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Mitral inflow and mitral annular motion velocities in patients with mitral annular calcification: evaluation by pulsed Doppler echocardiography and pulsed Doppler tissue imaging.

AIMS: We evaluated the relationship between the mitral inflow velocities by pulsed Doppler echocardiography and mitral annular motion velocities by pulsed Doppler tissue imaging in patients with mitral annular calcification. METHODS AND RESULTS: Fifty-three patients with mitral annular calcification were divided into two groups: severe mitral annular calcification (n=15, mitral annular calcification bigger than or equal 5mm in width) and mild mitral annular calcification (n=38, mitral annular calcification <5mm in width). In addition, 20 patients with hypertensive heart disease (HHD group) and mild left ventricular hypertrophy but no mitral annular calcification and 30 normal individuals (normal group) were studied. The early diastolic mitral inflow velocity (E) was higher in the severe mitral annular calcification group (0.75+/-0.26 m/s) than in the HHD and normal groups (mild mitral annular calcification, 0.65+/-0.21; HHD, 0.57+/-0.24; normal, 0.55+/-0.15m/s), and the late diastolic mitral inflow velocity (A) was higher in the severe mitral annular calcification group (1.24+/-0.23 m/s) than in the other three groups (mild mitral annular calcification, 0.96+/-0.20; HHD, 0.84+/-0.23; normal, 0.75+/-0.13 m/s). In contrast, the early and late diastolic annular velocities (Ea, Aa) were lower in the severe mitral annular calcification group (Ea: 5.7+/-2.2; Aa: 11.9+/-4.4 cm/s) than in the other three groups (Ea: mild mitral annular calcification, 8.3+/-2.5; HHD, 7.7+/-2.2; normal, 9.0+/-1.8 cm/s; Aa: mild mitral annular calcification, 14.2+/-4.1; HHD, 14.3+/-2.8; normal, 14.2+/-2.1cm/s). Mitral valve area was smaller in the severe mitral annular calcification group (2.6+/-1.0 cm(2)) than in the other three groups (mild mitral annular calcification, 3.1+/-0.7; HHD, 4.1+/-0.7; normal, 4.2+/-0.9 cm(2)). In the mitral annular calcification and normal groups, the A correlated inversely with mitral valve area (r=-0.67, P<0.01) and directly with severity of mitral annular calcification (r=0.65, P<0.01), and the Ea correlated inversely with left ventricular wall thickness (r=-0.37, P<0.01) and severity of mitral annular calcification (r=-0.45, P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Patients with severe mitral annular calcification have higher mitral inflow velocities due to mitral annular restriction and lower mitral annular velocities caused by decreased mitral annular motion and abnormal left ventricular relaxation.

Aged↗

Detection of aortic insufficiency by standard echocardiography, pulsed Doppler echocardiography, and auscultation. A comparison of accuracies.

To determine the relative sensitivity and specificity of noninvasive methods for detecting aortic insufficiency, we compared the accuracy of auscultation, echocardiography, and pulsed Doppler echocardiography in detecting aortic insufficiency in 106 patients in whom the presence or absence of the lesion was shown by supravalvular aortography. The sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of aortic regurgitation was 96% and 96% for pulsed Doppler echocardiography, 73% and 92% for auscultation, 43% and 91% for two-dimensional echocardiography, 46% and 81% for anterior mitral leaflet flutter, and 9% and 96% for ventricular septal flutter, respectively. Auscultation was more sensitive than either M-mode or two-dimensional echocardiography in the diagnosis of aortic insufficiency (p less than 0.01). Pulsed Doppler echocardiography was significantly more sensitive than auscultation (p less than 0.0001) and was positive in 19 patients in whom no murmur was found. Thus, pulsed Doppler echocardiography is the optimal noninvasive marker for aortic insufficiency.

Adolescent↗

Noninvasive determination of pressure gradients in children: two methods employing pulsed Doppler echocardiography.

