PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - DIMITRIOS BRAMOS AU - ANNA KALADARIDOU AU - ELIAS SKALTSIOTIS AU - CHRISANTHI TRIKA AU - DIMITRIOS TAKOS AU - CONSTANTINOS PAMBOUCAS AU - GEORGE KOTTIS AU - SAVVAS TOUMANIDIS TI - The Impact of Ultrasound Contrast Medium Administration on the Right Ventricle in Patients with Heart Failure DP - 2012 Sep 01 TA - In Vivo PG - 869--873 VI - 26 IP - 5 4099 - http://iv.iiarjournals.org/content/26/5/869.short 4100 - http://iv.iiarjournals.org/content/26/5/869.full SO - In Vivo2012 Sep 01; 26 AB - Background: The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of SonoVueâ„¢ on right ventricular (RV) dimensions and contractility in patients with heart failure. Patients and Methods: Twenty-four patients were divided into two groups. Group A consisted of 15 patients with heart failure and group B (control) of nine patients without heart disease. SonoVue was administered at low (2 ml) and high (4 ml) doses in both groups separately, in a random order. RV dimensions, contractility, peak systolic pressure gradient from tricuspid regurgitation (TRPG) and the time to maximal RV end-diastolic dimension (EDD), as well as the time for RV-EDD to return to the baseline value (recovery), were calculated in every cardiac cycle starting before the administration of SonoVue (baseline) until the recovery of RV-EDD. Results: Low-(group A, p<0.001 and group B, p<0.05) and high-dose (group A, p<0.0001 and group B, p<0.01) contrast infusion increased the RV-EDD compared to baseline values. TRPG increased significantly (p<0.05) in both groups, under low-as well as high-dose. In group A, high-dose compared to low-dose produced a significant delay in the time duration to max RV-EDD (p<0.05) and in the time to RV-EDD recovery (p<0.0001). Conclusion: The administration of SonoVue in patients with heart failure was followed by an acute, transient, dose-dependent increase in RV-EDD and TRPG, without any effect on RV contractility.