The diagnosis of unstable angina (troponine undetectable) is often difficult in the absence of electrocardiographic changes after suggestive chest pains. The object of this study was to analyse the kinetics of Brain Natiuretic Peptide (BNP) during acute coronary syndromes (ACS) without ST elevation. Plasma BNP was measured every 6 hours for 48 hours in 65 patients admitted for suspicion of ACS without ST elevation and without clinical, radiological or echocardiographic signs of left ventricular dysfunction. The results of BNP measurements were masked until the final diagnosis was established on the usual investigations (ECG changes, troponine I values, myocardial scintigraphy, coronary angiography). These investigations identified 3 groups of patients: non-Q wave infarction (group A: 19 patients), unstable angina (group B: 21 patients) and non-coronary chest pain (group C: 25 patients). The peak BNP was significantly higher in groups A (210 +/- 172 pg/ml) and B (152 +/- 159 pg/ml) than in group C (16 +/- 14 pg/ml). However, the BNP was normal or only slightly increased (< 50 pg/ml) in 25% of cases of ACS. Analysis of the kinetics of BNP was much more discriminating: early increase after the pain, peak between the 14th and 24th hours (19th hour on average), followed by a progressive decrease. The kinetics were identical in Groups A and B, contrasting with the flat profile of the curve in group C. A change of > 20 pg/ml in BNP was a better criterion of ACS with a diagnostic accuracy > 90% than increased troponine (group A) or undetectable troponine (group B). The authors conclude that BNP kinetics is a new and reliable diagnostic marker of unstable angina when the usual criteria of ACS are not present (notably a normal ECG and undetectable troponine).

The diagnosis of unstable angina (troponine undetectable) is oft en difficult in the absence of electrocardiographic changes after suggestive chest pains. The object of this study was to analyse the kinetics of Brain Natiuretic Peptide (BNP) during acute coronary syndromes (ACS) without ST elevation.Plasma BNP was measured every 6 hours for 48 hours in 65 patients admitted for suspicion of ACS without ST elevation and without clinical, radiological or echocardiographic signs of left ventricular dysfunction. The results of BNP measurements were masked until the final diagnosis was established on the usual investigations (ECG changes, troponine I values, myocardial scintigraphy, coronary angiography). These investigations identified 3 groups of patients: non-Q wave infarction (group A: 19 patients), unstable angina (group B: 21 patients) and non-coronary chest pain (group C: 25 patients).The peak BNP was significantly higher in groups A (210 +/- 172 pg/ml) and B (152 +/- 159 pg/ml) than in group C (16 +/- 14 pg/ml). However, the BNP was normal or only slightly increased (< 50 pg/ml) in 2S% of cases of ACS. Analysis of the kinetics of BNP was much more discriminating: early increase after the pain, peak between the 14(th) and 24(th) hours (19(th) hour on average), followed by a progressive decrease. The kinetics were identical in Groups A and B, contrasting with the flat profile of the curve in group C. A change of > 20 pg/ml in BNP was a better criterion of ACS with a diagnostic accuracy > 90% than increased troponine (group A) or undetectable troponine (group B).The authors conclude that BNP kinetics is; a new and reliable diagnostic marker of unstable angina when the usual criteria of ACS are not present (notably a normal ECG and undetectable troponine).

The generalisation of the use of transthoracic echocardiography in the investigation of pulmonary embolism leads to the diagnosis of mobile right heart thrombus in about 5% of cases. A review of the literature shows that this association is mainly observed in clinically severe pulmonary embolism. The presence of a mobile right heart thrombus is associated with a poor prognosis and emergency treatment is based on thrombolytic therapy or surgical embolectomy. In minimal or infraclinical pulmonary embolism, the finding of a mobile right heart thrombus is rare and there is no consensus about its treatment. The authors report the case of a 61 year old man admitted to hospital for bilateral deep vein thrombosis with no symptoms of pulmonary embolism in whom investigations revealed a mobile right heart thrombus with minimal pulmonary embolism. The outcome was favourable with progressive resolution of the right heart thrombus with oral anticoagulation after three weeks of heparin therapy.

