Ultrasound imaging versus morphopathology in cardiovascular diseases. Coronary collateral circulation and atherosclerotic plaque

The role of coronary artery collaterals in the preservation of left ventricular function: a study to address a long-standing controversy

Introduction:

The functional significance of coronary artery collateral (CAC) vasculature in humans has been debated for decades and this has been compounded by the lack of a standard, systematic, objective method of grading and documenting CAC flow in man. CACs serve as alternative conduits for blood in obstructive coronary artery disease. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of CACs on left ventricular function in the presence of total coronary arterial occlusion.

Methods:

The study group included the coronary angiographic records of 97 patients (mean age: 59 ± 8 years). CACs were graded from 0–3 based on the collateral connection between the donor and recipient arteries. Left ventricular function was computed from the ventriculogram and expressed as ejection fraction (EF).

Results:

The mean EF of the patients with grades 0, 1, 2 and 3 CACs were calculated as 50.4, 47, 60.5 and 70%, respectively. A significant difference was recorded in the mean EF calculated for the different CAC grades (p = 0.001). There was a significant positive correlation (p < 0.001; r = 0.478) between the mean EF and the CAC grades.

Conclusion:

The patients with better coronary collateral grades had a higher mean EF. Therefore, as the grade of CACs increased, there was an improvement in their ability to preserve left ventricular function.

Forced wave motion with internal and boundary damping

A d'Alembert-based solution of forced wave motion with internal and boundary damping is presented with the specific intention of investigating the transient response. The dynamic boundary condition is a convenient method to model the absorption and reflection effects of an interface without considering coupled PDE's. Problems with boundary condition of the form [Formula: see text] are not self-adjoint which greatly complicates solution by spectral analysis. However, exact solutions are found with d'Alembert's method. Solutions are also derived for a time-harmonically forced problem with internal damping and are used to investigate the effect of ultrasound in a bioreactor, particularly the amount of energy delivered to cultured cells. The concise form of the solution simplifies the analysis of acoustic field problems.

Combination of post mortem coronary angiography, corrosion cast method and multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) for diagnostic improvement in pathology and forensics

In recent years, post mortem multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) is increasingly applied for forensic and pathologic examination. However, classical dissection remains dominant in everyday practice. Lack of quantifiable data on the coronary system has become a disadvantageous attribute of traditional autopsy. Therefore, post mortem MSCT angiography was performed in 80 ex corpo hearts with the aim of improving the accuracy and quantitative documentation of pathologic and forensic diagnoses of coronary artery disease (CAD). Hearts were perfused by introducing a new oily or synthetic resin, or using both contrast materials successively. Then the perfused organs were processed for imaging. Detailed angiographic analysis enabled us to localize, map and quantify coronary calcifications, stenoses, and to characterize the types of atherosclerotic plaques. Significant early or late complications of widely used percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) and coronary bypass surgery (CABS) could be revealed using CT analysis. Furthermore, by using our oily contrast material and CT imaging, we could identify and visualize the clinically important small caliber nodal arteries (diameter 0.4–2.0 mm). The present work suggests that post mortem CT angiography and post-processing of the data may improve the quality of pathologic and forensic diagnosis. Our collection of coronary casts including digital data are available for further analysis.

Ultrasound imaging versus morphopathology in cardiovascular diseases. Myocardial cell damage

This review article summarizes the results of histopathological and clinical imaging studies to assess myocardial necrosis in humans. Different histopathological features of myocardial cell necrosis are reviewed. In addition, the present role of echocardiographic techniques in assessing irreversible myocardial damage is briefly summarized.