Anabolic steroids (metenolone) improve muscle performance and hemodynamic characteristics in cardiomyoplasty.

The loss of force and mass in the conditioned latissimus dorsi muscle are principal reasons for the poor improvement in hemodynamic functioning attained by cardiomyoplasty. Using 24 sheep, we investigated the effect of anabolic steroids on the hemodynamic, histologic, and myophysiologic characteristics in the setting of cardiomyoplasty. In 12 of the animals (group A), the latissimus dorsi muscles were electrically conditioned with an Itrel pulse generator; in the remaining 12 animals (group B), the electrical conditioning was combined with the administration of an anabolic hormone (metenolone; 100 mg/week).

Effect of an anabolic steroid (Metenolon) on contractile performance of the chronically stimulated latissimus dorsi in sheep.

In 12 sheep the left latissimus dorsi muscles (LD) were conditioned by chronic electrostimulation with a pulse generator (Itrel, Medtronic). Six animals (group B) received a weekly intramuscular injection of an anabolic steroid (Metenolon). After 14 weeks the contraction parameters of the left LDs (group A and B) and right LDs (control group) were investigated.

[The effect of timing of surgical intervention on fatality of acute endocarditis].

Between 1/1986 and 5/1992 a total of 5283 surgical procedures involving extracorporal circulation were performed at our clinic, including 44 patients who underwent a total of 54 operations for acute endocarditis. On the basis of a retrospective study, this paper presents the pre-operative findings and the results of surgery in relation to the duration of the case history. Pathogenic microorganisms were successfully grown from the blood cultures of 63.

[Isolated florid pulmonary valve endocarditis].

We report on a case of isolated pulmonary valve endocarditis caused by coagulase-negative staphylococci 22 years after total correction of a pentalogy of Fallot. The M-mode and two-dimensional echocardiographic findings are presented, and the patient's clinical progress is described. An overview of the literature shows isolated endocarditis of the pulmonary valve to be an exceptionally rare occurrence.