detection of left ventricular hypertrophy, it is also more expensive, making it uncertain whether echocardiography is cost-effective for detection of this abnormality in hypertensive patients. Accordingly, the sensitivity of M-mode echocardiographic and electrocardiographic criteria for left ventricular hypertrophy was determined in necropsied patients with anatomic hypertrophy of mild (n = 26), moderate (n = 21) or severe (n = 46) degree, and the prevalence of each degree of hypertrophy was determined in 561 hypertensive adults drawn from clinical and employed population samples. The sensitivity of echocardiographic left ventricular mass index criteria was 57% in necropsied patients with mild hypertrophy and 98% in patients with moderate or severe hypertrophy. All electrocardiographic criteria exhibited lower sensitivity: 15 to 42% for mild, 10 to 38% for moderate, and 30 to 57% for severe hypertrophy. Cost estimates from three sources were $160 for M-mode echocardiography and $48 to $64 for 12-lead electrocardiography. In populations with a 12 to 40% prevalence of hypertrophy, echocardiography was calculated to cost less than electrocardiography per instance of hypertrophy detected ($390-$1013 vs $800-$1829), yielded better separation in predicted incidence of morbid events between hypertensive patients with or without hypertrophy (3.4-4.7 vs 1.5-2.1 per 100 patient-years as opposed to 3.0-4.4 vs 1.9-2.9 per 100 patient-years), and required smaller case and control samples for hypothetical research studies (n = 254-309 vs 397-3478).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Assessment of cardiac status in hypertensive patients.

Evaluation of cardiac participation in hypertension includes much more than determination of the presence or absence of left ventricular hypertrophy by chest X-ray or electrocardiography. Chest X-ray has not proved very useful in the work-up of hypertensive patients in contrast with electrocardiography. Although electrocardiography is highly specific for left ventricular hypertrophy, it is not sensitive enough for many cases nor does it allow functional assessment of cardiac performance. Echocardiography, on the other hand, is a much more powerful tool for the evaluation of both the anatomical and functional aspects of cardiac performance. However, although it cannot be recommended as yet for routine evaluation of all patients, it is rapidly becoming an important examination for many patients. It allows not only quantitative estimate of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), but will also determine the distribution of hypertrophy, its effects on both systolic and diastolic functions of the heart and its alteration with therapy. As regards specific tests for myocardial perfusion, coronary reserve and ventricular volume analysis, these techniques are indicated more for clinical research or very special circumstances than for routine use. In summary assessment of cardiac status of a hypertensive patient should include the following: a precise diagnosis of LVH, estimate of cardiac performance, both systolic and diastolic, evaluation of cardiac factors in resistance to antihypertensive therapy and follow-up of regression of structural alterations during antihypertensive treatment.

Echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular hypertrophy and function in renal hypertensive dogs.

To investigate the performance of the hypertrophied left ventricle, M-mode echocardiographic measurements were performed 2 to 3 times weekly on 8 unanesthetized dogs for several weeks before and for 6 months after the induction of perinephritic hypertension. Four dogs with sham-wrapping and contralateral nephrectomy served as the controls. From a baseline value of 7.7 +/- 0.4 mm (mean +/- SD), left ventricular wall thickness increased to 9.0 +/- 0.6 mm (p less than 0.001) by the 4th week after the induction of hypertension and reached a plateau of 10.2 +/- 1.2 mm (p less than 0.001) by week 10. Fractional shortening of left ventricular dimension (% delta D) increased during early left ventricular hypertrophy and remained elevated for 6 months in the surviving 6 hypertensive dogs. In hypertensive dogs, left ventricular concentric hypertrophy became detectable by week 6 of hypertension. Control dogs did not show these changes. At autopsy, the left ventricular weight of hypertensive and normotensive control dogs was (6.2 +/- 1.4 g/kg and 4.3 +/- 0.5 g/kg (p less than 0.05). In summary, during the early stage of left ventricular hypertrophy in renal hypertensive dogs cardiac performance increased. There is no evidence for deterioration of left ventricular performance as concentric left ventricular hypertrophy develops and becomes chronic.

Left ventricular function in uremia: echocardiographic assessment in patients on maintenance dialysis.

Echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular function was performed in twenty-two unselected patients on stable, chronic maintenance dialysis. The statistically significant abnormalities were enlargement of the left ventricular cavity (end diastolic internal dimension or "diameter" 5.4 +/- 0.2 cm, normal 4.4 +/- 0.3 cm), thickening of the left ventricular wall (end diastolic thickness 1.1 +/- 0.05 cm, normal 0.9 +/- 0.03 cm) and a reduction in myocardial contraction (fractional shortening 28.2 +/- 2.0%, normal 35.7 +/- 0.9%). Myocardial impairment could not be attributed to the effects of hypertension or to ischemic heart disease. There was, however, a significant negative correlation between fractional shortening and total plasma catecholamines (r = 0.45, P less than 0.05) suggesting that excessive catecholamines may contribute to the decreased myocardial contraction seen in uremic patients.