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We aimed to investigate left atrial (LA) myocardial dynamics during reservoir phase using three-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography (3DSTE) focusing on its longitudinal-circumferential relationship in patients with left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy and clarifying the difference in LA myocardial reservoir dynamics between hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and hypertension with LV hypertrophy (HT-LVH). We studied 4 age-matched groups consisting of 27 patients with HCM, 16 with HT-LVH, 22 hypertensive patients without LV hypertrophy (HT), and 18 normal controls. Using 3DSTE, we measured LA global longitudinal strain (LA-LSR), global circumferential strain (LA-CSR), and global area strain (LA-AS(R)) during the reservoir phase, as well as LV global longitudinal strain (LV-LS), global circumferential strain (LV-CS), and global area strain (LV-AS). LA-LSR was significantly lower in the HCM and HT-LVH groups than in the controls, but there was no significant difference between the HCM and HT-LVH groups. LA-CSR and LA-AS(R) were significantly lower in the HCM group than in the other three groups, among which no significant difference was detected. In all subjects, LA-LSR was significantly correlated with LV-LS but not with LV-CS. LA-CSR was correlated with neither LV-LS nor LV-CS. In conclusion, both longitudinal and circumferential LA myocardial expansion during reservoir phase were reduced in HCM, while only the longitudinal one was reduced in HT-LVH. Reduction of LA circumferential expansion may reflect a more serious and intrinsic impairment of LA myocardial distensibility in HCM. Measuring LA-CSR and LA-AS(R) using 3DSTE would contribute to a more accurate understanding of LA reservoir function abnormality in HCM.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to test whether the fractional change in the endocardial border length between end-diastole and end-systole as manually traced in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) measurement using the biplane method of disks (MOD) was consistent with the global longitudinal strain derived from speckle-tracking echocardiography. Methods For 105 patients who underwent echocardiography, two- and four-chamber images with manually traced endocardial lines for LVEF measurement by MOD were stored. LV endocardial lengths at end-diastole and at end-systole were measured on both images to calculate the fractional length changes, which were averaged (GLS(MOD)). Speckle-tracking analysis was performed to measure global longitudinal strains in the apical two- and four-chamber and long-axis images, and the three values were averaged (GLS(STE)) according to the ASE and EACVI guidelines. Results There was no significant difference between GLS(MOD) and GLS(STE). GLS(MOD) correlated well with GLS(STE) (r = 0.81, p < 0.001), and there was no fixed bias in the Bland-Altman analysis. The intraclass correlations for the intra- and inter-observer comparisons for GLS(STE) were excellent, and those for GLS(MOD) were adequate. Conclusion The fractional LV endocardial border length change, GLS(MOD), showed sufficient agreement with GLS(STE) to justify its use as a substitute for the STE-derived global longitudinal strain.

Sigmoid-shaped ventricular septum (SS), a frequently encountered minor abnormality in echocardiographic examinations of the elderly, may have some influence on RV shape. We aimed to determine the influence of SS on the accuracy of the 6 RV linear diameter measurements in the light of three-dimensional echocardiographic (3DE) RV volume. The aorto-septal angle (ASA) was measured in the parasternal long-axis view using two-dimensional echocardiography (2DE) as an index of SS in 70 patients without major cardiac abnormalities who were subdivided into 35 with SS (ASA ≤ 120°) and 35 without SS (NSS). We measured RV end-diastolic volume (RVEDV) using 3DE; in addition, using 2DE, we measured basal RV diameter, mid-cavity diameter, longitudinal diameter and end-diastolic area in the apical four-chamber view; proximal RV outflow tract (RVOT) diameter in the parasternal long-axis view; and proximal and distal RVOT diameters in the parasternal short-axis view. RVEDV did not differ between the SS and NSS groups. The SS group had greater basal RV diameter and proximal and distal RVOT diameters than the NSS group. RV mid-cavity diameter, longitudinal diameter, and end-diastolic area did not differ between the groups. Among the 2DE parameters of RV size, RV end-diastolic area was most strongly correlated with RVEDV (r = 0.67), followed by RV mid-cavity diameter (r = 0.58). When SS is present, the echocardiographic basal RV diameter and RVOT diameters overestimate RV size, and the measurement of RV end-diastolic area and mid-cavity diameter more correctly reflect 3D RV volume.

Background and purpose Flow velocity oscillation rate (FVOR) of the renal interlobar vein has been reported to be decreased in patients with urinary obstruction or diabetic nephropathy, and increased in those with hypertension during pregnancy. To clarify the clinical role of the renal interlobar venous FVOR, we investigated the flow velocity patterns of the renal vessels in patients with hypertension (HT) and/or diabetes (DM). Methods and results Pulsed-wave Doppler sonography was performed in 34 patients: 15 with HT, 10 with DM, and nine with both HT and DM (HT-DM). Each FVOR of the right and left interlobar veins was closely and positively correlated with the ipsilateral interlobar arterial resistive index (RI), especially in the HT group, but not with the estimated glomerular filtration rate. The right interlobar venous FVOR was decreased in the DM and HT-DM groups compared to the HT group. Conclusion The renal interlobar venous FVOR is strongly influenced by the arterial RI in HT patients, and is reduced in DM patients without an obvious relationship with diabetic nephropathy. These findings should be noted for the clinical application of renal interlobar venous flow analysis.

In our new echocardiographic method, pulmonary regurgitant velocity immediately before right atrial (RA) contraction is used to estimate pulmonary artery diastolic pressure (PADP) and mean PA wedge pressure (MPAWP). Our aim here was to compare the usefulness of this new method with that of the conventional method, which uses pulmonary regurgitant velocity at end diastole. We studied 55 consecutive patients who underwent echocardiography and right-sided heart catheterization. The pulmonary regurgitant velocities just before RA contraction and at end diastole were measured to obtain echocardiographic estimates of PADP (EPADP preA and EPADP ED , respectively) by adding the pressure gradients to the echocardiographically estimated RA pressure. Compared with EPADP ED , EPADP preA correlated better with PADP ( r = 0.87) and MPAWP ( r = 0.80), and direct fixed biases were detected for EPADP ED but not for EPADP preA . The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve distinguishing patients with MPAWP ≥18 mm Hg was greater for EPADP preA (0.97) than for E / e ′ (0.94) and E / A (0.83). EPADP preA is thus useful in estimating PADP and MPAWP in patients with heart disease.

