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Biomedical subjects

S Zoneraich

Publications and source records attributed to S Zoneraich.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Huge left atrial thrombus and valve degeneration in a patient with a bioprosthetic, porcine, mitral valve.

A 43 year old man with a Hancock porcine bioprosthetic valve in the mitral position developed a huge thrombus filling the entire left atrium and chronic degeneration of the bioprosthetic mitral valve. The effective valve orifice was less than 2 mm. These severe findings leading to the patient's death remained undetected while he was alive. This case illustrates the great need for a serial phonoechocardiographic studies in all patients with prosthetic valves.

Adult

Conduction disturbances in patients with calcified mitral annulus diagnosed by echocardiography.

Clinical, radiologic and histo-pathological observations have suggested that conduction disturbances (CD) are frequent in patients with calcified mitral annulus (CMA). To determine the incidence of CD, 65 consecutive patients with CMA were studied. Sixty-five normal individuals, matched for age and sex served as a control group. CMA has been identified by M-mode echocardiography, cross-sectional echo and image amplifier fluoroscopy. CD were present in 23 patients with CMA as compared to seven patients in the control group (p less than 0.01). Three patients developed complete atrioventricular block (4.6%) during hospitalization requiring artificial pacemakers. We conclude that, 1) early detection of CMA in the elderly is useful in predicting a higher incidence of CD. 2) Complete heart block is more frequent in patients with CMA. 3) Frequent ECG follow-up in these patients has proven to be useful in avoiding serious clinical complications.

Aged

Atrial depolarization in Wolf-Parkinson-White and Lown-Ganong-Levine syndrome: vectorcardiographic features.

The atrial depolarization pattern was studied in 22 patients with Wolff-Parkinson-White and Lown-Ganong-Levine syndrome. The influence of the accessory pathways on the shape, magnitude and conduction pattern of the PSE loop was analyzed. An accurate evaluation of the beginning of the delta wave and of the P loop distortions was obtained by using high magnification (1 mV = 30 cm) recordings. The Frank lead system was used. The influence of atrial size (documented by echocardiography) on the PSE loop is emphasized. Special attention has been focused on the terminal vectors as compared to a control group. In Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome the size of the PSE loop was smaller than in Lown-Ganong-Levine syndrome or in the normal group. When atrial conduction disturbances and/or atrial enlargement was present the PSE loop was larger and distorted. The terminal vectors were abnormally oriented in 75 percent of the patients with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, but only in one with Lown-Ganong-Levine syndrome. The beginning of the delta wave in patients with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome was located to the left of the E point in all but two. When the "concertina" effect was present, the direction of the terminal vectors remained unchanged. In four patients with the Lown-Ganong-Levine syndrome, the PSE loop closed, and in three patients, a small opening was present. We suggest that the changes in contour, duration and amplitude of the PSE loop are due to an abnormal pattern of atrial depolorization in Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.

Adolescent

Atrial flutter. Electrocardiographic, vectorcardiographic and echocardiographic correlation.

The duration, contour, and amplitude of atrial flutter wave (f) was studied by electrocardiogram (ECG) and vectorcardiogram (VCG) in 32 patients and was related to the size of the left atrium (LA) measured by the echocardiogram (E). The following ECG parameters were analyzed: (1) the duration of left atrial depolarization, i.e., LA wave; (2) the amplitude of LA wave; (3) the surface area of LA wave; (4) maximum amplitude (A) of f in Leads 2 and V1. There was good correlation between LA size and the duration of depolarization and surface area (p less than 0.01), but the maximum amplitude of the f wave in Leads 2 and V1 failed to predict LA size. The post-conversion sinus P wave showed abnormal LA depolarization time (P greater than 0.12 sec.) in 62 per cent of patients with enlarged left atrium (ELA) and in 43 per cent of patients with normal size LA (NLA). The VCG of the flutter wave revealed two patterns, (1) an eliptical smooth fsE loop in 63 per cent of patients with NLA, and (2) distorted fsE loop in 67 per cent of patients with ELA. Both VCG patterns were subdivided in two subgroups according to the number and location of conduction delays. The VCG of post-conversion P wave confirmed conduction delays in both groups. We conclude that both the size of the left atrium and conduction delays play a basic role in the duration and contour of left atrial wave.

Adult

Echocardiographic evaluation of septal motion in patients with artificial pacemakers: vectorcardiographic correlations.

Twenty-one patients with transvenous endocardial right ventricular pacemakers and one patient with epicardial right ventricular pacemaker inducing artificial left bundle branch block (LBBB) were studied with echocardiographic and vectorcardiographic techniques. Sixteen patients were found to have an initial very active posterior motion of the interventricular septum occurring within 70 msec. (range, 40 to 100 msec.) of the pacemaker artefact followed by posterior movement during the ejection period (Pattern A). Eighteen of 20 patients with clinical LBBB serving as a control group showed a dynamic posterior motion occurring within 40 msec. of the onset of QRS and preceding anterior (paradoxical) motion of the septum during ejection. In four patients, following the initial brief posterior septal movement, there was flat or anterior movement of the septum during the ejection period (Patern B). Two patients had myocardial infarction and one had atrial septal defect and epicardial right ventricular pacemaker. Only in two patients the initial brief posterior septal motion was not recorded before moving posteriorly during the ejection period (Pattern C). The different patterns of septal motion found in patients with artificial LBBB and in those with natural LBBB could be explained by differences in activation of the heart, as shown by vectorcardiography. Echocardiographic septal evaluation of patients with artificial pacemakers could have diagnostic implications in suggesting possible underlying complicating cardiac abnormalities.

Adult