Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

H Klepzig

Publications and source records attributed to H Klepzig.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Late results of prosthetic valve replacement for aortic regurgitation and the prognostic significance of the end-diastolic and regurgitated blood volumes.

Between January 1975 and December 1985 214 patients underwent prosthetic aortic valve replacement for isolated aortic regurgitation. Patient follow-up averaged 5.4 years after the operation (range 0.7-10.7 years). Preoperative staging showed 9 patients to be in NYHA stage II, 111 patients in stage III, and 94 patients in stage IV. At follow-up 3 patients complained of increased fatigue, 9 patients remained stable and 167 patients had improved. 103 of these patients were free of symptoms under stress, i.e. NYHA stage I. The hospital mortality was 3.7% (8/214 patients). An additional 26 patients died within an average of 2.8 years. The cumulative 5-year survival rate was 85%; the 10-year survival rate was 81.5%. 10 patients underwent a second operation within an average of 3.4 years. The correlation between the end-diastolic volume and the regurgitated blood volume has prognostic significance. 25 patients with appropriate enlargement of the left ventricle showed a significant decrease of the end-diastolic volume and the roentgenographic heart volume combined with an increase of ejection fraction. None of these 25 patients died from cardiac complications. A control group of 9 patients with myocardial damage showed no significant change in the above parameters. 4 patients in the control group died. We conclude that the relationship of regurgitated blood volume and the left ventricular end-diastolic volume is of prognostic significance for patients with chronic aortic regurgitation presenting with minimal symptoms.

Adult↗

Recurrent restenosis after transluminal coronary angioplasty--dilatation or surgery?

In a total of 333 patients who had undergone a first successful transluminal coronary angioplasty (TCA), restenosis occurred in 17% (follow-up angiography was performed in 94% of patients). The restenosis rate was higher in bypass stenoses (45%) and re-opened vessels (54%). Repeat dilatation of restenoses had a high acute success rate (93%) and only few severe complications (2%). In this group the restenosis rate was 33%. Thirteen patients with recurrent restenoses (11 patients with two, and two patients with three recidivations) underwent a total of 41 dilatation attempts. The degree of stenoses (prior to the first TCA, 89%; prior to second TCA, 82%; prior to third TCA, 74%), the number of eccentric stenoses (8, 7, 5, respectively) and the length of the stenotic obstruction (5.2 mm, 4.7 mm, 4.3 mm, respectively) decreased. Accordingly, exercise tolerance improved (99 W, 133 W, 146 W, respectively). To date, follow-up angiography and functional investigations have been performed for 10 out of 13 patients. Good long-term results were observed in seven patients. Further restenoses occurred in three patients. It is concluded that repeat angioplasty is a reasonable therapeutic approach even for patients with recurrent restenoses.

Aged↗

[Comparison of effort-ECG and radionuclide ventriculography in relation to the detection of myocardial ischemia in isolated stenoses of the anterior interventricular branch].

21 patients with LAD-stenoses of at least 70% and 21 patients with LAD-stenoses and additional intramural anterior wall infarctions were studied. 20 patients without heart disease or after successful transluminal coronary angioplasty and 18 patients with intramural anterior wall infarction after successful transluminal dilatation of the LAD (remaining stenosis maximal 30%) served as controls. The normal range of global and regional left ventricular ejection fraction response to exercise was defined based on the data of 25 further patients without relevant coronary heart disease. Thus, a decrease in global ejection fraction and regional wall motion abnormalities were judged pathological. All patients were comparable with respect to age, ejection fraction at rest and work load. Myocardial ischemia could be detected by the exercise ECG in 81% of all patients without infarction and in 71% of patients with infarction. The corresponding values for global left ventricular ejection fraction were 76% and 81%, respectively, and for regional ejection fraction 95% in both groups. No false-positive exercise ECGs were observed in the healthy controls and 2 (11%) in the corresponding group with intramural infarction. The global ejection fraction was pathological in 1 (5%) healthy subject without infarction and in 3 (17%) corresponding patients with infarction. Sectorial analysis revealed 5 and 22%, respectively. Our findings suggest that the exercise ECG has a limited sensitivity to detect myocardial ischemia in patients with isolated LAD-stenoses and intramural myocardial infarction. Radionuclide ventriculography yields pathological values more often; however, false-positive results also occur more frequently.

Adult↗

[Color Doppler echocardiography and radionuclide ventriculography in aortic and mitral valve insufficiency].