Pulsed Doppler echocardiography has been considered poorly suited for high velocity blood flow measurement, because of the problem of signal aliasing. Two methods for reduction of aliasing in a pulsed system were evaluated in an attempt to measure flow velocities characteristic of significant pressure gradients. With the angle correction method, carrier frequency, pulse repetition frequency and intercept angle were manipulated using a commercially available two-dimensional pulsed Doppler system. Forty children undergoing cardiac catheterization were studied. Gradients of 60 to 70 mm Hg were accurately predicted by this method, and gradients above 90 mm Hg were underestimated. Overall correlation (r) value was 0.95. The method is limited primarily by the introduction of potential error in measurement of intercept angle; it is advantageous in that it can be attempted using currently available pulsed Doppler echographic systems. With the multiple sample volume method, pulse repetition frequency was increased through the addition of extra sample volumes. Carrier frequency was minimized and angle correction was not employed. Thirty-nine children underwent cardiac catheterization using a prototype instrument. Excellent agreement between Doppler predictions and actual gradients was found for gradients up to 100 mm Hg (r = 0.99). Although this method requires new instrumentation, it is advantageous in that gradients are accurately predicted and cannot be overestimated. Both methods retain the advantages of pulsed Doppler study for comprehensive flow evaluation and reference their quantitative application within a two-dimensional echographic format. Neither method is simple, and each has been validated only in pediatric subjects.

Aortic Valve↗

Clinical investigation of aortic insufficiency by means of pulsed Doppler echocardiography.

Pulsed Doppler echocardiography (PDE) was performed on 41 patients with aortic insufficiency (AI), isolated or associated with other cardiac diseases, using an ATL 500A pulsed Doppler system. The diagnosis was confirmed by angiocardiography in 25 cases. The purpose of the present study was to analyze the disturbed flow due to AI, to investigate the sensitivity of PDE to this lesion, and to compare with the angiographic severity of AI (Sellers). The transducer was placed on the left sternal border and the flow pattern was recorded at the aortic valve orifice and the proximal and distal left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT), using a strip chart recorded at a paper speed of 100 mm/sec. The specific feature of AI was a widely dispersed dot pattern which began at the aortic valve closure and extended to late diastole. The severity of AI was graded by supravalvular aortogram in 25 patients. In grades I and II, the abnormal dot pattern due to AI was mostly detected at the aortic valve orifice and the distal LVOT, but it was rather difficult to detect the disturbed flow at the proximal LVOT. In contrast, in grades III and IV, the disturbed flow was recorded at all the sampling sites; with severe aortic regurgitation, it was detected at a wider range in the left ventricular cavity. In grades I and II, the abnormal dot dispersion at the proximal LVOT was not so large at its onset in diastole but it tended to increase after the mitral valve opening, whereas in the majority of patients of grades III and IV, a large dot dispersion was recognized from its onset to late diastole. The typical flow pattern due to AI was detected at the LVOT in 38 out of 41 patients (92.7%). Moreover, it was detected in all the patients with angiographically proved AI except for 1 case of grade I (96.0%).

Adolescent↗

Digital Fourier techniques in the diagnosis and quantification of aortic stenosis with pulsed-Doppler echocardiography.

Pulsed Doppler echocardiography and digital Fourier analysis were utilized to examine flow distal to the aortic valve and to quantify aortic stenosis. A graphic index of parameters derived from velocity spectrum patterns generated by Fourier analysis was regressed against mean systolic pressure gradients in 21 adults with clinical evidence of aortic stenosis who underwent catheterization studies and five normal adults (r = .82). Correlation improved in the absence of regurgitation (r = .92). Sensitivity for detecting gradients greater than 30 mmHg was 86%; specificity was 90%. Doppler spectral analysis shows promise in alleviating the need for many invasive studies.

Aortic Valve Stenosis↗

Evaluation of pulmonary artery pressure and resistance by pulsed Doppler echocardiography.