We analyzed the waveform of systolic strain and strain-rate curves to find a characteristic left ventricular (LV) myocardial contraction pattern in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), and evaluated the utility of these parameters for the differentiation of HCM and LV hypertrophy secondary to hypertension (HT). From global strain and strain-rate curves in the longitudinal and circumferential directions, the time from mitral valve closure to the peak strains (T-LS and T-CS, respectively) and the peak systolic strain rates (T-LSSR and T-CSSR, respectively) were measured in 34 patients with HCM, 30 patients with HT, and 25 control subjects. The systolic strain-rate waveform was classified into 3 patterns ("V", "W", and "√" pattern). In the HCM group, T-LS was prolonged, but T-LSSR was shortened; consequently, T-LSSR/T-LS ratio was distinctly lower than in the HT and control groups. The "√" pattern of longitudinal strain-rate waveform was more frequently seen in the HCM group (74 %) than in the control (4 %) and HT (20 %) groups. Similar but less distinct results were obtained in the circumferential direction. To differentiate HCM from HT, the sensitivity and specificity of the T-LSSR/T-LS ratio

Whether and how left ventricular (LV) strain and strain rate correlate with wall stress is not known. Furthermore, it is not determined whether strain or strain rate is less dependent on the afterload. In 41 healthy young adults, LV global peak strain and systolic peak strain rate in the longitudinal direction (LS and LSR, respectively) and circumferential direction (CS and CSR, respectively) were measured layer-specifically using speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) before and during a handgrip exercise. Among all the points before and during the exercise, all the STE parameters significantly correlated linearly with wall stress (LS: r = -0.53, p < 0.01, LSR: r = -0.28, p < 0.05, CS in the inner layer: r = -0.72, p < 0.01, CSR in the inner layer: r = -0.47, p < 0.01). Strain more strongly correlated with wall stress than strain rate (r = -0.53 for LS vs. r = -0.28 for LSR, p < 0.05; r = -0.72 for CS vs. r = -0.47 for CSR in the inner layer, p < 0.05), whereas the interobserver variability was similar between strain and strain rate (longitudinal 6.2 vs. 5.2 %, inner circumferential 4.8 vs. 4.7 %, mid-circumferential 7.9 vs. 6.9 %, outer circumferential 10.4 vs. 9.7 %), indicating that the differences in correlation coefficients reflect those in afterload dependency. It was thus concluded that LV strain and strain rate linearly and inversely correlated with wall stress in the longitudinal and circumferential directions, and strain more strongly depended on afterload than did strain rate. Myocardial shortening should be evaluated based on the relationships between these parameters and wall stress.

Nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis (NBTE) is characterized by the deposition of thrombi on previously undamaged heart valves in the absence of bacteremia and predominantly affects patients with hypercoagulable state. Although the diagnosis is usually based on transthoracic echocardiography, little is known about the serial changes of the vegetation in response to treatment. We experienced a 42-year-old woman with advanced uterine cancer and asymptomatic cerebral embolization. Plasma d-dimer level was markedly elevated and echocardiography showed highly mobile masses attached to the anterior and posterior mitral leaflets with moderate regurgitation. Based on these findings, she was diagnosed as having NBTE associated with uterine cancer and intravenous administration of heparin and chemotherapy were performed. Follow-up echocardiography revealed the disappearance of the vegetation and reduction of mitral regurgitation. Uterine cancer was successfully treated by surgery and recurrence of the valvular lesion did not occur. Learning objective: Echocardiographic follow-up of valvular lesions could be a useful guide of the response to the treatment in patients with nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis. Accordingly, anticoagulation therapy with careful follow-up echocardiography before the removal of the original cancer could be a reasonable approach in these patients.>

It was recently shown that invasively determined right ventricular (RV) stiffness was more closely related to the prognosis of patients with pulmonary hypertension than RV systolic function. So far, a completely noninvasive method to access RV stiffness has not been reported. We aimed to clarify the clinical usefulness of our new echocardiographic index of RV operating stiffness using atrial-systolic descent of the pulmonary artery-RV pressure gradient derived from pulmonary regurgitant velocity (PRPGDAC) and tricuspid annular plane movement during atrial contraction (TAPMAC). We studied 81 consecutive patients with various cardiac diseases who underwent echocardiography and cardiac catheterization. We measured PRPGDAC and TAPMAC using continuous-wave Doppler and M-mode echocardiography, respectively, and calculated PRPGDAC/TAPMAC. RV end-diastolic pressure (RVEDP) and RV pressure increase during atrial contraction (ΔRVPAC) were invasively measured, and RV volume change during atrial contraction (ΔVAC) was calculated from echocardiographic late-diastolic transtricuspid flow time-velocity integral and tricuspid annular area; thus ΔRVPAC/ΔVAC was used as the standard index for RV operating stiffness. PRPGDAC/TAPMAC well correlated with ΔRVPAC/ΔVAC (r = 0.84, p 12 mmHg was 0.94. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that PRPGDAC/TAPMAC was the single independent determinant of ΔRVPAC/ΔVAC (β = 0.86, p

BACKGROUND Early-diastolic mitral annular velocity (e') and the ratio of early-diastolic left ventricular (LV) inflow velocity (E) to e' (E/e') have been widely used as indexes of LV relaxation and filling pressure, respectively. However, many recent studies have demonstrated that they are not reliable in various clinical settings. We thus investigated the factors influencing these echocardiographic parameters in a multicenter study.Methods and Results:The study group comprised 69 patients, referred for cardiac catheterization, and enrolled in 5 university hospitals. Time constant (τ) and LV mean diastolic pressure (LVMDP) were measured using a micromanometer-tipped catheter. Although e' only weakly correlated with τ (r=-0.35, P

Aims The detection of increased left ventricular (LV) chamber stiffness may play an important role in assessing cardiac patients with potential but not overt heart failure. A non-invasive method to estimate it is not established. We investigated whether the echocardiographic backward/forward flow volume ratio from the left atrium (LA) during atrial contraction reflects the LV chamber stiffness. Methods and results We studied 62 patients who underwent cardiac catheterization and measured their left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) and pressure increase during atrial contraction (Delta Pa) from the LV pressure waveform. Using the echocardiographic biplane method of disks, we measured the LV volume change during atrial contraction indexed to the body surface area (Delta Va), and Delta Pa/Delta Va was calculated as a standard for the LV operating chamber stiffness. Using pulsed Doppler echocardiography, we measured the time-velocity integral (TVI) of the backward pulmonary venous (PV) flow during atrial contraction (I-PVA) and the ratio of I-PVA to the PV flow TVI throughout a cardiac cycle (F-PVA). We also measured the TVI of the atrial systolic forward transmitral flow (I-A) and the ratio of the I-A to the transmitral TVI during a cardiac cycle (F-A) and calculated I-PVA/I-A and F-PVA/F-A. IPVA/IA and F-PVA/F-A were well correlated with Delta Pa/Delta Va (r = 0.79 and r = 0.81) and LVEDP (r = 0.73 and r = 0.77). The areas under the ROC curve to discriminate LVEDP > 18mmHg were 0.90 for I-PVA/I-A and 0.93 for F-PVA/F-A. Conclusion The F-PVA/F-A, the backward/forward flow volume ratio from the LA during atrial contraction, is useful for noninvasive assessments of LV chamber stiffness and elevated LVEDP.

