Objective To describe the echocardiographic and clinical findings of patients with accessory mitral valve(AMV).Methods Four adult patients were diagnosed to have AMV by Doppler echocardiography.Results All the four patients had cardiac murmur but 2 were asymptomatic.Echocardiogram showed that two cases had isolated AMV with significant left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT)obstruction.Another patient was complicated by idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis and his systolic pressure gradient across the LVOT reduced to normal after taking negative inotropic drugs.The fourth patient was associated with complex congenital cardiac anomalies but without LVOT obstruction.Conclusions AMV may not be very rare as previously reported.An echocardiographic examination Can detect AMV and difierentiate it from other causes of LVOT obstruction.

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of a new micro-bubble contrast agent of C_3F_8 in the opacification of the left ventricle. Methods Seven pigs received a bolus injection of C_3F_8 (0.002) and (0.02) (ml/kg) intravenously. Left ventricular opacification grades and number of endocardial border delineation segments were observed and left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF) were measured using modified Simpson method after each intravenous contrast injection. Heart rate and respiration rate were recorded before and after each injection. Results There was a significant improvement for every measurement of contrast enhancement in each intravenous injection. In addition, part of myocardial tissue could be enhanced after contrast injection. There was no difference in heart rate and respiration rate between pre- and post-injection. Conclusions This new contrast agent is safe and helpful in delineating endocardial border of the left ventricle.

Objective To determine the accuracy and usefulness of dobutamine stress echocardiography(DSE) in detecting restenosis after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods DSE was conducted in 47 patients before coronary angiography, 6 months to 18 months after PCI. The standard protocol of DSE was 5,10,20,30 ?g?kg~(-1)?min~(-1) with subsequent incremental increases every 3 minutes to a maximum dose of 40 ?g?kg~(-1)?min~(-1). Consistency of the results was compared between DSE and coronary angiography.Results Compared with coronary angiographic results, DSE had a low sensitivity(64%) but high specificity(86%) for detection of restenosis after PCI. The total accuracy was 72%. Conclusions DSE can assess restenosis after PCI with lower cost and safety.

Objective To evaluate the role of transeso phageal echocardiography(TEE) before chemical or electric cardioversion for non-vulvular atrial fibrillation. Methods Forty-three patients, confirmed non-vulvular atrial fibrillation, undertook anticoagulation or anti-platelet therapy and transthoracic echocardiography and TEE less than 24-48 hours prior to cardioversion. Results Two thrombi in the left atrial appendage and three spontaneous echo contrasts in the left atrium were evidenced. After anticoagulation or anti-platelet therapy, 39 patients undertook cardioversion therapy. Among them,31 patients received drug cardioversion,success in 19,and failure in 12;8 patients received electric cardioversion,success in 6,and failure in 2. There were no thromboembolic events during the hospitalization. Conclusions TEE performed before cardioversion for atrial fibrillation is necessary to reduce the risks of thromboembolic events and to guide for anticoagulation therapy.

Objective To assess the radial systolic function of left ventricle(LV) in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy(DCM) by velocity vector imaging(VVI).Methods Sixteen patients with DCM and twenty control subjects were detected by VVI.VVI data were collected from the six basal segments and six mid segments in parastenal LV short axis views.The radial systolic velocity(V) ,strain(ε) ,strain rate(SR),the time to peak systolic velocity(PTV) and the time to maximum strain(PTε) were measured with special software.The differene of the earliest and the latest time to peak velocity(T-max) and the standard deviation of time to peak velocity(T-SD) of 12 segments were calculated.Results Compared to the controlled group,patients with DCM had significantly lower radial V,ε and SR (P ＜0.01) in all the 12 segments,significantly longer PTV and PTε (P ＜ 0.05) in most segments, and significantly larger T-max and T-SD (P ＜0.05).Conclusions VVI is useful to assess the abnormalities in LV radial movement in patients with DCM and could provide more information about regional cardiac function.

