PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

Eiji Ohtaki

Publications and source records attributed to Eiji Ohtaki.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

The echocardiographic determinants of functional mitral regurgitation differ in ischemic and non-ischemic cardiomyopathy.

BACKGROUND: Functional mitral regurgitation (MR) is one of the common and severe complications in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. The detailed mechanisms that cause functional MR remain to be elucidated. Using two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography, we investigated the differences in major determinants of MR severity between ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) and non-ICM patients. METHODS: We enrolled 103 patients (91 males; age 64+/-12 years) with significant left ventricular (LV) dilatation. They were divided into ICM group (n=69) with significant coronary disease, and non-ICM (n=34) group without coronary disease. We devised a novel and simple parameter; the short-axis sphericity index (SI), to evaluate global LV remodeling, and used coaptation depth (CD) and tenting area (TA) to evaluate mitral deformity. RESULTS: In all cases, CD, TA and left atrium diameter (LAD) correlated positively with maximum regurgitation area (MRA) (r=0.54, 0.57, 0.57; P<0.0001). A negative correlation was observed between MRA and SI (r=-0.33, P=0.0008). There was no significant relationship between MRA and LV ejection fraction (EF). In non-ICM cases, SI tended to be lower with reduced EF. Multivariate stepwise linear regression analysis showed the following equations; ICM: MRA=-9.4+0.81CD+0.21LAD (r2=0.47, P<0.0001), non-ICM: MRA=-7.2+0.17LVDs (LV end systolic diameter) -8.7SI+0.27LAD (r2=0.63, P<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The strongest determinants of functional MR severity differ in ICM and non-ICM. While LV diameter and SI (global LV remodeling index) mainly determine the severity in non-ICM, CD that reflects mitral deformity is the major determinant in ICM.

Adult↗

Pre-operative atrial fibrillation as the key determinant of outcome of mitral valve repair for degenerative mitral regurgitation.

AIMS: To examine the impact of pre-operative atrial fibrillation (AF) on the outcome of mitral valve repair (MVR) for degenerative mitral regurgitation (MR). METHODS AND RESULTS: Among 392 patients with moderate to severe MR who underwent MVR between 1991 and 2002, 283 patients with isolated degenerative MR were followed for 4.7+/-3.3 years. Of 27 deaths, nine were due to cardioembolic events and four were due to left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. When compared with patients with pre-operative AF, those with sinus rhythm (SR) had better survival (96+/-2.1 vs. 87+/-3.2% at 5 years, P=0.002) and higher cardiac event-free rates (96+/-2.0 vs. 75+/-4.4% at 5 years, P<0.001). In patients with pre-operative SR, observed and expected survival were similar (P=0.811). Cox multivariable regression analysis confirmed AF [P=0.027, adjusted hazard ratio (AHR) 2.9] and age as independently predictive of survival, and AF (P=0.002, AHR 3.1), New York Heart Association Class, and LV fractional shortening as independently predictive of cardiac event. CONCLUSION: Death due to LV dysfunction was not frequent and cardioembolic events due to AF were the leading cause for cardiac death. Pre-operative AF became a strong independent predictor of survival and morbidity. Patients with pre-operative SR had excellent prognosis. The benefits of preventing cardioembolic events due to AF validate the indication of MVR for patients with high risk for AF.

Adult↗

Impact of mitral regurgitation on long-term survival in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy: efficacy of combined mitral valve repair and revascularization.

Ischemic cardiomyopathy complicated by severe mitral regurgitation (MR) has a poor prognosis. In such cases, whether mitral valve repair for MR improves the prognosis of survival remains unclear. In this study, 50 patients diagnosed with ischemic cardiomyopathy at our hospital between August 1991 and August 1996 were studied to examine the long-term prognosis and factors determining the prognosis. Among 17 patients with the complication of severe MR, 11 underwent mitral valve repair (repair group) and 6 did not (nonrepair group). Among the 33 patients without MR, 15 underwent revascularization (revascularization group) and 18 received medical treatment alone (medical group). Patients with MR showed significantly poorer baseline activities of daily living (ADL) [New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III or above: MR(+) vs MR(-) = 14 vs 8; P = 0.0001] and survival rate [MR(+) vs MR(-); log rank = 3.8, P = 0.05]. In contrast, patients in whom mitral valve repair was actively performed to resolve MR had favorable outcomes for both ADL (NYHA class improved from 3.9 +/- 0.3 to 2.7 +/- 1.0; P = 0.0004) and survival rate (MV repair vs nonrepair: long rank = 10.1, P = 0.0015). In addition, among patients without MR, the revascularization group showed more favorable results in terms of ADL (NYHA class improved from 3.5 +/- 0.7 to 2.5 +/- 0.8; P = 0.0059) and survival rate (revascularization vs medical: log rank = 3.7, P = 0.05), irrespective of improvement of left ventricular function. When the factors determining the prognosis for ischemic cardiomyopathy were examined by multivariate analysis, whether or not revascularization was conducted, the presence or absence of mitral regurgitation, and if present, whether or not mitral valve repair was performed were identified as independent factors determining the prognosis (revascularization: hazard ratio = 0.121, P = 0.012; absence of MR: hazard ratio = 0.104, P = 0.050; mitral valve repair: hazard ratio = 0.018, P = 0.005). These results showed that revascularization should be conducted as actively as possible in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy; in addition, for those patients with mitral regurgitation, mitral valve repair should be conducted actively to relieve it.

