To evaluate effect of coronary collateral circulation on left ventricular function in patients with acute myocardial infarction, global ejection fraction(EF), left ventricular end distolic pressure(LVEDP), peak creatine kinase(CK) level and regional wall motion were analysed and compared in 30 patients with acute myocardial infarction according to grade of coronary collateral circulation. Patients with total or near total(above 95% of diameter) occlsion of left anterior descending coronary artery without significant lesion in right coronary artery or left circumflex artery were selected and divided into 3 groups according to the degree of collateral circulation on coronary angiography, to be compared by the index of ejection fraction, peak creatine kinase level, left ventricular and diastolic pressure and regional wall motion. The result are as following : 1) There were no statistically significant differences in ejection fraction, peak creatine kinase level, left ventricualr and diastolic pressure among the groups. 2) Regional wall motion of infarct related area of G2+3 group(adequate collateral) were better than that of G0(no collateral) group(p<0.05). Therefore, adequate coronary collateral circulation in acute myocardial infarction is thought to have beneficial effect on left ventricular function especially in regional wall motion of infarct related area.
Arteries ; Blood Pressure ; Collateral Circulation* ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Vessels ; Creatine ; Creatine Kinase ; Humans ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Ventricular Function, Left*

To evaluate the disturbed left ventricular diastolic filling by pulsed Doppler echocardiography in patients with ischemic heart disease who have normal systolic function, 117 subjects (50 angina patients with, 39 myocardial infarction patients with, 28 control subjects without significant coronary arterial narrowing) underwent echocardiographic examination one day before coronary arteriography. Beside analyzing trasmitral flow velocity curve, reconstruction and quantitative analysis of left ventricular filling rate and filling volume curves were made from Doppler trasmitral flow velocity curve, 2-Dimensional mitral annulus diameter and M-Mode mitral valve motion. From reconstructed left ventricular filling rate, filling fraction during early rapid filling or half diastolic rate, ratio of early to atrial peak filling rate, filling fraction during early rapid filling or half diastolic period and diastolic time interval(esp. T1/2 from peak early filling rate to its half valve)were measured. Angina and myocardial infarction group had significantly lower normalized peak early filling rate(4.9+/-0.6, 4.8+/-1.2 vs 6.0+/-1.1 DFV/sec, P<0.005), ratio of early to atrial peak filling rate(103.6+/-29. 4120.6+/-3.5 VS 175.5+/-55.0%, P<0.005), filling fraction during early diastolic period(46.2+/-5.0, 44.4+/-12.6 VS 54.3+/-6.8%, P<0.005) and filling fraction during half diastolic period(56.3+/-5.8, 55.4+/-14.1 VS 66.6+/-7.7%, P<0.005) than those of control group. Angina and myocardial infarction group had significantly higher normalized peak atrial filling rate(4.9+/-1.4, 5.0+/-2.0 VS 3.5+/-0.9 DFV/sec, P<0.005), prologed normalized T1/2 (12.5+/-3.0, 12.0+/-4.0 VS 9.8+/-2.2%, P<0.005) and delayed isovolumic relaxation time(81.7+/-7.8, 95.0+/-13.6 VS 74.3+/-6.9msec, P<0.005) than those of control group. Affecting factors to pseudonormalize left ventricular filling rate and filling volume curves in myocardial infarction group were mitral regurgitation, left ventricular aneurysm and severe impairment of systolic function. In 13 angina group patients who had undergone coronary angioplasty, no difference were found in any noninvasive diastolic filling parameters before and immediately(24 hours and 5 days) after the procedure. Thus, abnormal patterns of left ventricular filling occur in patients with ischemic heart disease and near normal global systolic function. The decreased peak early filling rate and early filling fraction occuring during rapid filling and the increased peak atrial filling rate occuring in late diastolic suggest that the patients with ischemic heart disease have impaired early diastolic filling. These diastolic filling abnormalities are unimproved 24 hour and 5 days after succesful coronary angioplasty. These diastolic filling parameters from left ventricular filling rate and filling volume curves provide useful noninvastive hemodynamic indices for assessment of left ventricular diastolic filling in patients with ischemic heart disease.
Aneurysm ; Angiography ; Angioplasty ; Echocardiography ; Echocardiography, Doppler* ; Echocardiography, Doppler, Pulsed ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Mitral Valve ; Mitral Valve Insufficiency ; Myocardial Infarction ; Myocardial Ischemia* ; Relaxation

