Radiopaque markers were implanted in the left ventricular myocardial midwall in 58 patients and studied in the 30° right anterior oblique projection by computer-aided fluoroscopy. Marker motion was used as a standard of segmental wall motion against which the accuracy of five methods for measuring left ventricular wall motion was assessed: two methods using hemiaxial measurements in rectangular...

OBJECTIVES We sought to evaluate if echocardiographic strain measurements could detect acute myocardial ischemia, and to compare this new method with myocardial velocity measurements and wall motion score index. BACKGROUND Tissue Doppler echocardiography (TDE) is a promising method for assessing regional myocardial function. However, myocardial velocities measured by tissue Doppler echocardio...

Background Transplant rejection affects the course and survival after heart transplantation (HTx). As a non-invasive alternative to myocardial biopsy, which is the gold standard used for screening and for the diagnosis of rejection, regional left ventricular (LV) myocardial motion analysis has been suggested. But myocardial biopsy is invasive and its diagnostic value is restricted by high sampl...

UNLABELLED Electrocardiographically (ECG) gated myocardial SPECT with (99m)Tc-tetrofosmin has been used widely to assess left ventricular (LV) function. However, the accuracy of variables using ECG gated myocardial SPECT with beta-methyl-p-(123)I-iodophenylpentadecanoic acid (BMIPP) has not been well defined. METHODS Thirty-six patients (29 men, 7 women; mean age, 61.6 +/- 15.6 y) with ischem...

BACKGROUND Whether left ventricular function can be assessed accurately by gated single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in patients with myocardial infarction and severe perfusion defects is not well known. METHODS AND RESULTS Twenty-five patients with an acute myocardial infarction underwent 99mTc-labeled tetrofosmin (99mTc-tetrofosmin) gated SPECT and cine magnetic resonance ima...

To evaluate the clinical significance of reverse redistribution (RR) of resting 201Tl single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in patients with vasospastic angina (VSA), we performed left ventriculography, coronary angiography and resting 201Tl-SPECT in 22 patients with VSA. Left ventriculography showed abnormal wall motion in 17 of 22 patients (77%) and 37 of 154 segments. Thirty-one...

BACKGROUND Stress-induced ST-segment elevation in patients with recent myocardial infarction treated with thrombolysis has not been extensively investigated. According to the results of previous studies it may represent residual myocardial ischaemia or dyskinesia in the infarcted region. The aim of the study was to analyse the significance of dobutamine-induced ST-segment elevation in the infar...

The assessment of regional left ventricular (LV) function has been an important yet unresolved problem since the introduction of echocardiography as a diagnostic tool. Abnormal regional LV wall motion is an early finding in multiple cardiac pathologies and its diagnosis is of critical importance. In the last few years diagnostic procedures based on combined use of existing echocardiographic tec...

In this issue of Circulation, Renkin et all have made an intriguing observation in patients with unstable angina. They describe a subgroup of unstable angina patients with persistent inversion of precordial-lead T waves who have resting regional left ventricular wall motion abnormalities. Six months after left anterior descending angioplasty, these patients demonstrated normalization of T waves...

Two hundred and fifteen patients with previous myocardial infarction were investigated between four and six months after the acute episode by computer assisted 12 lead exercise electrocardiography. Thirty-six (17%) out of this group showed ST segment elevation over the infarct zone, reflected by leads presenting with "QS" configuration. They were further investigated by serial thallium-201 scin...