Project description:Coronary artery aneurysms (CAAs) are rare findings caused by atherosclerosis in about 50% of cases. They are usually diagnosed using coronary angiography, cardiac computed tomography, or magnetic resonance imaging. In this report, we present a rare case of giant, isolated right CAA, detected by transthoracic echocardiography in an adult patient with unstable angina. Diameters of the aneurysm were 3.6 cm × 2.7 cm. Anterior-septal hypokinesia of the left ventricle was also noted. A comprehensive echocardiographic examination, including contrast study, excluded alternative diagnoses and supported the hypothesis of a coronary ectasia. The coronary angiography confirmed the diagnosis of giant coronary aneurysm and revealed a severe three-vessel disease. The patient was treated with cardiac surgery a few days later: two coronary artery bypass grafts and exclusion of the aneurysm by surgical legation were successfully performed.
Project description:The benefit of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has been reported to be associated with functional stenosis severity defined by fractional flow reserve (FFR). This study aimed to investigate the predictive ability of preprocedural transthoracic Doppler echocardiography (TDE) for increased coronary flow. A total of 50 left anterior descending arteries (LAD) that underwent TDE examinations were analysed. Hyperaemic LAD diastolic peak velocity (hDPV) was used as a surrogate of volumetric coronary flow. The increase in coronary flow was evaluated by the metric of % hDPV-increase defined by 100× (post-PCI hDPV-pre-PCI hDPV)/pre-PCI hDPV. The two groups divided by the median value of % hDPV-increase were compared, and the determinants of a significant coronary flow increase defined as more than the median % hDPV-increase were explored. After PCI, FFR values improved in all cases. hDPV significantly increased from 53.0 to 76.0 mm/s (P < 0.01) and the median % hDPV-increase was 45%, while hDPV decreased in 10 patients. On multivariable analysis, pre-PCI FFR and hDPV were independent predictors of a significant coronary flow increase. Preprocedural TDE-derived hDPV provided significant improvement of identification of lesions that benefit from revascularisation with respect to significant coronary flow increase.
Project description:Subclavian artery stenosis (SAS) resulting in coronary subclavian steal syndrome (CSSS) is a common but under recognized pathology following coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG). Patients with SAS may be asymptomatic due to the sub-clinical diversion of blood flow from the myocardium and retrograde blood flow during catheter angiography in the left internal mammary artery (LIMA) may be the first suggestion of CSSS. The management of SAS, causing CSSS, may rarely require acute assessment and intervention. However, full anatomical assessment of the stenosis morphology may be limited on fluoroscopy. Correction of SAS may be essential to achieve effective reperfusion therapy.
Project description:BackgroundLesions in the proximal left coronary artery (LCA) are associated with a poor prognosis compared with other lesional sites. Transthoracic Doppler echocardiography (TTDE) can help to detect proximal LCA flow, and an accelerated coronary flow velocity (CFV) indicates the presence of proximal LCA lesions. This study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of CFV in the proximal LCA measured by TTDE.MethodsWe enrolled 1472 consecutive hemodynamically stable patients with known or suspected heart disease whose CFV was successfully detected using TTDE accompanied by routine echocardiography between 2008 and 2011. The primary outcome was cardiac death (acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, or sudden cardiac death) and patients were followed up over a median of 6.3?years.ResultsOverall, 42 cardiac deaths (3%) were observed. An increased CFV was significantly associated with the outcome in several models based on potential confounders (age, rate pressure product, Framingham Risk Score, diabetes, coronary artery disease, hemoglobin, brain natriuretic peptide, estimated glomerular filtration rate, left ventricular mass, left ventricular ejection fraction, and E/e'). Using a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the optimal cut-off value for the CFV to the association of the outcome was 37?cm/s (area under the curve, 0.70; sensitivity, 82%; specificity, 62%). In sequential Cox proportional hazards models, the CFV added incremental prognostic information to the clinical and basic echocardiographic parameters (chi-squared: 110.7 to 146.6, P?<?0.01).ConclusionsAn increased CFV in the proximal LCA was associated with cardiac death, incremental to the clinical and basic echocardiographic parameters.
Project description:PurposeCoronary artery disease (CAD) shares several risk factors with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). We evaluated the prevalence during transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and risk factors of AAA in patients with CAD.Materials and methodsA total of 1300 CAD patients were screened from August 2009 to May 2010, and measurement of abdominal aorta size was feasible in 920 patients (71%) at the end of routine TTE. An AAA was defined as having a maximal diameter of ?30 mm.ResultsOf the 920 patients, 22 (2.4% of the study population) were diagnosed with AAA; of these AAA patients, 86% were male, and 82% were over 65 years-old. Abdominal aortic size was weakly correlated with aortic root diameter (r=0.22, p<0.01). Although the proportions of male gender, hypertension, and dyslipidemia were higher in AAA patients, such differences were not statistically significant. Advanced age [odds ratio (OR)=1.07; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.01-1.12; p<0.01], smoking (OR=3.44; 95% CI: 1.18-10.04; p=0.02), and peripheral arterial disease (OR=5.88; 95% CI: 1.38-25.05; p=0.01) were found to be associated with AAA.ConclusionAlthough prevalence of AAA is very low in the Asian population, the prevalence of AAA in Asian CAD patients is higher than the general population. Therefore, opportunistic examination of the abdominal aorta during routine TTE could be effective, especially for male CAD patients over 65 years with a history of smoking or peripheral arterial disease.
