Relationship between mitral leaflets angles, left ventricular geometry and mitral deformation indices in patients with ischemic mitral regurgitation: imaging by echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance

Chronic ischemic mitral regurgitation (IMR) is associated with a markedly worse prognosis after myocardial infarction (MI).The study aimed to evaluate the relationship between anterior and posterior mitral leaflet angle (MLA) values, left ventricle remodeling and severity of ischaemic mitral regurgitation (IMR). Methods: Forty-two patients (age 63.5 ± 9.7 years, 36 men) with chronic IMR (regurgitant volume, RV > 20 ml; >6 months after MI) underwent transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging. Anterior and posterior MLA, determined by echocardiography, were correlated with indices of LV remodeling, mitral apparatus deformation and IMR severity by CMR. The anterior and posterior MLA was 25.41 ± 4.28 and 38.37 ± 8.89° (mean ± SD). In 5 patients (11.9%) the posterior MLA was ≥45°. There was a significant correlation between anterior MLA and RV (r = 0.74, P = 0.01). For patients with RV > 30 ml this correlation was stronger (r = 0.97, P = 0.005) and, in addition, there was a correlation between the RV and posterior MLA (r = 0.90, P = 0.037), between tenting area and posterior MLA (r = 0.90, P = 0.04), and between tenting area and anterior MLA (r = 0.82, P = 0.08). With regard to LV remodeling parameters, there was weaker but significant correlation between posterior MLA and LV end-diastolic volume index (r = 0.35, P = 0.031), LV end-systolic volume index (r = 0.37, P = 0.021), stroke volume (r = 0.35, P = 0.03), sphericity index (r = 0.33, P = 0.041). Anterior MLA correlated with wall motion score index (r = 0.41, P = 0.019). Besides, there was a correlation between posterior MLA and left atrial volume (r = 0.41, P = 0.012). Measurement of anterior and posterior MLA may play an important role in evaluating patients with IMR

Innovative technologies in medicine and pharmacy

Zastosowanie nowoczesnych technologii w medycynie i farmacji pozwala na coraz szybszą i skuteczniejszą diagnostykę oraz terapię wielu chorób. Do innowacyjnych należy np. drukowanie narządów, tkanek i tabletek w technologii 3D (w 2015 roku FDA zaaprobowała pierwszą drukowaną tabletkę zawierającą levetiracetam). Wyspecjalizowane roboty chirurgiczne są wykorzystywane w zabiegach chirurgicznych na odległość. Dzięki eliminowaniu drżenia rąk, ich użycie stanowi przyszłość w chirurgii i będzie coraz powszechniejsze. W poniższej pracy omówiono wykorzystanie potencjału druku 3D w medycynie i farmacji oraz zastosowania robotyki do wykonywania zabiegów chirurgicznych. Przedstawione zostały również przykłady innowacyjnych wynalazków, które mogą być stosowane podczas operacji chirurgicznych oraz w leczeniu bólu i gojeniu się ran.The use of modern technologies in medicine and pharmacy results in more rapid and effective diagnosis and treatment of many diseases. The 3D printing method is one of the innovative solutions that may be implemented for preparing organs, tissues, and solid drugs (in 2015 the FDA approved the first tablet containing levetiracetam, produced by 3DP). Specialized surgical robots are used for remote surgery. They eliminate hand tremor and their use is more and more popular. The following paper discusses the potential use of 3D printing method in medicine and pharmacy, and the application of robotics to perform surgical procedures. We also demonstrated examples of innovative devices, which can be used for surgical operations and in the treatment of pain and wound healing

Using computed tomography images for a heart modeling

In this paper the quality and analysis of the computed tomography scan sets are presented in the context of creating a 3DD model of a heart for the ultrasonography simulator. Data was collected during regular patients examination, using various equipment and technique, therefore not every set has required quality. CT data can be fast characterized with histogram that can show if the brightness ranges of objects (heart structures) are selective. This makes CT data usable for simulation by applying a transform function on the CT images to produce ultrasonographylike images. The aim is to use a PACS system of Hospital, which is the source of data. Therefore a proper technique and system for analysis is needed