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Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether left ventricular size was increased in patients with classic bileaflet mitral valve prolapse (MVP) in the absence of significant mitral regurgitation (MR). Method: Patients with classic bileaflet MVP were included as the case group. Two different control groups were established. The first control group was composed of the patients with mild MR caused by the reasons except MVP. The second control group consisted of healthy individuals whose echocardiograms were normal. The patients with moderate or severe MR and having abnormality in the other valves were excluded. Results: There were 20 patients in each group. Systolic and diastolic diameters and volumes of left ventricle (LV) in the MVP group were significantly higher than those in the control groups. In 10 of the patients in the MVP group, LV internal diastolic diameter (LVIDD) values were measured as ≥5.7 cm, whereas increased LVIDD value was detected in only one patient in the other two control groups. There was a significant difference in terms of the presence of increased LVIDD values between the MVP group and the control groups. Despite this enlargement in the LV dimension, the LV ejection fractions were found similar in all groups. Furthermore, it was found that the lengths of both anterior and posterior mitral leaflets in MVP group were significantly higher than those in the control groups. Conclusion: The LV diameters and volumes of patients with classic bileaflet MVP were found to be increased even in the absence of significant MR. These results need to be supported by large-scale clinical studies. (Echocardiography 2012;29:123-129) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study designed to assess the effect of different positions of head of the bed on myocardial velocity by tissue Doppler echocardiography in healthy subjects. Methods: Thirty-nine healthy subjects (32 males/7 females, mean age 24.7 ± 4.9 years) were studied. Tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) was performed and velocities were recorded during systole (Sm) and early (Em) and late (Am) diastole at the tricuspid annulus, septum, and mitral annulus in the four-chamber view. Measurements were performed from different positions of left lateral decubitus (0°, 30°, and 60°). Repeated-measures general linear models were used to assess the change in myocardial velocities. Results: No significant difference between myocardial velocities was found at the mitral anulus and septal TDI recordings in the different angles of left lateral decubitus positions (P > 0.05). However, there were statistically significant difference among tricuspid anulus myocardial tissue velocities in these positions (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Tricuspid anulus myocardial tissue velocities may be significantly influenced by changing of position in healthy subjects. Effect of position changes should be considered in the assessment of these velocities. (Echocardiography 2011;28:516-519) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study was designed to investigate the validity of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels for the estimation of the shunt size in young adults with atrial septal defect (ASD), and to determine the relationship between BNP levels and echocardiographic parameters of right heart chambers. Methods: Fifty-six patients with ASD (mean age 22.9 ± 2.0 years) were studied. The control group consisted of 31 age-gender matched healthy volunteers (mean age 22.7 ± 1.9 years). Coventional echocardiography, tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) and plasma BNP level measurement was performed in all participants. The ratio of pulmonary to systemic blood flow (Qp/Qs) was measured noninvasively using transthoracic echocardiography. Results: Plasma BNP levels were significantly higher in ASD patients than in controls (42.9 ± 29.4 vs. 8.3 ± 2.6 pg/mL, P < 0.05). Pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) (P = 0.0001), right atrium (RA) volume (P = 0.0001), and right ventricular end-diastolic volume (RVEDV) (P = 0.0001) values were higher in ASD patients. There was a powerful correlation between plasma BNP levels and Qp/Qs ratio (r = 0.71, P < 0.0001). The plasma BNP levels significantly correlated with PAP (r = 0.61, P < 0.0001), RA volume (r = 0.54, P < 0.0001), RVEDV (r = 0.55, P < 0.0001), and right ventricular myocardial performance index (r = 0.50, P < 0.0001). Conclusion: This study shows that there is a significant correlation between right heart echocardiographic parameters and concentrations of BNP in the plasma of young adults with ASD. BNP levels may provide a supplemental data to predict of shunt size in these patients. (Echocardiography 2011;28:243-247) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Grade 3 ischemia (G3I) is defined as ST elevation with distortion of the terminal portion of the QRS (emergence of the J point >50% of the R wave in leads with qR configuration, or disappearance of the S wave in leads with an Rs configuration). Patients with G3I on the presenting electrocardiogram (ECG) had worse prognosis than the patients with lesser (grade 2-G2I) ischemia. The aim of this study is to examine the effects of preinfarct angina (PIA) on electrocardiographic ischemia grades. Methods: One hundred forty-eight consecutive patients with ST-segment myocardial infarction (STEMI) were included in this study. All patients underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention. The admission ECGs was analyzed retrospectively for electrocardiographic ischemia grades and compared with the presence of PIA. Results: Study population consisted of 110 patients with G2I (88 men, mean age = 63 ± 6 years) and 38 patients with G3I (32 men, mean age = 61 ± 8 years). Baseline characteristics of the groups were the same except for patients with G3I had significantly longer pain to balloon time and higher admission creatine kinase MB isoenzyme (CK-MB) levels. Tissue myocardial perfusion grade (TMPG) was better in patients with G2I. While 18 patients (47%) with G3I had PIA, 81 patients (70%) with G2I had PIA (P = 0.005). Although pain to balloon time and admission CK-MB were independent predictor of worse electrocardiographic ischemia grade (OR 1.69, 95% CI 1.09–2.62; P = 0.01; OR 1.01, 1.00–286 Conclusion: PIA is one of the most important clinical predictors of better ischemia grades especially when combined with the pain to balloon time, LVEF, and admission CK-MB levels in patients with STEMI. This study provided another evidence for the protective effects of PIA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]