[Factors influencing the miss rate of polyps in a tandem colonoscopy study].

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The miss rate of colon polyps and its related factors have not been clearly identified yet. This study aims to review the miss rate of polyps both on the patient-level and on the polyp-level and to analyze the factors affecting the miss rate such as those related to the endoscopist, procedure, patient, and polyp. METHODS: From August 2011 to August 2013, patients who underwent elective second colonoscopy for resection of polyps, the sizes of which were not small enough to be resected by biopsy forceps alone at first colonoscopy, were enrolled retrospectively. RESULTS: The miss rate on the patient-level was 59.2% (234/395) and on the polyp-level was 27.9% (578/2,068). There was no significant difference in the miss rate depending on the experience of the endoscopists or characteristics of the patients. In terms of the procedure, the miss rate was higher when the colonoscopy was performed in the afternoon (OR 1.632, p=0.046). It was found that the miss rate of polyps increased when the polyps were small (OR 4.595, p<0.001 in <5 mm/OR 3.447, p<0.001 in 5-10 mm), flat or sessile (OR 2.406, p<0.001 in flat/OR 1.768, p=0.002 in sessile), and located in the left colon (OR 1.391, p=0.007). CONCLUSIONS: The experience of endoscopists did not have influence on the accuracy of polyp detection. However, the fatigue of endoscopists in the afternoon is considered to render polyp detection less accurate. Also, the large curves and folds of the sigmoid colon are regarded as a reason for the higher miss rate of polyps in the left colon.

Left ventricular dyssynchrony in patients showing diastolic dysfunction without overt symptoms of heart failure.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Few studies have assessed left ventricular (LV) dyssynchrony in cases of diastolic dysfunction that do not include overt symptoms of heart failure. We hypothesized that systolic or diastolic dyssynchrony involves unique features with respect to the degree of diastolic impairment in isolated diastolic dysfunction. METHODS: We examined 105 subjects with no history of overt symptoms of heart failure and a left ventricular ejection fraction > 50% for mechanical dyssynchrony using tissue Doppler imaging. RESULTS: In terms of longitudinal dyssynchrony, four cases showed (6.3%) LV intraventricular systolic dyssynchrony (SDS(LV)), whereas none had LV intraventricular diastolic dyssynchrony (DDS(LV)) or co-existing systolic dyssynchrony. Radial dyssynchrony (RD) was found in six cases (9.4%). After adjusting for age, SDS(LV) and DDS(LV) were found to be significantly related to increases in the E/E' ratio (r = 0.405 and p < 0.001 vs. r = 0.216 and p = 0.045, respectively). RD at the base and apex was also significantly related to increases in E/E' (r = 0.298 and p = 0.002 vs. r = 0.196 and p = 0.045, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Systolic and diastolic dyssynchrony in subjects with isolated diastolic dysfunction but without overt symptoms of heart failure was not as common as in patients with diastolic heart failure; however, the systolic and diastolic intraventricular time delay increased with increases in the E/E' ratio, an indicator of diastolic dysfunction.

The relationship between chronic atrial fibrillation and reduced pulmonary function in cases of preserved left ventricular systolic function.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between chronic atrial fibrillation (AF) and reduced pulmonary function. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Eighty-six chronic AF patients who were enrolled from annual health examination programs were studied using echocardiography and pulmonary function tests (PFT). Echocardiography and PFT matched for age, gender, and year performed were selected by the control group who had normal sinus rhythms. Patients with ejection fractions <50%, valvular heart disease, or ischemic heart disease were excluded. RESULTS: In the chronic AF patients, the forced expiratory volume at one second (FEV(1)), FEV1%, and FEV(1)/forced vital capacity (FVC) were significantly reduced, and the right ventricular systolic pressure was significantly increased. Episodes of heart failure were more frequently associated with the chronic AF patients than the controls. In particular, the FEV1% had the most meaningful relationship to chronic AF after an adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors {p=0.003, Exp (B)=0.978, 95% confidence interval (CI):0.963-0.993}. CONCLUSION: Reduced FEV1%, which represents the severity of airway obstruction, was associated with chronic AF, and the greater the pulmonary function impairment, the greater the co-existence with AF and congestive heart failure in those with preserved left ventricular systolic function.

