0000000000075237
AUTHOR
Hans Armin Dieterich
Transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography to diagnose ventricular septal rupture
BACKGROUND Rapid and accurate diagnosis of ventricular septal rupture (VSR) remains difficult, and the monitoring of hemodynamic deterioration is a prerequisite for the institution of adequate therapy. The timing of surgical repair is a matter of controversy. METHODS Transthoracic, transesophageal, color Doppler, and contrast echocardiography were evaluated in 17 patients with VSR in whom the diagnosis was confirmed by catheterization, surgery, or necropsy. RESULTS Routine transthoracic echocardiography visualized VSR in four out of 17 patients and, with additional views, in 12 out of 17 patients. Color Doppler echocardiography identified the rupture in 15 out of 16, and contrast echocardio…
Contrast echocardiography of the left ventricle an independent predictor of pulmonary artery pressure?
To test the hypothesis that left heart opacification is dependent on pulmonary artery pressure, we analyzed consecutively 12 patients with normal and 8 patients with abnormal pulmonary artery pressure with a new lung capillary stable echo contrast agent. Patients underwent contrast echocardiographic examination within 6 hours before right and left heart catheterization with 200 mg/ml and 400 mg/ml SHU 508A intravenously. The mean pulmonary artery pressure was 15.4 mmHg in the patients with normal pulmonary artery pressures and 46.4 mmHg in the patients with pulmonary hypertension (p0.000). Echocardiograms were video-intensitometrically analyzed for intensity maximum (MAX), half-time of vide…