The increased risk of coronary heart disease associated with nephrotic syndrome.

Patients with nephrotic syndrome (NS) are believed to be at increased risk of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease (CHD), although existing evidence for this association has not been persuasive. The risk of CHD among 142 persons with NS documented by protein-uria > or = 3.5 g daily was compared with that among 142 matched controls randomly selected from the membership of a large Northern California health plan.

Evaluation of regional ventricular wall motion by ECG-gated CT.

A conventional whole body CT scanner equipped for electrocardiographic gating was used to evaluate regional left ventricular function and the findings were compared with a corresponding analysis by two-dimensional echocardiography and left ventriculography. Twenty-two patients between the ages of 40 and 77 years with a documented anterior or posterolateral myocardial infarction were studied together with a control group comprising 10 patients. The gated CT studies were obtained using three 1 cm levels selected through the mid, apical, and basal regions of the left ventricle.

Regional myocardial dysfunction: evaluation of patients with prior myocardial infarction with fast CT.

A prototype ultrafast cine computed tomographic (CT) scanner, designed specifically for cardiac imaging, was used to evaluate a preliminary series of patients with prior myocardial infarction (n = 21) and a control group without coronary artery disease (n = 5). Multilevel 50-msec CT scan exposures were obtained during peripheral intravenous bolus injections of contrast medium. A comparison was made between cine-CT scans and standard left ventriculographic images in assessing segmental left ventricular motion.

Leiomyosarcoma of the pulmonary artery diagnosed preoperatively by angiocardiography. Replacement with composite graft.

In a patient with rapidly progressive congestive heart failure and syncope, primary leiomyosarcoma was diagnosed by angiocardiography. The pulmonary artery was resected and replaced with a composite graft. The patient died 12 days later from myofibrillar degeneration of the right ventricle and marked pulmonary disease secondary to pre-existing bronchiectasis.