The authors report the first case of cardiac sarcoidosis involving only the interatrial septum and the atrioventricular node in a 30 year old man with known lymph node sarcoidosis. The diagnosis was suspected after the finding of an apparently innocent 1st degree atrioventricular block and confirmed by transoesophageal echocardiography and by IMATRON computerised tomography. Isolated atrial involvement of sarcoidosis is rare in the absence of any left ventricular disease. This explains the negative findings at transthoracic echocardiography and radio-isotopic investigations usually recommended for diagnosing cardiac sarcoidosis.

The technique of acoustic quantification (AQ), because of its automatic detection of the contours, enables left ventricular volumes to be calculated in real time using the technique of disk summation. The objective of the study was to evaluate the reliability of cardiac output (CO) measurements obtained with AQ based on left ventricle volumes in patients with severe congestive heart failure. Seventeen patients, mean age 68 +/- 11 years, NYHA stage IV, in sinus rhythm and without significant valve regurgitation were enrolled prospectively. CO, measured simultaneously by 2-dimensional echocardiography (2DE), pulsed Doppler echocardiography (DOP) and AQ, was compared to the thermodilution technique (TD) data. CO, measured by AQ, was highly correlated with TD (r = 0.875; p < 0.001) with a small bias (-0.05 l/min). DOP and 2DE were also well correlated with TD (r = 0.835 and r = 0.701, respectively). Concerning ventricular volume measurement, AQ was well correlated with 2DE (for telediastolic, r = 0.892, and telesystolic volumes, r = 0.874). However, telesystolic (bias, +36.6 +/- 35 ml) and telediastolic volumes (bias, +35.6 +/- 35 ml) were overestimated. We conclude that AQ is a reliable technique, able to estimate CO precisely in patients with severe congestive heart failure. On the other hand, both telesystolic and telediastolic volumes were overestimated.

The analysis of segmental wall motion using two-dimensional (2-D) echocardiography is subjective with high interobserver variability. Color kinesis is a new technique providing a color-encoded map of endocardial motion. We evaluated the accuracy of color kinesis and 2-D for assessment of regional asynergy compared with Left ventricular angiography as a reference method. Fifteen, patients admitted for myocardial infarction were studied by echocardiography the day before left ventricular angiography. The left ventricle was divided into seven segments. Each segment was classified by two independent observers as normal or abnormal in 2-D and color kinesis. Accuracy of color kinesis and 2-D was evaluated and compared to left ventricular angiography. Color kinesis is significantly superior to 2-D for all seven segments (mean 0.80/0.68 P = 0.05), except for the septum (0.67/0.60, P = NS). Interobserver variability studied by chi-square statistic is lower with color kinesis (0.70) than with 2-D (0.57). We conclude that these data suggest that color kinesis is a useful method for assessing systolic wall motion, in all segments, except the septum and for improving the accuracy of segmental ventricular function and interobserver variability.

An open randomized hospital study conducted in 169 centers in France compared the blood pressure response to the first 36 h of treatment with perindopril (PER), 2 mg once daily, with that to captopril (CAP), 6.25 mg t.i.d., in 725 patients (mean age, 70 years; men, 67%) with echocardiographic left ventricular systolic dysfunction (fractional shortening, less than or equal to 28%) due to ischemia (56.7%) or hypertension (34.5%) and a systolic blood pressure (SBP) greater than or equal to 120 mm Hg. Each dose of CAP induced a sharp and rapid decrease in blood pressure (maximum, 1.5-2 h); with PER, the decrease was gradual (maximum, 6 h) and variation was less marked. However, at 36 h, the decrease in blood pressure versus baseline was similar on both treatments. Over the 36-h period, there were 22 (3%) dropouts due to marked orthostatic hypotension (SBP, <90 mm Hg), and they were fewer with PER than with CAP: 16 cases in the CAP group versus six in the PER group (p = 0.036). At 36 h, heart rate was lower with CAP than with PER: 75.2 versus 77.5 beats/min, respectively (p = 0.039). As initial therapy for stabilized left ventricular systolic dysfunction, the first dose of PER (2 mg) induced a significantly smaller decrease in blood pressure than the first dose of CAP (6.25 mg); dropouts due to orthostatic hypotension were also significantly fewer with PER than with CAP.

