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Biomedical subjects

D Vinereanu

Publications and source records attributed to D Vinereanu.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Subclinical hypothyroidism, arterial stiffness, and myocardial reserve.

CONTEXT: Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) is associated with increased risk of cardiac disease; its impact on arterial function is less clear. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was the assessment of arterial and cardiac function. DESIGN: The study was a 6-month controlled observational study using pulse wave analysis and tissue Doppler dobutamine stress echocardiography. SETTING: The study was conducted at a thyroid clinic. PATIENTS: Nineteen female SCH patients with raised TSH, normal free T(4), and no cardiovascular disease [aged 49.2 +/- 3.8 yr; body mass index (BMI) 29.9 +/- 6.7 kg/m(2)] were recruited from the thyroid clinic, and 10 female controls (aged 50.2 +/- 3.4 yr; BMI 29.7 +/- 7.2 kg/m(2)) also participated in the study. INTERVENTIONS: Incremental doses of l-thyroxine were used. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Indices of vascular stiffness and left ventricular echocardiographic function were measured. RESULTS: Baseline augmentation gradient was elevated in SCH, compared with controls [10.3 +/- 5.1 (sd) mm Hg vs. 8.0 +/- 4.2, P < 0.05]; when euthyroid (mean T(4) dose 114 mug/d), it fell to 8.8 +/- 5.3 mm Hg (P < 0.05). Heart rate-corrected augmentation index was 26.7 +/- 9.9 vs. 18.8 +/- 9.9% (P < 0.02), falling to 19.7 +/- 9.6% (P < 0.001) after treatment. Time of travel of the reflected wave was 139.3 +/- 11.7 msec, compared with 141.5 +/- 8.8 msec in controls (P < 0.05), increasing to 144.9 +/- 11.9 msec (P < 0.05). There were no differences in resting global, regional left ventricular function, or regional myocardial velocities during maximal dobutamine stress between SCH patients and controls, or in treated patients, compared with baseline. CONCLUSIONS: Arterial stiffness was increased in SCH and improved with l-thyroxine, which may be beneficial, whereas myocardial functional reserve was similar to controls and remained unaltered after treatment.

Arteries↗
PubMed2005

[Thrombolysis: Bucarest registry].

The end-point of this retrospective study was to evaluate the standard of care in terms of in-hospital morbidity and mortality for patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) treated by thrombolysis within the first 12 hours from the start of the symptoms in five cardiology centers from Bucarest for a period of 5 years (2000-2004). This retrospective registry on a central database included 1814 patients (73.63% men, mean age 59.9 +/- 11.8 years), presented in an average time of 211.63 minutes from pain start. The most frequently used fibrinolitic was streptokinase (66.21%), administered most often in 30 minutes and for a subgroup in 20 minutes--accelerated regimen, with a good efficiency for the reperfusion of the culprit vessel evaluated non-invasively (clinical, electrical and biological methods). The global in-hospital mortality was 11.1%. The only predictors of in-hospital mortality were female gender and advanced age (>75 years) [p < 0.05]. The rate of haemorrhagic complications was not different from the one described by other clinical studies. The treatment by anticoagulants, antiaplatelets agents like aspirin, ACE inhibitors and statins were significant determinants of in-hospital survival. In the subgroup followed-up for 1 year (315 patients), the most frequent complication was the heart failure. In conclusion, in Bucarest, where availability of primary angioplasty in AMI was limited, thrombolysis with streptokinase was still very much used, with acceptable low in-hospital mortality and relatively high rate of artery reperfusion appreciated by non-invasive methods.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Adenosine provokes diastolic dysfunction in microvascular angina.

Adenosine stress echocardiography was performed in nine patients (58 (+/-3) years, eight women) with documented microvascular angina. Global ventricular function was assessed by Tc(99m) blood pool imaging and Doppler, whereas longitudinal ventricular function was assessed by simultaneous tissue Doppler echocardiography of the lateral mitral annulus. Adenosine was infused incrementally to onset of chest pain in all patients. There was no significant change in global or longitudinal systolic function. Adenosine induced global diastolic dysfunction, demonstrated by blood pool imaging and by Doppler of the transmitral flow. All patients had long axis diastolic dysfunction at peak adenosine, revealed by a ratio of early to late diastolic velocity of lateral mitral annulus <1, which was absent at rest. Adenosine, as a stress agent, provokes regional and global diastolic dysfunction in microvascular angina, which may be a consequence of subendocardial ischaemia. Long axis diastolic dysfunction can be easily revealed by tissue Doppler of the lateral annular motion.

