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Leopoldo Pérez de Isla

Publications and source records attributed to Leopoldo Pérez de Isla.

16 recordsLinked to original sources

The role of echocardiography in the assessment of mechanical dyssynchrony and its importance in predicting response to prognosis after cardiac resynchronization therapy.

The aim of this review is to synthesize the published evidence regarding the benefits of identifying mechanical asynchrony before implantation of biventricular devices, and the role of echocardiography in the identification and quantification of mechanical asynchrony. It summarizes the published studies addressing the several echocardiographic parameters of dyssynchrony that have already proven to predict response to cardiac resynchronization therapy. M-mode echocardiography, Doppler tissue imaging, strain and strain rate imaging, tissue tracking, and 3-dimensional echocardiography parameters of dyssynchrony shown to be able to identify responders are discussed. In addition, the prognostic implication of the identification of mechanical asynchrony before implantation is addressed. A summary of the published evidence of the echocardiographic parameters able to identify patients more likely to derive a prognostic benefit is provided. Finally, it mentions some of the current uncertainties and possible future applications of echocardiographic evaluation of dyssynchrony.

Cardiac Pacing, Artificial↗

Which method should be the reference method to evaluate the severity of rheumatic mitral stenosis? Gorlin's method versus 3D-echo.

INTRODUCTION: Several studies have shown a wide variability among different methods to determine the valve area in patients with rheumatic mitral stenosis. Our aim was to evaluate if 3D-echo planimetry is more accurate than the Gorlin method to measure the valve area. METHODS: Twenty-six patients with mitral stenosis underwent 2D and 3D-echo echocardiographic examinations and catheterization. Valve area was estimated by different methods. A median value of the mitral valve area, obtained from the measurements of three classical non-invasive methods (2D planimetry, pressure half-time and PISA method), was used as the reference method and it was compared with 3D-echo planimetry and Gorlin's method. RESULTS: Our results showed that the accuracy of 3D-echo planimetry is superior to the accuracy of the Gorlin method for the assessment of mitral valve area. CONCLUSIONS: We should keep in mind the fact that 3D-echo planimetry may be a better reference method than the Gorlin method to assess the severity of rheumatic mitral stenosis.

Adult↗

Disagreement between tissue Doppler imaging and conventional pulsed wave Doppler in the measurement of myocardial performance index.

AIM: Myocardial performance index (MPI) is usually measured with pulsed wave Doppler (PWD). Our aim was to assess the degree of agreement between PWD and a method based on tissue Doppler imaging (TDI). METHODS AND RESULTS: Seventy-five patients with prior myocardial infarction and 20 healthy subjects underwent measurement of time intervals and MPI with PWD and pulsed TDI at septal and lateral sides of mitral annulus. MPI and TDI-MPI at septal side showed the best intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC=0.54; p<0.0005). Ninety-five percent interval of agreement ranged from -0.27 to 0.22. These differences were attributed to discrepancies in isovolumic contraction and relaxation times. In the healthy group the results were similar (ICC=0.44), although the 95% interval of agreement was lower (from -0.13 to 0.12). CONCLUSIONS: The agreement between PWD and TDI in the measurement of MPI is only moderate. This should be taken into account in the interpretation of studies in which TDI is used for this measurement.

Aged↗

Comparison of left ventricular volumes and ejection fractions measured by three-dimensional echocardiography versus by two-dimensional echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance in patients with various cardiomyopathies.

End-diastolic volume and end-systolic volume were measured in 35 consecutive patients with cardiomyopathy using 2-dimensional (2-D) and 3-dimensional (3-D) echocardiography (2, 4, and 8 planes) and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. Three-dimensional echocardiography correlates better with magnetic resonance imaging than does 2-D echocardiography. Its accuracy improves with the increase in the number of planes used. Two-dimensional echocardiography underestimates volumes, mainly in the subgroup with an ejection fraction of <50%, whereas 3-D echocardiography does not, if enough planes are used. However, in patients with an end-diastolic volume > or =150 ml, the underestimation of 3-D echocardiography is statistically significant. Increasing the number of planes to 8 reduces this bias. Conversely, patients with an end-diastolic volume <150 ml are accurately studied with just 4 planes.

