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At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed2003

Arterial dysfunction in syndrome X: results of arterial reactivity and pulse wave propagation tests.

OBJECTIVE: To assess arterial distensibility using pulse wave velocity (PWV) measurements and its relation with endothelium dependent vasodilatation (EDV) in patients with cardiological syndrome X. METHODS: The study group consisted of 92 patients: 52 with syndrome X (34 women, 18 men, mean (SD) age 45 (3) years) and 40 healthy volunteer controls (27 women, 13 men, mean (SD) age 41 (2) years) without risk factors of atherosclerosis and with negative ECG exercise test and normal proximal coronaries on transoesophageal echocardiography. Patients with arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, valvar disease, or cardiomyopathy were excluded. PWV measured by a Complior Colson device was calculated for each patient. EDV was assessed from two dimensional Doppler measurement using an Acuson Sequoia with 8 MHz linear transducer at rest, during postischaemic reactive hyperaemia, and after an oral dose of 400 micro g of glyceryl trinitrate. RESULTS: PWV was significantly higher in patients with syndrome X than in healthy subjects (9.3 (0.7) m/s v 8.2 (0.9) m/s, respectively, p < 0.001). Baseline brachial artery diameter was similar in the syndrome X and control groups (4.0 (0.6) mm v 4.08 (0.64) mm, NS). EDV was impaired in patients with syndrome X compared with controls (6.6 (3.0)% v 11.1 (3.9)%, p < 0.001). Endothelium independent vasodilatation was similar in both groups. In patients with syndrome X there was a positive correlation between PWV and the degree of EDV (r = 0.864, p < 0.001). The cut off value for PWV was 8.5 m/s, with a sensitivity of 62% and a specificity of 91%. CONCLUSIONS: EDV but not glyceryl trinitrate induced vasodilatation is decreased in patients with syndrome X. There is a strong correlation between PWV and the degree of endothelial dysfunction of peripheral arteries in patients with syndrome X. PWV assessment may be useful to identify abnormal vascular physiology in these patients.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Differential diagnosis of focal liver lesions in signal-enhanced ultrasound using BR 1, a second-generation ultrasound signal enhancer.

AIM: The aim was to evaluate the diagnostic value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in the differential diagnosis of focal liver lesions, in a blinded experiment. In clinical routine the examiner can generally be influenced by the patient's history. METHOD: 62 patients with focal liver lesions, which could not be clearly differentiated and diagnosed by conventional ultrasound, were examined with contrast-enhanced (BR1, SonoVue, Bracco) ultrasound and included in a blinded prospective and randomized study. The examinations performed on a Sequoia 512 (Acuson) in a coherent contrast imaging method were recorded by an S-VHS recorder and afterwards analyzed by an examiner who did not know the patient's history. The basis of the diagnosis was the dynamic appearance and enhancement of the ultrasound contrast enhancer in different phases of liver perfusion. The conformation of the diagnoses was made by corresponding reference methods, as computer tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, biopsy and clinical follow-up. RESULTS: The following diagnoses were confirmed by reference methods: 18 patients with metastases, 4 hepatocellular carcinomas, 19 haemangiomas, 6 focal nodular hyperplasias, 13 patients with focal fatty infiltration and 2 patients with focal fatty sparing. 59 out of 62 patients with one or more liver lesions were correctly diagnosed by contrast-enhanced ultrasound. CONCLUSION: Second-generation ultrasound contrast enhancers improve the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant liver lesions considerably, especially in a blinded study.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

High serum bilirubin concentrations preserve coronary flow reserve and coronary microvascular functions.