Adenosine↗
PubMed2001

Differentiation between pathologic and physiologic left ventricular hypertrophy by tissue Doppler assessment of long-axis function in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy or systemic hypertension and in athletes.

To identify new echocardiographic indexes of long-axis function that might differentiate between pathologic and physiologic left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy, we compared 60 subjects with different types of LV hypertrophy (group I: 15 patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, group II: 15 patients with systemic hypertension, and group III: 30 athletes) with 20 normal subjects (group IV). The peak velocities of mitral annular motion at 4 sites were measured from the apex by tissue Doppler echocardiography. There were no differences in mean age and global ejection fraction between groups. Groups I and II had lower long-axis systolic and early diastolic velocities than the athletes (p <0.01) for all 4 sites. The best differentiation of pathologic from physiologic hypertrophy was provided by a mean systolic annular velocity <9 cm/s (sensitivity 87%, specificity 97%). Heterogeneity of annular velocities discriminated between group I and group II. Thus, long-axis systolic and early diastolic velocities are decreased in patients with pathologic hypertrophy, but preserved in athletes. These simple new echocardiographic parameters can differentiate between pathologic and physiologic hypertrophy.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Assessment of left ventricular long axis contraction can detect early myocardial dysfunction in asymptomatic patients with severe aortic regurgitation.

OBJECTIVE: To identify variables that could be applied at rest to diagnose subclinical ventricular dysfunction in asymptomatic patients with severe aortic regurgitation. DESIGN: Cross sectional study. PATIENTS: Left ventricular long axis contraction was studied using tissue Doppler and M mode echocardiography in 21 patients with no symptoms (New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class </= 2a) but severe aortic regurgitation (jet area/left ventricular outflow tract area > 40%). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) at baseline and peak exercise (Weber protocol), cardiopulmonary function, and left ventricular long axis function at rest (peak systolic velocity and excursion of the mitral annulus). RESULTS: In 11 patients, ejection fraction increased or did not change (from mean (SD) 55 (5)% to 58 (4)%, p < 0.05) (group I); in 10 patients it decreased by > 5% (from 54 (4)% to 42 (5)%, p < 0.001) (group II). Exercise ejection fraction was < 50% in all patients in group II. At rest, there were no differences between the groups in ejection fraction, left ventricular diameter indices, wall stress, and short axis contraction. However, patients in group II had reduced long axis contraction compared with group I: peak systolic velocity 8.6 (0.6) v 11.9 (2.2) cm/s (p < 0.001); excursion 11 (2) v 14 (2) mm (p < 0.01). A resting velocity of < 9.5 cm/s was the best indicator of poor exercise tolerance (sensitivity 90%, specificity 100%). CONCLUSIONS: Markers of reduced long axis contraction may provide simple and reliable indices of subclinical left ventricular dysfunction in asymptomatic patients with severe aortic regurgitation.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Reproducibility of pulsed wave tissue Doppler echocardiography.

Four hundred and eighty paired recordings obtained from 16 patients (55 +/- 10 yrs; 10 men, 6 women) were analyzed to determine the reproducibility of both acquiring and measuring myocardial velocities recorded by tissue Doppler echocardiography. To assess intraobserver variability, 1 observer recorded and measured the data twice, from the same patients, and to assess interobserver variability, patients were examined by 2 independent observers. For the left ventricle, intraobserver reproducibility was higher when assessing long-axis velocities (+/- 10% to 16%) than short-axis velocities (+/- 14% to 24%). For the right ventricle, intraobserver reproducibility was high for the tricuspid annulus (+/- 9% to 15%), but unsatisfactory for the right ventricular anterior wall (+/- 21% to 25%). The highest interobserver reproducibilities were obtained for systolic and diastolic velocities of the lateral mitral annulus (+/- 9% to 17%) and systolic velocity of the tricuspid annulus (+/-13%). Interobserver reproducibility of the ratio of early-to-late peak diastolic velocities was very low for all investigated sites (+/- 20% to 52%). With the use of current techniques and software, reproducibility of acquiring and measuring tissue Doppler echocardiography is suboptimal for both systolic and diastolic myocardial velocities.

Echocardiography, Doppler↗
PubMed1998

Periaortic fat pad mimicking an intramural hematoma of the thoracic aorta: lessons for transesophageal echocardiography.

We report a patient whose clinical and echocardiographic findings were compatible with a diagnosis of aortic intramural hematoma, but magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a prominent and localized periaortic deposit of fat as the cause of the transesophageal echocardiographic appearance. This is a significant caveat that must be borne in mind when interpreting echocardiographic images obtained in patients with suspected intramural aortic hematomas.

Adipose Tissue↗