Echocardiographic interpretation in the presence of Swan-Ganz intracardiac catheters

Swan-Ganz balloon flotation catheters can produce strong echoes in the right heart. These echoes have variable configurations and can mimic right heart structures; their reverberations can be confused with left heart structures.

Relationship between the electrical (electrocardiographic) and mechanical (echocardiographic) events in Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome

Studies using epicardial mapping on patients with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome have demonstrated that the delta vector of the electrocardiogram is a detector of the location of at least one bypass tract. In order to relate the electrical activities (preexcitation) with the mechanical activity (septal and ventricular wall motion), echocardiographic strip-chart recordings were obtained in 22 patients with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. Our studies indicated that in the majority of patients with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, left ventricular and septal contraction is normal, suggesting that normal activation predominates and that the determinants of abnormal septal wall motion are (1) the location (right ventricular free lateral wall or septrum) and (2) the degree (duration of the QRS complex greater than 130 msec) of ventricular preexicitation.

[Broncho-vascular branching in the sub-segment (author's transl)]

The three pulmonary branching systems in the sub-segment have been studied by making casts. A comparison between them shows considerable differences between the vascular systems and the air passages. The bronchi show two types of branching: we can distinguish between irregular, dichotomous acute angled branching and predominantly regular dichotomous, wide-angled branching. The second type is often found in the bifurcations of large vessels and bronchi in the lung centre, where the lung parenchyma is made to fit into a confined space. Branching of the bronchi is very different from that of the vessels. The characteristic features of the latter are that the lateral branches are more numerous but smaller than the corresponding bronchi and show less contact with the lung periphery.

[Serial observations of a pulmonary echinococcus, with rupture into the bronchial system (author's transl)]

The radiological course of an echinococcus cyst of the lung before and after rupture is described, together with the cytological and histological findings. The resultant tissue changes and appropriate treatment (lobectomy) are discussed. In the presence of the appropriate radiological changes, eosinophil granulocytes in the sputum suggest cyst rupture, even in the absence of echinococcus tissue. However, bronchial asthma or Löffler's infiltrates should be excluded clinically. They delayed appearance of peripheral blood eosinophilia after cyst rupture and the development of an eosinophilic broncho-pneumonia is noteworthy.