Many echocardiographic features of constrictive pericarditis (CP) have been reported, but each alone has a limitation either in sensitivity or in specificity. Continuous-wave Doppler-derived flow velocity of pulmonary regurgitation can reflect the diastolic right ventricular pressure pattern characteristic of CP and be useful for its detection.Fifteen patients with CP, 18 patients with restrictive cardiomyopathy, and 20 normal subjects were studied retrospectively. Using continuous-wave Doppler echocardiography, pulmonary regurgitation velocities were measured at the early diastolic peak (VMAx), mid-diastolic inflection point (VIFL), and late diastolic minimal point (VMIN).VIFL, VIFL/VMAx, VMIN, and VMIN/VMAx were significantly lower in the CP group compared with the restrictive cardiomyopathy and normal groups. Prevalence rates of patients with early mid-diastolic inflection, VIFL/VMAx0.5, VMIN50 cm/sec, and VMIN/VMAx0.33 were significantly greater in the CP group compared with the other groups. Sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of CP were 93% and 74%, respectively, for the presence of early mid-diastolic inflection, 73% and 100% for VIFL/VMAx0.5, 73% and 97% for VMIN50 cm/sec, and 93% and 92% for VMIN/VMAx0.33.The quantitative and pattern analyses of continuous-wave Doppler-derived pulmonary regurgitation velocity could enhance the accuracy of echocardiographic detection of CP.

Background Left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction is often observed in healthy older subjects without structural heart disease, although its exact mechanisms have not been established. A decrease in the aorto-septal angle (ASA), an alteration of LV shape due to aortic elongation, is also frequently seen in elderly subjects. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether it can contribute to LV diastolic dysfunction in healthy subjects. Methods Echocardiography was performed in 77 healthy subjects (42 men, mean age 43.2 ± 13.8 years) to measure the ASA, early diastolic transmitral flow velocity (E), isovolumic relaxation time (IRT), and early diastolic mitral annular velocity (e′). The LV peak early diastolic longitudinal strain rate (GSRE) was measured using a two-dimensional speckle tracking imaging technique. Results ASA was significantly correlated with E (r = 0.54, p

Background Morphological characteristics of blood cells are still qualitatively defined. So a texture analysis (Tx) method using gray level co-occurrence matrices (GLCMs; CM-Tx method) was applied to images of erythrocyte precursor cells (EPCs) for quantitatively distinguishing four types of EPC stages: proerythroblast, basophilic erythroblast, polychromatic erythroblast, and orthochromatic erythroblast. Methods Fifty-five images of four types of EPCs were downloaded from an atlas uploaded by the Blood Cell Morphology Standardization Subcommittee (BCMSS) of the Japanese Society of Laboratory Hematology (JSLH). Using in-house programs, two types of GLCMs-(R: d=1, θ=0°) and (U: d=1, θ=270°)-and nine types of texture distinction index (TDI) were calculated with images removed outer part of cell. Results Three binary decision trees were sequentially divided among four types of EPC with the sum average of GLCM (U), the contrast of GLCM (R), and the sum average of GLCM (U). The average concordance rate (sensitivity) of CM-Tx method with the judgments of eleven experts in the BCMSS of the JSLH was 95.8% (87.5-100.0), and the average specificity was 97.6% (92.5-100.0). Conclusions The CM-Tx method is an effective tool for quantitative distinction of EPC with their morphological features.

We investigated the influence of tricuspid regurgitation (TR) severity on the echocardiographic peak systolic transtricuspid pressure gradient (TRPG) and evaluated the usefulness of the peak early diastolic transpulmonary valve pressure gradient (PRPG) for estimating pulmonary artery (PA) pressure. In 55 consecutive right heart-catheterized patients, we measured the peak systolic right ventricular (RV)-right atrial (RA) pressure gradient (RV-RA(CATH)), peak early diastolic PA-RV pressure gradient (PA-RVCATH), and mean PA pressure (MPAP(CATH)). Using echocardiography, we obtained the TRPG, PRPG, and an estimate of the mean PA pressure (EMPAP) as the sum of PRPG and the estimated RA pressure, and measured the vena contracta width of TR (VCTR). The difference between the TRPG and RV-RA(CATH) was significantly greater in the very severe TR group (VCTR > 11 mm) than in the mild, moderate, and severe TR groups, and significantly greater in the severe TR group (7 < VCTR ae 11 mm) than in the mild TR group. The overestimation of the pressure gradient > 10 mmHg by TRPG was not seen in the mild or moderate TR groups, but was observed in the severe and very severe TR groups (22 and 83%, respectively). In the ROC analysis, EMPAP could distinguish patients with MPAP(CATH) ae 25 mmHg with the area under the curve of 0.93, 100% sensitivity, and 87% specificity. In conclusion, TRPG frequently overestimated RV-RA(CATH) when VCTR was > 11 mm and sometimes did when VCTR was > 7 mm, where EMPAP using PRPG was useful for estimating PA pressure.

Background The neutrophil alkaline phosphatase (NAP) score is a valuable test for the diagnosis of myeloproliferative neoplasms, but it has still manually rated. Therefore, we developed a semi-automatic rating method using Photoshop® and Image-J, called NAP-PS-IJ. Methods Neutrophil alkaline phosphatase staining was conducted with Tomonaga's method to films of peripheral blood taken from three healthy volunteers. At least 30 neutrophils with NAP scores from 0 to 5+ were observed and taken their images. From which the outer part of neutrophil was removed away with Image-J. These were binarized with two different procedures (P1 and P2) using Photoshop®. NAP-positive area (NAP-PA) and granule (NAP-PGC) were measured and counted with Image-J. Results The NAP-PA in images binarized with P1 significantly (P < 0.05) differed between images with NAP scores from 0 to 3+ (group 1) and those from 4+ to 5+ (group 2). The original images in group 1 were binarized with P2. NAP-PGC of them significantly (P < 0.05) differed among all four NAP score groups. The mean NAP-PGC with NAP-PS-IJ indicated a good correlation (r = 0.92, P < 0.001) to results by human examiners. Conclusions The sensitivity and specificity of NAP-PS-IJ were 60% and 92%, which might be considered as a prototypic method for the full-automatic rating NAP score.

We recently developed a wideband 15-MHz linear array probe (15 M) with a band width of 8 MHz (9–17 MHz). Both axial and lateral resolution of 15 M, evaluated using a phantom model, were better than those of the current 10-MHz linear probe. To compare interobserver variability in measurement of medium-sized muscular arteries acquired using a 7.5-MHz linear probe (7.5 M), a 10-MHz linear probe (10M) and 15 M, two observers independently acquired images of the brachial and radial arteries, and measured the diameter and intima-media thickness (IMT) of those arteries in 17 male volunteers. Intraobserver variability in determining percent flowmediated dilatation (%FMD) was assessed in the same subjects using 15 M. Coefficients of variation (CV) in arteries measured using 7.5 M, 10 M, and 15 M were 7.0%, 2.5%, and 1.5%, respectively, for the diameter of the brachial artery; 10.3%, 5.8%, and 3.2%, respectively, for the diameter of the radial artery; and 17.0%, 13.8%, and 8.5%, respectively, for IMT of the far wall of the brachial artery. The CV of measurement of %FMD was 4.6%. The new 15-MHz probe thus warrants use in evaluating morphology and function of muscular arteries of medium size.

Pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) is an important hemodynamic parameter in patients with heart failure, especially when the pulmonary arterial pressure is lower due to reduced stroke volume. Several echocardiographic methods to estimate PVR have been proposed, but their applications in patients with organic left-sided heart diseases have been limited. The aim of the present study was to examine the usefulness of our new method to estimate PVR (PVRPR) based on the continuous-wave Doppler velocity measurements of pulmonary regurgitation in these patients. In 43 patients who underwent right heart catheterization, PVRPR was calculated as the difference between the Doppler-derived early- and end-diastolic pulmonary artery (PA)-right ventricular (RV) pressure gradients divided by the cardiac output measured in the left ventricular outflow tract by echocardiography. The PVRPR correlated well with invasive PVR (PVRCATH) (r = 0.81, p < 0.001) without any fixed bias in Bland-Altman analysis. The conventional echocardiographic PVRs showed inadequate correlations with PVRCATH, or a obvious overestimation of PVRCATH. In the receiver operating characteristic analyses to determine the patients with abnormal elevation of PVRCATH (> 3 Wood units, WU), the area under the curve was the greatest for PVRPR (0.964) compared to the conventional PVRs (0.649-0.839). PVRPR had 83 % sensitivity and 100 % specificity at the optimal cut-off value of 3.10 WU in identifying patients with PVRCATH > 3 WU. Our simple and theoretical PVRPR is useful for the noninvasive estimation of PVR.

BACKGROUND Speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE)-derived parameters may have better correlation with left ventricular (LV) relaxation and filling pressure than tissue Doppler-derived parameters. However, it has not been elucidated which parameter - strain or strain rate - and which direction of myocardial deformation - longitudinal or circumferential - is the most useful marker of LV relaxation and filling pressure. METHODS AND RESULTS We conducted a prospective multicenter study and compared the correlation of tissue Doppler- and STE-derived parameters with the time constant of LV pressure decay (τ) and LV mean diastolic pressure (MDP) in 77 patients. The correlation of early-diastolic mitral annular velocity (e´) with τ was weak (r=-0.32, P

Object Identification of the risk of rupture and vulnerability of arterial plaque is not yet clearly understood. The aim of this study was to assess the clinical features of the motion of intraplaque contents (MIC) detected by B-mode ultrasonography. The MIC is characterized by the peculiar movement of the intraplaque contents that is not synchronized with the heartbeat; however, the movement of the carotid artery (CA) wall depends on the heartbeat. Methods From January 2008 to November 2010, 1798 consecutive patients with transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) or acute ischemic stroke underwent CA ultrasonography for the examination of the MIC. Patients with CA stenosis greater than 50% were followed up until they underwent carotid endarterectomy or CA angioplasty and stent placement. If neither of these procedures were used, the patients were followed up at 90 days. Chi-square and Mann-Whitney tests were performed to compare the categorical and continuous demographic data and risk factors. The effect of the MIC on the rate of recurrent cerebral ischemia was examined using Kaplan-Meier and univariate Cox regression analyses. Results One hundred and fifteen patients had CA stenosis greater than 50%. Among these 115 patients, 58 with a total of 59 CA stenoses had MIC. Twenty-four recurrent ischemic events were associated with MIC, whereas only 6 such events occurred in the absence of MIC. The MIC decreased event-free survival (log-rank test = 15.8, p < 0.001); univariate Cox analysis confirmed that MIC increased the risk of a recurrent ischemic event (HR 5.12, 95% CI 2.08–12.58; p < 0.001). Conclusions The MIC is one of the findings of vulnerable plaques. The MIC is more useful in predicting the recurrence of TIAs or ischemic events in patients with symptomatic CA stenosis.

The diagnostic power of carotid sonography in detecting plaque ulcers may be inadequate when using the conventional criteria. We aimed to evaluate the usefulness of new criteria that we devised through a preliminary analysis of 50 endarterectomy cases before the present series.Thirty carotid arteries of 30 consecutive patients who underwent endarterectomy (28 men; age range, 46-83 years) were studied. In the long- and short-axis B-mode images of carotid arteries, the concavity of the plaque surface and the surface echo intensity were carefully investigated. The conventional criteria stipulate a concavity larger than 2 × 2 mm with a well-defined back wall and flow reversal within the recess. Our new criteria specify a concavity in the plaque with the basal border echo weaker than that of the adjacent plaque surface, regardless of size. The final diagnosis was based on surgical and histologic findings.Among the 30 carotid arteries, 14 arteries had 14 ulcers at surgery. Seventeen concavities were detected by sonography, and 12 of them, including six smaller than 2 × 2 mm, were truly ulcers. Two concavities with an echo intensity of the basal border equal to or greater than that of the adjacent surface were not true ulcers. Only two of 14 ulcers were not detected by sonography. The sensitivity and specificity of the conventional criteria were 35.7% and 75.0%, respectively, and those of our new criteria were 85.7% and 81.3%, respectively.Our new criteria for the sonographic diagnosis of plaque ulcer are more useful than the conventional ones.

Spontaneous echo contrast (SEC) consists of numerous microechoes swirling in the cardiovascular lumen and is usually seen during blood stasis in dysfunctional left atrium. However, SEC and consecutive local thrombus formation at the carotid artery early after carotid endarterectomy (CEA) have not been reported. This study retrospectively investigated the clinical importance and therapeutic strategy of postoperative SEC and thrombus formation in 113 consecutive patients who underwent CEA between 2001 and 2009. Ultrasonography was routinely performed preoperatively, intraoperatively, and 1 day and 1 week after the operation. If SEC and/or thrombus was detected at any time after the operation, follow-up ultrasonography was performed at short intervals, once a week for inpatients and once every 1-2 months for outpatients. Eight of the 113 patients (7%) had SEC after the operation from Day 1 to 12 (mean 7.2 days), and 6 of these 8 patients developed local de novo thrombus formation at the site of SEC from Day 6 to 33 (mean 14.7 days). The maximum luminal narrowing by the thrombi were 26-62% (mean 37%). After administering anticoagulant therapy, all thrombi disappeared from Day 13 to 190 (mean 57 days) from CEA. SEC seen after CEA is highly associated with consecutive local thrombus formation. Postoperative geometric blood stasis with the absence of intima may be the causative factor for its development.