BACKGROUND: Elevated serum bilirubin concentrations protect against atherosclerotic diseases; however, it is not clear whether higher serum bilirubin concentrations in physiological ranges work in favor of the cardiovascular system in younger persons with no cardiovascular risk factors. Accordingly, we investigated the effects of high, intermediate, and low serum bilirubin concentrations on coronary flow reserve (CFR). METHODS AND RESULTS: Fifty-two healthy subjects with hyperbilirubinemia (total bilirubin 1.43+/-0.33 mg/dL; mean age 35.9+/-7.3), 55 subjects with intermediate bilirubin level (total bilirubin: 0.69+/-0.11 mg/dL; mean age: 36.4+/-6.8), and 53 healthy subjects with hypobilirubinemia (total bilirubin 0.37+/-0.08 mg/dL; mean age, 37.6+/-6.6) were studied. Transthoracic second harmonic Doppler echocardiography examination was performed using an Acuson Sequoia C256 Echocardiography System. Coronary diastolic peak flow velocities were measured at baseline and after dipyridamole infusion (0.84 mg/kg over 6 minutes). CFR was calculated as the ratio of hyperemic to baseline diastolic peak velocities. Demographic features, coronary risk factors, echocardiographic measurements, and biochemical measurements were similar among the 3 groups, except high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP). CFR values were significantly higher in subjects with high bilirubin concentrations than those were in the intermediate and the low bilirubin groups (3.19+/-0.73; 2.75+/-0.42; 2.56+/-0.52, respectively; P<0.0001), and hsCRP levels were significantly lower in subjects with high bilirubin concentrations than those in both intermediate and low bilirubin groups (1.4+/-1.0, 2.0+/-1.7, 3.0+/-1.9 mg/L, respectively; P<0.001). hsCRP levels correlated with total bilirubin concentration and with CFR. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated serum bilirubin concentrations protect from CFR impairment, coronary microvascular dysfunction, and possibly coronary atherosclerosis.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Tiling of the Drosophila epidermis by multidendritic sensory neurons.

Insect dendritic arborization (da) neurons provide an opportunity to examine how diverse dendrite morphologies and dendritic territories are established during development. We have examined the morphologies of Drosophila da neurons by using the MARCM (mosaic analysis with a repressible cell marker) system. We show that each of the 15 neurons per abdominal hemisegment spread dendrites to characteristic regions of the epidermis. We place these neurons into four distinct morphological classes distinguished primarily by their dendrite branching complexities. Some class assignments correlate with known proneural gene requirements as well as with central axonal projections. Our data indicate that cells within two morphological classes partition the body wall into distinct, non-overlapping territorial domains and thus are organized as separate tiled sensory systems. The dendritic domains of cells in different classes, by contrast, can overlap extensively. We have examined the cell-autonomous roles of starry night (stan) (also known as flamingo (fmi)) and sequoia (seq) in tiling. Neurons with these genes mutated generally terminate their dendritic fields at normal locations at the lateral margin and segment border, where they meet or approach the like dendrites of adjacent neurons. However, stan mutant neurons occasionally send sparsely branched processes beyond these territories that could potentially mix with adjacent like dendrites. Together, our data suggest that widespread tiling of the larval body wall involves interactions between growing dendritic processes and as yet unidentified signals that allow avoidance by like dendrites.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy of bacteria and pollen.

A technique for distinguishing biological material based on surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is reported in this work. Of particular interest is biological material that can be airborne. Silver colloidal particles with diameters in the range 10 to 20 nm and with a characteristic ultraviolet-visible (UV-VIS) absorption band at 400 nm were used to obtain SERS spectra of Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Salmonella typhimurium bacteria and a number of tree and grass pollens (Cupressus arizonica (cypress), Sequoia sempervirens (redwood), Populus deltoides (cottonwood), Poa pratensis (Kentucky bluegrass), and Anthoxanthum odoratum (sweet vernal grass)). While differences in the SERS spectra among the bacteria were small, we found that the pollen spectra we analyzed could readily be distinguished from the bacteria spectra, and there were significant differences between pollen from different families. In order to obtain reproducible results, we studied the parameters controlling the interaction between the analyte and the nanoscale metallic surface. Our results show that the volume ratio of analyte to colloidal particles must be within a narrow range of values to optimize the signal-to-noise ratio of the SERS spectra and minimize the fluorescence from the analyte. Also, we found that the time-dependent behavior of colloidal/bacterial suspensions (or adsorption rate of the silver colloid particles on the bacteria) is strongly dependent on pH, density of bacteria in solution, and even, to some extent, the type of bacteria.

Bacteria↗
PubMed1991

A short evaluation of a new haematological cell counter--the Cell-Dyn 3000--following a modified tentative NCCLS-procedure.

