BACKGROUND: Although myocardial contrast 2D echocardiography is a good method to diagnose and evaluate myocardial ischemia and reperfusion, it has required intracoronary or intra aortic root injection of contrast agent and furthemore, the degree of myocardial contrast produced is small. Second harmonic imaging which is based on the non linear emission of harmonics by resonant microbubble in the ultrasound field improves the ultrasound contrast single to noise ratio. METHODS: We measure the videointensity of interventricular septum(IVS) and lateral wall(LW) of second harmonic imaging myocardial contrast 2D echocardiography before and after LV injection of Levovist(300mg/ml, 0.4ml/Kg) in both pre and post left anterior descending coronary artery(LAD) ligation in 7 open chest pigs. RESULTS: 1) The mean(+/-SD) pre LAD ligation videointensity is significantly greater with after contrast than before contrast(IVS : 111.1+/-33.9 vs 31.1+/-7.6 ; p=0.00046, LW : 120.5+/-21.5 vs 42.2+/-10.0 ; p=0.00006). The post LAD ligation videointensity is also significantly greater with after contrast than before contrast(IVS : 62.8+/-24.6 vs 35.6+/-15.1 ; p=0.00379, LW : 129.9+/-10.9 vs 48.7+/-21.1 ; p=0.00006). 2) The videointensity of IVS is significantly greater with after contrast than before contrast in both pre and post LAD ligation(62.8+/-24.6 vs 111.1+/-33.9 ; p=0.0031). The post LAD ligation videointensity of LW after contrast is not different from that of pre LAD ligation(129.9+/-10.9 vs 120.5+/-21.5 ; p=0.1037). 3) The post LAD ligation videointensity increase of IVS is lower than pre LAD ligantion videointensity increase(27.2+/-18.3 vs 79.9+/-35.0 ; p=0.0006). But the videointensity increase of LW is not different between pre and post LAD ligation(78.2+/-23.4 vs 81.2+/-24.5 ; p=0.3778). CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that the myocardial blood flow and its decrease due to LAD ligation can be evaluated accurately by second harmonic imaging myocardial contrast 2D echocardiography.
Coronary Vessels* ; Echocardiography* ; Ligation* ; Microbubbles ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Noise ; Reperfusion ; Swine ; Thorax ; Ultrasonography

BACKGROUND: There have been few reports in the literature evaluating aortic valve area by multiplane transesophageal echocardiography(M-TEE) as well as Biplane TEE(B-TEE) in comparison with transthoracic echocardiography(TTE) and cardiac catheterization(CC) estimated aortic valve area. The pupose of this study was to evaluate assessment of aortic valve area in patients with aortic stenosis by M-TEE compared to B-TEE and TTE. METHOD: 145 patients with known aortic valve stenosis underwent TTE, CC and intraoperative TEE assessment of the aortic valve area. 81 were done with multiplane only, 64 were done with biplane only. Results were compared with valve areas determined invasively by Gorlin formula and noninvasively by TTE using simplified continuity equation, TEE using direct planimetry and TEE proximal stenotic jet width. Aortic valve areas were also compared in sugically confirmed bicuspid and tricuspid aortic valves seperately. RESULTS: The feasibility of TTE, M-TEE, B-TEE and JW were 95.2%, 100%, 87.5% and 95.9%, respectively. Correlation between valve areas determined by Gorlin equation and M-TEE was the highest(r=0.89, n=81). This was higher for bicuspid valves(r=0.93, n=32) than tricuspid aortic valves(r=0.87, n=48). Correlations between the area determined by the Gorlin equation and that determined by B-TEE(r=0.74, n=56) and TTE(r=0.66, n=138) were lower. Coreelation for bicuspid and tricuspid were also lower(r=0.77, n=23, and r=0.75, n=30, respectively in biplane assessment, and r=0.71, n=61, and r=0.65, n=73, respectively in TTE assessment). Correlation of invasively determined valve areas with JW was lowest(r=0.57, n=139) though bicuspid valve area correlated better(r=0.64, n=60)than tricuspid aortic valves(r=0.53, n=75). CONCLUSION: M-TEE is superior to B-TEE in the assessment of aortic valve stenosis. Bicuspid aortic valve areas were accurately measured more consistently than tricuspid aortic valve areas. M-TEE can be used addiotional method to evaluate aortic valve area with conventional TEE and cardiac catheterization.
Aortic Valve Stenosis ; Aortic Valve ; Bicuspid ; Cardiac Catheterization ; Cardiac Catheters ; Echocardiography ; Humans ; Methods ; Mitral Valve

BACKGROUNDBoth real-time three-dimensional echocardiography (RT3DE) and myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) are novel imaging techniques. The purpose of this study was to confirm the feasibility and accuracy of RT3DE combined with MCE for quantitative evaluation of myocardial perfusion defects.