Adult↗

Long-term prognostic importance of transient left ventricular dilation during pharmacologic stress echocardiography.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to evaluate the prognostic significance of left ventricular (LV) transient ischemic dilation (TID) for patients with a positive stress echocardiogram (SE). BACKGROUND: TID during SE has been related to the presence of extensive coronary artery disease, but its long-term prognostic implications have not been reported. METHODS: In all, 99 consecutive patients with a positive SE comprised the study group. LV volumes were evaluated according to the modified Simpson's rule. TID during SE was defined as the presence of an increase in LV end-diastolic volume during the stress test. A clinical history was fulfilled for each patient and all of them were followed up. RESULTS: Of 99 patients, 32 (32.3%) showed TID. Mean age was 65.8 +/- 9.8 years for non-TID group and 70.2 +/- 8.4 for TID group (P = .048). Baseline characteristics and subsequent treatment were similar in both groups. Mean follow-up was 21.4 +/- 15.8 months. In non-TID group the mean survival free of acute myocardial infarction was 47.28 months and 39.7 months in TID group (log rank = 0.012). In the univariate and multivariate analysis only TID and the wall motion score index were found as independent predictors related to long-term prognosis (risk ratio = 6.9; 95% confidence interval = 0.8-59.6; P = .042; and risk ratio = 0.4; 95% confidence interval = 0.18-0.89; P = .047, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: LV TID during SE is an easy and independent prognostic marker. It helps to select patients with increased risk.

Aged↗

Usefulness of real-time 3-dimensional echocardiography in the assessment of infective endocarditis: initial experience.

OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to provide an initial description of the usefulness of real-time 3-dimensional (3D) echocardiography when evaluating patients with infective endocarditis. METHODS: For this purpose, we describe 3 cases in which the usefulness of real-time 3D echocardiography is shown. RESULTS: Better definition of the morphologic characteristics of the vegetation and valvular apparatus was achieved with real-time 3D echocardiography. Furthermore, the information provided by the real-time 3D echocardiogram to the surgical team was accurate and direct because it was not based on detailed verbal information for performing a 3D mental reconstruction but was a simple image similar to what would be found in the operating room. In all cases, the information provided by the real-time 3D echocardiography was confirmed during surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Real-time 3D echocardiography is an important tool for aiding diagnosis or for fine tuning a suspected diagnosis when traditional echocardiography is not completely clear for both medical and surgical decision making.

Aged↗

[Usefulness of parametric imaging-based quantitative myocardial contrast echocardiography in predicting the functional recovery of akinetic segments following primary angioplasty in acute myocardial infarction patients].

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) is useful for predicting the functional recovery of akinetic segments in patients undergoing primary angioplasty after acute myocardial infraction (AMI). Recently, parametric imaging-based quantitative MCE has been developed for measuring perfusion. Our aims were: a) to measure perfusion in akinetic myocardial segments in patients undergoing primary angioplasty using parametric imaging-based quantitative MCE; and b) to assess the usefulness of these measurements in predicting functional recovery of these segments. PATIENTS AND METHOD: The study group comprised 49 consecutive patients undergoing primary angioplasty. Both MCE and standard echocardiography were performed between 2 and 5 days after AMI. Six months later, additional standard echocardiography and coronary angiography were performed. Perfusion was quantified independently off-line from parametric images. RESULTS: The patients' mean age was 62.3+/-14.5 years (39 men; 79.2%). Some 170 akinetic segments were detected. Of these, 105 (62.1%) recovered function. The quantitative MCE parameter that best predicted functional recovery was myocardial blood flow velocity (beta): the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was 0.96 (95% CI, 0.92-0.99). For a cut-off point of 31 dB/s, the sensitivity was 87.62%, the specificity was 95.31%, the positive predictive value was 96.8%, and the negative predictive value was 82.43%. These results were better than those obtained using qualitative methods for assessing myocardial perfusion. CONCLUSIONS: Perfusion measurement by parametric imaging-based quantitative MCE is useful for predicting the functional recovery of akinetic segments in patients undergoing primary angioplasty after AMI. The technique provides superior information to older qualitative methods.