Aged↗

Acute myocardial infarction caused by embolism of thrombus in the right coronary sinus of Valsalva: a case report and review of the literature.

A 56-year-old man presented with sustained chest pain. Coronary angiography revealed total occlusion of the distal right coronary artery and left anterior descending branch. Left ventriculography depicted a mobile mass in the right sinus of Valsalva originating from the ostium of the right coronary artery. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) showed a mobile mass in the sinus of Valsalva and another mobile mass in the aortic arch. The mass at the right sinus of Valsalva was surgically resected, and histologic examination revealed an organized thrombus. Coagulation study showed protein S deficiency. This is the first case of acute myocardial infarction as a result of multiple coronary embolism caused by thrombosis in the right sinus of Valsalva with a second aortic arch thrombosis, contributed by protein S deficiency.

Anticoagulants↗

Pulmonary thromboembolism in a patient with an anomalous right coronary artery as a cause of unusual biventricular myocardial infarction.

This report presents the first case of an unusual biventricular myocardial infarction caused by pulmonary thromboembolism in a 55-year-old woman who had an anomalous origin of the right coronary artery (RCA) from the left coronary sinus. The RCA consequently courses between the aorta and pulmonary trunk, and dilatation of the pulmonary artery because of elevated pulmonary artery pressure compressed the proximal portion of the RCA. The consequent reduced right coronary oxygen supply and sudden increase in right ventricular afterload contributed to the characteristic right ventricular infarction, in addition to a left ventricular infero-posterior infarction. Her anginal symptoms disappeared following successful anticoagulation therapy and insertion of an inferior vena caval filter, without coronary bypass. This pathophysiologic phenomenon is rare, but can be fatal.

Coronary Vessels↗

Impact of a preoperative mitral regurgitation scoring system on outcome of surgical repair for mitral valve prolapse.

The optimal timing of surgical correction of severe mitral regurgitation (MR) is important for improved morbidity and mortality. We utilized a scoring system to decide the timing of procedures. Based on clinical features and echocardiographic data, we hypothesized that preoperative semi-quantitation of MR using this scoring system may be useful for predicting prognosis after repair. The MR score was composed of 6 parameters associated with disease severity (i.e., history of heart failure, atrial fibrillation, pulmonary hypertension, left ventricular end-systolic dimension, fractional shortening, and left atrial dimension). The maximum score was 6. Of 267 patients who underwent mitral valve repair in the last 10 years, 191 patients with mitral valve prolapse were studied. Patients were categorized into 2 groups according to MR score (group low [L] : 0 to 2.5 and group high [H]: >/=3.0) irrespective of New York Heart Association functional class. A significant difference in postoperative event-free survival was observed between both groups (p = 0.0014); the adjusted risk ratio was 3.4 (95% confidence interval 1.6 to 7.2). Postoperative echocardiography showed larger left ventricular systolic dimensions (p <0.0001), lower fractional shortening (p = 0.0016), and larger left atrial dimensions (p <0.0001) in group H than group L. Thus, an MR score is a simple way to predict the prognosis of severe MR independently of subjective symptoms in patients undergoing mitral valve repair.

Chi-Square Distribution↗

Echocardiographic prediction of left ventricular dysfunction after mitral valve repair for mitral regurgitation as an indicator to decide the optimal timing of repair.

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to determine whether echocardiography before mitral valve repair (MVR) for mitral regurgitation (MR) was predictive of postoperative left ventricular (LV) dysfunction and useful for deciding the optimal timing of repair. BACKGROUND: Some reports have shown that the preoperative echocardiographic data of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and left ventricular end-systolic diameter (LVDs) were good predictors of postoperative LV dysfunction. However, few reports were based on long-term follow-up data of large numbers of patients who underwent MVR in the last decade. METHODS: A total of 274 patients with moderate or severe MR underwent MVR between October 1, 1991, and September 30, 2000. Among them, 171 patients who had both an operation for isolated MR due to degenerative pathology and a postoperative echocardiogram were studied. Postoperative echocardiograms were performed 3.9 +/- 2.4 years after the operation. The LVEF decreased from 66 +/- 10% before surgery to 63 +/- 11% after surgery (p < 0.0001). On univariate analysis, preoperative LVEF and LVDs correlated with postoperative LVEF (r = 0.41 and r = -0.39, respectively). Overall, postoperative LV dysfunction (defined as LVEF <50%) was not frequent (12%). However, the incidence of postoperative LV dysfunction was high in patients with preoperative LVEF <55% (38%) or LVDs > or =40 mm (23%). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with MR, the echocardiographic data of LVEF and LVDs were good predictors of postoperative LV dysfunction. When a decrease in LVEF or an increase in LVDs is detected, MVR should be considered to preserve postoperative LV function.

Adult↗

Infective endocarditis associated with quadricuspid aortic valve.