Relationship between left atrial size and stroke in patients with sinus rhythm and preserved systolic function.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Increased left atrial (LA) size has been proposed as a predictor of poor cardiovascular outcome in the elderly. In the present study, we evaluated the relationship between LA size and stroke in subjects of all ages who presented with preserved left ventricular systolic function (LVSF) and sinus rhythm (SR), and investigated the relationships between LA size and other echocardiographic parameters of diastolic function. METHODS: A total of 472 subjects were enrolled in the study (161 men, 311 women) and divided into the stroke group (n=75) and control group (n=397). A conventional echocardiographic study was then performed. Subjects with valvular heart disease, atrial fibrillation, or coronary heart disease were excluded. RESULTS: The mean subject age was 65.2+/-5.1 years in the stroke group and 65.6+/-5.9 years in the control group. Mitral inflow pattern and E & A velocity showed no significant relationship with stroke (p=NS, p=NS, respectively). Left ventricular mass index and LA dimension were significantly related to stroke (p=0.003, p=0.023, respectively), and hypertension showed a marginal relationship with stroke (p=0.050). Age was not related to stroke in the present study (p=NS). CONCLUSIONS: The LA dimension is significantly related to the incidence of stroke. Therefore, strategies for prevention of stroke in patients with preserved LVSF and SR should be considered in cases of LA enlargement.

Characteristics of myocardial deformation and rotation in subjects with diastolic dysfunction without diastolic heart failure.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: There have been very few pathophysiologic studies on isolated diastolic dysfunction. We hypothesized that the characteristics of isolated diastolic dysfunction would be located, on the clinical continuum, between those of a normal heart and diastolic heart failure. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We enrolled 102 subjects who had no history of overt symptoms of heart failure and who had a left ventricular ejection fraction of more than 50%. They were examined for myocardial deformation and rotation using the two-dimensional speckle tracking image (2D-STI) technique. RESULTS: The circumferential strains and radial strain at the apical level (RS(apex)) were related to the ratio of the transmitral early peak velocity over the early diastolic mitral annulus velocity (E/E'). After adjustment for age, the RS(apex) showed a positive relationship with the E/E' ratio; whereas, the circumferential strains did not. Instead, the circumferential strains demonstrated a significant correlation with age. Basal rotation and left ventricular (LV) torsion were also related to age, but had no relationship with the E/E' ratio. However, as the E/E' ratio value increased, systolic mitral annular velocity decreased. CONCLUSION: Except for the RS(apex), LV myocardial deformation and rotation did not vary with the degree of E/E' ratio elevation when there was no associated diastolic heart failure. Additionally, in clinical situations such as isolated diastolic dysfunction, the advancement of age has a relatively greater influence on characteristics of LV myocardial deformation and rotation rather than on the E/E' ratio.

Effect of bimodal hearing in Korean children with profound hearing loss.

CONCLUSION: Bimodal hearing with combined acoustic stimulation and electric stimulation could enhance speech performance in deaf patients by residual hearing even though the amount of residual hearing is not enough to be used for communication by amplification. OBJECTIVES: The cochlear implant (CI) is a well-known therapeutic option for patients with profound hearing loss. However, deaf patients with a CI still have trouble in localization of sounds and understanding speech in a noisy environment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the benefits of bimodal hearing with a CI in one ear and a hearing aid in the contralateral ear in Korean children with profound hearing loss. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Fourteen deaf children with residual hearing participated in this study. There were eight male and six female patients, with an age range of 4.6-13.8 years at the time of testing. The test was conducted between 3 months and 4.2 years after cochlear implantation. Speech performance was examined in a noisy environment using Korean word lists. A speech sound and the noise were presented to the child from the front loudspeaker. RESULTS: The results showed that speech performance in a noisy environment was significantly better with bimodal hearing than with a CI alone.