QUALITY CONTROL IN ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY REPORTING (PART A)

For cardiac evaluation echocardiography is of immense importance. Easy availability, low cost, and portability lands it in the hands of novices at times. It has a learning curve and expertise must be obtained to keep the standard of reports high and reliable. The referring physician must be fully conversant with the indications of echocardiography. The echocardiographic machine should deliver images of high resolution and fully equipped with all the basic modalities. Availability of 3D (3-dimensional) imaging, tissue synchronization imaging and strain analysis are added advantages. Preliminary data of patient must be collected and the study should be recorded for off-line analysis. Finally, the findings should be narrated on a proforma in the form of a standardized report showing all the relevant features, especially directed to the query of referring physician, thus completing the loop.

Quantification of Murine Myocardial Infarct Size using 2D and 4D High Frequency Ultrasound

Background: Ischemic heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, Canada, and worldwide. Severe disease is characterized by coronary artery occlusion, loss of blood flow to the myocardium, and necrosis of tissue, with subsequent remodeling of the heart wall, including fibrotic scarring. The current study aims to demonstrate the efficacy of quantitating infarct size via 2D echocardiographic akinetic length and 4D echocardiographic infarct volume and surface area as in vivo analysis techniques. We further describe and evaluate a new surface area strain analysis technique for estimating myocardial infarction (MI) size after ischemic injury. Methods: Experimental MI was induced in mice via left coronary artery ligation. Ejection fraction and infarct size were measured through 2D and 4D echocardiography. Infarct size established via histology was compared to ultrasound-based metrics via linear regression analysis. Results: 2D echocardiographic akinetic length (r = 0.76, p = 0.03), 4D echocardiographic infarct volume (r = 0.85, p = 0.008) and surface area (r = 0.90, p = 0.002) correlate well with histology. While both 2D and 4D echocardiography were reliable measurement techniques to assess infarct, 4D analysis is superior in assessing asymmetry of the left ventricle and the infarct. Strain analysis performed on 4D data also provides additional infarct sizing techniques, which correlate with histology (surface strain: r = 0.94, p < 0.001, transmural thickness: r = 0.76, p = 0.001). Conclusions: 2D echocardiographic akinetic length, 4D echocardiography ultrasound and strain provide effective in vivo methods for measuring fibrotic scarring after MI.

Assessment of Biventricular Myocardial Function with 2-Dimensional Strain and Conventional Echocardiographic Parameters: A Comparative Analysis in Healthy Infants and Patients with Severe and Critical Pulmonary Stenosis

Our aim was to compare the global longitudinal and regional biventricular strain between infants with severe and critical pulmonary stenosis (PS), and controls; to compare pre- and post-procedural strain values in infants with severe and critical PS; and to assess the correlations between echocardiographic strain and conventional parameters. We conducted a retrospective single-center study. The comparisons of echocardiographic variables were performed using separate linear mixed models. The overall mean right ventricle (RV) regional strains measured before intervention in PS patients was significantly different when compared to the control group (p = 0.0324). We found a significant change in the left ventricle, RV, and inter-ventricular septum strain (IVS) values from basal to apical location (p < 0.05). IVS strain values showed a higher decrease in mean strain values from basal to apical in PS patients. There was no significant difference in means of baseline and post-interventional strain values in PS patients (p > 0.05). Following the strain analysis in patients with PS, we obtained statistically significant changes in the RV global-4-chamber longitudinal strain (RV4C). The RV4C, which quantifies the longitudinal strain to the entire RV, can be used in current clinical practice for the evaluation of RV function in infants with severe and critical PS. The longitudinal and segmental strain capture the pathological changes in the IVS, modifications that cannot be highlighted through a classical echocardiographic evaluation.