Pulsed Doppler echocardiography was used to examine the relation between pulmonary valve motion and pulmonary artery (PA) flow velocity patterns in 39 adults. In 16 patients with normal PA pressure (mean pressure less than 20 mm Hg), PA flow velocity accelerated slowly to a peak flow velocity at midsystole (time to peak flow velocity, or acceleration time = 134 +/- 20 ms [mean +/- standard deviation]), followed by a slow deceleration to the end of ejection, producing a "dome-like" appearance. In contrast, in 23 patients with elevated PA pressure (mean pressure 20 mm Hg or more), flow velocity accelerated rapidly to a peak flow velocity in early systole (acceleration time = 88 +/- 25 ms, p less than 0.01), followed by rapid flow velocity deceleration to a nadir in midsystole. In 13 of these patients, a transient increase in flow velocity occurred in late systole, producing a "spike and dome" appearance. In patients with an acceleration time of 120 ms or less, there was a negative linear correlation with mean PA pressure, expressed by the equation: mean PA pressure = 90 - (0.62 X acceleration time). The standard error of the estimate was 8.3 mm Hg. A similar negative linear correlation was found between PA acceleration time and total pulmonary resistance. Using a PA acceleration time of 100 ms or less resulted in a 78% sensitivity and a 100% specificity for detection of elevated PA pressure. Although this Doppler method cannot precisely estimate PA pressure, it can be helpful in separating patients with normal pressure from those with elevated PA pressure.

Adult↗

Pitfalls in the diagnosis of periprosthetic valvular regurgitation by pulsed Doppler echocardiography.

Pulsed Doppler echocardiographic diagnosis of periprosthetic valvular insufficiency may be difficult. This report details the pulsed Doppler echocardiographic findings in two patients who developed severe periprosthetic mitral regurgitation after porcine mitral valve replacement. In both patients, mitral regurgitation was difficult to diagnose and left atrial turbulence, when detected, appeared localized, suggesting only mild mitral regurgitation. However, the combination of abnormally high peak transmitral diastolic flow velocity, with a normal pressure half-time, and increased flow velocity in the tricuspid regurgitant jet compatible with severe pulmonary hypertension, in the absence of other apparent left heart disease, suggested the correct diagnosis of severe mitral regurgitation in both cases. Techniques for optimal pulsed Doppler assessment of the mitral anulus region are emphasized, as are the theoretic advantages of continuous wave and color-coded pulsed Doppler echocardiography for detection of periprosthetic regurgitation.

Adult↗

Clinical implications of pulmonary regurgitation in healthy individuals: detection by cross sectional pulsed Doppler echocardiography.

Pulsed Doppler echocardiography in healthy individuals often shows a disturbance of diastolic flow in the right ventricular outflow tract just below the pulmonary valve that suggests regurgitation. This disturbance of diastolic flow was studied in 50 healthy individuals and 40 patients with cardiopulmonary disease, some of whom had a pulmonary regurgitant murmur. Diastolic flow was disturbed in 39 of the 50 healthy individuals. In 32, cross sectional echocardiography gave a satisfactory image of the pulmonary valve. The characteristic Doppler signals usually lasted throughout diastole, were directed toward the right ventricular cavity, and gradually waned towards end diastole; they formed a spindle shaped area of abnormal signals that extended to within 10 mm of the coaptation of the pulmonary valve towards the right ventricular cavity and the pressure difference estimated from the signals by the modified Bernoulli equation seemed to be proportional to the normal retrograde transpulmonary pressure difference. In all 40 patients with cardiopulmonary disease, signals indicating pulmonary regurgitation were found whether or not a regurgitant murmur was present. When it was present, however, the spindle was longer than 20 mm and in patients with pulmonary hypertension the velocity of abnormal diastolic flow was higher than in healthy individuals. The Doppler signals registering disturbed flow in the healthy individuals resembled the signals caused by pulmonary regurgitation in the patients in terms of location, orientation, and configuration. These results show that healthy individuals usually have trivial pulmonary regurgitation. In practice the distance that the flow disturbance extends from the valve and estimated pressure difference across the valve are probably the most important variables for assessing the clinical significance of pulmonary valve regurgitation.