The proposed procedure offers a method of evaluation that is feasible, but still a very precise method, for the evaluation of electronic differential leukocyte counters. Following this abbreviated method, the classification of the leukocytes, from 5 x 20 unselected blood specimens, with a flow-cytometric analysis by the Sequoia Turner Cell-Dyn 3000, was compared with microscopic differential counts as the standard. With proven accuracy and good reproducibility, the Cell-Dyn 3000 is a good sieve for the selection of normal samples. The high sensitivity and fair specificity permits a reduction of the differential workload to about 30 percent of the normal workload.

Disease↗
PubMed1993

Diagnostic performance: a comparative study of the leukocyte differential count on four automated haematology analysers.

The diagnostic performance of the haematology analysers, Technicon H1, Sysmex NE 8000, Coulter STKS and Sequoia Cell Dyn 3000 was determined by comparing their results for automated differential counting with the result obtained for 400 cells by the manual microscopic method. These comparative studies were performed on a group of adults, containing both normal individuals (n = 150) and those affected by various pathologies (n = 113). The number of morphologically false negatives is low for all the systems (from 1.8% for the Cell Dyn 3000 to 6.2% for the NE 8000), while the number of distributionally false negatives was slightly higher (from 4.4% for the Cell Dyn 3000 to 7% for the H1 and NE 8000). The morphological flags, though useful for improving the diagnostic performance of the instruments, show a rather modest sensitivity when taken individually: immature granulocytes/bands from 71% for the STKS to 43% for the NE 8000; blasts from 66.6% for the H1 to 53.3% for the STKS, atypical lymphocytes from 59% for the H1 to 13.6% for the NE 8000; erythroblasts from 42.8% for the STKS to 7% for the NE 8000.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Use of the Gamow Bag by EMT-basic park rangers for treatment of high-altitude pulmonary edema and high-altitude cerebral edema.

As part of an emergency medical system protocol, national park service rangers certified at the level of an emergency medical technician-basic (EMT-B) are taught to recognize and treat high-altitude pulmonary edema and high-altitude cerebral edema. In Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, this is done with the assistance of physician on-line medical control as a backup. High-altitude pulmonary edema and high-altitude cerebral edema are both potentially fatal altitude illnesses that can be particularly problematic in the backcountry, where evacuation may be delayed. We report a case of high-altitude pulmonary edema and high-altitude cerebral edema occurring at moderate altitude that was successfully treated by park rangers with the Gamow Bag.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Effect of a lignin-degrading fungus on feeding preferences of Formosan subterranean termite (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) for different commercial lumber.

The feeding preferences of the Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, for commercial lumber Alaska yellow cedar, Chamaecyparis nootkatensis (D. Don) Spach; yellow birch, Betula alleghaniensis Britton; northern red oak, Quercus rubra L.; redwood, Sequoia sempervirers (D. Don) Endl; and spruce (Picea spp.) were examined to determine whether the presence of the lignin-degrading basidiomycete Marasmiellus troyanus (Murrill) Singer could alter the relative preference of termites for these wood species. In paired choice tests with fungus-inoculated sawdust versus control sawdust, termites showed a strong preference for the fungus-inoculated sawdust for all wood species tested, except for Alaska yellow cedar. In a multiple-choice test using sawdust without fungus, termites showed a very strong preference for red oak sawdust over the other three species. In a paired choice test using fungus-inoculated sawdust, termites showed a preference for redwood over red oak sawdust. In a feeding test using autoclaved wood blocks without fungal decay, there was no difference in termite consumption of birch, red oak, or redwood. The relative preference of termites for redwood increased when blocks were decayed by M. troyanus for 3 and 8 wk. These results indicate that chemical modifications due to fungal decay affected the feeding preference of termites for different commercial lumber.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Pesticides in mountain yellow-legged frogs (Rana muscosa) from the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California, USA.