The object of this study was to assess the Value of CK in the evaluation of left ventricular wall motion. Fifteen coronary patients aged 56 +/- 12 years were included : 8 patients were examined after acute myocardial infarction and 7 after unstable angina with a history of myocardial information. The left ventricle was divided into 7 segments after a modified Heger model, excluding the basal septal and basal lateral segments not seen on angiography. The left ventricular wall motion was assessed in two-dimensional echocardiography (2DE) and colour kinesis (CK) by two observers and compared with the results of left ventriculography, considered the reference method.Over all the 105 segments studied (7 segments for each of the IS patients), CK was significantly better than 2DE (80% of segments correctly evaluated by CK vs 68% by 2DE, p < 0.05). Colour kinesis significantly improved the study of all segments except the interventricular septum (67% vs 60%, p = NS). The inter-observer variability in 2DE and CK evaluated over 135 segments (9 per patient) by the kappa was improved by colour kinesis (0.57 in 2DE, 0.7 in CK).The authors conclude that CK enables evaluation of left ventricular wall motion with greater precision and less inter-observer variability.

The object of this study was to assess the value of CK in the evaluation of left ventricular wall motion. Fifteen coronary patients aged 56 +/- 12 years were included: 8 patients were examined after acute myocardial infarction and 7 after unstable angina with a history of myocardial information. The left ventricle was divided into 7 segments after a modified Heger model, excluding the basal septal and basal lateral segments not seen on angiography. The left ventricular wall motion was assessed in two-dimensional echocardiography (2DE) and colour kinesis (CK) by two observers and compared with the results of left ventriculography, considered the reference method. Over all the 105 segments studied (7 segments for each of the 15 patients), CK was significantly better than 2DE (80% of segments correctly evaluated by CK vs 68% by 2DE, p < 0.05). Colour kinesis significantly improved the study of all segments except the interventricular septum (67% vs 60%, p = NS). The inter-observer variability in 2DE and CK evaluated over 135 segments (9 per patient) by the kappa was improved by colour kinesis (0.57 in 2DE, 0.7 in CK). The authors conclude that CK enables evaluation of left ventricular wall motion with greater precision and less inter-observer variability.

The authors report the case of a 34 year old woman, admitted to hospital because of myocardial infarction two months after delivery of her fifth child. The infarction was caused by spontaneous dissection of the left main coronary and left anterior descending arteries. Twenty-three months later, the patient was well with medical therapy.This case is an example of spontaneous post-partum coronary dissection which is the commonest cause of infarction occurring in that period.The physiopathology of this complication is not fully understood. The prognosis is poor, lethal in two thirds of cases. However, it must be emphasised that coronary dissection may regress spontaneously.Patients were previously referred systematically for surgery, but now it is usually reserved for cases with persistent myocardial ischaemia despite medical therapy. Angioplasty may be preferred despite the risks and may be successful in some cases.

The authors report the case of a 34 year old woman, admitted to hospital because of myocardial infarction two months after delivery of her fifth child. The infarction was caused by spontaneous dissection of the left main coronary and left anterior descending arteries. Twenty-three months later, the patient was well with medical therapy. This case is an example of spontaneous post-partum coronary dissection which is the commonest cause of infarction occurring in that period. The physiopathology of this complication is not fully understood. The prognosis is poor, lethal in two thirds of cases. However, it must be emphasised that coronary dissection may regress spontaneously. Patients were previously referred systematically for surgery, but now it is usually reserved for cases with persistent myocardial ischaemia despite medical therapy. Angioplasty may be preferred despite the risks and may be successful in some cases.

