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Biomedical subjects

L C Becker

Publications and source records attributed to L C Becker.

At least 181 records · Page 10Linked to original sources
PubMed1980

Evidence for a flow-independent contribution to the phenomenon of thallium redistribution.

Although thallium-201 is known to redistribute slowly into regions of ischemic myocardium after restoration of blood flow, it is not clear to what extent normalization of flow is an essential requirement for the redistribution process. In a search for a flow-independent component of thallium redistribution, 12 dogs with stenosis of the circumflex coronary artery underwent atrial pacing for either 20 minutes (group I, 6 dogs) or 2 hours (group II, 6 dogs). Radioactive thallium and radioactive microspheres, 7 to 10 mu, were injected after 10 minutes of atrial pacing in both groups. Pacing resulted in a 40 percent reduction in subendocardial blood flow to the circumflex-perfused myocardium in both groups I and II. This relative reduction in flow was maintained at a stable level over the 2 hour pacing period in group II. Thallium activity in the relatively ischemic zone was significantly greater in dogs with 2 hours of pacing (group II) than in those with 10 minutes of pacing (group I). Redistribution of thallium occurred despite the continued presence of reduced flow in circumflex-perfused endocardial tissue. These data suggest that a significant component of thallium redistribution may be flow-independent.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Quantification of aortic valvular regurgitation in dogs by nuclear imaging.

Radionuclide gated cardiac blood pool (GBP) imaging was used to quantitatively assess the severity of acute aortic valvular regurgitation produced experimentally in 10 anesthetized dogs. Right ventricular (RV) and left ventricular (LV) stroke counts (end-diastolic minus end-systolic counts in RV and LV regions of interest) were used as indices of the stroke volumes of the two ventricles. Regurgitant fraction (RFGBP) was derived by assuming that an excess of LV stroke counts compared to RV stroke counts was due to regurgitant flow: RFGBP = LV stroke counts - RV stroke counts/LV stroke counts X 100. Regurgitant fraction (RFEMF) was also estimated directly from an electromagnetic flowmeter (EMF) on the ascending aorta. Mean RFEMF was 55.8 +/- 17.9% (+/-SD). Close agreement was found between regurgitant fractions measured by GBP and EMF (RFGBP = 1.09, RFEMF - 4.7%, r = 0.88, p less than 0.001, SEE = 9.98%). The severity of regurgitation from blood pool images also correlated closely with aortic pulse pressure (r = 0.89) and the length of the tear in the aortic valve (r = 0.84). These results suggest that blood pool imaging may be sueful for noninvasive quantification of regurgitant flow in patients with valvular insufficiency.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1979

Predictability of the response to the ergonovine test. Value in the diagnosis of coronary spasm.

Thirty-five patients with atypical chest pain were given ergonovine maleate as a provocative test for coronary spasm. None of the patients had significant coronary atherosclerosis. The patients were divided into two groups based on clinical information available before ergonovine testing. Group 1 patients (n=13) had objective evidence of cardiac disease manifested by episodes of syncope, ventricular tachyarrhythmias, myocardial infarction, or transient ST segment shifts with chest pain. Group 2 patients had chest pain but no objective evidence of cardiac disease. The ergonovine test was positive in 11 of 13 patients in group 1. None of the 22 group 2 patients had a positive response to ergonovine. These data suggest that ergonovine testing does not allow for any more precise recognition of patients with atypical chest pain who have coronary artery spasm than do clinical data alone.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Early changes in collateral blood flow during myocardial infarction in conscious dogs.