Adult↗

Clinical study on the abnormal flow patterns in Ebstein's anomaly using pulsed Doppler echocardiography.

Pulsed Doppler echocardiography (PDE) was performed in 10 patients with Ebstein's anomaly and 10 cases of tricuspid regurgitation secondary to mitral stenosis. Distal atrialized right ventricle (ATRV): In all patients with Ebstein's anomaly, tricuspid regurgitation flow was recognized by PDE. In this lesion with moderate tricuspid regurgitation, a widely dispersed dot pattern was recorded during systole However, in the cases with severe tricuspid regurgitation a relatively smooth dot pattern was recognized. In the case with marked delay in pressure rise in the right ventricle, PDE showed a bimodal regurgitant flow pattern. The interval between the onset of QRS and that of tricuspid regurgitant flow with right ventricular pressure rise was measured. The interval corrected for heart rate ranged from 0.10 to 0.35 with an average of 0.19 +/- 0.08 sec. In the subjects with secondary tricuspid regurgitation, it ranged from 0.07 to 0.11 sec. This interval was significantly prolonged in Ebstein's anomaly as compared to that in secondary tricuspid regurgitation (p less than 0.001). Proximal ATRV: Tricuspid regurgitant flow was detected in 6 to 10 patients with Ebstein's anomaly. The disturbed flow was less apparent in the proximal ATRV than in the distal ATRV.

Adult↗

[Venous return disturbances in chronic pulmonary disease: a study using pulsed Doppler echocardiography].

Pulsed Doppler echocardiography was used for investigation of respiratory changes of superior vena caval flow in chronic pulmonary disease to analyze the mode of venous return and its regulating factors. The subjects consisted of 55 patients with various pulmonary diseases and 44 healthy controls. 1. In the controls, the velocities of the S and D waves increased during the inspiratory phase. 2. Patients with pulmonary diseases were categorized into 2 groups. One with the mode of the healthy subjects (normal pattern), and the other with disappearance of the D wave or both the S and D waves (abnormal pattern) in the expiratory phase. All patients with restricted ventilation exhibited the normal patterns, while the abnormal patterns were observed in some of the patients with obstructive ventilation, and most of the patients with combined ventilation. 3. The respiratory patterns of the pressure gradients between the right atrium and subclavian vein reflected patterns of the superior vena caval flow well. In cases with abnormal patterns, the right atrial pressure exceeded the subclavian vein pressure in the expiratory phase. 4. The velocity of the A wave at the expiratory phase correlated significantly with pulmonary vascular resistance and with the mean pulmonary artery pressure. In conclusion, the mode of venous return in patients with pulmonary disease varies depending on the mode of the ventilation disturbance and the presence of right ventricular pressure overload, which is most likely caused by the intrathoracic pressure and by right ventricular filling abnormalities.

Aged↗

Right and left ventricular ejection patterns in D-transposition of the great arteries assessed by pulsed Doppler echocardiography.

