Aortic dissection

Dr T Ask Doctor T, Chest Pain, Diagnosis, Therapy, Treatment 1 Comment

Introduction Aortic dissection results from a tear in the inner layer of the aortic wall (called intimal tear). Blood pumped from the heart into the aorta pushes the layers further apart in an upstream or downstream direction (or both, see below) and block side branches that may include Your coronary arteries, causing a heart attack Arteries to your brain , …

I had an echocardiogram that showed pulmonary hypertension. What does it mean?

Dr T Diagnosis, Treatment 1 Comment

Question: I just learned that an echocardiogram from 2.5 years ago indicated “mild pulmonary hypertension.” (sPAP was extimated at 38 mmHg.) The echo was done to try to diagnose sudden attacks of shortness of breath that have become less frequent since then.  (No luck with a diagnosis, by the way.)  My brand new pulmonologist wants to do another echo and …

Elective Cardiac Catherization

Dr T Diagnosis, News for Professionals, Professionals 2 Comments

…slightly more than one third of patients without known disease who underwent elective cardiac catheterization had obstructive coronary artery disease… Low Diagnostic Yield of Elective Coronary Angiography In an article, published in the NEJM in 2010, the authors analyzed data from a national registry on cardiac catheterization, reporting only 38% of elective, diagnostic coronary angiograms showed obstructive lesions, and 39% …