• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.49 no.12
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• pp.1363-1366
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• 2006

Aneurysmal dilatation of the ductus arteriosis has been considered a rare but potentially fatal abnormality. The mechanism of ductal aneurysmal formation remains uncertain. Plain chest radiography has proven helpful in the diagnosis of ductus arteriosus aneurysm (DAA), before the application of transthoracic echocardiography. The transthoracic echocardiography is an important tool for the diagnosis and follow-up of DAA. We present a case of congenital ductus arteriosus aneurysm in a newborn, that was an incidental discovery. The diagnosis was made by echocardiography, three-dimensional surface rendering computed tomography (CT), and spontaneous regression after four weeks of follow-up.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.120-123
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• 2013

The common causes of organic mitral regurgitation (MR) include mitral valve prolapse (MVP) syndrome, rheumatic heart disease, and endocarditis. MR also occurs secondary to dilated cardiomyopathy and coronary artery disease. In acute severe MR, the hemodynamic overload often cannot be tolerated, and mitral valve repair or replacement must be performed immediately. We report herein a case of severe MR due to coronary vasospasm that was confirmed via ergonovine echocardiography in a 70-year-old man. He was scheduled to undergo mitral valve surgery, but it did not push through and he was put on medical therapy.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.528-531
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• 2009

Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is widely used to evaluate the heart function and the result of surgery during a cardiac operation. The incidence of complications associated with TEE is low, yet critical complications such as lower pharyngeal injury and esophageal perforation may happen. We report hereon a case of 77-year old male patient who suffered from injury to the pyriform sinus and concurrent deep neck infection after off pump coronary artery bypass surgery and intraoperative TEE.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.36 no.11
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• pp.834-838
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• 2003

Background: Deairing from the heart after open heart surgery(cardiopulmonary bypass) is a very important procedure. Artificial arteriovenous fistula was used to remove air, and the efficiency was evaluated by transesophageal echocardiography. Material and Method: Just before termination of cardiopulmonary bypass, a standard pressure transducer line is connected between the stopcocks of the connections in the arterial and venous circuits, creating a small controlled arteriovenous fistula between the arterial and venous cannulas. The degree of intracardiac air and air removal time were evaluated either by transesophageal echocardiography or direct vision of pressure transducer line. Result: By simple procedure, cardiopulmonary time was shortened and air clearing can be confirmed using echocardiography in a few minutes. Conclusion: Creation of arteriovenous fistula using small connecting line between aortic and venous cannula is a very simple and effective method of deairing and preventing of air embolism after open heart surgery.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.27 no.8
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• pp.656-663
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• 1994

Evaluation of heart function is of importance in assessing the results of valvular heart surgery. Information on volume and functional change of heart chamber can be obtained by cardiac catheterization and echocardiography. We studied 41 patients with mitral stenosis[MS] and 23 patients with mitral regurgitation[MR] using M-mode echocardiography before and after mitral valve replacement[MVR] at Pusan Paik Hospital. Preoperative cardiac catheterization was available in 56 cases, and the results were obtained as follows. 1. In patients with MS, preoperative average LV end-diastolic dimension[EDD] and end-systolic dimension[ESD] were remained within normal range, but postoperative EDD and ESD were significantly decreased[P<0.01]. The preoperative and postoperative LV ejection fraction[EF] were remained within the normal range and no significant change[P>0.05]. The preoperative left atrial dimension[LAD] was enlarged considerably above normal[P<0.01], but was significantly decreased after surgery[P<0.001]. The preoperative LV posterior wall thickness[PWTh] was within normal range, and no significant change after surgery[P>0.05]. 2. In patients with MR, preoperative average end-diastolic dimension[EDD] and end-systolic dimension[ESD] were significantly greater than normal[P<005], but postoperative EDD and ESD were significantly decreased[P<0.01]. The preoperative LV ejection fraction[EF] and fractional shortening[FS] were within normal range, and no significant change after surgery[P>0.05].The preoperative left atrial dimension[LAD] was enlarged considerably above normal [P<0.01], but was significantly decreased after surgery[P<0.001].The preoperative LV posterior wall thickness[PWTh] was within normal range, and no significant change after surgery[P>0.05].

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.207-211
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• 2019

This study was performed to compare the radiographic and echocardiographic features of cardiovascular changes between small and large dogs with heartworm diseases. Total of 49 dogs from two institutions were included in this study. The dogs were diagnosed with heartworm infestation and underwent thoracic and echocardiography. On thoracic radiographs, vertebral heart scale, reverse D shape, main pulmonary artery dilation, peripheral pulmonary artery dilation, and evidence of right heart failure were evaluated. On echocardiographs, visibility of worms, main pulmonary artery to aortic root (MPA/Ao) ratio, right to left ventricular basal diameter (RVD/LVD) ratio, and pulmonary hypertension were evaluated and analyzed between small and large dogs. The proportion of reverse D shape of the heart and accuracy for right ventricular hypertrophy in small dogs were lower than those of the large dogs. For echocardiographic parameter, the MPA/Ao and RVD/LVD ratio in the small dogs were significantly lower than those of the large dogs. As the results, thoracic radiography have a tendency to underestimate the severity of HWD in small dogs and should be used with echocardiography.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.119-125
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• 2021