Pulsed Doppler echocardiography (PDE) was performed to evaluate the flow velocity patterns of the right (RVOT) and left ventricular outflow tracts (LVOT) in 10 patients with transposition of the great arteries (D-TGA). Twenty normal children served as controls. Systolic time intervals (STIs) and acceleration times (AcT) of the right and left ventricles were measured using PDE. The following results were obtained. In normal controls, the right ventricular pre-ejection period (RPEP) was shorter than the left ventricular pre-ejection period (LPEP), and the right ventricular ejection time (RVET) was longer than the left ventricular ejection time (LVET). The mean RPEP/RVET was 0.33 (range 0.25-0.42) and the mean LPEP/LVET was 0.38 (range 0.28-0.55). In normal controls, the flow velocity pattern of the RVOT had a dome-like contour with a peak velocity in mid-systole, and the mean AcT/RVET ratio was 0.50 (range 0.41-0.62); that of the LVOT had a triangular shape with a mean AcT/LVET ratio of 0.31 (range 0.24-0.38). In patients with D-TGA, the RPEP was longer than the LPEP and the RVET was shorter than the LVET. The mean RPEP/RVET was 0.53 (range 0.39-0.76) in patients with intact ventricular septum and 0.52 (range 0.54-0.60) in patients with ventricular septal defect (VSD). The RPEP/RVET was significantly greater in patients with D-TGA than in normal controls. The mean LPEP/LVET was 0.27 (range 0.16-0.42) in patients with intact ventricular septum, and 0.34 (range 0.23-0.40) in patients with VSD. The LPEP/LVET was significantly less in patients with intact ventricular septum than in normal controls. The flow velocity patterns of the RVOT and LVOT were the same as those for normal controls. The mean AcT/RVET ratio was 0.51 (range 0.49-0.55) in patients with intact ventricular septum and 0.49 (range 0.39-0.67) in patients with VSD. The mean AcT/LVET was 0.32 (range 0.27-0.38) in patients with intact ventricular septum and 0.28 (range 0.20-0.45) in patients with VSD. The flow patterns did not change after intraatrial baffle repair. Our studies indicate that the flow velocity patterns of the RVOT and LVOT in patients with D-TGA were not reversed, in spite of inverted afterloads.

Echocardiography↗

[Detection of a shunt flow through a defect in secundum atrial septal defect by right parasternal approach using pulsed Doppler echocardiography].

Pulsed Doppler echocardiography combined with two-dimensional echocardiographic (2-DE) system was performed to detect a shunt flow through a defect in the interatrial septum (IAS) in patients with secundum atrial septal defect (ASD) utilizing right parasternal approach (RPA). RPA is a method which provides an accurate evaluation of a defect in the IAS on a 2-DE image by placing a transducer on the right of the sternum because the ultrasonic beam passes in a plane almost perpendicular to the IAS. The subjects consisted of 20 patients with ASD (25 +/- 22 yrs) diagnosed by cardiac catheterization or 2-DE with peripheral contrast material injection, and 10 cases of healthy subjects (34 +/- 18 yrs). Defects in the IAS were clearly visible in 19 patients with ASD on 2-DE images by RPA. By placing the sample volume in the center of the defect, Doppler flows could be obtained in 17 of them. In 13 with sinus rhythm, except a case of Eisenmenger syndrome, Doppler signals showed mainly a laminar flow toward the transducer (positive flow), but a transient flow of low velocity away from the transducer (negative flow) was also observed. The positive flow had its peaks in late systole and atrial systole and occasionally in mid-systole, early diastole and mid-diastole. The negative flow occurred in early systole, mid-diastole and late diastole. In a patient with Eisenmenger syndrome and tricuspid regurgitation (TR), a negative turbulent flow was observed from early systole to mid-diastole. In three patients with atrial fibrillation, Doppler signals were variable. The Doppler echogram of a patient with atrial fibrillation but no complication showed a laminar positive flow with its peaks in late systole and mid-diastole, and a negative flow in early systole. One patient with atrial fibrillation and TR had a systolic negative turbulent flow and a mid-diastolic laminar positive flow. In a patient with TR and mitral regurgitation, the Doppler echocardiogram showed a laminar positive flow throughout the entire cardiac cycle with its peaks in early diastole and mid-diastole. Doppler signals from the left atrium (LA) to the right atrium (RA) through a defect coincided in timing with the appearance of negative contrast echo from the defect to the RA on 2-DE image and signals from the RA to the LA coincided with the appearance of the contrast echo into the LA from the RA through the defect. Doppler signals disappeared after the closure of the defect in all six patients examined.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Adolescent↗