METHODSThirteen dogs underwent ligation of the left anterior descending artery (LAD, n = 6) or distal branch of the left circumflex artery (LCX, n = 7) under general anaesthesia. Three to four ml of a perfluoropropane (C3F8) microbubble contrast agent was injected intravenously to assess the resulting myocardial perfusion defects with a commercially available Philips SONOS-7500 ultrasound system. After removal of the dog hearts, Evans blue dye was injected via the left and right coronary arteries to stain the myocardium at risk. In vitro anatomic measurements of myocardial mass after removal of the animals' hearts were used as controls.

RESULTSLeft ventricular (LV) mass determined by RT3DE ranged 36.7 - 68.9 g [mean, (54.6 +/- 9.6) g] before coronary artery ligation, and correlated highly (r = 0.99) with in vitro measurement of LV mass [range, 38.9 - 71.1 g; mean, (55.6 +/- 9.3) g]. There was no significant difference between RT3DE and in vitro measurements of LV mass [range, 36.7 - 68.9 g; mean, (51.3 +/- 12.5) g. Or range, 38.9 - 71.1 g; mean, (53.7 +/- 12.3) g, respectively] and under-perfused mass [range, 0 - 21.4 g; mean, (12.0 +/- 6.9) g. Or range, 0 - 19.8 g; mean, (10.8 +/- 6.3) g, respectively] after the LAD ligation (P > 0.05). Likewise, no significant difference was present between RT3DE and in vitro measurements of LV mass [range, 50.1 - 65.4 g; mean, (57.5 +/- 5.9) g. Or range, 51.5 - 65.8 g; mean, (57.3 +/- 6.4) g, respectively] and under-perfused mass [range, 0 - 25.6 g; mean, (13.3 +/- 9.6) g. Or range, 0 - 22.7 g; mean, (12.8 +/- 8.1) g, respectively] after the LCX ligation (P > 0.05). For all the animals with coronary ligation, LV mass measured by RT3DE ranged 35.9 - 68.6 g [mean, (54.8 +/- 10.0) g] and there was no significant difference between RT3DE and in vitro measurements of LV mass and under-perfused mass (P > 0.05, r = 0.99). Further, the under-perfused mass derived from RT3DE [range, 0 - 25.6 g; mean, (12.7 +/- 8.2) g] correlated strongly with the in vitro measurements [range, 0 - 22.7 g; mean, (11.9 +/- 7.2) g] (r = 0.96).

CONCLUSIONRT3DE with MCE is a rapid and accurate method for estimating LV myocardial mass and quantifying perfusion defects.

Animals ; Coronary Disease ; diagnostic imaging ; Dogs ; Echocardiography ; Echocardiography, Three-Dimensional ; Feasibility Studies ; Fluorocarbons

The present study investigated the application of echocardiography to evaluation of cardiac dyssynchrony in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). A total of 348 consecutive CHF patients who were admitted for cardiac resynchronization (CRT) and presented with low ejection fraction (EF) and wide QRS duration were enrolled in this study, along with 388 healthy individuals. Dyssynchrony was assessed based on filling time ratio (FT/RR), left ventricular pre-ejection delay (PED), interventricular mechanical delay (IVMD), longitudinal opposing wall delay (LOWD) and radial septal to posterior wall delay (RSPWD). Response to CRT was defined as a ≥15% increase in EF. The results showed that FT/RR was decreased while PED, IVMD, LOWD and RSPWD were increased in the CHF group compared with the control group (P<0.01). In the CHF group, FT/RR was negatively correlated with the QRS duration, LV end-diastolic diameter (LVESd), LV end-diastolic volume (LVEDV) and LV end-systolic volume (LVESV) (P<0.01), but positively with the LVEF (P<0.01). Additionally, PED, IVMD, LOWD and RSPWD were positively correlated with the QRS duration, LVESd, LVEDV and LVESV (P<0.01), but negatively with the LVEF (P<0.01). The CHF group was divided into three subgroups according to the varying degrees of LVEF. FT/RR decreased successively from the LVEF-1 group to the LVEF-2 group to the LVEF-3 group, while the PED, IVMD, LOWD and RSPWD successively increased in the same order (P<0.01). The CHF group was divided into three subgroups according to the varying degrees of QRS duration, and FT/RR decreased successively in a sequence from the QRS-1 group to the QRS-2 group to the QRS-3 group, while the PED, IVMD, LOWD and RSPWD successively increased in the same order (P<0.01). Speckle tracking radial dyssynchrony ≥130 ms was predictive of an EF response in patients in QRS-1 group (78% sensitivity, 83% specificity), those in QRS-2 group (83% sensitivity, 77% specificity) and in QRS-3 group (89% sensitivity, 79% specificity). In conclusion, echocardiography is a convenient and sensitive method for evaluating cardiac dyssynchrony in patients with CHF.
Adult ; Aged ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; diagnostic imaging ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy ; methods ; Case-Control Studies ; Diastole ; Echocardiography ; Female ; Heart ; diagnostic imaging ; physiopathology ; Heart Failure ; diagnostic imaging ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Stroke Volume ; Systole ; Ventricular Dysfunction, Left ; diagnostic imaging ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Ventricular Remodeling