Left atrial myxoma infected with Histoplasma capsulatum.

A patient is presented in whom a left atrial myxoma was found to be infected with Histoplasma capsulatum. Histoplasmosis has not been previously associated with this tumor, nor has any fungus without preceding bacterial endocarditis and long-term antibiotic therapy. The clinical course in foru previously reported cases of bacterially infected myxoma is reviewed. There have been 18 prior cases of Histoplasma endocarditis and in two the patients have survived. Their clinical presentation and response to therapy are also reviewed, and pertinent therapeutic conclusions drawn. The role of echocardiography in this patient's evaluation and the ultimate successful therapy are discussed.

Angiographic evidence of hemorrhagic myocardial infarction after intracoronary thrombolysis with streptokinase.

The reperfusion of acutely ischemic myocardium by intracoronary streptokinase thrombolysis is an exciting new therapy for acute myocardial infarction (MI). It appears that successful thrombolysis and reperfusion in the first few hours after acute coronary occlusion may salvage myocardium and possibly improve prognosis. A potential adverse effect of reperfusion is the production of hemorrhage in the area of myocardial necrosis. We report on a patient with prompt, successful coronary thrombolysis by streptokinase infusion who showed angiographic evidence of a hemorrhagic MI.

Aneurysms of the posterior interventricular septum with postinfarction ventricular septal defect. Echocardiographic identification.

Using real-time, two-dimensional echocardiographic techniques, we recently studied six consecutive patients with acute myocardial infarction complicated by rupture of the posterior interventricular septum. Each patient experienced an inferior wall myocardial infarction, with a prior anteroseptal infarction in one. In each case, the clinical course was punctuated by the onset of heart failure and a low output state prior to, or coincident with, the appearance of a pansystolic murmur. During two-dimensional echocardiographic study, all six were found to have a discrete aneurysm of the posterior interventricular septum. Septal dyskinesis produced bulging of the interventricular septum far into the right ventricular cavity during systole. Our findings suggest that (1) septal dyskinesis and aneurysm formation may be a valuable sign in diagnosing ventricular septal performation; (2) the reported incidence of postinfarction septal aneurysm at surgery or autopsy may significantly underestimate its true frequency; and (3) septal dyskinesis must by considered as a contributing factor to the compromised hemodynamic status of patients with postinfarction ventricular septal rupture.

Reliability of two-dimensional echocardiography in assessing the severity of valvular aortic stenosis.

Two-dimensional echocardiographic studies have shown that maximum long-axis systolic aortic cusp separation (MACS) represents a useful, noninvasive method for estimating severity of valvular aortic stenosis in adults. Although mean values for patients with mild, moderate, and severe aortic stenosis have been clearly separated by this method, overlap occurs among individual patients. In this study, 81 adults with aortic stenosis were studied by two-dimensional echocardiography in the long-axis view. Long-axis assessment of aortic stenosis was obtainable in 93 percent of the patients. Less than 8-mm separation was 97 percent predictive of severe stenosis and 100 percent predictive of moderate or severe stenosis. Eight- to 12-mm had a low predictive value for the severity of stenosis. Greater than 12-mm separation was 96 percent predictive of mild aortic stenosis. Short-axis scans were attempted in 61 of the 81 subjects. Short axis assessment of aortic stenosis based on patterns of leaflet motion was obtainable in 46 of the 61 patients (73 percent) and provided a valuable index of severity. When short-axis scans were included in the assessment of severity in the subgroup of patients with 8- to 12-mm MACS, the predictive value improved greatly (86 percent vs 46 percent). Direct recording of aortic valve area in short-axis was successful in only 13 percent of the subjects. The echo aortic valve area compared with the hemodynamic calculated aortic valve area yielded an r = 0.87.

Minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass grafting: intermediate-term results.