In 99 stable patients with auscultatory findings of aortic (n = 52) or mitral regurgitation (n = 47), the regurgitant fraction was determined by radionuclide ventriculography (RNV). In addition, color-coded Doppler echocardiography (CDE) was performed to assess semi-quantitatively the severity of valve incompetence. In aortic regurgitation, the results of both methods concurred in 73% of cases. With CDE, the regurgitation was underestimated in 10% by one class and overestimated in 17% by one class. In mitral regurgitation the results concurred only in 60% of the patients. CDE seemed to overestimate the incompetence, by one class, in 19% and to underestimate the lesion in 21% of the patients. In 2/47 patients the difference was more than one class. In conclusion, both noninvasive methods are applicable to assess the severity of mitral and aortic regurgitation. The RNV appears superior in follow-up assessment because of a slightly better reproducibility and investigator-independence.

Adult↗

[Coarctation of the abdominal aorta. Experiences with transluminal angioplasty].

Balloon dilatation was performed transfemorally in three patients suffering from coarctation of the abdominal aorta. In two cases the pressure gradient could be reduced markedly from 85 to 55 and from 72 to 32 mm Hg, respectively. At follow-up angiography 3 months later the gradient was reduced further to 12 and 5 mm Hg, respectively. One women patient who had previously been handicapped by claudication intermittens, was free from complaints after balloon dilatation, whereas the other women patient with suprarenal stenosis of the aorta and renal hypertension was normotensive subsequent to balloon dilatation. In the third (male) patient who had already been operated on earlier because of stenosis of the aortic isthmus, dilatation was unsuccessful even if a very high balloon pressure was applied. These experiences support the view--in agreement with other authors--that balloon dilatation in coarctation of the abdominal aorta is a method of low invasiveness that should be attempted before surgery is performed.

Adult↗

[Transluminal coronary angioplasty: parameters of increased risk of recurrence].

Data about the primary success and complication rates following transluminal coronary angioplasty are comparable worldwide. Reports on the frequency of recurrences, however, differ considerably. Data concerning factors enhancing the risk of restenosis are contradictory. We compared a group of 62 patients with angiographically confirmed restenosis with a group of 62 patients without restenosis. There were no significant differences with regard to age, sex, onset of symptoms and severity of angina pectoris, number of previous infarctions, incidence of multivessel disease, maximum size of the balloon catheters used and primary dilatation results. The following factors were significantly associated with the occurrence of restenosis: high-grade stenoses prior to dilatation, stenoses involving long segments of coronary arteries, eccentric stenoses, the necessity to apply high balloon pressures, long duration of balloon inflation, and also the patient being overweight, a nonsmoker and having undergone an alteration in continuous treatment.

Adult↗

[Chronic aortic insufficiency: prediction of postoperative course based on preoperative relations of left ventricular end-diastolic volume to regurgitated blood volume].

The range of appropriate left ventricular dilatation due to volume overload was defined in 21 patients with a stable course of chronic aortic regurgitation, by correlating the scintigraphically determined left ventricular end-diastolic volume with the regurgitated blood volume. 25 other patients with chronic aortic regurgitation, who were scheduled for valve replacement, were within this normal range (group 1); in nine patients, left ventricular end-diastolic volume exceeded the amount expected from the amount of regurgitation (group 2). Patients were followed up between 2 and 62 months postoperatively (average: 26 +/- 13 months). No patients from group 1, but four out of nine patients from group 2 (45%) died postoperatively from congestive heart failure. In 23 out of 24 patients from group 1, left ventricular ejection fraction was postoperatively within the normal range, although preoperative values had been severely depressed in three cases (lower than 40%). Ejection fraction remained depressed in one patient with persistent mitral regurgitation and in all patients from group 2. Global heart volume significantly decreased by 20% in group 1, whereas only minor changes (-15%) were observed in group 2 (group 1: from 1184 +/- 186 to 954 +/- 120 ml, 2p less than 0.001; group 2: from 1402 +/- 300 to 1185 +/- 294 ml). This was compared to the course of left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (group 1: from 7.1 +/- 0.9 to 5.5 +/- 0.7 cm (-23%), 2p less than 0.001; group 2: from 7.6 +/- 0.7 to 6.9 +/- 1.3 cm (-9%). In group 1, left ventricular ejection fraction significantly increased, whereas no significant changes were observed in group 2 (group 1: from 53 +/- 13 to 64 +/- 13% (+21%), 2p less than 0.001; group 2: from 29 +/- 7 to 32 +/- 14% (+10%]. It is concluded that the scintigraphically determined ratio of left ventricular end-diastolic volume to regurgitated blood volume provides important prognostic and functional information regarding the postoperative course of chronic aortic regurgitation. This ratio is more reliable than single radionuclide, electrocardiographic, roentgenographic or echocardiographic parameters.

