Search

Objective: The coronary sinus (CS) has been largely ignored by physicians due to a lack of adequate data about the importance of CS enlargement in patients with heart failure (HF). We aimed to assess whether CS dilatation develops in patients with HF and to demonstrate its relation with global myocardial function of the right ventricle (RV). Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 45 healthy subjects and 95 HF patients exhibiting left ventricular systolic dysfunction on echocardiographic examination (EF <45%) secondary to ischemic (n=56) or idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) (n=39) were enrolled. Patients with severe renal dysfunction and/or valve disease were excluded. CS was measured by echocardiography from the posterior atrioventricular groove in the apical four-chamber view. The RV myocardial performance index (MPI), which reflects both systolic and diastolic function of the ventricle, was detected using tissue Doppler imaging, and patients with an RV MPI >0.55 were defined as having impaired RV myocardial function. ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis, Pearson's correlation, and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used for the statistical analysis. Results: The CS and RV MPI values were significantly greater both in patients with ischemic and idiopathic DCM than in controls (8.79±1.7 mm and 8.33±2.1 mm vs. 5.74±0.6 mm, and 0.64±0.07 and 0.62±0.08 vs. 0.43±0.02; p<0.001 for both, respectively). For the prediction of HF patients with impaired RV function, the cut-off value for the diameter of the CS was 7.35 mm, with a sensitivity of 83% and a specificity of 79%. Conclusion: The CS diameter can be used as a novel echocardiographic marker that provides information about impaired RV function in patients with HF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Archives of the Turkish Society of Cardiology / Türk Kardiyoloji Derneği Arşivi is the property of KARE Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Archives of the Turkish Society of Cardiology / Türk Kardiyoloji Derneği Arşivi is the property of KARE Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Archives of the Turkish Society of Cardiology / Türk Kardiyoloji Derneği Arşivi is the property of KARE Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection is rare cause of acute coronary syndrome. It is diagnosed by coronary angiography which shows dissection flap and false lumen. Patients might be presented different clinical conditions from asymptomatic to sudden cardiac death. A 52 year-old man with acute coronary syndrome was performed coronary angiography, his sircumflex artery had spontaneous dissection. Due to unrelieved symptomes with medical treatment, percutanous coronary stenting was succesfully performed to sircumflex artery of the patient. If there are suitable vessel and experienced physican, percutanous coronary intervention can be performed to the patients with spontaneous coronary artery dissection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Academic Emergency Medicine / Akademik Acil Tip Olgu Sunumlari Dergisi is the property of Galenos Yayinevi Tic. LTD. STI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A letter to the editor on atrial fibrillation is presented.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the impact of chronic sinusitis (CS) on carotid-intima-media thickness (CIMT), a marker of early atherosclerotic changes in the arterial bed., Methods: The study included 50 patients with CS (25 male, 25 female, mean age 26.6 ± 5.34 years), and 50 healthy subjects (25 male, 25 female, mean age 25.8 ± 4.76 years), aged 18 to 35 years without atherosclerotic risk factors, normal body mass index and normal metabolic parameters. CIMT was measured in all patients by ultrasonography. CS was confirmed by medical history and computed tomography scan of the paranasal cavities., Results: No significant difference existed between the groups in terms of age, sex, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, plasma creatinine, glucose, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol values (p>0.05). However, mean values of CIMT (mm) were significantly greater in CS patients than in healthy subjects (0.51 ± 0.09 vs. 0.40 ± 0.07, p<0.001). Duration of CS disease was 6.0 (3.0-13.0) years. Significant correlation was found between CIMT mean values and age, BMI, waist circumference, HDL and LDL-cholesterol values and duration of CS (r=0.413; p<0.001, r=0.353; p<0.001, r=0.355; p<0.001, r=-0.266; p=0.007, r=0.327; p<0.001 and r=0.425; p=0.002 respectively). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that waist circumference, HDL and LDL-cholesterol and duration disease of CS were independent predictors of CIMT (ß=0.523; p=0.001, ß=-0.176; p=0.045, ß=0.297; p=0.002, and ß=0.436; p<0.001, respectively)., Conclusion: Our cross-sectional study revealed the presence of a negative effect of CS on the atherosclerotic process. Therefore, it is believed that effective treatment of CS may be beneficial in slowing the process of atherosclerosis.

Objective: Cardiac effects of chemotherapy are usually recognized after clinical symptom or sign occurrence in patients with breast cancer. In this study, we aimed to determine the potential subclinical cardiotoxic effects of chemotherapy that were given lower dosage than well known cardiac safety dosage limits in patients with breast cancer during early period., Methods: Fifty-one patients consecutively enrolled to this prospective cohort study. All patients were diagnosed as breast cancer at oncology hospital in University of Gaziantep. Before chemotherapy, all of the patients underwent to detailed ECG and echocardiography (ECHO) examinations. After 6 months, detailed ECG and ECHO examinations were repeated and compared with baseline values. Statistical analysis was performed using Shapiro-Wilk tests, Student t-test and Spearman correlation test., Results: The average age of patients was 51 and one was male. Statistically significant decrease in ejection fraction was found after treatment (62.3%±3.3 and 59.9%±5.9, p=0.002). Evaluation of diastolic parameters; significant increase in the transmitral A flow velocity and significant decrease of E/A ratio were observed on Doppler ECHO analysis (77.4±19.1 cm/sec versus 86±18 cm/sec, p<0.001; 1.01±0.3 versus 0.9±0.2, p=0.03, respectively). On tissue Doppler analysis we observed that significant reduction in the value of E' and significantly increase E/E' ratio were present (12.5±3.6 cm/sec versus 10.7±2.9 cm/sec, p=0.001; 6.6±2.9 versus 7.7±3.3, p=0.04, respectively)., Conclusion: Chemotherapy has detrimental subclinical effect on both of systolic and diastolic function in early six months period despite the prescription of lower dosage of chemotherapy than well-known cardiac safety dosage limits. Tissue Doppler imaging may be more sensitive than ECG, conventional ECHO and Doppler for determining the subclinical cardiac damage.