Background: Time-delay indexes are limited in predicting the response to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), partly because they do not reflect the residual left ventricular (LV) contractility. We computed a novel index of LV contractility loss due to dyssynchrony (the strain rate (SR) dispersion index: SRDI) by using the speckle-tracking SR and compared the efficacy of the SRDI, time-delay indexes, and strain delay index (SDI), the previously reported index of wasted energy due to dyssynchrony, for predicting the acute response to CRT. Methods and Results: Echocardiography was performed in 19 heart failure patients (LV ejection fraction (EF) 25±6%) before and 2 weeks after CRT. The standard deviation of time to peak velocity, or strain, was calculated as time-delay indexes. The SRDI was calculated as the average of segmental peak systolic SR minus global peak systolic SR. Longitudinal SDI (L-SDI), longitudinal SRDI (L-SRDI), and circumferential SRDI (C-SRDI) significantly correlated with the change in global longitudinal strain (Δglobal LSt), whereas the time-delay indexes did not. Although the time-delay indexes were comparable between responders (Δglobal LSt ≥0.3%) and nonresponders, the L-SDI, L-SRDI, and C-SRDI were greater in responders. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the L-SRDI, L-SDI, and C-SRDI for predicting responders was 0.89, 0.81, and 0.78, respectively. Conclusions: The SRDI correlated fairly well with an improvement in global LV systolic function after CRT. (Circ J 2011; 75: 2167-2175)

Background: Although a reduction in myocardial blood volume (MBV), an in vivo index of the myocardial microvasculature, measured by myocardial contrast echocardiography in patients with hypertension (HT), can be demonstrated, it is still unknown whether a decreased MBV can be improved by antihypertensive treatment. Methods and Results: Eleven HT patients (mean age 58 years, 7 men) with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and 10 age- and sex-matched normal controls were studied. Harmonic power Doppler images were acquired at end-diastole of every 6th beat and MBV was calculated as 10X/10×100%, where X (dB) is myocardial contrast intensity minus the contrast intensity of the adjacent intracavity blood pool. Baseline blood pressure (BP) and left ventricular mass index (LVMI) in the HT patients were higher and MBV was lower than in the controls (2.52 ±0.37% vs 3.31 ±0.61%, P

症例は29歳女性．肺塞栓のため入院．肥満とインターネットで個人輸入した経口避妊薬の服用が発症の危険因子であった．初日の心エコー図検査で右室圧負荷所見を認め，翌日の心エコー図検査にて右房から左房に繋がる蛇状の可動性ひも状エコーを認めた．第3病日に低酸素血症が増悪し，施行した経食道心エコー図検査では血栓は消失しており，右房拡大ならびに卵円孔開存，右‐左シャントを認めた．入院時，CTにより上下大静脈内に多量の血栓の存在が疑われたため外科的治療は行わず，抗凝固・血栓溶解療法を行った．肺塞栓による肺高血圧が小さな卵円孔開存を介する右‐左シャントをもたらし，右房内に流入した浮遊血栓が卵円孔に捕捉され，その後，肺動脈に新たな塞栓を来たしたと推測された．肺塞栓に卵円孔開存が合併した場合予後不良とされているが，本症例は幸いにも内科的治療が著効し，無事退院することが出来た． 肺塞栓における刻一刻と変化する血栓や血行動態を経胸壁心エコー図で繰り返し評価することは，より迅速な治療法選択や治療の効果判定に有用であると考えられた．

BACKGROUND Although longitudinal strain (LS) is known to be reduced in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), it has not been elucidated whether or not circumferential strain (CS) is reduced. We aimed to determine whether multidirectional and layer-specific myocardial strain is reduced in patients with nonobstructive HCM. METHODS AND RESULTS Speckle-tracking echocardiography was performed in 41 HCM patients and 27 control subjects. Segmental and global LS and CS were measured in the inner, mid, and outer layers. Global LS was significantly lower in the HCM group than in controls in the inner (-10.3±2.9 vs. -14.8±2.0%, P

We investigated the feasibility of using sonography of abnormal plaque motion to diagnose high-risk carotid lesions ranging from plaque rupture to ulcer formation. Fifty consecutive carotid arteries of 49 patients (71 ± 7 y, 37 males) who underwent carotid endarterectomy were investigated by carotid sonography to find a plaque concavity (sonographic ulcer [SU]), fine trembling motion inside the plaque (FTMI) and systolic retractive motion of the plaque surface (SRMS). Plaque rupture or ulcer, necrotic core and intra-plaque hemorrhage were determined at carotid endarterectomy. Twenty-two SUs, 41 cases of FTMI and 20 cases of SRMS were detected by carotid sonography. The sensitivity and specificity of SU in diagnosing plaque rupture or ulcer at carotid endarterectomy were 48% and 90%, and those of FTMI were 93% and 60%. Plaques with SRMS more frequently had both a necrotic core and intra-plaque hemorrhage than those without SRMS (80% vs. 30%, p = 0.0005). Abnormal plaque motion detected by carotid sonography is useful in detecting a ruptured or ulcerated plaque with a necrotic core and/or hemorrhage.

To test the hypothesis that the power of the received signal of harmonic power Doppler imaging (HPDI) is proportional to the bubble concentration under conditions of constant applied acoustic pressure, and to determine whether a new quantitative method can overcome the acoustic field inhomogeneity during myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) and identify perfusion abnormalities caused by myocardial infarction.The relation between Levovist concentration and contrast signal intensity (CI) of HPDI was investigated in vitro under conditions of constant acoustic pressure. MCE was performed during continuous infusion of Levovist with intermittent HPDI every sixth cardiac cycle in 11 healthy subjects and 25 patients with previous myocardial infarction. In the apical views myocardial CI (CI(myo)) was quantified in five myocardial segments. The CI from the left ventricular blood pool adjacent to the segment was also measured in dB and subtracted from the CI(myo) (relative CI (RelCI)).CI had a logarithmic correlation and the calculated signal power a strong linear correlation with Levovist concentration in vitro. Thus, a difference in CI of X dB indicates a microbubble concentration ratio of 10(X/10). In normal control subjects, CI(myo) differed between the five segments (p0.0001), with a lower CI(myo) in deeper segments. However, RelCI did not differ significantly between segments (p = 0.083). RelCI was lower (p0.0001) in the 39 infarct segments (mean (SD) -18.6 (2.8) dB) than in the 55 normal segments (mean (SD) -15.1 (1.6) dB). RelCI differed more than CI(myo) between groups.The new quantitative method described can overcome the acoustic field inhomogeneity in evaluation of myocardial perfusion during MCE. RelCI represents the ratio of myocardium to blood microbubble concentrations and may correctly reflect myocardial blood volume fraction.

Increased carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT), but not necessarily peripheral vessel IMT, accompanies atherosclerosis. We hypothesized that IMT in a peripheral, muscular artery known to be resistant to atherosclerotic changes would increase with hypertension, thereby limiting increases in wall stress and potentially preserving endothelial cell function reflected by flow-mediated dilation (FMD). Plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 (PAI-1) can inhibit vascular smooth muscle cell migration contributing to increased IMT. Thus, increased PAI-1 may attenuate the mural adaptive response. A high-resolution scanner designed to delineate brachial artery FMD and IMT was used in studies of previously untreated patients with essential hypertension (n = 18) and age- and gender-matched normotensive subjects (n = 15). Brachial IMT was increased with hypertension (0.36 +/- 0.07 vs 0.27 +/- 0.03 mm in controls, p0.01), and FMD was lower (3.6 +/- 1.5% vs 7.8 +/- 3.6, p0.01). PAI-1 antigen in blood was increased (40.5 +/- 31.8 vs 26.3 +/- 11.6 ng/ml, p0.05). IMT and FMD correlated positively (r = 0.63, p0.05) in hypertensive patients. FMD correlated inversely with wall stress (r = -0.57, p0.05). IMT correlated inversely with PAI-1 (r = -0.61, p0.05). These observations support the hypothesis that increased PAI-1 attenuated increases in neointimal vascular smooth muscle cell cellularity. Thus, increased PAI-1 may attenuate a mural, adaptive response to hypertension associated with preservation of endothelial cell function.