BACKGROUND: Intermediate- and long-term clinical outcome and graft patency in minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass grafting (MIDCABG) procedures remain a concern. METHODS: Over a 13-month period, 66 MIDCABG procedures were performed utilizing robotic-assisted internal mammary artery (IMA) harvesting and direct CABG through a 5-cm thoracotomy without cardiopulmonary bypass. Clinical follow-up was obtained on all patients. Graft patency was assessed in 61 of 66 consecutive patients 6 months (range 2 to 15 months) postoperatively. Group I consisted of 45 patients who underwent IMA angiography and group II consisted of 16 patients who underwent both a nuclear stress test and transthoracic Doppler examination. All group II patients had abnormal preoperative nuclear stress tests for comparison. RESULTS: To date, all 66 patients are alive. Graft patency rates in the two groups were 97.8% (45 of 46 grafts in 45 patients) in group I and 100% (15 of 15 grafts), with one indeterminate study, in group II. The overall patency rate for the entire study group was 98.3% (60 of 61 grafts). Sixty-two of 66 (93.9%) patients were able to return to their normal level of activity within 3 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that the MIDCABG with thoracoscopic IMA harvesting can achieve effective intermediate-term revascularization and an acceptable clinical outcome.

An assessment of the Alabama Smile Keeper school dental health education program.

An evaluation of the Alabama Smile Keeper Dental Health Education Program was necessary to determine if educating teachers to teach preventive dentistry improved the oral hygiene and knowledge of dental health of elementary schoolchildren. Four hundred seventy-five students at the Maxwell Air Force Base elementary school in grades 1 through 6 were tested using a series of written examinations and scores from a plaque index (Greene's OHI-S Index) before and after the education program. Levels of plaque were significantly reduced immediately after instruction and retention test scores were significantly lower four months later than preinstruction test scores. Written examinations proved that knowledge increased immediately after instruction and retention test scores were significantly better than preinstruction test scores.

Endodontic therapy averting major surgery and avoiding keloid formation.

Keloids and mandibular unfavorable fractures are reviewed. A case report of a patient with keloid diathesis, who had a mandibular unfavorable fracture, is presented. A grossly carious, abscessed first molar was in the line of fracture. This tooth was the only erupted tooth present in the proximal fragment. Endodontic therapy and restoration of normal contour enabled the surgeons to treat the fractured mandible by means of simple closed reduction. The endodontic treatment pre-empted a major surgical procedure under general anesthesia and also averted a skin incision which would have subsequently formed a disfiguring keloid.

Mechanism of anterior ST segment depression during acute inferior myocardial infarction. Observations during coronary thrombolysis.

Anterior ST segment depression, found in 13 of 17 patients with acute inferior myocardial infarctions, resolved promptly in all 11 patients whose occluded right coronary arteries were opened with an infusion of streptokinase. Failure of streptokinase to open the artery produced no change in the electrocardiogram. Five of the patients with anterior ST segment depression had normal left anterior descending coronary arteries. In the other patients opening the right coronary artery normalized the anterior ST segments without resulting in collateral flow to the anterior wall, or changing blood pressure or heart rate. Anterior ST depression was a manifestation of the inferior infarction and was not due to anterior ischemia.

Mechanism of abnormal interventricular septal motion during delayed left ventricular activation.

To evaluate the mechanism of the abnormal motion of the interventricular septum (IVS) seen echocardiographically in some patients with relatively delayed ventricular activation, we simultaneously recorded high-fidelity left and right ventricular pressures and electrograms and echocardiograms of the IVS in nine open-chest dogs. During sinus rhythm and during left IVS pacing, the IVS was activated from left to right, preejection left ventricular pressure exceeded right ventricular pressure, and IVS motion was normal. During right ventricular pacing from the outflow tract, apex, free wall or right IVS was activated from right to left, right ventricular pressure increased before left ventricular pressure and simultaneously there was an abrupt posterior IVS motion. Simultaneous pacing from the right IVS and left ventricular free wall activated the IVS from right to left and produced a normal transseptal preejection pressure gradient and normal IVS motion. Simultaneous pacing from the left IVS and right ventricular free wall activated the IVS from left to right, and produced abrupt preejection posterior IVS motion coincident with an altered transseptal pressure gradient. During right ventricular pacing, IVS motion after the abrupt preejection posterior movement was variable. Anterior motion was associated with a greater asynchrony of right and left ventricular contraction than was normal posterior motion. We conclude that abrupt preejection posterior IVS motion seen with delayed left ventricular activation from right ventricular pacing is due to passive IVS displacement from an altered transseptal pressure gradient, and subsequent IVS motion depends on the degree of asynchrony between right and left ventricular contraction.