Aged↗

Infective endocarditis: mid-term prognosis in patients with good in-hospital outcome.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY: The study aim was to analyze the mid-term prognosis of infective endocarditis (IE) in patients managed with medical therapy during the in-hospital phase and who had a good initial outcome. Comparison was made with the prognosis of patients treated surgically during this period. METHODS: A total of 151 patients diagnosed with IE was studied, and in-hospital outcome, clinical characteristics and mid-term follow up data were analyzed. The main end-point was a composite of death and need for surgical repair. RESULTS: Among 151 patients, 84 (56%) underwent surgery or died during the in-hospital phase, while 67 patients (44%) received medical treatment and were discharged clinically stable with a final diagnosis of healed infective endocarditis. A better baseline profile was seen in the medically treated group, but outcome in this group showed extensive mid-term morbidity/mortality. In total, 52.2% of patients underwent surgery to correct complications and 60% died as a consequence of the disease. The event-free survival rate was 20% at five years. CONCLUSION: Despite a favorable in-hospital clinical course and successful medical treatment, patients with IE are at risk of late complications that result in a need for surgical repair, or in death. A close follow up should be made in order to treat late complications.

Aneurysm, False↗

Right atrial rupture.

Cardiac rupture is a rare complication of primary cardiac tumors. We present a very uncommon case of cardiac angiosarcoma presenting as a right atrial rupture. A 58-year-old patient presented progressive dyspnea, weight loss, anorexia and asthenia. A chest X-ray revealed global cardiac enlargement, mainly from the right atrium. Transthoracic echocardiography gave rise to the suspicion of right atrial pseudoaneurysm, which was confirmed by transesophageal echocardiography. The ruptured atrial wall was clearly seen using contrast echo. In addition, magnetic resonance imaging provided an excellent tool in the anatomic evaluation of this uncommon complication. The diagnosis of angiosarcoma was hystologically confirmed.

Female↗

Myocardial perfusion in real-time using power modulation. In vivo evidence for microcirculatory damage after acute myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In addition to the myocardium, the microvasculature may be also damaged in acute myocardial infarction. The aim was to evaluate the capability of myocardial contrast echocardiography in the detection of microvasculature damage after myocardial infarction. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twelve patients with recent acute myocardial infarction and five control subjects with normal coronary arteries and without history of myocardial infarction were studied. Myocardial contrast echocardiography with power modulation was performed, and quantitative data were measured off-line. Power modulation uses a combination of low (0.1) and high (1.7) mechanical indexes, allowing a real-time evaluation of myocardial perfusion. Contrast agent was administered as a 3-min bolus. The quantitative analysis was performed off-line by a different blinded investigator. The refilling velocity was calculated as the difference between the peak myocardial refilling value and the value at 1 s after the impulse divided by the time from the first second after the impulse to the peak refilling value. RESULTS: Eighty-one myocardial segments (75%) were analysed qualitatively and quantitatively in AMI patients, and 18 (60%) in control subjects (P=NS). The peak refilling intensity was not significantly different in patients and control subjects (6.62+/-5.85 vs. 7.53+/-4.06 dB, respectively). However, time to peak refilling intensity was significantly longer (5.25+/-1.57 vs. 4.00+/-0.53, P=0.004) and the velocity of refilling was significantly lower (2.74+/-5.34 vs. 6.58+/-8.02, P=0.028) in patients with myocardial infarction. CONCLUSION: There is microvasculature damage after myocardial infarction that is reflected as a delayed velocity of refilling in myocardial contrast echocardiography.

Adult↗

[Risk stratification using combined ECG, clinical, and biochemical assessment in patients with chest pain without ST-segment elevation. How long should we wait? ].

INTRODUCTION: We use clinical, ECG, and biochemical data to stratify risk in patients with chest pain without ST segment elevation. However, the prognostic performance of these studies in relation to time from onset of symptoms is unknown. PATIENTS AND METHOD: In a single-center, prospective study, 321 consecutive patients who had been admitted in the emergency room with a suspected acute coronary syndrome without ST segment elevation were included in the study. Blood samples were collected for CK, CK-MB mass, myoglobin, and cardiac troponin T analysis 6, 12 and 18 hours after the onset of pain and other clinical and ECG data were recorded. Univariate and multivariate analysis was used to identify independent prognostic predictors 6 and 12 hours after the onset of chest pain. RESULTS: Five variables were independent predictors of the recurrence of ischemia. The model correctly classified 82% of the patients. Age, history of coronary artery disease, prolonged chest pain at rest in the preceding 15 days, pain, ST-segment changes with pain, and cardiac troponin T in excess of 0.1 ng/m 12 hours after the onset of chest pain were identified by logistic regression. A similar model was analyzed at 6 hours, after changing the cutoff point for cardiac troponin T. Cardiac troponin T was considered positive with values of 0.04 ng/ml 6 hours after the onset of chest pain. CONCLUSIONS: More than 80% of the patients admitted to the emergency room with chest pain without ST segment elevation can be correctly classified for new ischemic recurrences using clinical, ECG, and biochemical parameters 6 hours after the onset of pain.

