title: Value of echocardiographic determination of isovolumic relaxation time in the detection of heart transplant rejection.
abstract: The reproducibility of the measurement of isovolumic relaxation time in heart transplant recipients was assessed in eight heart transplant recipients. The value of routine measurement of isovolumic relaxation time and fractional shortening by echocardiography in the diagnosis of rejection was assessed by comparison with endomyocardial biopsy results in 12 patients. Despite a large, unexplained variability that will limit the application of the test in the individual patient, there was a significant fall in isovolumic relaxation time with moderate to severe rejection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Freeman Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne, U.K.
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Furniss
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hunter
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Dougenis
authors.forename: C G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: McGregor
mesh_terms: D004452:Echocardiography; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D006084:Graft Rejection; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D009200:Myocardial Contraction / Q000502:physiology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results