Computational fluid dynamics of intraventricular flow during diastole was carried out to investigate the relationship between a left ventricular (LV) diastolic function and a color M-mode Doppler (CMD) echocardiogram. Results showed that a vortex ring, which was generated around a ventricular filling flow, locally increased velocity of the inflow due to a vena contracta effect and whereby created a maximum velocity point (MVP) there. Growth of the vortex ring with a ventricular expansion shifted MVP towards the apex. Although this occurred regardless of goodness of LV diastolic function, growth of the vortex ring was decelerated or reduced with deterioration of LV diastolic function, which resulted in a decrease in traveling distance and speed of MVP. It was reflected to shortening of an aliasing area in CMD echocardiogram. In a physiological range, a good correlation was found between traveling distance and speed of MVP and LV diastolic function. These findings validated the utility of the CMD echocardiographic technique for assessing LV diastolic function.

Background. Color M-mode Doppler echocardiography provides accurate evaluation of LV diastolic function noninvasively and is reportedly preload independent compared with pulsed Doppler transmitral velocity indexes. This study aimed to determine the prognostic significance of left ventricular (LV) diastolic function in patients with different degrees of chronic LV systolic dysfunction using color M-mode Doppler echocardiography.Methods. A total of 98 consecutive subjects (mean age 57 years, 78 males) with LV systolic dysfunction (61 with previous myocardial infarction and 37 with dilated cardiomyopathy) underwent clinical and echocardiographic evaluation to determine functional status. Measurements of LV and left atrial dimensions, LV ejection fraction (EF), the peak of early and late diastolic transmitral velocities (E and A, respectively), the E/A ratio, deceleration time of E velocity and isovolumic relaxation time using conventional echo-Doppler techniques, and LV flow propagation velocity (FPV) and FPV/E using color M-mode Doppler echocardiography were taken.Results. During the mean follow-up period of 37±28 months, 26 patients had cardiovascular events (death in 4, congestive heart failure in 13, ventricular tachycardia in 6, and cerebral infarction in 3). EF was the single independent predictor of cardiovascular events. While, in the subgroup with EF

To test the hypothesis that dobutamine-induced myocardial ischemia causes early-systolic asynchrony predominantly in the regional left ventricular wall, color kinesis (CK) images during dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) were recorded in 13 patients with coronary artery disease and in 10 patients without, all of whom showed normal wall motion at rest. Based on the visual interpretation of DSE and the angiographic findings, 21 segments in the short-axis images at the papillary muscle level were defined as ischemic, and 60 segments of the patients without coronary artery disease were defined as normal. The incremental fractional segmental area change (IFAC) was calculated at 33-ms intervals from the CK images. At the peak dose, IFACs during the first 33 and 33-67 ms were significantly lower in the ischemic segments than in the normal ones, and IFACs during 133-167, 200-233 and 233-267 ms were significantly higher in the ischemic segments. The ratio (peak/low dose) of the cumulative fractional area change at 100 ms gave the best sensitivity (= specificity) for differentiating the 2 groups (86%). Dobutamine-induced ischemia is characterized by an early-systolic asynchrony rather than a change in overall wall excursion and CK can provide an objective assessment of ischemia developing during DSE.

UNLABELLED The cardiomyopathic hamster (BIO TO2) is a well-established model of heart failure. Deterioration of cardiac function in BIO TO2 is attributed to a defect in delta-sarcoglycan, whereas cardiac dysfunction in delta-sarcoglycan knockout mice is caused by microvascular abnormalities. We examined the relation between cardiac function and the microvasculature, including angiogenic factors, in BIO TO2. METHODS AND RESULTS At the age of 5 weeks, percent fractional shortening (%FS) and positive rate of change in left ventricular pressure over time (dP/dt max) were lower in BIO TO2 than in age-matched F1B controls. Capillary density, capillary/myocyte (CM) ratio, capillary domain area (CDA), and myocyte density were similar between BIO TO2 and F1B controls. At the ages of 13 and 20 weeks, BIO had significantly lower capillary and myocyte densities and a significantly higher CM ratio and CDA. Myocyte density positively correlated with %FS and dP/dt max. There were no significant differences in mRNA expression for VEGF, Flt-1, angiopoietin-1, or angiopoietin-2 between BIO TO2 and F1B control. CONCLUSION Progressive myocyte loss is responsible for deterioration of cardiac function in BIO TO2. The impaired neovascularization may be involved in the progress of cardiac remodeling in cardiomyopathic hamsters.

A computational fluid dynamics study of intraventricular flow during early diastole is carried out to examine the effect of a change in the size of the mitral orifice due to opening and closing of the mitral valve on the flow evolution in the left ventricle during early diastole. It is found that a velocity profile of a transmitral flow with maximum velocity locating at the center of the mitral orifice is generated by gradual opening of the mitral orifice, and it remains even after the mitral orifice has fully opened. This transmitral flow causes the development of a vortex ring extending from the anterior to the posterior side of the left ventricle. The vortex ring keeps the main inflow to stream linearly toward the ventricular apex. Such a flow pattern produces an elongated shape of an aliasing area in a color M-mode Doppler echocardiogram obtained clinically. It is, therefore, considered that although opening and closing of the mitral orifice occur with a short period, they play an important role in characterizing intraventricular flow during early diastole.