Adult↗

[Nuclear medicine in determining the shunt in ductus arteriosus Botalli].

In 9 patients with patent ductus arteriosus, quantification of left-to-right shunt was performed with dye dilution curves after peripheral injection and with radionuclide ventriculography. The study was repeated within 7 days after successful transluminal occlusion of the ductus with an Ivalon-plug. Reproducubility of the method could be studied in one patient in whom reopening of the ductus occurred. Dye dilution curves were analyzed using the method of Carter et al. Radionuclide ventriculography was performed as a combined first-pass and equilibrium study: effective stroke volume was derived from the first pass of the tracer through the heart; during the equilibrium phase left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) and left ventricular enddiastolic volume (EDV) were evaluated. The difference between total left ventricular stroke volume (product of EF and EDV) and effective stroke volume was taken as shunt volume. This volume as a fraction of total left ventricular stroke volume resulted in percent left-to-right shunt. The sensitivity of the dye technique was 78%; a quantification of the shunt lesion was possible in 55% of all cases (shunt greater than 35%). The sensitivity of the radionuclide technique was 90%. The severity of the lesion could not be determined in one patient with a minimal shunt. After successful occlusion of the ductus, dye dilution curves normalized in all cases. Radionuclide ventriculography showed normalization in all but one patient. This patient with concomitant mitral regurgitation still showed moderate left ventricular volume overload.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗

[Treatment of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with nifedipine and propranolol in combination].

Fifteen patients (14 males and 1 female) with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, ranging from 22 to 67 years of age (mean: 45.5 years) were treated with oral nifedipine and propranolol for 6 to 24 (mean: 18) months. Twelve of the patients had been pretreated with a mean oral dose of 560 mg verapamil for 60 to 93 (mean 78.5) months, showing slight subjective and objective improvement. Treatment with nifedipine and propranolol was terminated in five cases, due to deterioration or side effects after 6 and 12 months, respectively. During combined therapy, two patients reported improvement, whereas in five cases there was no change and eight patients reported deterioration. There was no change in the Sokolow index. The radiologically determined heart volume increased in 10 out of 15 patients and in the total group from 887 +/- 214 to 938 +/- 248 ml/1.73 m2. Echocardiographic measurements showed a significant increase in left atrial diameter from 40.0 +/- 9 to 44.0 +/- 11 mm, whereas ventricular wall thickness remained unchanged. Thus, high-dose verapamil therapy seems superior to nifedipine-propranolol therapy in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Adult↗

[Aortocoronary bypass operation as an emergency intervention after transluminal coronary angioplasty. Which factors prevent the incidence of a major infarct?].

Among 830 patients in whom transluminal coronary angioplasty (TCA) was undertaken there were 41 (4.9%) who required an aortocoronary bypass operation for acute complications (vessel dissection with markedly reduced flow; complete occlusion or contrast-medium extravasation). The group of 41 was divided into two, based on angiography (25) or ECG (16) criteria. Group 1 comprised 30 patients, who developed no or only a small infarct peri-operatively; group 2 had eleven patients with large infarcts. The patients of group 1 had a greater exercise tolerance pre-operatively than those of group 2 (118 +/- 28 vs 91 +/- 45 Watt; P less than 0.05) and had a higher revascularization time (interval between end of the cardiac catheterization and onset of reperfusion: 154 +/- 58 vs 264 +/- 173 min; P less than 0.05). Collaterals to the area supplied by the treated vessel were observed only in group 1 patients (10), but not of those in group 2. Age, history of previous infarction, number of diseased coronary arteries, ischaemic reaction during ergometry, initial left-ventricular ejection fraction and symptoms after onset of complications were without significance. It is concluded that an aortocoronary bypass operation should be performed as early as possible after post-TCA vascular complication in order to prevent the development of larger infarcts.

Angioplasty, Balloon↗

Left predominant coronary circulation in patients with valvular aortic stenoses.

This study was conducted to examine whether a correlation exists between the incidence of aortic stenosis and predominant left coronary perfusion. Therefore, coronary angiograms of 77 patients with mitral stenosis (Group 1), 50 patients with combined mitral valve disease and pure mitral insufficiency (Group 2), 61 patients with aortic insufficiency with or without mitral valve disease (Group 3), 49 patients with pure aortic stenosis (Group 4), and 69 patients with combined aortic valve disease and aortic stenosis with concomitant mitral valve disease (Group 5) were reviewed. Group 6 consisted of 20 patients with coronary heart disease. A statistically significant accumulation of left coronary circulation was found in patients with pure aortic stenosis (Group 4) (33%) as well as in patients with combined aortic valve disease (19%). The frequency of predominant left coronary circulation was comparable in all other patients (Group 1: 8%; Group 2: 10%; Group 3: 8%; Group 6: 7.5%). Thus, the presence of left predominance in a diagnostic coronary arteriogram performed in a patient with aortic stenosis could be a clue that the aortic stenosis is congenital.

