Objective To study the relationship between the neovascula rization of carotid atherosclerotic plaques with real-time contrast-enhanced ultrasonography(CEUS),plasma myeloperoxidase (MPO)concentration and cerebral infarction.Methods Seventy-three cases with eighty-nine carotid atherosclerotic plaques were examined with real-time CEUS.According to the imaging features,the seventythree cases were divided into three groups:soft plaques group,hard plaques group and mixed plaques group.The differences of the incidence rate of cerebral infarction events,plasma MPO concentration and contrast media persistent enhancement time with real-time CEUS in plaques among the three groups were analyzed.The cerebral infarction events were diagnosed by CT or MRI routinely.Results The incidence rate of cerebral infarction events,plasma MPO concentration and contrast media persistent enhancement time of soft plaques group were significantly higher than that in hard plaques group and mixed plaques group.The risk of cerebral infarction was higher in the patients with elevated level of MPO.It showed positive correlation between the contrast media persistent enhancement time and plasma MPO concentration,and the correlation coefficient was 0.838. Conclusions The type of the plaque is correlated with the neovascularization of plaques and plasma MPO concentration.The study of relationships among them can help to evaluate the plaques,stability thoroughly and guide the clinician to prevent the incidence of cerebral infarction events.

OBJECTIVE: To quantitatively detect variation in regional myocardial systolic function in heart failure rat model induced by myocardial infarction by strain and strain rate imaging. METHODS: Seventy 2-month-old adult male SD rats were randomly assigned to 4 groups: a 4-week and a 8-week group after the operation (each n = 25) had thoracotomy, the pericardium opened and the anterior descending branch of left coronary artery ligated; a sham operation group (n = 10) had thoracotomy and the arcula cordis opened, but did not ligate the artery; a control group (n = 10) had no treatment. The changes of general state of health of the rats were observed and recorded every day. To assess the change of heart function, echocardiography was used at the end of the 4th week and 8th week after the surgery. To evaluate the change of heart function in heart failure rats, we quantitatively analyzed the regional myocardial systolic function in all rats by strain and strain rate imaging and myocardium to detect the level of MMP-9 at the end of the 4th week and 8th week. The repeatability and discrepancies of the results were all analyzed. RESULTS: Obviously objective signs of heart failure manifested themselves in the survived mice 10 to 14 days after the surgery. Compared with the control group and the sham operation group, the fraction shortening (FS) and ejection fraction (EF) of the 4-week group after the operation were lower (P < 0.05), the left ventricle index (LV index) of the 8-week group after the operation was higher, left ventricle posterior wall index (LVPW index), interventricular septum index (IVS index), FS, and EF of the 8-week group after the operation were lower (P < 0.05), EF and FS of the 8-week group after the operation were lower than those of the 4-week group. Except the mid-inferior wall and base-inferior wall, the systolic peak strain, systolic peak strain rate, the strain of end-systole in all segments of the operation group were lower than those of the other 2 groups (P < 0.05). The post-systolic strain index of the operation group was higher than that of the other 2 groups (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION Strain and strain rate imaging of echocardiography can quantitatively evaluate the changing of regional myocardial systolic function in the heart failure rat model induced by myocardial infarction, with good repeatability.
Animals ; Heart Failure ; diagnostic imaging ; etiology ; physiopathology ; Heart Ventricles ; diagnostic imaging ; Male ; Myocardial Infarction ; complications ; diagnostic imaging ; physiopathology ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Systole ; Ultrasonography ; Ventricular Function, Left ; physiology