The efficacy of ACE inhibitors (ACEIs) in the treatment of chronic heart failures is well documented. However, ACEIs may provide incomplete blockade of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) because of the alternative pathways for angiotensin II (All) production. We hypothesized that more complete blockade of RAS by adding an AT1 receptor blocker (ARB) may have greater potential to decrease mortality associated with heart failure and improve cardiac function than monotherapy with ACEIs. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of combined therapy on cardiac functions and survival in cardiomyopathic hamsters. Male cardiomyopathic hamsters (BIO TO2) were administered either placebo (group C), enalapril (30 mg/kg/day) (group E), or enalapril (30 mg/kg/day) + valsartan (500 mg/ kg/day) (group EV), starting at the age of 6 weeks. Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed to assess the differences in survival. Cardiac functions were evaluated by echocardiogram and cardiac catheterization. Group EV showed significant increases in fractional shortening, LV dP/dTmax, and deceleration time, and showed significant decreases in left ventricular diastolic dimension, LV dP/dTmin, and early diastolic mitral velocity/atrial systolic velocity. Treatment with enalapril resulted in longer survival compared with placebo. Moreover, life expectancy (median probability of survival: 433 days) increased significantly in group EV compared with group E (P

Apolipoprotein E-knockout (apoE-KO) mice have been used for studying atherogenesis, but the in vivo features including cardiovascular function have not yet been reported. This study aimed to noninvasively evaluate cardiovascular lesions in 6 apoE-KO mice and 6 control (C57BL/6) mice using transthoracic echocardiography performed using an originally developed linear scanner that permits a high-speed scan with wideband high-frequency ultrasound. Two independent observers evaluated and scored the degree of atherosclerotic changes in the aortic root from 2-dimensional long-axis and short-axis images. M-mode measurements included left ventricular end-diastolic dimension (LVDd), posterior wall thickness (LVPWT), fractional shortening, aortic root dimension and rate of systolic expansion of the aorta (%SEAo). The wall thickness of the aortic root was measured from the serial histological sections. Significant differences between apoE-KO and C57BL/6 mice were found in the atherosclerotic score, %SEAo, LVDd and LVPWT. The atherosclerotic score and %SEAo were significantly correlated with the aortic wall thickness. Transthoracic echocardiography with a high-frequency ultrasound system can detect atherosclerotic lesions and the decreased distensibility of the ascending aorta, as well as secondary changes in left ventricular geometry, in apoE-KO mice.

In the original publication of this paper the legend of Fig. 1 should read as: Fig. 1 Pulsed Doppler flow velocity recordings of the aorta (a), right renal artery (b), right renal interlobar artery (c), inferior vena cava (d), right renal vein (e), and right renal interlobar vein (f). PSV peak systolic velocity, EDV end-diastolic velocity, V

Background: We conducted a multicenter study in Japan to compare tissue Doppler echocardiography-derived and speckle tracking echocardiography (STE)-derived parameters of left ventricular (LV) diastolic function for the estimation of LV filling pressure. Methods: Seventy-eight patients (age 59±14 years, 59 male) with structural heart diseases including angina pectoris (n=34), old myocardial infarction (n=15), dilated cardiomyopathy (n=13), hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (n=8), and hypertensive heart disease (n=8) were studied according to the same protocol in 5 university hospitals in Japan. LV mean diastolic pressure (MDP) was measured by using a micromanometer-tipped catheter. Early-diastolic mitral annular velocity (e′) was measured at septal and lateral side of the annulus and averaged, and the ratio of early-diastolic transmitral velocity to e′ (E/e′) was calculated. Global longitudinal strain was measured using STE in 3 apical views and averaged on a frame-by-frame basis to construct a time-strain curve as well as a time-strain rate (SR) curve. Then, the absolute value of peak longitudinal strain (LS), early-diastolic peak SR (LSR E ), and that during isovolumic relaxation (IVR) period (LSR IVR ) were measured. Similarly, peak circumferential strain (CS), early-diastolic peak circumferential SR (CSR E ), and that during IVR (CSR IVR ) were measured from 3 short-axis views. Results: E/e′ weakly correlated with MDP (r=0.50, pIVR and E/CSR IVR did not correlate with MDP, whereas there was a significant but weak correlation between E/LSR E and MDP (r=0.50, pE and MDP (r=0.41, p Conclusions: STE-derived longitudinal parameters better correlated with MDP than circumferential parameters. Especially, E/LS was better than E/e′ for estimating LV filling pressure.

Background: Longitudinal myocardial shortening is known to be reduced even if left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF) is preserved in patients with hypertensive heart disease (HHD). However, the compensatory mechanism remains to be elucidated. Thus layer-specific longitudinal and circumferential strain as well as stress-strain relationship was observed in HHD patients. Methods: In 46 HHD patients with preserved EF (>50%) and 29 age-matched control subjects, global longitudinal strain (LS) and layer-specific circumferential strain (CS) were measured from the apical 4-chamber view and mid-ventricular short-axis view, respectively, by using speckle tracking echocardiography. LS was measured at innermost LV wall layer, and CS at innermost, midwall, and outermost layers. Layer-specific end-systolic circumferential wall stress (CWS) according to Mirsky’s formula and endocardial meridional wall stress (MWS) were calculated. Results: Systolic blood pressure (147±20 mm Hg), interventricular septal thickness (13±2 mm), and LV dimension (48±4 mm) were greater in HHD than controls, whereas EF was comparable (66±8 vs 66±5%). LS was smaller in HHD than controls (-13±3 vs -17±3%, p-2 , p-2 , p-2 , p-2 , p=0.72) were comparable between groups. Furthermore, the difference of CS between inner and outer layers significantly correlated with relative wall thickness (r=-0.33, p Conclusions: In patients with HHD, intrinsic myocardial shortening was impaired both longitudinally and circumferentially. Some compensatory mechanism associated with increased relative wall thickness might work to maintain subendocardial CS, resulting in preserved EF.

Transmitral flow velocity pattern obtained by pulsed Doppler technique reflects left ventricular (LV)diastolic function, but an increase in left atrial pressure pseudo-normalizes the flow pattern and masks diastolic dysfunction. Flow propagation velocity (FPV) measured, using color M-mode Doppler and baseline-shift technique, represents an average velocity of early diastolic LV filling flow from mitral orifice to mid-ventricle. In patients with ischemic heart disease and dilated cardiomyopathy, including those with pseudonormalized transmitral flow pattern, FPV had good correlation with the time constant of early diastolic LV pressure decay (Tau), indicating that FPV is a useful noninvasive diastolic-function parameter which does not pseudo-normalize. Unlike the conventional Doppler parameters, FPV was well correlated with Tau in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and was distinctly decreased even in hypertensive patents without LV hypertrophy. Thus, FPV is a unique noninvasive diastolic parameter, which can sensitively and accurately detect LV diastolic impairment.

Flow propagation velocity (FPV) of left ventricular (LV) filling flow has been shown to be a useful index for the evaluation of LV diastolic function, which is relatively independent of preload in myocardial infarction and dilated cardiomyopathy, but the usefulness of FPV for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) has not yet been determined. In 23 HCM patients and 26 control subjects, peak transmitral flow velocities in early diastole (E) and during atrial contraction (A), E/A ratio, deceleration time of E velocity, and isovolumic relaxation time were measured with the conventional Doppler technique, and FPV was measured from color M-mode Doppler images of LV filling flow. The time constant of LV isovolumic pressure decay (tau) was measured by a micro-manometer-tipped catheter in all HCM patients and 13 control subjects. Flow propagation velocity was significantly lower and deceleration time was significantly greater in HCM patients than in the control subjects, though no significant differences were observed in the other noninvasive indexes. Tau was significantly prolonged in HCM patients compared with that of control subjects (54+/-12 cm/s and 32 +/-7 cm/s, respectively; P.0001). While the conventional indexes did not correlate with tau among the 36 patients in whom invasive studies were performed, FPV correlated well with tau (r = -0.76, P.0001). Flow propagation velocity is a useful noninvasive index for the assessment of LV diastolic function in patients with HCM.

