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With the advent of dynamic fast MRI sequences the act of deglutition can be dynamically visualized in cine-mode. Twenty-three healthy volunteers were enrolled in this study to define the morpho-functional patterns of oral and pharyngeal deglutition using new dynamic MRI techniques. All subjects were previously submitted to video endoscopic assessment, to exclude swallowing abnormalities. As contrast material a combination of yogurt mixed with gadolinium-diethylene diamine pentaacetic acid was used. The protocol was divided into three parts: (a) preliminary assessment of the oral cavity, pharynx and laryngeal structures; (b) morphologic assessment of tongue, soft palate, pharynx, epiglottis and larynx-hyoid bone; (c) dynamic assessment of swallowing without administrating any contrast media and, in subsequent phase, by injecting 5 ml of yogurt-based contrast medium in the patient’s mouth. The time resolution was 3–4 images/s. The MR protocol revealed to be effective in the evaluation of normal motility patterns of the structures involved in swallowing. Moreover, the evaluation of the bolus progression, slowdown or stagnation, was possible. On the contrary problems were encountered in calculating precisely the bolus progression time, because of the insufficient temporal resolution. However, more energy should be invested to optimize the spatial and temporal resolution of turbo-FLASH sequences, to obtain a better dynamic representation of a complex function such as deglutition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Perioperative heart failure (HF) in coronary operations is accompanied by a high operative mortality rate. An intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) is often used to treat this syndrome. The correct timing for IABP insertion after completion of the operation has not yet been investigated. The aim of this study was to investigate the operative mortality in perioperative HF patients who had undergone coronary operations with respect to the early or the late use of IABP. Methods: This is a retrospective study including 7,270 patients who had undergone coronary surgery with or without associated procedures. A population of patients with perioperative HF was extracted and analyzed with respect to the use of drugs, intra-operative or post-operative IABP to treat this condition. Results: A total of 1,051 (14.5%) patients had perioperative HF. The mortality rate in this group was 13.5%. Early (intra-operative) IABP insertion was performed in 123 patients. In contrast, 928 patients were treated with inotropic drugs only, and, of these patients, 59 developed a drug-refractory HF requiring late IABP insertion. Operative mortality was significantly ( P=0.001) higher in patients requiring late (64.4%) vs. early (41.5%) IABP insertion. Independent risk factors for developing a drug-refractory HF were age, pre-operative serum creatinine value and an associated mitral valve procedure. Conclusions: Postponing the use of IABP may be deleterious in patients with drug-refractory HF. In the presence of the three factors independently associated with the risk of a drug-refractory HF, early IABP insertion is suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]