Development of a photomicroscope method for in situ damage monitoring under ultrasonic fatigue test

PurposeMechanical issues related to the information and growth of small cracks are considered to play a major role in very high cycle fatigue (VHCF) for metallic materials. Further efforts on better understanding in early stage of a crack are beneficial to estimating and preventing catastrophic damage for a long period service.Design/methodology/approachDependent on the ultrasonic loading system, a novel method of in situ photomicroscope is established to study the crack behaviors in VHCF regime.FindingsThis in situ photomicroscope method provides advantages in combination with fatigue damage monitoring at high magnification, a large number of cycles, and efficiency. Visional investigation with attached image proceeding code proves that the method has high resolution on both size and time, which permits reliable accuracy on small crack growth rate. It is observed that the crack propagation trends slower in the overall small crack stage down to the level of 10–11 m/cycle. Strain analysis relays on a real-time recording which is applied by using digital image correlation. Infrared camera recording indicates the method is also suitable for thermodynamic study while growth of damage.Originality/valueBenefiting from this method, it is more convenient and efficient to study the short crack propagation in VHCF regime.

Parametric stress-strain analysis for upstream slope of the asphaltic concrete core rockfill dams in static state

In this study, the effects of various geometric parameters of a dam in 2D static analysis of stress-strain on the upstream slope of the asphaltic concrete core rockfill dams were investigated. For this purpose, first the geometric characteristics of a large number of world's dams were collected and assessed, then by geometric modeling of these dams, many numerical models were developed for static analysis using GeoStudio software in eight height classes, three cases of upstream and downstream slopes, three different shape and thickness of the asphaltic concrete core under different Impounding states including "Full Reservoir", "Half full Reservoir", "End of construction and "Rapid Drawdown on a rigid type of foundation. The results of this study demonstrated that in four different construction and impounding states and in three different cases of slopes, Increasing the height parameter, causes increasing the Maximum total stress, Maximum total strain, Shear strain and Maximum shear stress for all construction and impounding states. The Maximum total stress decreased for all operating situations as the upstream slope reduced. According to the obtained results from the static stress-strain analysis, increasing both vertical and inclined asphaltic concrete core thicknesses, leads to decreasing the Maximum shear stress in Full Reservoir state but it increases in other state of impoundment. Moreover, by comparing the displacements related to specified points on the upstream slopes, increasing the height parameter, leads to increasing both horizontal and vertical displacements, the volumetric strain, deviator strain and deviator stress for all impounding conditions. In the following, the additional results were provided along with diagrams for further analysis.

DEVELOPMENT OF STATISTICALLY AVERAGED MODELS OF DEFORMATION OF MATERIALS WITH RANDOM NETWORK STRUCTURE OF DIFFERENTLY ORIENTED FIBERS

The paper describes the developed statistically averaged models of deformation of materials with a random network structure of differently oriented fibers. New methods of stress-strain analysis and micromacromechanical models of material deformation in the volume of bodies made of material with a network structure taking into account structural and physical nonlinearities have been created. These models are based on the micromechanics of network structures at the level of statistical sets of their chains. The novelty of approaches, models, methods and results is the creation of theoretical foundations for the analysis of the deformation of non-traditional network materials. Nonlinear mathematical models of material deformation in the form of a chaotic network structure of one-dimensional fragments are proposed, which are constructed involving fundamentally new approaches to the description of physical and mechanical properties at the micro level of statistical sets of fiber chains and spatial homogenization of their macroproperties. Compared to traditional models, they more adequately model the features of material deformation in the form of spatial chaotic and ordered network structures, as they do not involve a number of additional non-physical hypotheses. This creates fundamentally new opportunities not only for analyzing the properties of such materials, but also when creating new ones with specified properties. Using the created methods, models and research tools, the basis for solving a number of model and applied problems has been created. The nature of deformation of non-traditional materials with a network structure of one-dimensional elements is determined. The macro-properties of these materials are established on the basis of the developed micromechanical models, variational formulations and averaging methods. Keywords: stress-strain state, network structures, contact interaction, finite element method, contact pressure, machine parts, variational formulation