Objective To investigate the anti- inflammatory and analgesic a ctions of Huangqi Guizhi Wuwu Decoction (HGWD) and its compositions and to study its rule of compatibility.Methods Analgesic action of HGWD and its compositio ns were observed by hot- plate method and acetic- acid- induced body twist me thod. Anti- inflammatory action of HGWD and its compositions were observed on t he models of xylene- induced auricular swelling in mice, celiac capillary perme ability in mice, cotton- induced granuloma in rats, albumem- induced arthritis and adjuvant arthritis in rats.Results HGWD and its drug pairs could inhibit the acute inflammation induced by albumen and xylene and rat adjuvant arthriti, decrease the celiac capillary permeability, inhibit the proliferation of granu loma, increase the pain threshold in mice and reduce the frequencies of body tw ist induced by acetic acid.Conclusion HGWD has significant anti- inflammatory and analgesic actions, so does single drug; Radix Astragali alone, but when Ra dix Astragali is used with the other drugs in HGWD, its effect can be enhanced.

Objective To assecess the role of CT in the diagnosis and the reasons of misdiagnosis of biliary duct carcinoma.Methods 23 cases with biliary duct carcinoma pathologically comfirmed were reviewed.Results 2 cases were peripheral type,10 cases were major intrahepatic biliary duct type,7 cases were extrahepatic type and 4 cases ampullar type.The masses within biliary duct were showed by CT in 16 cases.The obstruction of biliary duct was cut off abruptly in 18 cases and narrowing sharply in 5 cases.The intrahepatic biliary duct indicated mild or marked expansion,of them,17 cases were showed as vine and 6 as segmental.The extrahepatic biliary duct were dilated in 11 and gallbladder dilatation in 7.4 cases were misdiagnosed and leaked diagnosis was in one cases by CT preoperation.Conclusion CT is valuable in diagnosis of biliary duct carcinoma,but it still has some limitations.

BJ-DRGs grouping process was cited as an example, to describe the factors affecting the grouping process, grouping results and assessment results, and the solutions in transferring homepages into WJT form 4-1 for inpatient medical record homepages (WJT form 4-1 for short).Authors analyzed how to better information acquisition quality of such homepages by unifying the data interface standard of WJT form 4-1, for the purposes of enhancing BJ-DRGs grouping efficiency, and expanding its functions as a tool for medical quality management and that for medical insurance payment management.

Objective To evaluate left ventricular wall motion changes after successful pereutaneous coronary artery intervention (PCI) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI) by velocity vector imaging (VVI). Methods Twenty patients with acute MI, 16 anterior MI and 4 inferior MI,were studied by VVI within 3 days before PCI, 1 week and 3 months after PCI. The VVI parameters included peak systolic myocardial velocity (Vsys), peak systolic strain (εsys), maximal strain (εmax), peak systolic strain rate ( SRsys), isovolumic relaxation strain rate(SRivr),segmental ejection fraction (sEF), time to peak of velocity (TPKvel),and time to peak of strain (TPKε). Results Compared with that before PCI,εsys, SRsys, sEF, PSI, SRivr/SRsys, and TPKε were improved one week after PCI,and were further significantly improved at 3 months follow-up. Conclusions The VVI parameters can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of PCI shortly after the procedure and during long-term follow-up.

Objective To evaluate the left ventricular(LV) torsion and rotation in normal subjects using vector velocity imaging.Methods LV basal and apical short-axis images were captured in 10 healthy individuals to estimate LV torsion and rotation using routine 2-dimensional echocardiography and vector velocity imaging. Results As viewed from LV apex,the systolic basal rotation was clockwise (negative value),and apical rotation was counterclockwise (positive Value). The apical peak systolic rotational velocity was significantly higher than the basal [endo:(150±62)°/s vs (114±65)°/s;epi:(81±40)°/s vs (55±28)°s,respectively,P＜0.01]. The peak systolic endocardial rotational velocity and rotation was significantly higher than epicardial rotational velocity and rotation[basal:(-114±65)°/s vs (-55±28)°/s,(-12±6)°vs (-4±1)°;apical:(150±62)°s vs (81±40)°s,(10±4)°vs(6±2)°,respectivelv,P＜0.05]. There were no significant differences in the time to peak systolic rotational velocity/rotation between basal endocardium/epicardium and apical endocardium/epicardium. Conclusions Vector velocity imaging can assess LV torsion and rotation non-invasively,and normal LV has a kind of characteristic motion of torsion.