Identification of exercise-induced left ventricular systolic and diastolic dysfunction using gated SPECT in patients with coronary artery disease.

Background: We investigated whether poststress left ventricular dysfunction in patients with coronary artery disease may be confirmed at 30 minutes after exercise using newly modified quantitative gated single photon emission computed tomography (QGS) software that can evaluate systolic and diastolic function.

Methods And Results: In this study 28 control subjects, 26 patients with angina pectoris (AP), and 27 patients with old myocardial infarction (MI) who had undergone revascularization were included. Same-day exercise/rest gated technetium 99m tetrofosmin single photon emission computed tomography was performed.

Assessment of left ventricular diastolic function by gated single-photon emission tomography: comparison with Doppler echocardiography.

Gated single-photon emission tomography (SPET) is not yet an established procedure for the evaluation of left ventricular (LV) diastolic function. This study examined diastolic function derived from gated SPET in comparison with an established diagnostic tool, Doppler echocardiography. We examined 37 consecutive patients with normal sinus rhythm who underwent gated technetium-99m tetrofosmin SPET.

Increased plasma brain natriuretic peptide level as a guide for silent myocardial ischemia in patients with non-obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Objectives: We measured plasma atrial/brain natriuretic peptide (ANP/BNP) levels at rest and during exercise and correlated the results with various clinical findings, particularly with myocardial ischemia, in asymptomatic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM).

Background: In patients with HCM, ANP and BNP levels are elevated and exercise-induced myocardial ischemia is common. However, it has not yet been elucidated how these levels at rest and their change with dynamic exercise are related to ischemia.

Surgical removal of intra-aortic balloon catheter with fractured nitinol central lumen: a case report.

A 73-year-old woman suffering from septic shock was given circulatory assistance by intra-aortic balloon pumping (IABP). Eleven hours later, pumping stopped abruptly and blood reflux was observed in the intra-aortic balloon catheter (IABC). We removed it and inserted another IABC; 3.