Adult↗

[Results of combined myocardial scintigraphy and radionuclide ventriculography before and after transluminal coronary angioplasty of critical coronary artery stenoses].

This study compares exercise radionuclide ventriculography (RNVG) and exercise myocardial scintigraphy with 201Tl (MSC) both computed trisectorially. 137 patients before and after transluminal angioplasty (TCA) were investigated. While specificity equivalent was set at 90% for both methods (10% percentile of the controls [n = 29]) overall sensitivity for RNVG was 79% (n = 86) and for MSC 78% (n = 98). Sensitivity of RNVG for lesions of the posterior wall was lower than for the anterior wall: LAD stenoses 83% (n = 46), RCA stenoses 71% (n = 17), and LCX stenoses 63% (n = 8). Sensitivity of MSC presents only a slight difference between anterior and posterior wall lesions: LAD stenoses 78% (n = 51), RCA stenoses 73% (n = 22), RCX stenoses 100% (n = 8). Reproducibility of pathological findings before and after non-successful TCA and the determination of the stenosed vessel was slightly better with MSC than with RNVG. Functional improvement after a successful TCA is predictable by MSC, whereas RNVG documents the functional improvement.

Adult↗

[Effect of captopril in chronic aortic insufficiency].

In 16 patients with chronic aortic regurgitation, we studied the acute hormonal and hemodynamic effects of 12.5 to 25 mg captopril; in 12 patients the changes after a 4 to 8 week treatment period (mean 6.3 +/- 2 weeks; doses: 3 times 12.5 to 3 times 25 mg/day) were investigated. The following baseline variables were evaluated: the radionuclide left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) at rest and during exercise, left ventricular end-diastolic volume (EDV), regurgitant blood volume (RBV); and plasma renin activity (PRA). Repeated determinations of EF, EDV and RPA were carried out 90 minutes after application of the drug. In patients with chronic therapy, EF at rest and during exercise, EDV, RBV and PRA were reinvestigated at the end of the study. Acute administration of captopril was followed by an increase of EF (from 49 +/- 12 to 55 +/- 12%, p less than 0.001) and a slight decrease of EDV (from 389 +/- 160 to 376 +/- 146 ml, p less than 0.05). PRA significantly increased (from 1.6 to 3.1 ng/ml/h, p less than 0.05). Chronic therapy resulted in a moderate decrease of systolic and diastolic blood pressure (from 156/70 +/- 31/15 to 140/63 +/- 23/15 mm Hg, p less than 0.01). However, no significant changes were observed in EF at rest and during exercise (51 +/- 9 vs. 53 +/- 10% and 45 +/- 14 vs. 47 +/- 14%), EDV (433 +/- 179 vs. 422 +/- 179 ml) and RBV (136 +/- 81 vs. 129 +/- 77 ml). PRA was significantly increased (6.3 ng/ml/h, p less than 0.001).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aortic Valve Insufficiency↗

[Persisting volume overload of the left ventricle following surgical correction of chronic aortic insufficiency].

After aortic valve replacement for chronic aortic regurgitation, complete normalization of the left ventricular end-diastolic volume can rarely be observed. We therefore investigated the role of continual volume overload caused by persisting concomitant mitral regurgitation. 20 patients who received an aortic valve for chronic aortic regurgitation (group 1), 5 patients after operation for aortic stenosis (group 2) and 6 patients with double valve replacement because of aortic and mitral valve lesions were included in the study 1 to 108 months after operation. All patients were examined clinically and by combined first pass/equilibrium radionuclide ventriculography. In the case of significant regurgitation (greater than 20%) 2-dimensional colour-coded Doppler-echocardiography was performed in patients of group 1 to localize the regurgitant lesion. 15 patients of group 1 had a typical systolic murmur indicating mitral regurgitation. 14 of these patients had significant scintigraphic left-sided heart regurgitation: 7 patients had regurgitant fractions between 21 and 40%; 6 patients between 41 and 60%; in 1 patient RF was 64%. Echocardiography confirmed mitral regurgitation in 9 of 11 of these cases. No significant regurgitation was observed in patients of group 2; mild regurgitation was measured in 5 of 6 patients of group 3 (26 to 31%). We conclude that in patients with chronic aortic regurgitation complete normalization of the left ventricular end-diastolic volume after valve replacement may not occur in some patients because of persisting mitral regurgitation.

Aortic Valve Insufficiency↗