Effect of cilnidipine on left ventricular diastolic function in hypertensive patients as assessed by pulsed Doppler echocardiography and pulsed tissue Doppler imaging.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the mechanisms of improvement in left ventricular (LV) diastolic function in hypertensive patients treated with cilnidipine, a new and unique calcium antagonist that has both L-type and N-type voltage-dependent calcium channel blocking actions, using pulsed Doppler echocardiography and pulsed tissue Doppler imaging. The study comprised 35 untreated patients with essential hypertension (19 men and 16 women; mean age 65+/-10 years). The peak early diastolic and atrial systolic transmitral flow velocities (E and A, respectively) and their ratio (E/A), and the peak early diastolic and atrial systolic motion velocities (Ew and Aw, respectively) of the LV posterior wall and their ratio (Ew/Aw) were determined in all patients before and after 1, 3 and 6 months on cilnidipine (10 mg/day). One month: Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were significantly decreased. E and E/A were significantly increased, whereas there were no significant changes in Ew and Ew/Aw. Three months: Ew and Ew/Aw were significantly increased compared to those before and 1 month after cilnidipine. Six months: E and E/A were significantly increased compared with before and 3 months after cilnidipine, and Ew and Ew/Aw were significantly increased compared with before cilnidipine. Moreover, the LV mass index was significantly decreased compared to that before cilnidipine. In summary, changes in LV diastolic performance in patients with essential hypertension following cilnidipine treatment were biphasic with an initial increase in early diastolic transmitral flow velocity and a later increase in early diastolic LV wall motion velocity. The initial and later changes can be related to an acute change in afterload and a later improvement in LV relaxation.

Aged↗

Effect of imaging view and sample volume location on evaluation of mitral flow velocity by pulsed Doppler echocardiography.

Pulsed Doppler mitral flow velocity measurements have been used to evaluate left ventricular diastolic filling. In normal persons these measurements are affected by age and respiration, but not by gender, body surface area or normal blood pressure. Additional factors that may influence these measurements include the imaging view and sample volume location. In this study, the effects of imaging view and sample volume location were evaluated in 52 normal subjects, aged 21 to 78 years. Pulsed Doppler recordings were obtained from the apical 4-chamber and apical 2-chamber views with the sample volume located both in the left atrium and at the level of the mitral valve leaflet tips. Doppler measurements were slightly, but not significantly, higher (4% on average) for recordings obtained from the apical 4-chamber than from the 2-chamber view for peak flow velocity in both early and late diastole. However, apical 4-chamber recordings from a sample volume in the left atrium resulted in measurements significantly lower (p less than 0.05) for both early and late diastolic mitral peak flow velocity than those obtained near the mitral leaflet tips (peak flow velocity in early diastole = 43 +/- 12 vs 57 +/- 12 cm/s and peak flow velocity in late diastole = 36 +/- 7 vs 46 +/- 11 cm/s, respectively). The higher mitral peak flow velocity values recorded in early and late diastole near the mitral leaflet tips may be related to the smaller flow area at the mitral valve orifice compared with the left atrium.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

Noninvasive evaluation of right coronary artery-right atrial fistula using two-dimensional echocardiography, pulsed Doppler echocardiography and color flow mapping.

The case of a patient with right coronary artery-right atrial fistula was reported, with special reference to the noninvasive evaluation. On two-dimensional echocardiography in the short axis view, it was observed that the fistula had an entrance from the right coronary cusp, with the body of fistula sigmoid-like appearance running along the tricuspid ring and atrioventricular groove. In the subxyphoidal approach the exit of fistula into the right atrium was demonstrated. Intrafistular blood flow and drainage flow into the right atrium were identified by color flow mapping. The potential usefulness of the combination of two-dimensional, pulsed Doppler echocardiography and color flow mapping were discussed.

Aged↗

[Left ventricular wall motion dynamics of asymmetric septal hypertrophy: assessment by intramyocardial pulsed Doppler echocardiography].

