[Complex ultrasonic examination in the diagnosis and evaluation of cardiac function in right-ventricular infarction]

Combined ultrasound investigation (two-dimensional, contrast, Doppler, Mechocardiography) was performed in 32 patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Echo- and electrocardiographic evidence and clinical symptoms suggested AMI of both ventricles in 22 patients. Ten patients with AMI in the left ventricle only made up the control sample. Right cardiac compartments were probed to verify right-ventricular insufficiency. Right-ventricular involvement was confirmed by autopsy in 6 patients. Clinical signs of right-ventricular AMI were detected in 63.6% of second-group patients, and electrocardiographic signs of the same, in 54.6%. Asynergic areas were detected in right-ventricular wall of 90.5% of patients. In cases of right-ventricular AMI, right compartment section area was increased significantly, while right-ventricular evacuation fraction was as significantly reduced. Doppler echocardiography demonstrated a low right-ventricular rapid filling peak rate, as compared to the respective slow filling rate, an indirect indication of right-ventricular AMI. Combined ultrasound investigation is therefore an effective tool for the diagnosis of right-ventricular AMI and assessment of heart performance.