The Application of MEVEC 3D Doppler Ultrasound Technique for a New Classification of Morpho-Functional Phenotypes in Lower Limbs Venous Diseases.

INTRODUCTION: MEVEC 2.1 is a novel 3D mapping software dedicated to the evaluation of the venous vascular three of the lower limbs. It has already proven as a sensitive, specific, and accurate technique able to provide better morphologic and functional details of the lower limb venous system than standard reports. The aim of this study was to identify specific morpho-functional graphic phenotypes in lower limb venous diseases by means of MEVEC 2.1. MATERIALS: Three-hundred eleven consecutive outpatients underwent lower limb Doppler ultrasound examination by means of the MEVEC 2.1 technique. All of them showed at least one among these pathological findings: venous insufficiency, thrombosis, incompressibility, and/or incompetent. RESULTS: We tried to evaluate possible clusters among the different morpho-functional findings from the venous maps in order to outline reproducible phenotypes. Correlation indexes allowed us to provide a classification in morpho-functional phenotypes in order to standardize the data from examinations performed by different physicians. Twelve phenotypes had been proposed. CONCLUSION: The study showed that the MEVEC 2.1 technique provides a standardized classification that allows physicians identifying phenotypes yielded by 3D mapping of the veins of the lower limbs.

A three-dimensional electronic report of a venous echo color Doppler of the lower limbs: MEVeC®.

BACKGROUND: The reports of ultrasound evaluation of lower limb veins are difficult to understand by general practitioners (GPs) and physicians who are not specialized. We developed software for a three-dimensional (3D) electronic report of venous hemodynamic mapping (MEVeC(®)) in order to represent lower limb venous vasculature in a 3D way. The aim of the study is to compare the novel 3D report with the standard report. METHODS: Thirty subjects (medical students and GPs) evaluated a standard report and a novel 3D report of the lower limb veins of a prespecified patient. The cases were randomly and blindly taken from an archive of 100 cases. GPs and students answered a questionnaire made up of 13 questions that were structured in order to investigate the readability and comprehension of the two reports. A score ranging from 0 to 10 (0= not understandable; 10= full comprehension) was attributed to each report for each question according to the readability of the venous scheme proposed. RESULTS: The scores from each question of the questionnaire were compared. The 3D report (MEVeC(®)) obtained higher scores than those from the evaluation of the standard report (P<0.0001). Each question revealed the superiority of the 3D report (MEVeC(®)) as compared with the standard report of the ultrasound evaluation of lower limbs. When dividing the scores according to percentiles, the 3D report (MEVeC(®)) still continued to show more readability than the standard report in a statistically significant way (P<0.0001). CONCLUSION: The new 3D report (MEVeC(®)) concerning ultrasound evaluation of lower limb veins is more reproducible than the standard report when evaluated by medical physicians not specialized in the evaluation of the vein tree of lower limbs.

[Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy complicated by left apical thrombus]. / Cardiomiopatia simil-tako-tsubo complicata da formazione di trombo apicale.

Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy is a rare syndrome usually described in postmenopausal women, with a presentation mimicking an acute myocardial infarction. We report an unusual case of tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy complicated by left ventricular apical thrombus.