No abstract available.
Echocardiography, Doppler, Pulsed* ; Humans

No abstract available.
Echocardiography* ; Echocardiography, Doppler, Pulsed ; Heart Diseases* ; Heart*

To validate ventricular diastolic phase parameters of reconstructed transmitral flow rate curve by M-mode, 2-dimensional and pulsed Doppler Echocardiography, these parameters were compared with same parameters by left ventriculography. The study population was 22 patients who received both coronary arteriography and echocardiographic examination. Transmitral flow rate curve and left ventricular filling volume curve were reconstructed from transmitral flow velocity curve by pulsed Doppler, mitral annulus diameter by two diameter by two dimensional and diastolic motion of both mitral leafltes by M-mode echocardiography. From left ventriculography, left ventricular filling volume curve and transmitral flow rate curve were made using area-length method by Sandler and Dodge. From trasmitral flow fraction, 1/2 diastolic time filling fraction, normalized peak filling volume, 1/3 diastolic time filling fraction, 1/2 diastolic time fraction, normalized peak early filling rate and ratio of early to late peak filling rate were measured. Correlation between same parameters derived from echocardiography and left ventriculography were observed. 1) Total diastolic filling volume:correlation coefficient r=0.47, P<0.05. 2) 1/3 diastolic time filling fraction:correlation coefficient r=0.90, P<0.001. 3) 1/2 diastolic time filling fraction:correlation coefficient r=0.80, P<0.001. 4) Normalized peak early filling rate:correlation coefficient r=0.57, P<0.01. 5) Ratio of early to late peak filling rate:correlation coefficient r=0.85, P<0.001. Therefore, left ventricular diastolic phase parameters of reconstructed transmitral flow rate curve using, M-mode, 2-dimensional and pulsed Doppler echocardiography seems to be useful for the noninvasive evaluation of the left ventricular diastolic function.
Angiography ; Echocardiography ; Echocardiography, Doppler* ; Echocardiography, Doppler, Pulsed ; Humans

BACKGROUND: The diastolic transmitral flow velocity pattern has been commonly used to assess left ventricular(LV) diastolic function. The effects of multiple factors(such as, LV preload, afterload and heart rate, etc.) make difficulties in accurate interpretation. METHODS: In order to investigate the diastolic transmitral filling patterns according to the changes of the proload or heart rate, we studied 27 normal subjects with pulsed Doppler echocardiography after the administration of nitroglycerin(0.6mg/tab.) sublingually or atropine(0.5mg/amp.) intravenously. RESULTS: 1) After nitroglycerin administration, the folowings were obtained. ; The systolic blood pressure and LV diastolic filling time(DFT) decreased by 10.1% and 15.3%, respectively(p<0.001), compared with baseline data. The ratio of peak early to late diastolic transmitral flow velocities (E/A) and time-velocity integrals(TVIE/TVIA) decreased by 10.3% and 14.8%, respectively(p<0.01). The early diastolic filling time(Time E) was unchanged. Therefore, we suggest that time E is helpful, compared with the increments of the preload or the diastolic dysfunction. 2) After atropin administration, the heart rate, peak late diastolic transmitral flow velocity(PA) and percent atrial contribution(%AC) significantly increased by 43.6%, 25.1% and 41.4%, respectively(p<0.001). The E/A, TVIE/TVIA and DFT significantly decreased by 42.9%, 38.9% and 43.0%, respectively(p<0.001) compared to the data before drug administration. 3) The heart rate correlated negatively to the E/A, TVIE/TVIA and DFT. It was correlated positively to %AC(r=+0.63; p<0.001). The normalized E/A ratio by DFT(E/A/DFT) didn't correlate. Therefore, E/A/DFT is helpful on the exclusion of the influences of heart rate by the administration of the atropine. CONCLUSION: The decrement of preload or the increment of heart rate changes the diastolic transmitral flow velocity patterns. Therefore, when the diastolic function is assessed by interpretation of the Doppler transmitral flow velocity pattern with pulsed Doppler echocardiogram, the potential influences of preload and heart rate must be taken into account.
Atropine* ; Blood Pressure ; Echocardiography ; Echocardiography, Doppler* ; Echocardiography, Doppler, Pulsed ; Heart Rate ; Humans* ; Nitroglycerin* ; Time