Cardiac transplantation remains the standard treatment for severe cardiomyopathy resistant to medical therapy. However, new techniques may help to put this off. Two patients with dilated cardiomyopathy were treated surgically since October 1996, one aged 48 and the other 52. They were in NYHA Class IV and one was dependent on inotropic drugs. Both had relative or absolute contra-indications to transplantation. The left ventricular end diastolic dimensions were over 70 mm with mild mitral regurgitation and fractional shortening of less than 12%. Coronary angiography was normal. They were operated in October 1996 and January 1997. The procedure consisted of correction of mitral regurgitation (annuloplasty) and of reduction of left ventricular volume by a triangular resection from the apese to the base of the heart. At histological examination, the resected myocardium measured 11 to 13 cm long and 5 to 7 cm at its base. The two patients were discharged from hospital after 45 and 30 days. There were no clinical signs of cardiac failure. Follow-up investigations showed a marked decrease in ventricular volumes, the end diastolic dimensions changing from 70 to 52 mm in the first, and from 76 to 54 mm in the second patient. The corresponding values of fractional shortening increased from 11 to 20% and from 6 to 17%. Left ventricular volumes decreased from 328 mL (end diastole) and 259 mL (end systole) to 140 mL and 74 mL in the first case, and from 300 mL (end diastole) and 280 mL (end systole) to 122 mL and 83 mL respectively in the second case. The ejection fraction increased from 20 to 40% and from 10 to 32%. These preliminary results show that the theoretical advantages of this surgical technique correspond to a practical reality. Larger series of patients are required to determine the optimal indications.

The authors report a case of Kearns-Sayre syndrome, a rare mitochondrial myopathy, diagnosed in a 19 year old man. Distal conduction defects are constant findings and are a dominant factor in the prognosis of this condition. Their early appearance and rapid progression pose the problem of prophylactic cardiac pacing despite the young age. In the case report, pacing was decided at the age of 23 in the absence of symptoms but with bifascicular block (right bundle branch block and left anterior hemiblock), without electrophysiological investigation. During follow-up, left bundle branch block was observed 3 years later and permanent complete atrioventricular block occurred 7 years after pacemaker implantation.

Spontaneous, long lasting reduction of chronic permanent atrial fibrillation, usually complicating rheumatic valvular heart disease, has rarely been described in the literature. Its mechanism is unclear. In practice, the question is to determine whether the electrical activation coincides with restoration of a mechanical atrial contraction. The authors report the case of a woman with mixed rheumatic aortic and mitral valve disease (essentially mitral stenosis), in whom reversion to sinus rhythm was observed after 9 years of atrial fibrillation and which was long lasting (at least 9 months), and, above all, accompanied by atrial contraction documented for the first time to the best of the authors' knowledge, by Doppler echocardiography.

The authors report the case of a 31 year old woman at 30 weeks' gestation who developed a non-Q wave postero-lateral myocardial infarction during treatment with salbutamol. There were no complications and delivery took place at term normally. Coronary angiography was performed 3 months post-partum and was normal: the Methergin test was negative. Myocardial ischaemia occurring during treatment with a beta-2 mimetic in pregnancy is rare and hardly ever progresses to myocardial infarction. The usual mechanism of ischaemia is an imbalance of myocardial oxygen demand and supply. Myocardial oxygen consumption is naturally increased during pregnancy and excess intracellular calcium secondary to the beta-1 stimulation occurring with the use of beta-2 mimetic drugs further aggravates matters. This hypothesis raises the question of the value of calcium inhibitors in these forms of myocardial ischaemia.

The authors report the case of a 31 year old woman at 30 weeks' gestation who developed a non-Q wave postero-lateral myocardial infarction during treatment with salbutamol. There were no complications and delivery took place at term normally. Coronary angiography was performed 3 months post-partum and was normal: the Methergin test was negative. Myocardial ischaemia occurring during treatment with a beta-2 mimetic in pregnancy is rare and hardly ever progresses to myocardial infarction. The usual mechanism of ischaemia is an imbalance of myocardial oxygen demand and supply. Myocardial oxygen consumption is naturally increased during pregnancy and Excess intracellular calcium secondary to the beta-1 stimulation occurring with the use of beta-2 mimetic drugs further aggravates matters. This hypothesis raises the question of the value of calcium inhibitors in these forms of myocardial ischaemia.