Aged↗

[Imaging diagnosis in acute aortic syndromes].

Acute aortic dissection is a clinical emergency. Its prognosis is related mainly with prompt and accurate diagnosis, as well as rapid treatment. In this paper we review the importance of different imaging techniques in the diagnosis of patients with acute aortic syndrome. Aortic dissection, intramural haematoma, and penetrating aortic ulcer are discussed.

Aortic Arch Syndromes↗

Primary angioplasty reduces the risk of left ventricular free wall rupture compared with thrombolysis in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of primary angioplasty (PA) over the risk of free wall rupture (FWR) in reperfused acute myocardial infarction (AMI). BACKGROUND: It has been suggested that PA reduces the risk of FWR compared with thrombolysis. However, few studies have evaluated this issue, and there are no data demonstrating this hypothesis. METHODS: A total of 1,375 patients with AMI treated with PA (n = 762, 55.4%) or thrombolysis (n = 613, 44.6%) within 12 h after symptoms onset were included. The diagnosis of FWR was made either in the presence of sudden death due to electromechanical dissociation with large pericardial effusion on an echocardiogram or when demonstrated post mortem or at surgery. A multivariable analysis was performed including type of reperfusion strategy. RESULTS: The overall incidence of FWR was 2.5% (n = 34): 1.8% and 3.3% in patients treated with PA and with thrombolysis, respectively (p = 0.686). The following characteristics were associated with a higher rate of FWR in the univariable analysis: age >70 (5.2% vs. 1.2%, p < 0.001), female gender (5.1% vs. 1.8%, p = 0.006), anterior location (3.3% vs. 1.4%, p = 0.020) and treatment >2 h after symptoms onset (3.6% vs. 1.7%, p = 0.043). In the multivariable analysis, age >70 (odds ratio [OR]: 4.12, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.04 to 8.62, p < 0.001) and anterior location (OR: 2.91, 95% CI: 1.36 to 6.63, p = 0.008) were independent risk factors of FWR, whereas treatment with PA was an independent protective factor (OR: 0.46, 95% CI: 0.22 to 0.96, p = 0.0371). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with AMI, PA reduces the risk of FWR in comparison with thrombolysis.

Age Factors↗

[Safety and usefulness of transesophageal echocardiography in the acute phase of myocardial infarction].

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: The usefulness and safety of transesophageal echocardiography have been assessed in other studies but there is no report in which these factors have been evaluated in the acute phase of myocardial infarction. Patients and method. Transesophageal echocardiography was performed 56 times in 55 patients in the first week after a myocardial infarction. RESULTS: The study was completed in 54 of 56 patients. The indications were a transthoracic acoustic window that did not provide an accurate diagnosis in 13 (23.2%), diagnosis of mechanical complications and severity assessment of mitral regurgitation in 35 (62.5%), exclusion of aortic dissection in 4 (7.1%), assessment of the severity of aortic stenosis in 1 (1.8%), exclusion of the presence of atrial thrombus in 1 (1.8%), evaluation of the left ventricular outflow tract gradient in 1 (1.8%), and evaluation of the presence of a left ventricular thrombus in 1 patient (1.8%). Two patients (3.6%) died while the study was being made, the first one 10 minutes after finishing the echocardiogram due to progression of a partial rupture of the papillary muscle and the second due to left ventricle free wall rupture. In both patients, the indication for transesophageal echography was the need for proper evaluation of a post-Acute Myocardial Infarction mechanical complication. CONCLUSIONS: Transesophageal echocardiography is a very useful technique for evaluating patients during the acute phase of myocardial infarction but further studies are needed to establish its safety in these patients.

Acute Disease↗

[Usefulness of real time 3D echocardiography in assessment of rheumatic mitral stenosis].

To date, the assessment of rheumatic mitral stenosis has been based on Doppler methods, which have a high dependence on the hemodinamic conditions and on the planimetry obtained from 2D echo images. Real Time 3D echocardiography has been implemented in the daily clinical practice. It provides high quality 3D images and the acquisition time is very short. In the present work, we try to show the "state of the art" of Real Time 3D echocardiography in the assessment of rheumatic mitral stenosis. These findings are based on the experience of our "Unidad de Imagen Cardiovascular" at the Hospital Clinico San Carlos de Madrid.

Echocardiography, Doppler↗