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B Tallant

Publications and source records attributed to B Tallant.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

Segmental motion and deformation of transmurally infarcted myocardium in acute postinfarct period.

Mechanical behavior of infarcted myocardium in the first week following coronary occlusion has not been well characterized. Prior unidimensional studies failed to account for perpendicular deformation or shearing. This study characterizes three-dimensional motion and deformation of transmural infarcts 1 wk after coronary ligation in seven sheep. Principal strains and systolic in-plane translation and rotation were calculated for triangular elements defined by tissue tagging in short- and long-axis magnetic resonance images. The magnitudes of the first and second principal strains were reduced in both the short- and long-axis planes 1 wk after infarction. In addition, the absolute angular difference between the direction of the first principal strain and the radial direction increased from 14.7 +/- 1.9 to 43.5 +/- 2.7 degrees in the short-axis plane and from 19.6 +/- 7.3 to 43.9 +/- 10.0 degrees (P < 0.05) in the long-axis plane. In-plane rigid-body translation and rotation were also reduced in both planes. In conclusion, marked reduction and reorientation of principal strains and reduction in segmental rigid-body motion characterize nonreperfused transmural myocardial infarctions 1 wk after coronary occlusion.

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Regional differences in function within noninfarcted myocardium during left ventricular remodeling.

BACKGROUND: The mechanisms of ventricular enlargement and dysfunction during postinfarct remodeling remain largely unknown. Although global left ventricular architectural changes after myocardial infarction are well documented, differences in function between adjacent and remote noninfarcted myocardium during left ventricular remodeling have not been investigated. These functional differences may relate to regional differences in wall stress during contraction and may contribute to chamber enlargement and global dysfunction after infarction. METHODS AND RESULTS: Anteroapical infarcts were produced in seven sheep by ligation of the mid left anterior descending coronary artery and second diagonal branch at thoracotomy. Magnetic resonance short-axis and long-axis images tagged by spatial modulation of magnetization were obtained before and 1 week, 8 weeks, and 6 months after infarction. Left ventricular volumes, mass, ejection fraction, and lengths of infarcted and noninfarcted segments were measured. Circumferential and longitudinal shortening in the subendocardium and subepicardium, wall thickness, and histopathology were assessed in infarcted segments and regions adjacent to and remote from the infarct border. We found that a difference in circumferential and longitudinal segmental shortening between adjacent and remote noninfarcted myocardium present at 1 week persisted up to 6 months after myocardial infarction. However, partial improvement of function in adjacent regions occurred during infarct healing between 1 and 8 weeks after infarction. Left ventricular volume increased up to 6 months after infarction, out of proportion to the concomitant eccentric hypertrophy, whereas the ejection fraction fell. Left ventricular dilatation late in the remodeling process was secondary to lengthening of noninfarcted segments, which were free of significant fibrosis. CONCLUSIONS: Left ventricular dilatation and eccentric hypertrophy during remodeling are associated with persistent differences in segmental function between adjacent and remote noninfarcted regions. These functional differences may reflect increased wall stress in adjacent noninfarcted regions and contribute to the global dilatation and dysfunction characteristic of left ventricular remodeling after infarction.

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Hypertrophy, fibrosis and diastolic dysfunction in early canine experimental hypertension.

To examine the relations among hypertrophy, fibrosis and diastolic performance in early experimental hypertension, 18 control dogs and 12 dogs with experimental left ventricular hypertrophy were studied. Diastolic function was impaired in dogs with left ventricular hypertrophy, with decreased Doppler early to atrial inflow velocity ratio (E/A) (1.35 versus 1.72), increased atrial filling fraction (35% versus 29%), decreased sonomicrometric peak rates of wall thinning (-2.01 versus -3.37 liters/s) and filling (4.33 versus 6.64 liters/s) and prolonged time constant of isovolumetric relaxation (tau; 34.3 versus 28.1 ms). Neither chamber stiffness (k; P = AekV) nor passive elastic stiffness (E; E = k sigma, where sigma = stress) was increased. At postmortem examination, the hypertensive left ventricle weighed significantly more than normal (116 versus 80 g; p less than 0.01) and had greater muscle fiber diameter at endocardial and epicardial sampling sites in the apical free wall, basal free wall and septum (mean diameter 50 +/- 8 microns in hypertensive dogs, 37 +/- 8 microns in normal dogs; p less than 0.01). In contrast, neither percent fibrosis (1.2 +/- 0.8 versus 0.9 +/- 0.6 in normal dogs) nor fibrotic volume (1.21 +/- 0.63 versus 0.72 +/- 0.42%/g in normal dogs) was significantly increased. Peak volumetric filling rate was inversely related to fiber diameter (r = -0.74, p less than 0.001), although no variable of left ventricular function was significantly related to percent or volume fibrosis (all r less than 0.60, all p greater than 0.05). Thus, diastolic dysfunction may exist in the setting of hypertrophy without significant fibrosis. Increased myocyte size was associated with early diastolic filling abnormalities characteristic of the hypertensive left ventricle. Fibrosis appears to be a less important determinant of diastolic performance.

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