Age-related changes in aortic and mitral valve thickness: implications for two-dimensional echocardiography based on an autopsy study of 200 normal human hearts.

The thicknesses at 3 sites of each aortic cusp (nodule, closing edge and middle part) and 2 sites of both mitral leaflets (closing edge and clear zone) were measured in 200 autopsy specimens of normal hearts, evenly distributed by age and sex. There were no significant correlations between valvular thickness and height, weight, heart weight or body surface area. The mean thickness at each site was not different between men and women but increased significantly with age (p less than 0.001). For 3 age groups (less than 20, 20 to 59 and greater than or equal to 60 years), the corresponding mean thicknesses (mm) of the aortic nodule were 0.67, 0.87 and 1.42; those for the anterior mitral leaflet were 1.30, 1.60 and 3.20; and those for the posterior mitral leaflet were 0.91, 1.13 and 2.04. For the aortic valve, the nodule was nearly twice as thick as the closing edge (p less than 0.001), and the closing edge was at least 25% thicker than the middle part (p less than 0.001). Furthermore, the posterior aortic cusp was thicker than the right and left cusps (p less than 0.05). For both mitral leaflets, the closing edge was thicker than the clear zone (p less than 0.05). Moreover, along the closing edges, the anterior leaflet was thicker than the posterior leaflet (p less than 0.05). These observations may be useful in echocardiographic evaluations of aortic and mitral valve sclerosis in elderly patients.

Accuracy of two-dimensional echocardiography in diagnosis of aortic dissection.

The usefulness of transthoracic and transabdominal two-dimensional echocardiography (2-D echo) in patients who presented with dilated aorta with or without acute chest pain and/or abdominal pain was assessed for diagnosis of aortic dissection (AD) both acute and chronic forms. The criterion for diagnosis of AD was the constant appearance of undulating motion of abnormal linear echo in the aortic lumen in more than one scan plane. During a 4-year period (1984-1988), a prospective analysis of 16 patients was carried out and the result disclosed that 11 had AD (6 in acute AD, 5 in chronic AD) while the other 5 did not have AD. 2-D echo findings were diagnostic of De Bakey Type I in 7 patients, Type II in one, Type III in two, false negative Type I in one, and true negative in the remaining five. Therefore, the sensitivity was 91 per cent and the positive predictive value was 100 per cent. Thus, our data indicates that 2-D echo is a reliable non-invasive method for diagnosis of AD in either the acute or chronic form and proximal or distal AD.

Congenital coronary artery fistula: a report of 24 patients.

Clinical, hemodynamic and angiographic findings of 24 adolescent or adult patients with coronary artery fistula were retrospectively analyzed. There were 7 males and 17 females with the average age of 41.4 years. Nineteen of 24 patients (79.2%) were symptomatic and 18 were older than 20 years of age. Continuous murmur was present in 17 patients, "to and fro' murmur was audible in 2, apical systolic murmur was audible in 1. The remaining 4 patients had no audible murmur. Location of murmur in all patients was unusual for patent ductus arteriosus. Cardiomegaly on chest X-ray was found in 17 patients (70.8%) in whom 8 had prominent pulmonary artery. Electrocardiographic abnormalities were detected in 10 of 24 patients (41.6%) i.e. left ventricular hypertrophy (4 patients) biventricular hypertrophy (2 patients), incomplete right bundle branch block (2 patients), and ischemic changes (2 patients). The intracardiac pressures were slightly elevated and the mean Qp/Qs ratio was only 1.4 +/- 1.2. Angiographically, 28 fistulas were demonstrated in 24 patients. The origins of fistula were from right coronary artery in 12 patients (50%), left coronary artery in 8 patients (33.3%) and both coronary arteries in 4 patients (16.7%). Fistulas drained into the right atrium in 5 patients (20.8%), into coronary sinus in 2 patients (8.3%), into right ventricle in 4 patients (16.7%), into pulmonary arteries in 10 patients (41.7%) and into left ventricle in 3 patients (12.5%).

Non-invasive diagnostic approaches of the dissection of the aorta: transesophageal echocardiography vs computed tomography.

The accuracy of non-invasive diagnosis of aortic dissection between transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) and computed tomography (CT) was studied in 21 patients. All patients had both diagnostic procedures. With TEE examination, De Bakey's type I was found in 9 patients, type II in 1 and type III in 10 while CT imaging revealed aortic dissection in 19 out of 21 patients. If the dissection found by both diagnostic procedures was considered definitive then both examinations were similarly sensitive. TEE is a preferred choice of non invasive work up for aortic dissection. Medical and surgical therapy in appropriate cases evaluated by TEE give rise to good results in the majority of patients.

