Exercise Doppler echocardiography identifies preclinic asymptomatic pulmonary hypertension in systemic sclerosis.

In systemic sclerosis (SSc), the involvement of the interstitium or vascular system of the lung may lead to pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). PAH is often asymptomatic or oligosymptomatic in early SSc and, when it becomes symptomatic, pulmonary vascular system is already damaged. Exercise echocardiography (ex-echo), measuring pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) during exercise and allowing to differentiate physiologic from altered PAP responses, may identify subclinical PAH.

Cardiac contusion in blunt chest trauma: a combined study of transesophageal echocardiography and cardiac troponin I determination.

Background: The role of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) is well established in acute myocardial ischemia. However, its role in myocardial contusion remains to be clarified. Since transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) appears, at present, to be the best method for the diagnosis of myocardial contusion, the aim of this study was to measure the concentration of cTnI in patients with blunt chest trauma studied using TEE.

The clinical impact of dynamic intraventricular obstruction during dobutamine stress echocardiography.

We selected 73 consecutive patients without myocardial-infarction, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy or hypertension complaining of effort chest discomfort/dyspnoea, and/or reporting exercise ischaemic ECG changes, and submitted them to simultaneous dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) and 99mTc tetrofosmin SPECT (T SPECT) and to coronary angiography to evaluate the clinical impact of intraventricular obstruction (IVO) during dobutamine infusion. Sixteen patients (22%, 7 males, mean age+/-SD 63+/-8 years, group 1) developed IVO (mean CW Doppler velocity+/-SD: 3.8+/-1.

[Photography in orthodontics].

We have analyzed the bases of information about the feasibility of orthodontic photography. After giving details about the photographic equipment and the field lighting we gave a thorough description of the operative modalities of intra and extraoral photos.

[Differential anchorage in orthodontics: problems and clinical implications].

The authors carry out an examination of the principles that lead the "passive" anchorage of the teeth. Furthermore it's considered the possibility to have an different anchorage between two teeth or arch segment with force systems developing different Moment/Force ratio between active and reactive segment. At last, they consider advantages and disadvantages of these systems.

[Periodontal problems connected with orthodontic treatment of impacted teeth on high or vestibular eruption].

The authors report four cases of vestibular ectopia. The relevance of a sufficient gums adhesion to dental elements is outlined as a factor leading to an optimal reposition of the latter.

[Cephalometric monitoring of surgical-orthodontic patients with progenic syndrome].

The authors report two cases of severe dentofacial skeletal anomalies, that are analyzed with radiologic diagnostic methods during the treatment. The dentoskeletal variation followed to the orthodontic-surgical therapy and the possible relapses are described.

Post treatment behaviour of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia - grade III.

The behaviour in time of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade III has been evaluated in 141 patients treated for CIN III. It was observed that surgery ensures the higher healing-rate, whether hysterectomy or conization are performed, while diathermocoagulation seems unsatisfactory. Colposcopy, colpocytology and sight biopsies of the cervical canal, portio and vagina, which provide a precise lesion-map, are then essential investigations to make the subsequent treatment a truly radical one.