SUMmARY Two patients with severe primary pulmonary hypertension, who are alive 38 and 27 years after the onset of the disease, were closely followed by the authors for 24 years. No previous report of such a long course has been found. Despite pulmonary artery pressures at systemic level, effort syncope disappeared and there were long intervals without symptoms during which the 2 patients were able to take part in physical activity with minimal discomfort. Severe primary pulmonary hypertension should not always be considered a malignant disease.
Summary: Echocardiographic left atrial size was correlated with 27 electrovectorcardiographic parameters in 93 subjects. In 20 of them hemodynamic studies, including calculation of the left atrial volume, were performed. Subjects were divided into four groups as follows: Group I, 21 healthy subjects; group 11,45 patients with heart disease but no left atrial enlargement; group III, 15 patients with heart disease and left atrial size from 4.1 to 5 cm; and group IV, 12 patients with heart disease and a left atrial size exceeding 5 cm. A good correlation was found between left atrial size and the following parameters: Duration of P wave in standard lead II, voltage of both terminal forces of P wave in lead V I and its maximal vector in the frontal and sagittal planes. A new index (duration/voltage of P wave in lead II) was postulated, which showed an excellent correlation with left atrial size (p
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