Two-dimensional echocardiographic detection of in-hospital complications in acute myocardial infarction.

The two-dimensional echocardiogram is an ideal noninvasive method for evaluation of the global and regional wall function of left ventricle particularly the apical part in the early phase of acute myocardial infarction. Apical dysfunction, right ventricular infarction, left ventricular thrombi can be detected by 2D-Echo. It is especially useful in the identification of a high risk group of patients with acute myocardial infarction, as a guideline for attempting different therapeutic modalities in these patients.

Short and long term mortality after acute myocardial infarction as predicted by two-dimensional echocardiography.

We have non-invasively determined the extent of the acute myocardial insult shortly after admission in a large group of patients with acute myocardial infarction. There appeared a fairly sharp distinction between patients with low and high likelihood of in-hospital death and one year mortality on the basis of echocardiographic findings. The use of wall motion score index and ejection fraction in the prediction of short term mortality (in-hospital death) is good, but the prediction of long term mortality is not that good, since several patients survived up to one year even with high wall motion score index (greater than 2.2) or low ejection fraction (less than or equal to 35%) on admission. One-year survival is high up to 90 per cent in patients with low wall motion score index or high ejection fraction on admission.

Endomyocardial biopsy: its diagnostic usefulness.

In order to assess the diagnostic usefulness of EMB in patients with clinically suspected myocardial diseases, with and without heart failure or dysrhythmias, a prospective study was carried out in 84 consecutive patients. With EMB, the histological diagnosis was considered specific in 33 patients (39.3%), confirmative in 12 patients (14.3%) and negative in 39 patients (46.4%). It was found particularly useful in patients with unexplained heart failure and idiopathic dysrhythmias and in the differentiation between restrictive cardiomyopathy and constrictive pericarditis. The procedure can be safely performed with minimal morbidity and there was no mortality in the present study.

Transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiographic diagnosis of cor triatriatum: operation without catheterization in an adult patient.

Cor triatriatum presenting in adulthood is extremely rare. An 18-year-old female patient presented with a clinical picture masquerading mitral valvular heart disease. Both transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography demonstrated a membrane in the left atrium with no other cardiac anomaly. The patient was successfully operated on without the need for catheterization.

Perforation of interventricular septum in acute myocardial infarction.

Eight cases of ruptured interventricular septum associated with myocardial infarction were diagnosed at Siriraj Hospital between 1985-1995. Clinical congestive heart failure and holosystolic murmur were found in all. Diagnosis was confirmed by echocardiogram and right heart catheterization in all patients. Two patients died from congestive heart failure preoperatively and the third case died from organ failure and sepsis postoperatively. Another five cases underwent successful ventricular septal defect closure and coronary artery bypass with good results.

Left ventricular hypertrophy: relationship of echocardiographic and electrocardiographic findings in idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy.

Diagnosis of left ventricular hypertrophy is important in patients with cardiac disease. To test the correlation of echocardiographic and electrocardiographic findings for diagnosis of left ventricular hypertrophy in Idiopathic Dilated Cardiomyopathy (IDC), 18 patients with proven IDC were examined. There were 15 males and 3 females, ages ranged from 22-60 years (mean 43 +/- 10.7). LV mass index ranged from 134.4-421.2 g/m2 (mean 187.8 +/- 68.6). All 18 patients had LVH by echocardiography but only 10 patients (55.6%) had LVH by using ECG Romhilt-Estes scoring system. The correlation between echocardiographic and electrocardiographic findings for diagnosis LVH was not significant (r = 0.026; p = 0.935) and echocardiography was better than electrocardiography for diagnosis of LVH in IDC.

Prevalence of myocarditis in idiopathic dysrhythmias: role of endomyocardial biopsy and efficacy of steroid therapy.

In order to study the prevalence of myocarditis, EMB was carried out prospectively in 53 consecutive patients with various idiopathic dysrhythmias and efficacy of steroid therapy was evaluated. The patients consisted of 24 males and 29 females with ages ranging between 12 to 80 yrs. Histologic studies revealed myocarditis in 36 per cent. Steroid therapy resulted in good response in 14 of 18 patients (77.8%) with biopsy-proven myocarditis and in 5 of 17 patients (29.4%) with biopsy-negative but with clinically suspected myocarditis. The remaining patients did not have good response to steroid and there was 1 sudden death in each group.

Relationship between exercise capacity and left ventricular function in aortic and mitral regurgitation.

The exercise capacity as assessed by treadmill exercise or functional class from clinical history cannot predict standard echocardiographic findings in patients with AR/MR, in terms of EF, LVDs, ESVI. Therefore, exercise capacity cannot be used to predict the timing for surgery in those patients. However, symptomatic patients with dilated LV usually have low LVEF such as in our group.