In 1997, pesticide concentrations were measured in mountain yellow-legged frogs (Rana muscosa) from two areas in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California, USA. One area (Sixty Lakes Basin, Kings Canyon National Park) had large, apparently healthy populations of frogs. A second area (Tablelands, Sequoia National Park) once had large populations, but the species had been extirpated from this area by the early 1980s. The Tablelands is exposed directly to prevailing winds from agricultural regions to the west. When an experimental reintroduction of R. muscosa in 1994 to 1995 was deemed unsuccessful in 1997, the last 20 (reintroduced) frogs that could be found were collected from the Tablelands, and pesticide concentrations in both frog tissue and the water were measured at both the Tablelands and at reference sites at Sixty Lakes. In frog tissues, dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) concentration was one to two orders of magnitude higher than the other organochlorines (46+/-20 ng/g wet wt at Tablelands and 17+/-8 Sixty Lakes). Both gamma-chlordane and trans-nonachlor were found in significantly greater concentrations in Tablelands frog tissues compared with Sixty Lakes. Organophosphate insecticides, chlorpyrifos, and diazinon were observed primarily in surface water with higher concentrations at the Tablelands sites. No contaminants were significantly higher in our Sixty Lakes samples.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Assessment of metastatic liver disease in patients with primary extrahepatic tumors by contrast-enhanced sonography versus CT and MRI.

AIM: To evaluate contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) using SonoVue in the detection of liver metastases in patients with known extrahepatic primary tumors versus the combined gold standard comprising CT, MRI and clinical/histological data. METHODS: It is an international multicenter study, and there were 12 centres and 125 patients (64 males, 61 females, aged 59+/-11 years) involved, with 102 patients per protocol. Primary tumors were colorectal in 35%, breast in 27%, pancreatic in 17% and others in 21%. CEUS using SonoVue was employed with a low-mechanical-index technique and contrast-specific software using Siemens Elegra, Philips HDI 5000 and Acuson Sequoia; continuous scanning for at least five minutes. RESULTS: CEUS with SonoVue increased significantly the number of focal liver lesions detected versus unenhanced sonography. In 31.4% of the patients, more lesions were found after contrast enhancement. The total numbers of lesions detected were comparable with CEUS (55), triple-phase spiral CT (61) and MRI with a liver-specific contrast agent (53). Accuracy of detection of metastatic disease (i.e. at least one metastatic lesion) was significantly higher for CEUS (91.2%) than for unenhanced sonography (81.4%) and was similar to that of triple-phase spiral CT (89.2%). In 53 patients whose CEUS examination was negative, a follow-up examination 3-6 mo later confirmed the absence of metastatic lesions in 50 patients (94.4%). CONCLUSION: CEUS is proved to be reliable in the detection of liver metastases in patients with known extrahepatic primary tumors and suspected liver lesions.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Evaluation of the Cell-Dyn 1600 in an outpatient laboratory.

An evaluation of the Cell-Dyn 1600 hematology analyzer (Sequoia-Turner Corporation; Mountain View, CA) was performed in an outpatient laboratory in British Columbia, Canada, to assess the analytic performance and the ease of use of the instrument. The Cell-Dyn 1600 is a three-part differential, 18-analyte instrument that requires only 30 muL of whole blood for complete analysis. It is a compact instrument with an impressive data-management package that is remarkably easy to use. The correlation study was performed using a Coulter S880 (Coulter Electronics, Hialeah, Florida) and manual differentials. Precision, carry-over, and linearity values for the Cell-Dyn provided results well within manufacturer's specifications. The two instruments correlated well as did the granulocyte and lymphocyte population comparisons. The mid-cell correlation was consistent with other studies assessing three-part differentials. Overall the Cell-Dyn 1600 is a good choice for any small or medium-sized laboratory.

Evaluation Studies as Topic↗
PubMed2000

Phylogenetic relationships in Taxodiaceae and Cupressaceae sensu stricto based on matK gene, chlL gene, trnL-trnF IGS region, and trnL intron sequences.

Nucleotide sequences from four chloroplast genes, the matK, chlL, intergenic spacer (IGS) region between trnL and trnF, and an intron of trnL, were determined from all species of Taxodiaceae and five species of Cupressaceae sensu stricto (s.s.). Phylogenetic trees were constructed using the maximum parsimony and the neighbor-joining methods with Cunninghamia as an outgroup. These analyses provided greater resolution of relationships among genera and higher bootstrap supports for clades compared to previous analyses. Results indicate that Taiwania diverged first, and then Athrotaxis diverged from the remaining genera. Metasequoia, Sequoia, and Sequoiadendron form a clade. Taxodium and Glyptostrobus form a clade, which is the sister to Cryptomeria. Cupressaceae s.s. are derived from within Taxodiaceae, being the most closely related to the Cryptomeria/Taxodium/Glyptostrobus clade. These relationships are consistent with previous morphological groupings and the analyses of molecular data. In addition, we found acceleration of evolutionary rates in Cupressaceae s.s. Possible causes for the acceleration are discussed.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

[Ultrasonic diagnosis of complications after bypass operations in lower extremities arteries].

