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P Picerni

Publications and source records attributed to P Picerni.

4 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Pulse wave velocity. A new calculation method.

BACKGROUND: The increase in aortic Pulse Wave Velocity (PWV) is considered a surrogate marker of vascular disease; it can be non-invasively assessed by means of an indirect method calculating the time that the pulse wave takes to travel a definite distance along the vasculature; the distance/time ratio corresponds to the velocity measure. The presentation of a new calculation method is the aim of the present study. METHODS: A duplex scanner at the common carotid artery, the abdominal aorta at the prebifurcation site and the femoral common artery levels, was performed on 127 out-patients with risk factors, 38 of which were affected by clinical vascular disease, and on 50 healthy subjects (control group). The spectral analysis from these three sites was registered simultaneously with an ECG trace and the interval between the R wave apex and the spectral complex systolic foot was measured. The Transit Time (TT) was calculated by the difference between the values obtained from the proximal and distal measurement sites and PWV dividing the distance between them by the TT (PWV = Distance/TT); statistical significance and intra and inter observer variation coefficient, expressed as mean +/- standard deviation, were calculated by the analysis of variance and Turkey test, the correlation with the major risk factors and the intima-media thickness by the multivariate analysis. RESULTS: The PWV is increased in the patients group compared to control group (p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis shows a positive correlation with age, hypercholesterolemia, arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, intima-media thickness and arterial disease, no correlation was found with the smoking habit. The "patients" group shows an increased PWV in those with atherosclerotic plaques and/or clinical vascular disease compared to non atherosclerotic patients with risk factors (p < 0.001); the intra and inter observer variation coefficient ranged between 4.87 +/- 1.82% and 8.06 +/- 3.16% respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed PWV measurement method is simple, quick, reproducible and repeatable, it can separate healthy subjects from patients with risk factors, atherosclerotic plaques and clinical vascular disease. Due to the strong correlation with age, normal values in different age groups are necessary before the PWV can be used as a marker of vascular disease.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Quantification of venous reflux by means of some duplex scanner and light reflection rheography parameters and its correlation with chronic venous insufficiency symptoms.

BACKGROUND: The quantification of venous reflux is rarely made but it is valuable for studying the natural history of CVI, its prognostic implications and the therapy effectiveness. We have evaluated some parameters of chronic venous insufficiency, caused by valvular incompetence, by means of duplex scanner and light reflection rheography searching for a better correlation with the clinical stages of vein disease. METHODS: We have examined 107 patients (35 males, 72 females; aged 22-78, mean 61.5 +/- 14.3) with long saphenous insufficiency in different clinical stages and measured the venous reflux, the reflux duration, the reflux grade, the vein diameter near the saphenofemoral junction with the duplex scanner and the refilling time with the light reflection rheography. The reproducibility of the studied techniques has been determined by examining 20 legs four times each in the same day or on different days. Statistical analysis of the data was performed by means of the variance analysis followed by the Waller-Duncan test. RESULTS: The venous reflux, the venous diameter and the refilling time can easily range between mild and severe insufficiency: reflux is 6.3 +/- 2.5 ml/sec at stage I; 27.5 +/- 10.1 at stage III; venous diameter is 6.04 +/- 1.4 at stage I; 10.6 +/- 2.2 at stage III; refilling time is 23.6 +/- 9.6 at stage I; 5.4 +/- 2.4 at stage III. The reflux time and reflux grade are unable to separate the various CVI stages. CONCLUSIONS: The measurement of venous reflux, venous diameter and refilling time is simple, quick, reproducible; these indices are able to differentiate mild from severe CVI but unable to separate patients at the second stage of the venous disease from those at the third stage and then ineffective in the ulcer risk assessment but the reflux is highly predictable. The ulcer risk is practically absent for reflux < 12 ml/sec; highly probable for reflux > 15 ml/sec (20/46 cases; 43.4%).

Adult↗