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Noncompaction of the ventricular myocardium (NVM) is a rare unclassified cardiomyopathy which is characterized by multiple prominent trabeculations and deep intertrabecular recesses. This cardiomyopathy can be isolated or in combination with other congenital cardiac disorders, including coronary artery abnormalities. A 56-year-old female patient presented to the cardiology department with complaints of exertional dyspnoea and chest pain. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed left ventricular dilatation with diffuse hypokinesis. Multiple prominent trabeculations with deep inter-trabecular recesses were observed at the left ventricular apex. Also, coronary angiography demonstrated a sinoatrial node artery originating from the posterolateral branch of the right coronary artery.

Objective: The purpose of our study was to assess the diagnostic accuracy of multislice computed tomography (MSCT) for the identification and quantification of mitral valve regurgitation in comparison with transthoracic echocardiography (TTE)., Methods: Twenty-six patients (15 females, 11 males with a mean age of 44.6±14.1 years) who were in follow-up with the diagnosis of mitral regurgitation and those who were referred for MSCT were enrolled. MSCT results were compared with TTE measurements., Results: The mean effective mitral regurgitant orifice area at MSCT was 23.1±13.0 mm² and at echocardiography was 24.4±16.0 mm². Bland-Altman analysis showed good agreement between the two imaging methods., Conclusion: MSCT provides reliable and good results for the evaluation of mitral regurgitation., (Copyright © 2010 Japanese College of Cardiology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A 24-year-old man with a complaint of exertional dyspnoea had a Grade III/VI apical pansystolic murmur on physical examination. He underwent a transthoracic echocardiogram, which revealed a funnel-shaped mitral valve with moderately thick leaflet tissue and an eccentric orifice, as well as a bicuspid aortic valve. The mitral valve was mildly stenotic and severely regurgitant. Although demonstration of a single papillary muscle in the parasternal short axis view suggested a parachute mitral valve, the diagnosis was uncertain owing to poor echocardiographic acoustic quality. 16-row multidetector CT (MDCT) clearly demonstrated two papillary muscles and the patient was diagnosed as having a parachute-like asymmetric mitral valve. In conclusion, MDCT can be used as a complementary imaging technique for the evaluation of subvalvular mitral apparatus and papillary muscles, especially in patients with poor echocardiographic acoustic quality.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a therapeutic dose of Tylosin (Tylan 50) on gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH)-induced luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion in sheep. A total of 10 mature rams were divided into two groups by balancing body weights (bw) and body condition scores. Five of the rams received 10mg/kg Tylosin intramuscularly (i.m., Tylosin group), while the other five were given placebo (Control group), for 5 days. On Day 5, all the rams were injected intravenously (i.v.) with the GnRH agonist Ovarelin at 0.1 microg/kg bw. Blood samples were collected at -30, 0, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, 210, 240, and 270 min for measuring LH levels in the plasma. Three days after the cessation of Tylosin application (Day 8) the injection of GnRH was repeated at the same dose. Although LH secretion appeared to be lower on Day 8 compared to Day 5, there were no significant differences between the groups for the mean LH concentrations, total LH secretion, peak LH concentrations, timing of LH peak, duration of LH secretion, and LH secretions on Days 5 and 8. These results indicate the absence of a negative effect of a therapeutic dose of Tylosin on GnRH-induced LH secretion in rams.