[A critical evaluation of intrauterine diagnostic possibilities of congenital cardiopathies]. / Valutazione critica delle possibilità diagnostiche intrauterine delle cardiopatie congenite.

The authors illustrate the possibilities for intrauterine diagnosis of congenital heart disease stressing limits and possibilities.

Recovery systolic blood pressure response after treadmill exercise procedures. Evidence against its usefulness in detecting coronary artery disease.

We compared the response of the systolic blood pressure (SBP) recovery ratio (obtained by dividing the SBP recovery values by the peak exercise values) during a treadmill exercise test in patients with chest pain and an angiographically normal coronary tree (n = 18) (C group), one or more greater than or equal to 70% stenosed major coronary vessel and normal resting ejection fraction (n = 26) (CAD group) or depressed left ventricular function (ejection fraction less than 40%) (n = 15) (CAD DYS group). The mean values of SBP recovery ratios were, in the three groups: 0.93 +/- 0.07, 0.97 +/- 0.07, 0.95 +/- 0.09, respectively, at the 1st min and 0.83 +/- 0.08, 0.88 +/- 0.09, 0.86 +/- 0.08, at the 3rd min. There are no significant differences in the CAD or CAD DYS group versus the C group, because of large overlapping of points in the plot. The post-exercise SBP response during treadmill procedures cannot provide the opportunity for differentiation of CAD patients with or without left ventricular dysfunction at rest from subjects with chest pain and normal coronary tree, while upright bicycle exercise, as we previously observed, can.

[Idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome. Description of a clinical case]. / Sindrome ipereosinofila idiopatica. Descrizione di un caso clinico.

The authors studied a case of idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome emphasizing clinical manifestations and therapy.

[Primary pulmonary hypertension: physiopathology and critical evaluation of the therapy]. / Ipertensione polmonare primitiva. Fisiopatologia, valutazione critica della terapia.

Aim of this study was the evaluation of the physiopathology of primary pulmonary hypertension and the authors emphasize the adverse prognosis because therapy is no longer effective once organic lesions have been established.

[Respiratory function and mitral stenosis. Physiological aspects and clinical correlations]. / Funzionalità respiratoria e stenosi mitralica. Aspetti fisiopatologici e correlazioni cliniche.

A qualitative and quantitative assessment of respiratory deficiency in patients with N.Y.H.A. Class II mitral stenosis is presented with the standard screening of respiratory mechanics providing the parameters.