Combined Doppler and M-mode analysis of diastolic filling behaviour in arterial hypertension with and without left ventricular hypertrophy.

The authors analysed Doppler and M-mode derived diastolic parameters of left ventricular filling in patients with arterial hypertension with and without left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and with hypertrophic nonobstructive cardiomyopathy (HNCM). In hypertrophied hearts they demonstrated that the transmitral flow during rapid filling phase was significantly reduced. The lower early diastolic flow is compensated by an augmentation of atrial systole.

Bilateral atrial myxomas. Surgical correction after echocardiographic diagnosis.

A case is reported of bilateral atrial myxomas diagnosed noninvasively by echocardiography and successfully removed. The excised tumor mass consisted of a mobile right atrial myxoma prolapsing into the right ventricle and a less mobile, not prolapsing myxoma in the left atrium. The operation was performed entirely on the basis of echocardiographic findings, which correlated well with the operative results.