We studied the early changes in collateral blood flow (CBF) after acute coronary artery occlusion and the relation of these changes to subsequent necrosis. We measured CBF with 7--9 microns radioactive microspheres before and at various times after circumflex artery occlusion in 42 conscious dogs that were killed 48 h later. CBF increased from 20 s postocclusion to later measurements (5 min, 15 min, 1 h, or 6 h) and did so in both necrotic and nonnecrotic areas of the occluded bed. However, the increase in CBF over time was not gradual, but appeared to occur between 20 s and 5 min, with no further changes for up to 6 h. There was a gradation of CBF in the occluded bed, from periphery to center and subepicardium to subendocardium. Central and subendocardial regions with CBF less than 0.40 ml-min-1-g-1 at 5--15 min postocclusion subsequently showed necrosis whereas epicardial and lateral regions with CBF greater than 0.50 ml/min did not. Thus CBF increases very early throughout the occluded coronary bed, and the level of CBF by 5 min appears to determine whether necrosis ultimately occurs.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Measurement of aortic and mitral regurgitation by gated cardiac blood pool scans.

A simple, noninvasive radionuclide technique which measures the severity of valvular regurgitation has been developed. The technique compares right and left ventricular stroke volume indices (change in counts between diastole and systole over the left and right ventricles) from 45 degrees LAO gated cardiac blood pool scans. In 14 control subjects, the left-to-right ventricular stroke index ratio was near unity (1.15 +/- 0.15 [SD]). In 26 patients with mitral and/or aortic regurgitation it was larger (range 1.36--5.30, mean 2.44). Comparison between the stroke index ratio and qualitative angiographic estimates of regurgitation revealed good agreement (F = 45.5, p less than 0.001). Gated cardiac blood pool scans permit noninvasive assessment of the severity of valvular regurgitation.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Pathologic basis of thallium-201 scintigraphic defects in patients with fatal myocardial injury.

Using a quantitative, computer-aided circumferential profile technique, we have shown that thallium-201 scintigrams with large defects can identify a group of patients with a high mortality after acute myocardial infarction. To determine whether high-risk thallium scintigrams predict poor survival because of a critical loss of myocardium, we correlated infarct size in 24 autopsied patients with the extent of thallium defect in three views. Of 13 patients with large defects (computer score greater than or equal to 7.0) eight (62%) had greater than 25% loss of left ventricular (LV) myocardium, but five (38%) had smaller infarcts (4--24% of LV myocardium), suggesting that part of the scintigraphic defect was related to ischemia without necrosis. Eight of the nine patients with loss greater than or equal to 25% LV myocardium had large defects. In 10 of 11 patients with small defects (computer score less than 7.0), infarcts involved less than 20% of LV myocardium. Although scintigrams with large defects predicted a critical loss of myocardium in over 60% of our patients, they included an important second group, in which the scintigraphic defect appeared to reflect a small infarct and a large surrounding area of reversibly ischemic myocardium.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Clinical indicators of left main coronary artery disease in unstable angina.

Two hundred consecutive catheterized patients with unstable angina pectoris were reviewed to find clinical and noninvasive indicators of left main coronary artery disease (greater than or equal to 50% lesion). Thirty-five patients (17.5% of total) had left main coronary artery disease. There were no differences between patients with and without left main coronary artery disease in age, sex, results of resting electrocardiogram, congestive heart failure, dyspnea during pain, duration of longest pain, arrhythmias, response to medical therapy, or other risk factors. Crescendo angina pectoris (worsening of pre-existing angina), transient ST-segment depression with pain, simultaneous anterior and inferior ST changes during pain, and fluoroscopic calcification of the left main coronary artery were all significantly more common in patients with left main coronary artery disease. However, low sensitivity or low predictive value, or both, limit the usefulness of these clinical predictors. Left main coronary artery disease cannot be reliably predicted in patients with unstable angina pectoris before coronary arteriography.

Angina Pectoris↗
PubMed1978

Simultaneous detection of myocardial perfusion and wall motion abnormalities by cinematic 201Tl imaging.

A method for simultaneous acquisition of static and ECG-synchronized 201Tl myocardial images is reported. The ECG-synchronized images are then displayed continuously in cinematic format. In studies of 37 patients, the cinematic technique provided detection of regional wall motion abnormalities and improved distinction of cardiac borders without losing perception of perfusion defects. Cinematic display is a useful addition to 201Tl myocardial imaging.

Electrocardiography↗