After reconstructive vascular operations the patients need dynamic control and non-invasive monitoring. The purpose of the study was to reveal the potential of duplex scanning (DS) in assessment of bypasses function and diagnosis of postoperative complications. 148 patients after aorto-femoral and femoro-popliteal bypass, including patients with late postoperative complications (shunt thrombosis, stenosis or spurious aneurysm of anastomosis) were examined. Energy colored DS was performed in scans "Toshiba" SSH-140 and "Acuson" Sequoia-512. In ultrasonic diagnosis the vascular graft was imaged as a tube structure with hyperechogenic walls and distinct pulse; it was easy to detect the material of vascular graft. In examination of distal anastomosis the initial portions of efferent arteries were usually imaged distinctly. In satisfactory distal vascular bed, the shunt's blood flow did not differ from normal blood flow. In patients with multifocal lesions the spectrum of shunt's blood flow was similar to main-changed blood flow. Substantial change of blood velocity was revealed in complications (aneurysm or stenosis of anastomosis). Spurious aneurysm was imaged as a hypoechogenic pulsating formation. Thrombotic masses in aneurysm's cavity were distinctly detected at DS, unlike at angiography. In case of anastomosis insufficiency, the suture's disrupted filaments and free branch's ends could be imaged. Stenosis of anastomosis was characterized by visible lumen's stenosis, local thickening and unevenness of wall, spectrum's change and blood velocity increase. In shunt's thrombosis the DS permitted to follow the thrombed graft's path, to reveal the cause of thrombosis and to detect the condition of outflow tract. The authors regard DS as a method of choice in dynamic control for state of bypasses and arteries in patients after reconstructive operations in lower extremities arteries.

Arterial Occlusive Diseases↗
PubMed2000

Fetal echocardiography: a comparison of different techniques.

There is great availability on the market of echocardiographic instruments that have innovative technological systems which use second harmonic imaging. The true usefulness and applicability of these instruments in fetal echocardiography have yet to be verified. The objective of the present study was to verify the impact of this echographic technology in the diagnostic evaluation of the fetal cardiovascular system. Thus, an Acuson Sequoia echograph which uses native tissue harmonic imaging (NTHI) was used to examine 30 pregnant women between the 28th and 32nd week of gestation. The b-mode and m-mode images were acquired and recorded by the conventional method and by the second harmonic imaging method without contrast medium. Two experts in the field analyzed and compared the images recorded by the two methods and made diagnostic and qualitative judgements. The 30 cases examined were unanimously determined to have no visible echo pathologies. The morpho-biometric evaluation obtained by the two methods did not show any significant differences and the quality of the images obtained by the traditional method was found on average to be higher. In conclusion we believe that the use of second harmonic imaging for studies of the fetal heart does not seem to offer any advantages with respect to the conventional method.

Echocardiography↗
PubMed2001

3D localization of implanted radioactive sources in the prostate using trans-urethral ultrasound.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in men in the United States. Many techniques have been developed to diagnose and treat prostate cancer. 3D Trans-Urethral Ultrasound (TUUS) is a new technique for the diagnosis and treatment of prostate disease. This research focuses on the potential of TUUS for therapy-guidance during and after transperineal interstitial permanent prostate brachytherapy (TIPPB). Computed tomography (CT) is currently used to determine the source locations and the effective radiation dose distribution throughout the tissue after the completion of the procedure. TUUS may be a viable alternative to CT for determining source locations within the prostate. Placement of the TUUS catheter into the urethra provides excellent 2D images of the prostate. In addition, the catheter can be used to acquire 3D volumetric data for 3D analysis of the prostate, associated tissue, and radioactive sources. Initial work on source localization was conducted on an ultrasound-equivalent prostate phantom. Cylindrical dummy radiation sources with diameter of .8 mm and length of 4.5 mm were placed into the prostate phantom for assessment with TUUS. The TUUS imaging device is a 10 fr catheter with a linear array of ultrasonic crystals at one end. The ultrasound catheter operates at 10 MHz and is controlled by the Acuson Sequoia ultrasound workstation. The catheter was placed in the phantom urethra and 3D scans were acquired. A corresponding CT was acquired for comparative purposes. Segmentation of the prostate capsule was done semi-automatically. Dummy radiation seed segmentation was conducted manually. Additional processing was necessary to account for image artifact and correctly reconstruct the seeds. The prostate shell and radioactive source reconstructions provide an excellent 3D representation. Comparison to the CT data suggests that the TUUS data provided: 1) greater resolution and 2) better soft tissue differentiation. The reconstructed sources were measured and corresponded to the physical dimensions of those placed in the phantoms. The method is now being evaluated on cadavers and patients.