A 26-year old Japanese woman experienced new aortic valve regurgitation associated with a preceding high fever of unknown cause. During the fever episode, although bacteremia or fungemia was not evident despite frequent blood cultures, intravenous panipenem/betamipron (PAPM/BP) gradually resulted in decline of the fever. Echocardiography and operative procedures revealed a quadricuspid aortic valve (QAV), which was composed of two equal larger cusps and two unequal smaller cusps (type f). A smaller accessory cusp was damaged but showed no active vegetation. A Medtronic Freestyle bioprosthesis was implanted using a subcoronary technique. Although the risk of endocarditis for this rare valve abnormality is not well documented, the present case may support the conventional assumption that patients with unequal small cusps are prone to endocarditis.

Adult↗

Etiology of aortic valve disease and recent changes in Japan:a study of 600 valve replacement cases.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies on the etiology of aortic valve disease in the US showed a decrease in rheumatic valve disease and an increase in age-related degenerative disease. The purpose of this study was to describe the etiology of aortic valve disease and its temporal changes in Japan, based on a large number of cases. METHODS: The medical charts of all patients who underwent aortic valve replacement at our institute between 1977 and 1999 were reviewed. Among the 600 patients analyzed, 213 (36%) had pure aortic stenosis, 265 (44%) had pure aortic regurgitation, and 122 (20%) had combined stenosis and regurgitation. RESULTS: The causes were rheumatic change (49%), degenerative change (19%), bicuspid valves (18%), infective endocarditis (5%) and others (9%). Rheumatic disease continued to be the most common cause of aortic stenosis, but its frequency decreased from 100% in 1977-1979 to 37% in 1995-1999. In contrast, the frequency of degenerative change among stenotic valves increased recently from 11% in 1990-1994 to 30% in 1995-1999. Similarly, rheumatic disease remained to be the leading cause of aortic regurgitation, with a decline in frequency from 46% in 1985-1989 to 27% in 1995-1999. The percentage of degenerative change among regurgitant valves did not change appreciably. CONCLUSIONS: There was a shift in the causes of aortic valve disease, with a decrease in rheumatic disease and an increase in degenerative disease. This trend was similar to that observed in the US. These findings suggest the increasing importance of aortic valve disease due to degenerative change.

Adult↗

Papillary muscles identified by myocardial contrast echocardiography in preparation for percutaneous transluminal septal myocardial ablation.

In patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM), percutaneous transluminal septal myocardial ablation (PTSMA) supplemented by myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) can provide a therapeutic benefit. We report a 33-year-old woman with HOCM in which MCE revealed a septal branch artery supplying the postero-medial papillary muscles. Thus, PTSMA was aborted because of the risk of acute mitral regurgitation secondary to papillary muscle dysfunction.

Adult↗

Normalization of left ventricular parameters following combined pimobendan and carvedilol treatment in a case of unclassified cardiomyopathy with longstanding refractory status.

A 58-year-old man with a 64-month history of unclassified cardiomyopathy developed congestive heart failure (CHF) and had been dependent on long-term intravenous positive inotropes. Combined pimobendan and carvedilol administration resulted in marked symptomatic improvement from New York Heart Association functional class IV to I. Echocardiograms showed improvement of left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction from 15 to 48%, and LV end-diastolic diameter from 6.7 to 4.9 cm. This mode of therapy not only improved LV contractile function but also normalized LV volume, which was an unusual clinical course compared with the general course of advanced CHF.

Carbazoles↗

Carvedilol-induced changes in cardiac diastolic performance in a patient with isolated noncompaction of the myocardium.

Isolated ventricular noncompaction (IVNC) is an unusual congenital heart disease. The morphological features are trabeculations and intertrabecular recesses within the left ventricle. Important clinical considerations include the high mortality due to depressed cardiac function, and the instance of ventricular arrhythmia and systemic embolism. One of reasons for the high mortality is that there is still no effective therapy with the exception of the recommendation for anticoagulation therapy to prevent embolisms. Hence, we describe a 29-year-old man with IVNC presenting with chronic heart failure. Careful up-titration of carvedilol in this patient changed the parameters of cardiac diastolic performance

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗

Effects of carvedilol on plasma levels of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in nine patients with dilated cardiomyopathy.

OBJECTIVES: Whether beta-blocker therapy changes the circulating levels of cytokines as congestive heart failure improves remains uncertain. METHODS: Nine patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy, who had previously received conventional treatment and were classified as New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class II, received carvedilol by stepwise dose increase up to 20 mg daily, and the plasma interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) levels were measured. RESULTS: IL-6 was significantly reduced from 0.80 +/- 0.49 pg/ml before therapy to 0.21 +/- 0.08 pg/ml after carvedilol was increased to 20 mg daily (p < 0.05). Moreover, IL-6 level had already decreased significantly compared to the baseline when the dose of carvedilol had reached 10 mg daily (0.28 +/- 0.12 pg/ml, p < 0.05). TNF-alpha levels did not change significantly. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that IL-6 concentration is significantly decreased by beta-blocker therapy. The efficacy for heart failure may be related to the change of IL-6 concentration.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