BACKGROUND: Abnormalities of the left ventricular diastolic function can be classified by pulsed Doppler echocardiography, but sometimes it may be difficult to differentiate normal diastolic function from pseudonormalization. Heart failure caused by increased left ventricular filling pressure is rather associated with pseudonormalization or restrictive pattern than normal pattem or relaxation abnormality. We investigated the usefulness of color M-mode Doppler echocardiographic indexes in differentiating normal relaxation from pseudonormalization after acute myocardial infarction. METHOD: Echocardiographic examination including color M-mode Doppler was performed in 44 patients with acute myocardial infarction between 10 and 14 days after attack. 34 patients without in-hospital congestive heart failure(CHF) were assigned as group I, and 10 patients with in-hospital CHF as group II. Flow propagation slope(FPS), time difference(TD) between the occurrence of peak flow velocity in the apical region and at the mitral tip, and normalized time difference(nTD) by mitral and apical distance were measured with color M-mode Doppler echocardiography. RESULTS: FPS was lower in group II(group I, 42.0+/-20.6cm/sec vs group II, 27.8+/-8.0cm/ sec , p=0.065). Both groups had similar TD and nTD. FPS was compared in patients with E/ A ratio of mitral inflow greater than 1(22 patients of group I and 7 patients of group II). Patients with E/A) 1 in group II had significantly lower FPS(group I, 52.1+/-17.5cm/sec vs group II, 31.0+/-7.4cm/sec ; p(0.01). CONCLUSION: FPS was significantly decreased after acute myocardial infarction in patients with in-hospital CHF compared with patients without in-hospital CHF, even when E/A ratio of mitral inflow was greater than 1. Therefore, FPS was an useful index in differentiating normal relaxation from pseudonormalization.
Echocardiography ; Echocardiography, Doppler* ; Echocardiography, Doppler, Pulsed ; Estrogens, Conjugated (USP)* ; Heart ; Heart Failure* ; Humans ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Relaxation

No abstract available.
Diagnosis* ; Ductus Arteriosus, Patent* ; Echocardiography, Doppler, Pulsed* ; Sensitivity and Specificity*

BACKGROUND AND OBJECT: We want to know reference values of mitral annulus velocity by Doppler tissue imaging which has been thought as a new parameter of left ventricular diastolic function. Including mitral inflow parameters, many parameters which have been used in the evaluation of left ventricular diastolic function are affected by several conditions, so sometimes they can not provide information about left ventricular diastolic function. The knowledge of mitral annulus velocity by Doppler tissue imaging will provide new guidelines for evaluation of diastolic function. However, reference values in normal and changes according to an age have not been fully evaluated. METHODS: We examined 246 patients with no symptoms related to the cardiac systolic and diastolic dysfunction and 80 healthy volunteers according to an age. Early ( E ) and late ( A ) transmitral flow velocity and the ratio of early to late peak velocity ( E/A ) were obtained by pulsed Doppler echocardiography. Early diastolic velocity of mitral annulus ( E' ) and peak atrial systolic velocity of mitral annulus ( A' ) were obtained from the medial ( or septal ) corner of the mitral annulus and subsequently from lateral corner by Doppler tissue imaging. We obtained E', A' and the ratio of E' to A' ( E'/A' ) and E/ E' according to an age. RESULTS: E' from medial corner was the highest in subjects in their twenties and declined gradually and A' from medial corner was the lowest in a same age group and increased gradually. E'/A' ratio from medial corner was the highest in subjects in their twenties and declined gradually and reversed in subjects in their forties. E', A' and E'/A' from lateral corner were showed like as medial corner similarly but E'/A' was reversed in the subjects in their fifties. E/ E' from medial and lateral corner was the lowest in subjects in their twenties and increased gradually with age. In comparison between transmitral flow velocity and mitral annulus velocity, there are good relationship in E/A and E'/A' ( p=0.01 ). CONCLUSION: We measured reference values of mitral annulus velocity by Doppler tissue imaging and E/ E' according to an age.
Echocardiography, Doppler, Pulsed ; Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Reference Values

