Delayed contraction area responsible for sustained ventricular tachycardia in an arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy: Demonstration by Fourier analysis of SPECT equilibrium radionuclide angiography

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[Evaluation after 20 years of a case of Takayasu's disease that presented with aortic regurgitation].

International audienceTakayasu's disease is a segmental multifocal affection of medium and large arteries. The diagnosis is based on the association of stenotic and aneurismal lesions of the aorta and its branches secondary to an inflammatory infiltration of the media and adventitia. Cases of aortic regurgitation associated with aneurismal dilatation of the ascending aorta as the presenting features of Takayasu's disease, as in this case, are rare. Histological examination of the aortic wall may help establish the diagnosis by showing signs of aortitis. The other usual arterial lesions are sometimes missing at the initial phase of the disease. A late histological diagnosis may be difficult as the inflammatory lesions tend to be progressively replaced by fibrotic lesions or a banal atheroma

[Value of tomoscintigraphy with Fourier analysis in the diagnosis of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy].

International audienceECG gated blood pool tomography has been performed in sixteen patients with right ventricular arrhythmias in whom the diagnosis of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy was made based on the finding of abnormalities on contrast angiography. They were compared both to control subjects and to patients with primary dilated cardiomyopathy. Thick slices of ventricles were obtained throughout the cardiac cycle in three orthogonal planes: horizontal long axis and short axis thick slices for analysis of right and left ventricular regional wall motion abnormalities and analysis of the spread of the contraction by means of Fourier phase imaging, vertical long axis slices (one for each ventricle) for ejection fractions, because of easy and reproducible determination of valvular planes and analysis of all right ventricular segments, especially the pulmonary infundibulum. Five typical right ventricular abnormalities were seen: decreased ejection fraction (32 +/- 15% vs 55 +/- 3% in control; p < 0.001), increased diameter (ratio of right to left diameters = 1.2 +/- 0.3 vs 0.9 +/- 0.1; p < 0.01), global delayed contraction versus that of the left ventricle (22 +/- 20 degrees vs -2 +/- 6%; p < 0.01), increased dispersion of contraction (32 +/- 16 degrees vs 13 +/- 4 degrees; p < 0.01) and presence of segments with decreased and/or delayed contraction. Right ventricular disease was observed in all the patients: localized form (56%), diffused form (44%). This method provides accurate functional data for diagnosis and follow-up of patients. In future, this wall motion evaluation method may replace planar nuclear angiography as myocardial SPECT have replaced myocardial planar scintigraphy

[Conduction defects as the presenting feature of sarcoidosis or observed during the course of the disease: regression with corticoid steroid therapy].

International audienceCardiac sarcoidosis is often unrecognised because of the absence of specific clinical and electrical signs. The consequences are serious, the main risk being sudden death due to conduction defects (24 to 31% of cases) or ventricular arrhythmias. Any conduction defect without an obvious cause in a young patient should suggest a possible diagnosis of sarcoidosis. The confirmation is histological when giant cell non-caseuting epithelioid granuloma is demonstrated but myocardial biopsies are only positive in 20% of cases. Therefore, biopsy of accessible organs such as salivary glands is recommended. Diagnostic strategy consists in searching for signs of systemic sarcoidosis, and, when the diagnosis has been established, perform a complete work-up with echocardiography, dipyridamole myocardial scintigraphy, cardiac MRI and 24 hour ambulatory ECG recordings (Holter). The only proven treatment is steroid therapy with occasional spectacular observations of reversibility of arrhythmias or conduction defects

Fourier phase analysis of SPECT equilibrium radionuclide angiography in symptomatic patients with mitral valve prolapse without significant mitral regurgitation: Assessment of biventricular functional abnormalities suggesting a cardiomyopathy

International audienceVentricular premature beats are common in patients with mitral valve prolapse (MVP). The purpose of this study was to determine whether symptomatic patients with MVP had certain functional characteristics and if ventricular arrhythmia (VA) could be explained by functional extravalvular abnormalities. Single photon emission computed tomography equilibrium radionuclide angiography with Fourier phase analysis was preferred to the planar radionuclide method. Only patients without significant mitral regurgitation were studied

Lymphoscintigraphy in limb lymphoedema: Current methodology and interests

International audienceLymphoscintigraphy is a physiological method for the assessment of the lymphatic system. Routinely used for the localisation of sentinel nodes, it is not commonly performed to explore lymphoedema. We report the practical interest of lymphoscintigraphy in the study of limb lymphedoema from a population of 100 patients investigated during an 18-month period. After recalling the pathophysiology of lymphoedema and describing our acquisition and interpretation protocol, we present the practical interest of lymphoscintigraphy from the analysis of response to questions raised by the requesting physician. In our experience, lymphoscintigraphy was useful for the diagnosis of lymphoedema in clinically doubtful cases, the discussion of oedema pathophysiology, for the identification of the lymphatic component in lymphovenous oedema, and for the management of lymphoedema. The quality of information provided by lymphoscintigraphy depends on the rigour of the protocol, the overall data analysis and the integration of clinical data