Objective: To compare the clinical characteristics and plasma level of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) between the patients with hypertensive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in elder age (HHCME) and the patients with hypertensive left ventricular hypertrophy (HTN-LVH).
Methods: Our work included 2 groups, HHCME group,n=47 and HTN-LVH group,n=44. Duplex Doppler echocardiography was performed to determine left atrial diameter (LAd), left ventricular end-diastolic dimension (LVEDd), interventricular septal thickness (IVST), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), velocity of early diastolic period (VE) and velocity of end-diastolic period (VA) in mitral valve oriifce. Plasma level of NT-proBNP was measured by ELISA. The above indexes were compared between 2 groups.
Results:①Compared with HTN-LVH group, HHCME group presented decreased LVEDd and increased IVST, LVEF, allP<0.001. There were no signiifcant differences in VE/VA ratio and LAd between 2 groups, allP>0.05.②Plasma level of NT-proBNP was higher in HHCME group,P<0.01. With the adjusted age, gender, history of hypertension, LAd, IVST, left ventricular systolic and diastolic function, the level of NT-proBNP in HHCME group (1317.19 fmol/ml) was still signiifcantly higher than that in HTN-LVH group (526.19fmol/ml),P<0.01.
Conclusion: The plasma NT-proBNP level was higher in HHCME patients than that in HTN-LVH patients which indicated that HHCME patients may have worse prognosis. NT-proBNP might be helpful for differencing HHCME.

Objective To evaluate the inhibition of urine 11-dH-TXB2 by dihydroxyaluminum aminoacetate-heavy magnesium carbonate-aspirin in Chinese cardiovascular patients after long-term therapy. Methods103 cardiovascular patients were treated with oral doses of dihydroxyaluminum aminoacetate-heavy magnesium carbonate-aspirin tablets (162 mg aspirin) daily for 24 weeks. The Urine 11-dH-TXB2 concentration were measured before and 6, 12, 24 weeks after administration. ResultsThe urine 11-dH-TXB2 concentration were （1840.41±1452.63） pg/ml, （820.01±610.55） pg/ml, （1011.19±1148.12） pg/ml, （1290.82±1425.51） pg/ml before and 6, 12, 24 weeks after administration. The urine 11-dh-TXB2 concentration was higher in 24th week than in 12th weeks and 6th week. ConclusionThe dihydroxyaluminum aminoacetate-heavy magnesium carbonate-aspirin can inhibit the platelet aggregation, which decreased after long-term administration.

Objective Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is generally considered to be accompanied by both left and right ventricular dysfunction,but most studies only analyze the left ventricular function. In this study, we evaluated the effect of arotinolol on right ventricular function in patients with DCM. Methods Right ventricular ejection fraction (RVEF) and right ventricular diameter (RVD) were measured by two-dimensional echocardiography (2-DE) in 33 DCM patients; RVEF measured by first-pass radionuclide angiography (FPRA) was compared with that by 2-DE. Results The treatment with arotinolol for one year resulted in a reduction in the right ventricular diameter (baseline, 23.0 ± 8.3 mm vs after one-year treatment, 20.7 ± 5.4 mm; P=0.004 ) and an associated increase in ejection fraction (baseline, 36.9 ± 10.3% vs after one-year treatment, 45.8 ± 9.6%; P ＜ 0.001 ); there is a high correlation between the 2-DE method and radionuclide ventriculographic method. The correlation coefficient is 0.933 (P＜0.001). Conclusion Arotinolol therapy could not only improve left ventricular function, but also improve right ventricular function in DCM patients.

Objective: To describe the clinical characteristics with long-term prognosis in patients with mid-ventricular obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (MVOHCM).
Methods: A total of 66 MVOHCM patients treated in our hospital were retrospectively studied for their morbidity, clinical characteristics and mortality. The cumulative survival rate was calculated by Kaplan-Meier method; the risk factors for cardiac death and cardiovascular events were analyzed by uni- and multivariate Cox proportional hazard model.
Results: There were 66 (2.74%) patients suffering from MVOHCM among 2413 patients of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and the average diagnostic age was (40.16 ± 14.64) years. With (7.30 ± 6.25) years of follow-up study, the cardiovascular mortality was 13.6% and unexplained syncope (HR=13.37, 95% CI: 1.65-114.46, P=0.015) was the independent predictor for cardiovascular death. There were 45.45% (30/66) patients experienced at least 1 time of cardiovascular event and the most frequent one was non-sustained ventricular tachycardia (NSVT); 19.70% (13/66) of patients combined with apical aneurysms, and they were more inclined to experience NSVT.
Conclusion: MVOHCM patients usually have unfavorable prognosis with the higher incidence of cardiovascular events, some patients may develop apical aneurysm. The early diagnosis of MVOHCM is important for appropriate treatment.

Background. Transesophageal echocardiography(TEE) is an advanced technique. The purpose of this article is to discuss the complication and safety of the TEE.Method. Fifteen hundred and fifty-two patients with heart disease were examined with monoplane, biplane and omniplane TEE probe(including male 727, female 825;9～76 years old). During the same period, 113 307 precordial echocardiographic examinations were performed in our laboratory. The ratio between TEE and transthoracic Echo examines was 1:73.Result.All different kinds of complication were occurred during TEE examination, including vomiting, minor mucus bleeding, laryngospasm, mandibular dislocation, angina pectoris, arrhythmia, even ventricular fibrillation and death. The article suggested that there were five steps must be improved during TEE examination including instrument and patients preparation, local anesthesia, manipulation technique and TEE probes pattern.Conclusion. Although TEE is a semiinvasive technique and can cause some kinds of complication, it is a safe technique if the five steps are improved.