虚血性心疾患における従来の超音波診断は心筋梗塞の壁運動異常や合併症の評価を主体としたが,近年,その応用範囲は飛躍的に拡大した.ドブタミン負荷エコー法は,冠狭窄による一過性虚血と心筋生存能の評価法として,臨床の現場に根をおろした.また,コントラストエコー法による心筋微小循環の画像化は,造影剤や装置の開発に支えられ,その将来性が期待される.ハーモニックイメージングは,造影剤の選択的描出に加え,通常画像の画質をも改善し,壁運動評価を容易にした.

The present study examined the effect of long-term treatment with amlodipine and MCI-154 (a Ca2+ sensitizer) on progressive cardiac dysfunction and microvasculature in the dilated cardiomyopathic (DCM) hamster heart. After treatment of DCM hamsters (Bio 53.58) with amlodipine or MCI-154 for 15 wk from the age of 5 wk, amlodipine and MCI-154 were found to cause an increase in left ventricular percent fractional shortening and decreases in left ventricular diastolic dimension and isovolumic relaxation time in echocardiograms ( P < 0.01). A hemodynamic study showed that the diastolic time constant decreased in the amlodipine-treatment group ( P < 0.05). In a morphometric study employing a double-staining method that discriminated arteriolar and venular capillaries, amlodipine and MCI-154 caused increases in total capillary density ( P < 0.05) and the proportion of venular capillaries ( P < 0.05). Moreover, Northern blot analysis showed that the expression of mRNA for vascular endothelial growth factor was significantly increased by amlodipine and MCI-154. They preserve coronary microvasculature in the DCM hamster and might induce angiogenesis of small vessels, thereby contributing to preservation of cardiac systolic and diastolic function.

This study examined the effects of long-term treatments with the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, enalapril, and the calcium antagonist, amlodipine, on the morphologic changes, progressive left ventricular dysfunction, and gene expression of the ryanodine receptor (RyR) and phospholamban (PLN) in dilated cardiomyopathy. From the ages of 5 through 20 weeks, dilated cardiomyopathic hamsters, BIO53.58 (BIO), and control hamsters, F1b, orally received either enalapril or amlodipine. Cardiac function was assessed by echocardiography. At the age of 20 weeks, the collagen volume fractions were analyzed by the stereologic method. RyR and PLN messenger RNAs (mRNAs) were examined by Northern blot in the amlodipine group. In BIO, the reduction of left ventricular percentage of fractional shortening was attenuated in the enalapril group (p < 0.05) and amlodipine group (p < 0.001), and the increase in the collagen volume fraction and the loss of myocytes were suppressed in the amlodipine group compared with the untreated group. RyR mRNA level decreased in BIO (p < 0.01) compared with F1b, but PLN mRNA level was unchanged. RyR and PLN mRNA levels were unaffected by the treatment with amlodipine. Enalapril and amlodipine prevent progressive remodeling and reduce cardiac dysfunction in BIO. Amlodipine prevents fibrosis and cell death without modifying RyR and PLN mRNA levels in BIO.

To examine the contribution of the renin-angiotensin system to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), we studied 96 patients with HCM (mean age 50 years, 55% male), 105 of their unaffected siblings and offspring, and 160 healthy subjects without known hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) who were frequency matched to cases by age and sex. Patients were divided into familial or sporadic HCM (FHCM or SHCM) groups with or without affected members of their family. The region of interest in the angiotensinogen (AGT) gene, the missense mutation with methione-to-threonine amino acid substitution at codon 235 in angiotensinogen (M235T), was amplified by polymerase chain reaction with the use of allele-specific oligonucleotide primers flanking the polymorphic region of the AGT gene to amplify template deoxyribonucleic acid prepared from peripheral leukocytes. The T allele frequency was higher in the SHCM group than in unaffected siblings and offspring (88% vs 78%, X2 = 4.6, p < 0.05). The M allele frequency was higher in unaffected siblings and offspring than in patients with SHCM (23% vs 12%, X2 = 4.6, p < 0.05). The T allele frequency among unaffected siblings and offspring was similar to that observed in healthy subjects (78% vs 78%). We conclude that HCM, especially in sporadic cases, is partially determined by genetic disposition. The molecular variant of angiotensinogen T235 seems to be a predisposing factor for cardiac hypertrophy in HCM and carries an approximately twofold increased risk.

Background: We previously reported that the strain rate dispersion index (SRDI), an index of left ventricular (LV) contractility loss because of mechanical dyssynchrony, better predicted the acute response to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) than time-delay indices. However, it remains unclear whether the SRDI can predict the chronic response. Additionally, the SRDI needs to be simplified for use in clinical practice. Methods and Results: Echocardiography was performed in 40 heart failure patients who underwent CRT. The SRDI, the average of segmental peak systolic strain rates minus global peak systolic strain rate, was calculated, together with strain-derived time-delay indices (St-SD) in the longitudinal, circumferential and radial directions using a speckle-tracking method. As simplified indices, the longitudinal parameters were calculated from the apical 4-chamber view in addition to 3 apical views. LV end-systolic volume (ESV) significantly decreased 6 months after CRT. Although circumferential St-SD and all SRDIs correlated with the changes in ESV (ΔESV), multivariate analysis revealed that the circumferential SRDI was the single independent determinant of ΔESV. During the 20±14 months after CRT, cardiac events occurred in 14 patients. Kaplan-Meier analyses revealed that all SRDIs were significant predictors of cardiac events whereas none of St-SDs was. Conclusions: The SRDI predicted the reduction in both LV volume and cardiac events after CRT better than time-delay indices. Additionally, a simplified SRDI could be as good a predictor of CRT response as the original. (Circ J 2013; 77: 2757–2765)

Left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction is often observed in healthy older subjects without structural heart disease, although its exact mechanisms have not been established. A decrease in the aorto-septal angle (ASA), an alteration of LV shape due to aortic elongation, is also frequently seen in elderly subjects. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether it can contribute to LV diastolic dysfunction in healthy subjects.Echocardiography was performed in 77 healthy subjects (42 men, mean age 43.2 ± 13.8 years) to measure the ASA, early diastolic transmitral flow velocity (E), isovolumic relaxation time (IRT), and early diastolic mitral annular velocity (e'). The LV peak early diastolic longitudinal strain rate (GSRE ) was measured using a two-dimensional speckle tracking imaging technique.ASA was significantly correlated with E (r = 0.54, p 0.001), IRT (r = -0.41, p 0.001), e' (r = 0.57, p 0.001), and GSRE (r = 0.63, p 0.001) and shown by stepwise multivariate analysis to be the strongest independent determinant of E, IRT, and GSRE , and one of the independent determinants of e'.The alteration of LV shape associated with reduced ASA may be one of the causes of LV diastolic dysfunction independently of age in otherwise healthy subjects.