Feline intestinal tritrichomoniasis by Tritrichomonas foetus was first recognized in USA in 1999 and has so far been reported from UK, Norway, Switzerland, and Australia, but not from the Far East Asian countries. In November 2008, 2 female and male littermate Siamese cats, 6-month old, raised in a household in Korea were referred from a local veterinary clinic with a history of chronic persistent diarrhea. A direct smear examination of fecal specimens revealed numerous trichomonad trophozoites which were isolated by the fecal culture in InPouch(TM) TF-Feline medium. A PCR testing of the isolate based on the amplification of a conserved portion of the T. foetus internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions (ITS1 and ITS2) and the 5.8S rRNA gene, and the molecular sequencing of the PCR amplicons confirmed infection with T. foetus. This is the first clinical case of feline intestinal trichomoniasis caused by T. foetus in Korea.
Animals ; Base Sequence ; Cat Diseases/*parasitology ; Cats ; Feces/parasitology ; Female ; Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic/parasitology/*veterinary ; Male ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Protozoan Infections, Animal/*parasitology ; Republic of Korea ; Tritrichomonas foetus/genetics/*isolation & purification

Myocardial infarction is usually associated with thrombotic occlusion of an artherosclerotic coronary artery. Reperfusion induced by administration of thrombolytic agents may presserve myocardial function and reduce mortality. At a mean of 272 minutes from symtom onset, 7 patients with acute myocardial infarction received recombinant tissue-type Plasminogen Activator. The results are as followings: 1) Reperfusion of the infarct-related artery was observed in all of the 5 patients in whom coronary angiography was performed 19 hour after initiation of drug infusion. Ergonovine challenge test, done in 1 patient who showed normal coronary artery, did not induced coronary spasm. 2) The maximal value of Creatine Kinase and Creatine Kinase-MB(2098+/-2107U/L and 728+/-532U/L, respectively) occured at 7.2+/-4.3 hour, respectively. A nadir value of fibrinogen(42+/-21% of the preinfusion value) occured at 3.1+/-2.0 hour. 3) Major bleeding episodes occured in 3 patients. Major cardiac events were angina followed by percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty in 1 patient; cardiogenic shock in 2 patients, one of whom also experienced recurrent ventricular tachycardia;reinfarction in 1 patient, 3 of the 7 patients died.
Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary ; Arteries ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Vessels ; Creatine ; Creatine Kinase ; Ergonovine ; Fibrinolytic Agents ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Mortality ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Reperfusion ; Shock, Cardiogenic ; Spasm ; Tissue Plasminogen Activator*

Myocardial infarction is usually associated with thrombotic occlusion of an artherosclerotic coronary artery. Reperfusion induced by administration of thrombolytic agents may presserve myocardial function and reduce mortality. At a mean of 272 minutes from symtom onset, 7 patients with acute myocardial infarction received recombinant tissue-type Plasminogen Activator. The results are as followings: 1) Reperfusion of the infarct-related artery was observed in all of the 5 patients in whom coronary angiography was performed 19 hour after initiation of drug infusion. Ergonovine challenge test, done in 1 patient who showed normal coronary artery, did not induced coronary spasm. 2) The maximal value of Creatine Kinase and Creatine Kinase-MB(2098+/-2107U/L and 728+/-532U/L, respectively) occured at 7.2+/-4.3 hour, respectively. A nadir value of fibrinogen(42+/-21% of the preinfusion value) occured at 3.1+/-2.0 hour. 3) Major bleeding episodes occured in 3 patients. Major cardiac events were angina followed by percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty in 1 patient; cardiogenic shock in 2 patients, one of whom also experienced recurrent ventricular tachycardia;reinfarction in 1 patient, 3 of the 7 patients died.
Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary ; Arteries ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Vessels ; Creatine ; Creatine Kinase ; Ergonovine ; Fibrinolytic Agents ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Mortality ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Reperfusion ; Shock, Cardiogenic ; Spasm ; Tissue Plasminogen Activator*

Nerve compression syndromes commonly involve the nerves in the upper extremity. High-resolution ultrasonography (US) can satisfactorily assess these nerves and may detect the morphological changes of the nerves. US can also reveal the causes of nerve compression when structural abnormalities or space-occupying lesions are present. The most common US finding of compression neuropathy is nerve swelling proximal to the compression site. This article reviews the normal anatomic location and US appearances of the median, ulnar, and radial nerves. Common nerve compression syndromes in the upper extremity and their US findings are also reviewed.
Median Nerve ; Nerve Compression Syndromes* ; Radial Nerve ; Ulnar Nerve ; Ultrasonography* ; Upper Extremity*