A jobb kamrai anatómia és funkció korszerű echokardiográfiás vizsgálata: patológiás és fiziológiás eltérések

Absztrakt A jobb kamra geometriai és funkcionális változásai számos megbetegedésben nagy jelentőséggel bírnak. Mindazonáltal a rutin echokardiográfiás mérések csak korlátozott diagnosztikus és prognosztikus erővel rendelkeznek. Az olyan modern szívultrahangos technikák, mint a speckle-tracking analízis vagy a 3D echokardiográfia napjainkban már elérhető és könnyen kivitelezhető módszerek, amelyek a jobb kamra komplex felépítésének és működésének költséghatékony, noninvazív vizsgálatát teszik lehetővé. Diagnosztikus értékük és precizitásuk jóval nehezebben hozzáférhető eljárásokat helyettesíthet. Egyre bővülő irodalmi adatok alapján használatuk a mindennapi klinikumban (jobb kamrai infarktus, pulmonalis hypertensio, arrhythmogen jobb kamrai dysplasia, szívtranszplantáció utáni követés, a sportszív differenciáldiagnosztikája) lényeges segítséget jelenthet. Orv. Hetil., 2016, 157(29), 1139–1146

Characteristics, management, and outcomes of patients with multiple native valvular heart disease: a substudy of the EURObservational Research Programme Valvular Heart Disease II Survey

Aims To assess the characteristics, management, and survival of patients with multiple native valvular heart disease (VHD). Methods and results Among the 5087 patients with >= 1 severe left-sided native VHD included in the EURObservational VHD II Survey (maximum 3-month recruitment period per centre between January and August 2017 with a 6-month follow-up), 3571 had a single left-sided VHD (Group A, 70.2%), 363 had one severe left-sided VHD with moderate VHD of the other ipsilateral valve (Group B, 7.1%), and 1153 patients (22.7%) had >= 2 severe native VHDs (left-sided and/or tricuspid regurgitation, Group C). Patients with multiple VHD (Groups B and C) were more often women, had greater congestive heart failure (CHF) and comorbidity, higher left atrial volumes and pulmonary pressures, and lower ejection fraction than Group A patients (all P <= 0.01). During the index hospitalization, 36.7% of Group A (n = 1312), 26.7% of Group B (n = 97), and 32.7% of Group C (n = 377) underwent valvular intervention (P < 0.001). Six-month survival was better for Group A than for Group B or C (both P < 0.001), even after adjustment for age, sex, body mass index, and Charlson index [hazard ratio (HR) 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.62 (1.10-2.38) vs. Group B and HR 95% CI 1.72 (1.32-2.25) vs. Group C]. Groups B and C had more CHF at 6 months than Group A (both P < 0.001). Factors associated with mortality in Group C were age, CHF, and comorbidity (all P < 0.010). Conclusion Multiple VHD is common, encountered in nearly 30% of patients with left-sided native VHD, and associated with greater cardiac damage and leads to higher mortality and more heart failure at 6 months than single VHD, yet with lower rates of surgery

Quantification of the relative contribution of the different right ventricular wall motion components to right ventricular ejection fraction

Abstract Three major mechanisms contribute to right ventricular (RV) pump function: (i) shortening of the longitudinal axis with traction of the tricuspid annulus towards the apex; (ii) inward movement of the RV free wall; (iii) bulging of the interventricular septum into the RV and stretching the free wall over the septum. The relative contribution of the aforementioned mechanisms to RV pump function may change in different pathological conditions. Our aim was to develop a custom method to separately assess the extent of longitudinal, radial and anteroposterior displacement of the RV walls and to quantify their relative contribution to global RV ejection fraction using 3D data sets obtained by echocardiography. Accordingly, we decomposed the movement of the exported RV beutel wall in a vertex based manner. The volumes of the beutels accounting for the RV wall motion in only one direction (either longitudinal, radial, or anteroposterior) were calculated at each time frame using the signed tetrahedron method. Then, the relative contribution of the RV wall motion along the three different directions to global RV ejection fraction was calculated either as the ratio of the given direction’s ejection fraction to global ejection fraction and as the frame-by-frame RV volume change (∆V/∆t) along the three motion directions. The ReVISION (Right VentrIcular Separate wall motIon quantificatiON) method may contribute to a better understanding of the pathophysiology of RV mechanical adaptations to different loading conditions and diseases

The use of balanced lowering method technology for bridge construction in cramped urban environments

The main trends in bridge building are: the implementation of new materials, the assimilation of novel technologies, and the construction time reduction. The new technologies assimilation is often associated with the need to build bridge structures in cramped conditions. Considered by the author balanced lowering method technology corresponds to these trends. The technology was developed at the Vienna Technical University, the main idea is to assemble the supporting elements in a vertical position with subsequent deployment to the design horizontal position. To reduce the weight of the mounted elements, this technology uses thin-walled prestressed precast concrete units. After installing it in the design position, they perform the function of leave-in-place form and are cast in place directly on the construction site. This technology was invented for high pier bridges to eliminate the erection and dismantling of temporary support but has recently been shown to be cost-effective for low pier bridges. The advantage of this method is not only the construction time reduction and the free underbridge clearance presence but also the fact that the braces are not only a mechanism for turning the span into a horizontal position but also allow to reduce the estimated span length. The article discusses the bridge projects across the Lafnitz and Lahnbach rivers in Austria, as well as previous options for bridge projects. Particular emphasis in the work is placed on the bridge construction technology consideration, the main technological stages identification, as well as the performance features of certain works. The author presents recommendations on the application of this construction method

The Female Athlete’s Heart: Comparison of Cardiac Changes Induced by Different Types of Exercise Training Using 3D Echocardiography

We aimed to characterize female athlete’s heart in elite competitors in the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) Bikini Fitness category and compare them to athletes of a more dynamic sport discipline and healthy, sedentary volunteers using 3D echocardiography. Fifteen elite female fitness athletes were recruited and compared to 15 elite, age-matched female water polo athletes and 15 age-matched healthy, nontrained controls. Using 3D echocardiography, left ventricular (LV) and right ventricular (RV) end-diastolic volume index (EDVi) and LV mass index (LVMi) were measured. Fitness athletes presented similar LV and RV EDVi compared to healthy, sedentary volunteers. Water polo athletes, however, had higher LV and also RV EDVi (fitness versus water polo versus control; LVEDVi: 76±13 versus 84±8 versus 73±8 ml/m2, ANOVA p=0.045; RVEDVi: 61±12 versus 86±14 versus 55±9 ml/m2, p<0.0001). LVMi was significantly higher in the athlete groups; the hypertrophy, however, was even more prominent in water polo athletes (78±13 versus 91±10 versus 57±10 g/m2, p<0.0001). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to characterize female athlete’s heart of IFBB Bikini Fitness competitors. The predominantly static exercise regime induced a mild, concentric-type LV hypertrophy, while in water polo athletes higher ventricular volumes and eccentric LV hypertrophy developed