Automatic quantification of left ventricular function by medical students using ultrasound.

Background: Automatic analyses of echocardiograms may support inexperienced users in quantifying left ventricular (LV) function. We have developed an algorithm for fully automatic measurements of mitral annular plane systolic excursion (MAPSE) and mitral annular systolic (S') and early diastolic (e') peak velocities. We aimed to study the influence of user experience of automatic measurements of these indices in echocardiographic recordings acquired by medical students and clinicians.

Automatic Measurements of Mitral Annular Plane Systolic Excursion and Velocities to Detect Left Ventricular Dysfunction.

The purpose of the study described here was to evaluate an automatic algorithm for detection of left ventricular dysfunction, based on measurements of mitral annular motion indices from color tissue Doppler apical four-chamber recordings. Two hundred twenty-one patients, among whom 49 had systolic and 11 had diastolic dysfunction, were included. Echocardiographic evaluation by cardiologists was the reference.

Intraoperative color Doppler ultrasound assessment of anastomoses of the left internal mammary artery to the left anterior descending coronary artery during off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery correlates with angiographic evaluation at the 8-month follow-up.

Objective: This study was performed to evaluate the correlation between intraoperative color Doppler ultrasound assessment of anastomoses of the left internal mammary artery (LIMA) to the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) performed on the beating heart and the angiographic assessment after 8 months.

Methods: Twenty patients (M/F ratio, 14:6; mean age, 62 +/- 8 years) underwent epicardial color Doppler ultrasound imaging with a 10-MHz linear array GE Vingmed transducer combined with a GE Vingmed System FiVe. Transit-time flowmetry was used as intraoperative control.

Intraoperative color Doppler ultrasound assessment of LIMA-to-LAD anastomoses in off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting.

Background: Although techniques for off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) are continually being refined, angiographic follow-up studies have indicated a higher rate of anastomoses-related stenoses than expected after traditional on-pump CABG. This study was performed to evaluate the use of intraoperative epicardial color Doppler ultrasound to quality-assess left internal mammary artery (LIMA) to left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) anastomoses performed on the beating heart.

Methods: Twenty-four LIMA-to-LAD anastomoses were evaluated with real-time epicardial ultrasound imaging using an ultrasound transducer positioned between the paddles of the stabilizer during off-pump procedures.

Blood flow velocity profiles in the aortic annulus: a 3-dimensional freehand color flow Doppler imaging study.

Background: The use of a single sample volume in Doppler measurements of the velocity time integral (VTI) in the aortic annulus may introduce errors in calculations of stroke volumes, shunts, regurgitant fractions, and aortic valve area. To study the blood flow velocity distribution and assess this potential error, we used a dynamic 3-dimensional color flow Doppler imaging method.

Methods And Results: Seventeen healthy volunteers were studied.