Project description:We report on a female patient who underwent a standard radical mastectomy and radiation therapy for right breast cancer at the age of 50 years without recurrence. At the age of 76 years, she started to experience fatigue in the right upper limb. The symptom gradually worsened and she was admitted to our hospital for further investigation. With computed tomography scan and angiography, we observed a high degree of subclavian artery (SCA) stenosis and asymptomatic right common carotid artery (CCA) stenosis. After undergoing carotid artery stenting to the right CCA stenosis at another hospital, we performed percutaneous transluminal angioplasty to SCA. Although we chose to treat the highly calcified lesion only with a balloon and slightly decreased the degree of stenosis, her symptoms clearly improved. Since arterial severely stenotic lesions were limited in the area of radiation exposure while other part of the arteries looked smooth and relatively free of sclerosis, it was highly suspected that arterial injury was induced by radiation. There are few reports of radiation-induced injury of upper limbs. However, this case suggests that we need to consider the possibility of radiation-induced arterial injury in patients with a history of radiation therapy. <Learning objective: There are few reports regarding upper limb arterial stenosis and occlusion due to radiation-induced arterial injury. However, the underlying mechanism might be overlooked because the symptoms such as fatigue and numbness of the upper limb caused by arterial stenosis and occlusion resembled those of lymphedema and nerve disorders that frequently occur after mastectomy. This case suggests that we need to consider the possibility of radiation-induced arterial injury in the patients with a history of radiation therapy.>.
Project description:BackgroundCoronary sinus blood flow (CSBF) is reduced in coronary artery disease (CAD).ObjectiveTo evaluate the usefulness of transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) in assessing CSBF in patients with CAD.Methods and results232 patients with CAD, including 28 patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) (thrombolysed), 80 patients with unstable angina and delayed presentation MI, 80 patients admitted for coronary angiography (CAG) and 44 patients awaiting percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) were evaluated with TTE to obtain CSBF values; results were compared with those of controls. In the CAG group, the correlation between CSBF and lesion severity was assessed while in the thrombolysis and PTCA groups, CSBF levels before and after treatment were evaluated. The control group had a coronary sinus diameter of 8.73±2.08?mm and mean CSBF of 441±172?mL/min. Both the diameter and mean CSBF levels were reduced in patients with CAD. In the AMI group, patients with anterior wall myocardial infarction (AWMI) showed a greater percentage increase in CSBF after thrombolysis than patients with inferior wall myocardial infarction (IWMI). In the CAG group, patients with lower CSBF values (<300?mL/min) had more multivessel involvement, especially in patients with AWMI than in those with IWMI. In the PTCA group, patients with AWMI with initial CSBF levels <300?mL/min had a greater percentage increase in CSBF levels after stenting than patients with AWMI with CSBF values >300?mL/min.ConclusionsNon-invasive assessment of CSBF by TTE is a simple, cost-effective, imaging modality in patients with CAD, especially for risk stratification and assessing therapeutic success.
Project description:We report a rare case of sinus of Valsalva aneurysm of both right and left coronary sinus (LCS), with perforation of the LCS opening into the left ventricle. The LCS aneurysm with its perforation was undiagnosed on transthoracic echocardiography emphasizing the role of transesophageal echocardiography in delineating the anatomy.
Project description:AIMS:Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is the most frequently used parameter in the assessment of heart failure (HF). Cardiac index (CI) is considered a potential alternative to LVEF despite limited evidence. We aimed to assess and compare the predictive accuracy of LVEF and echocardiographically-assessed CI in HF patients. METHODS AND RESULTS:A single-centre, retrospective cohort study was conducted in patients hospitalized for acute HF from 2010-2016. Cox proportional hazard models including either LVEF or CI were created to predict all cause death, cardiovascular (CV) death, or first HF-readmission. Of 334 patients included in the analysis, 58.7% exhibited HF with reduced LVEF (HFrEF). Left ventricular ejection fraction did not show correlation with any endpoint, while CI was predictive of HF-readmission in the entire cohort. Both the LVEF-based and CI-based models demonstrated moderate discriminative accuracy when predicting all-cause death, CV death, or HF-readmission. Left ventricular ejection fraction proved to be an independent predictor of CV mortality in HFrEF-patients, while CI was predictive of HF-readmission in the non-HFrEF group. CONCLUSIONS:Left ventricular ejection fraction seemed to be associated more closely with disease severity in HFrEF, and CI in the non-HFrEF group, in this real-life cohort of elderly HF patients. The LVEF-based and CI-based predictive models have clinically similar predictive accuracy for mortality and HF-readmission, thus CI may be a potential alternative to LVEF in the assessment of left ventricular function. Cardiac index may be an important new tool in the assessment of HF patients with midrange or preserved LVEF.