Evaluation of left coronary artery anatomy in vitro by cross-sectional echocardiography.

This study was undertaken to provide a better anatomic description of the location and course of the left coronary artery within a commonly used ultrasonic tomographic plane. Twenty-three hearts were excised at autopsy and scanned in vitro. The locations of the left main (LMCA), left anterior descending (LAD), and left circumflex (LCCA) coronary arteries were confirmed by direct cannulation, by Cardio-Green injection, and by subsequent dissection. While the proximal LMCA was recorded in all specimens, the entire LMCA was visible in only 70%. Proximal portions of the LAD and LCCA were also identifiable in 70% of examinations, and their spatial positions were defined. In most recordings, the first branch of the LAD OR LCCA arose distal to the segment seen echocardiographically. The spatial orientation of the ultrasonic beam relative to the LAD and LCCA and the presence of other overlying cardiac structures limit the imaging of these vessels by cross-sectional echocardiography to only their most proximal portions.

Incomplete mitral leaflet closure in patients with papillary muscle dysfunction.

Clinical acceptance of an association between papillary muscle dysfunction and mitral regurgitation is widespread, despite the lack of objective support. To evaluate a possible association, we performed echocardiographic examinations on 22 patients with prior myocardial infarction and clinical evidence of papillary muscle dysfunction, 40 patients with prior myocardial infarction and no clinical evidence of papillary muscle dysfunction, and 20 normal subjects. There was a unique pattern of incomplete mitral leaflet closure in a high percentage (91%) of infarct patients with mitral regurgitation. In these patients, one or both leaflets were effectively arrested within the cavity of the left ventricle during ventricular systole. Dyskinetic wall motion in the region immediately surrounding one of the papillary muscles was present in 23 of 24 patients (96%) with demonstrated incomplete closure. This study provides the first objective evidence that de novo mitral regurgitation in patients with prior myocardial infarction is due to dyskinesis involving the left ventricular myocardium beneath one of the papillary muscles, producing increased tension on the mitral leaflets and preventing normal closure.

Possible detection of atherosclerotic coronary calcification by two-dimensional echocardiography.

Using two-dimensional echocardiography, a technique was developed for digitizing reflected acoustic signals and performing variable signal processing. This resulted in accentuation of differences in focal reflectivity of target tissues and improved ultrasonic tissue characterization. Study of a learning population of 200 patients demonstrated abnormal specular reflections from the proximal left coronary artery in patients with coronary artery disease. A prospective study of 100 patients was then performed to test the reliability of this method in predicting the presence of significant stenosis. Abnormal echocardiograms were a highly sensitive (94%) but less specific (65%) indicator of significant atherosclerosis of the left coronary symstem. One-third of patients had fluoroscopically identifiable coronary calcification, and 95% had abnormal echocardiograms. We postulate that our echocardiographic findings may be secondary to the presence of small amounts of coronary calcification. Echocardiographic tissue differentiation, therefore, may prove to be a noninvasive means of evaluating patients for coronary atherosclerosis.

Action by physicians and other health-care professionals in hospital emergency departments.

Advances in the management of acute myocardial infarction can significantly improve outcome, primarily through highly time-dependent coronary reperfusion and successfully resolving early complications. Effectiveness of treatment is now more limited by delays in reperfusion and number of patients who receive coronary reperfusion than available therapy. Specific methods of decreasing the time to reperfusion and increasing the number of patients treated must be broadly applied to further reduce morbidity and mortality. Facilities that manage myocardial infarction should be classified according to capabilities to promote emergency transport to the nearest facility offering definitive care, generally, thrombolysis or urgent PTCA. Standardized evaluation and treatment protocols are critical in providing rapid and optimum care. Essential protocols include questionnaires for thrombolysis candidacy and diagnosis triage; critical initial management pathways; patient management algorithms; and standardized orders for thrombolysis, anticoagulation, and initial coronary care admission.