Purpose: The present study aimed to analyze the effect of trauma-related shock on myocardial function in the early stages of trauma through transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) findings. Methods: We performed a retrospective review and analysis of the medical records of patients aged ≥18 years who were evaluated by TTE within 2 days of admission for trauma-related shock (n=72). Patients were selected from a group of 739 patients admitted with trauma-related shock between January 2014 and December 2016. Results: The incidence rate of myocardial dysfunction in the left ventricle (LV) was 6.8% (5/72), with rates of 7.7% (4/52) in the thoracic injury group and 5.0% (1/20) in the non-thoracic injury group. In the diastolic function of LV, relaxation abnormality was present in 55.8% (29/52) of patients in the thoracic injury group and 50% (10/20) of patients in the non-thoracic injury group. Conclusions: This study may suggest that traumatic shock without thoracic injury may influence myocardial function in the early stages after trauma. Therefore, evaluation of myocardial function may be needed for patients experiencing shock after trauma, regardless of the presence of thoracic injury.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.106-111
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• 2024

A 4-year-old neutered female domestic shorthair cat weighing 5.1 kg was referred to Jeju National University Hospital with acute onset respiratory distress, weakness, and anorexia. The patient had a history of stressful antecedent events that involved bullying by a newly introduced cat. Thoracic radiography and echocardiography revealed a stage C hypertrophic cardiomyopathy phenotype based on the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine classification system with pulmonary edema, pleural effusion, and pericardial effusion at the same time. The patient was treated with furosemide, pimobendan, and rivaroxaban. Pericardiocentesis was performed because pericardial effusion was identified. Reevaluation after 30 days revealed a normal respiratory rate on physical examination, normal cardiac shape on thoracic radiographs, and normal cardiac measurements on echocardiography. The patient was tentatively diagnosed with transient myocardial thickening (TMT) and all medications were discontinued. Six months after the initial hospitalization, the cat continued to do well without any clinical signs or left ventricular wall thickening. This case is the first report describing feline TMT in Korea. Moreover, it involves a rare case in which pulmonary edema, pleural effusion, and pericardial effusion, which induce cardiac tamponade, occurred simultaneously due to TMT-related congestive heart failure.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.384-390
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• 2012

Echocardiographic measurements of cardiac output, including the modified Simpson's method, Automated Contour Tracking(ACT) method, and left ventricular outflow method are well described methods of evaluating cardiac function due to its reliability and the benefits of its non-invasive technique in human medicine. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of an echocardiography estimate of cardiac output in isoflurane-anesthetized beagle dogs and was to compare the ACT method to the other methods used in measurement of cardiac output. In healthy beagle dogs, cardiac output results by echocardiography estimate methods showed an excellent correlations with those by the thermodilution method (The modified Simpson's method : r = 0.815, $r^2=0.665$, y = 0.434x + 0.311 ; ACT method : r = 0.86, $r^2=0.748$, y = 0.391x + 0.242 ; ventricular outflow method : r = 0.691, $r^2=0.478$, y = 0.593x + 0.242). Among the results obtained, the ACT method showed the highest correlation coefficient. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that echocardiography estimate methods did not prove to be suitable in accurately measuring absolute cardiac output values but showed an excellent correlation with thermodilution method. Therefore, by using the measurement of cardiac output as supplemental data, echocardiography estimate methods can be used for detection and correction of hemodynamic disturbances during emergency and anesthesia in veterinary practice.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.34 no.12
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• pp.937-943
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• 2001

Background: The aims of this study are to determine the predicting factors related with cardiovascular injuries in sternal fractures and to suggest the indication of emergency echocardiography. Material and Method: A retrospective review of the Ewha Womans University Mok-Dong Hospital trauma registry revealed 40 patients, that visited the hospital with a sternal fracture a over 5-year period. We analyzed 4 factors as predicting factors; 1) presence of restraint, 2) presence of associated injuries, 3) presence of a past medical history involving cardiovascular system, and 4) Revised Trauma Score(RTS). We, also, assessed the utility of conventional study methods involving cardiovascular injuries, such as ECG, chest X-ray, and enzyme level. Based on the methods, we inferred an indication for emergency echocardiography in sternal fractures. Result: Statistically significant predicting factors were the presence of a past medical history involving cardiovascular system and abnormal RTS on admission. Usage of emergency echocardiography depended upon the predicting factors and the results from conventional evaluations. We can now suggest the indications of emergency echocardiography in sternal fractures as 1) if more than two studies reveal abnormality without any significant predicting factors, and 2) if more than one study reveals abnormality with any significant predicting factors. Conclusion: The past medical history involving cardiovascular system and initial vital signs imply the presence of cardiovascular injuries in sternal fractures. And if needed, emergency echocardiography should be performed.