Brachytherapy↗
PubMed2001

Imaging of the posterior descending coronary artery. The last frontier in echocardiography.

BACKGROUND: Non-invasive color Doppler imaging of the left anterior descending coronary artery has been described, but imaging of the posterior descending coronary artery (PD) has never been reported. The aim of this paper was to describe color Doppler imaging and flow reserve of the PD, regardless of its origin from the right or circumflex coronary artery, in different settings such as acute myocardial infarction or coronary stenting. METHODS: A C256 Acuson Sequoia ultrasound system connected to a standard 3.5 MHz transducer was used. Neither a contrast agent nor harmonic or power Doppler imaging was used. However, the Nyquist limit of color Doppler was reduced to 12 cm/s. Patients were examined in the apical 2-chamber view, with the coronary sinus ostium imaged in the short axis until a diastolic flow signal close to the epicardial layer was detected. Pulsed Doppler confirmed an anterograde, doming systolic and monophasic decrescendo diastolic flow. Adenosine was intravenously infused at the standard dose of 140 microg/kg/min over 90 s in order to elicit maximal microcirculatory dilation. The resting and hyperemic peak diastolic flow velocities were measured and the coronary flow reserve was calculated as the ratio between hyperemic and resting peak diastolic flow velocities. RESULTS: This simple bedside technique provided crucial information about several important issues: 1) arterial patency after thrombolysis; 2) evaluation of the physiologic impact of a coronary stenosis, with implications on the detection of a critical stenosis; 3) reperfusion imaging of perforating branches after myocardial infarction; 4) post-stent assessment of coronary flow reserve. CONCLUSIONS: This paper shows, for the first time, that non-invasive imaging of the PD by non-contrast transthoracic Doppler is feasible and that the coronary flow reserve is measurable even in critical conditions. More studies are needed to assess the feasibility of PD imaging in different clinical settings and the potential benefit of contrast agents in improving the evaluation of coronary flow.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

[Is blood squeezed out from the microcirculation soon after coronary occlusion?: real time myocardial contrast echocardiographic study].

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The fate of blood trapped inside the myocardial microvessels after complete occlusion of the coronary artery has not been elucidated. Blood may be squeezed out by residual contraction even after coronary occlusion. The microcirculation was examined soon after coronary occlusion by real-time contrast echocardiography. METHODS: Myocardial opacification in the short-axis view was examined during infusion of FS69 (Optison) using the Coherent Contrast Imaging method(SIEMENS Sequoia 512) in 17 open chest dogs. The left circumflex coronary artery was completely ligated for 15 sec and the video intensity (256 gray level) of the risk area was measured at end-systole of every 3 beats before and after ligation. Temporal deterioration of the wall motion was evaluated, defined as normokinesis, mild hypokinesis and severe hypokinesis, and akinesis. Changes in the video intensity during each stage of wall motion abnormalities were examined. RESULTS: The video intensity of the risk area decreased significantly after coronary occlusion. Wall motion of the risk area deteriorated gradually after ligation, in which mild hypokinesis, severe hypokinesis and akinesis developed consecutively at 2.8 +/- 0.5, 5.4 +/- 0.5 and 7.8 +/- 0.8 sec after coronary ligation, respectively. The changes in video intensity during each stage of the wall motion abnormalities were small and not statistically significant, irrespective of severity of wall motion abnormalities. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the blood remains in the vascular bed immediately after the coronary occlusion and is not squeezed out even if wall motion of the risk area continues.

Animals↗