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Active Vegetations Can Be Differentiated from Chronic Vegetations by Visual Inspection of Standardized Two‐Dimensional Echocardiograms
Author(s) -
TAK TAHIR,
MATHEWS SAJEN,
ULENE RICHARD,
CHANDRARATNA P.A.N.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
echocardiography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.404
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1540-8175
pISSN - 0742-2822
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-8175.2000.tb01111.x
Subject(s) - medicine , stage (stratigraphy) , radiology , visual inspection , cardiology , nuclear medicine , artificial intelligence , computer science , biology , paleontology
The ability to differentiate active from chronic valvular vegetations (VEGs) by digital image processing and by visual observation was evaluated in 18 patients with a clinical diagnosis of infective endocarditis (IE). Two‐dimensional echocardiographic (2‐DE) examinations were performed on all patients at diagnosis and after a mean period of 52 days. Two comparable images (active and chronic) from the same patient and in the same phase of the cardiac cycle were digitized, magnified, and displayed on a high resolution monitor. The mean pixel intensity (MPI) was 72 ± 14 in the active stage and 143 ± 23 in the chronic stage (P < 0.0001). The VEG size was 0.64 ± 0.15 cm 2 in the active stage and decreased to 0.46 ± 0.17 cm 2 in the chronic stage (P < 0.001). Two experienced echocar‐diographers, who were blinded to the age of the VEGs, identified each echocardiographic image as active or chronic based on visual observation of density of the VEGs. The VEGs were correctly identified as active or chronic in 17 out of the 18 patients. In summary, although digital image processing of 2‐DE may be useful, the density of VEGs assessed by visual inspection will help differentiate between active and chronic VEGs of IE. The standardization procedure at the time of the initial study and use of identical gain settings in subsequent studies are key factors in making this distinction.