Measurements of mitral flow velocity by pulsed Doppler echocardiography are very useful in evaluating left ventricular diastolic filling properties. In hypertensive patients, abnormalities of diastolic function may precede systolic abnormalities and may serve as a more sensitive marker of end organ damage. We estimated left ventricular nass by 2-D echo short axis area-length method and compared with peak mitral flow velocity in early diastole(PFVE)and during atrial systolic(PFVA). There was a significant increase of LV mass and LV mass indices in the hypertensive patients and PFVE/PFVA ratio was decreased in them. Aithough there was no relationship between blood pressure and PFVE/PFVA ratio, a significant relationship was demonstrated between LV mass index and PFVE/PFVA ratio in the hypertensive patients.
Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Blood Pressure ; Echocardiography, Doppler, Pulsed ; Humans

The visualization of coronary arteries by transthoracic two-dimensional echocardiography has been used for over 10 years. In many cases, the imaging quality is too poor to allow an anatomic evaluation. During the last few years, transesophageal echocardiography has been shown to provide optimal imaging quality in virtually all patients and of all cardiac structures including the coronary arteries. The purpose of this study was to test the ability of transesophageal echocardiography in the visualiation of the coronary arteries and assessment of coronary blood flow by transesophageal two-dimensional pulsed Doppler echocardiography. We Studied 285 patients, 91 men and 194 women, aged 16 to 81 year(mean 50.6 year men, mean 54.2 year women). We have been used a 5-MHz phased array transducer with incorporated color-coded Doppler. The left main coronary artery was visualized 95.1%, left circumflex artery 27.4, left anterior descending artery 21.4% and the main stem of the proximal right coronary artery 45.1%. The time-sequential left anterior descending artery flow pattern generally consisted of a small late systolic component and a large diastolic component. The peak flow velocity in the proximal left anterior descending artery during diastole was 40.8+/-8.0cm/sec(integrity 7.6+/-0.9) and during late systole was 18.5+/-5.5cm/sec(integrity 2.9+/-0.9). There were no complications during and after examination. This study suggests that transesophageal color-coded Doppler two-dimensional echocardiography appers to be a feasible noninvasive technique for imaging the proximal left coronary artery and the left anterior descending artery flow is detectable from the transesophageal approach.
Arteries ; Coronary Vessels* ; Diastole ; Echocardiography ; Echocardiography, Doppler* ; Echocardiography, Doppler, Pulsed ; Echocardiography, Transesophageal ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Systole ; Transducers

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The reliability and usefulness of the right ventricular (RV) Tei index (RTX) remains controversial because it has not been possible to simultaneously measure RV inflow and outflow. However, dual pulsed-wave Doppler (DPD) enables flow velocities to be obtained at different sampling sites simultaneously. In this study we evaluated the feasibility and reliability of RTX values obtained by DPD (RTX(DPD)). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Forty-one patients who underwent cardiac catheterization and echocardiography for RV volume or pressure overloading conditions were evaluated. Symptom-limited exercise treadmill testing with expired gas analysis was performed and maximal exercise capacity was measured. RESULTS: RTX by conventional flow Doppler (RTX(CFD), 0.262+/-0.164) was similar to RTX(DPD) (0.253+/-0.117, p=NS), whereas RTX by tissue Doppler echocardiography (RTX(TDE), 0.447+/-0.125) was significantly larger than RTX(DPD) (p<0.001). Based on multiple regression analysis, maximal exercise capacity was independently related to RTX(DPD) (beta=-0.60, p<0.001), mid-RV dimension (beta=-0.26, p=0.012), left ventricular ejection fraction (beta=0.22, p=0.023), and early diastolic tricuspid annular velocity (beta=0.21, p=0.048). CONCLUSION: It is feasible and reliable to evaluate RV function using RTX(DPD) values. However, to evaluate the clinical usefulness of RTX(DPD), additional studies are required with a large number of patients and long-term follow-up.
Cardiac Catheterization ; Cardiac Catheters ; Echocardiography ; Echocardiography, Doppler ; Echocardiography, Doppler, Pulsed ; Exercise Test ; Heart Ventricles ; Humans ; Stroke Volume ; Ventricular Function, Right