Apical pulsed Doppler tissue imaging can be used to assess the function of regional myocardium. We hypothesized that septal dysfunction might be clarified in the hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (asymmetric septal hypertrophy) by this method. Twenty-one patients with asymmetric septal hypertrophy (mean age 54.8 +/- 11 years) and age-matched 24 normal subjects (52.4 +/- 8 years) were studied. The E/A ratio measured by mitral inflow Doppler was not different between the groups (1.1 vs 1.2). E wave velocities of the septum were significantly decreased in the hypertrophy group compared to the control group (4.0 +/- 1.5 vs 8.1 +/- 2.2 cm/sec), and A wave velocities were increased in the hypertrophic septum, resulting in a significantly lower E/A ratio (0.5 +/- 0.3) compared to the E/A ratio (0.9 +/- 0.3) of the normal septum. Deceleration time of the E wave and isovolumic relaxation time were significantly prolonged in the thick septum compared to the normal septum (136 +/- 51 vs 107 +/- 28 msec, 91 +/- 36 vs 63 +/- 19 msec, respectively). In conclusion, asymmetric septal hypertrophy was characterized by diastolic dysfunction of the thickened septum. Intramyocardial pulsed Doppler echocardiography can detect regional myocardial dysfunction earlier than the mitral inflow Doppler method.

Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic↗

[Relationship between left ventricular diastolic behavior and the A wave ratio by the apexcardiogram: a study with echocardiography and pulsed Doppler echocardiography].

We investigated the relationship between parameters of left ventricular diastolic filling using pulsed Doppler echocardiography and the A wave ratio of apexcardiography (ACG), and then evaluate the characteristic features of diastolic behavior in hypertrophic hearts and in various cardiac diseases. The study population consisted of 68 patients and 25 normal subjects, and included 19 cases of chronic renal failure (CRF), 17 cases of ischemic heart disease (IHD), 16 cases of hypertension (HT), six cases of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, two cases of aortic stenosis, two cases of arrhythmias, and six of other cardiac diseases. The A wave ratio of ACG was calculated as the ratio of A wave amplitude and total excursion [(A/E-O) x 100]. At the same time, the peak early filling velocity (R), the peak late filling velocity (A), the ratio of R to A (A/R), acceleration time (AT), and deceleration time (DT) were measured from the left ventricular inflow velocity pattern using pulsed Doppler echocardiography. The results were as follows: 1. There was a close positive correlation between the A wave ratio of ACG and the A/R of pulsed Doppler echocardiography. 2. In patients with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), both the A wave ratio and the A/R were significantly higher than those in normal subjects. And in LVH with asynergy, both the A wave ratio and the A/R were significantly higher than those in LVH without asynergy. 3. In CRF, IHD, and HT, both the A wave ration and the A/R were significantly higher than those in normal subjects, but there were no significant differences among these three disease entities.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗

Clinical significance of early or mid-systolic apical murmurs: analysis by phonocardiography, two-dimensional echocardiography and pulsed Doppler echocardiography.

The records of 2,000 consecutive patients who had been examined by auscultation, phonocardiography (PCG), two-dimensional echocardiography and pulsed Doppler echocardiography (PDE) were reviewed to assess the clinical significance of apical systolic murmurs which cease well before the aortic closure sound. Fifty-five patients were verified to have early or mid-systolic apical murmurs. Mitral regurgitation (MR) was detected in 32 patients by PDE (29/32) and/or PCG with methoxamine test (27/32). The degree of MR was judged to be mild by PDE in all cases. Apical systolic murmurs due to MR began mainly with the first heart sound (27/32), were confined to the apex (27/32), and high-pitched (25/32). Their intensity was grade III/VI or less in all cases. Mitral valve prolapse (12 patients) was the most common cause of MR. Other causes were rheumatic mitral involvement in seven patients, dilated or ischemic cardiomyopathy in five, mitral annular calcification in three, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in two. The causes of the MR in the remaining three patients could not be identified. Thus, early or mid-systolic apical murmurs are mainly attributable to mild MR which can be diagnosed by careful auscultation, PDE and/or PCG with the methoxamine test.

Adult↗