16 out of our 440 cases with pulmonary tuberculosis, electrocardiographically considered as cor pulmonale, were observed by means of x-ray photography and several other tests.
Results were as follows:
1) Typical type of cor pulmonale was found electrocardiographically in 10 of the 16 cases.
2) Abnormality of second pulmonal tone was presented phono-cardiographically in 5 of the 10 cases.
3) Ballistocardiographically, 5 of the 7 patients under the test were abnormal, demonstrating higher H, L waves and marked increase of respiratory variation.
4) Radiographically, none of the 16 cases showed right ventricular hypertrophy or dilatation, only one case showed protrude of the second left sided arch.
5) Pulmonary arterial pressure was determined by heart catheterization on one patient whose pressure was at the height of 30mm/Hg and the estimation of his PAO
2 suggested the presence of anoxiemia.
6) An incidence of pulmonale P observed during pulmonary resection seemed to disappear when much oxygen was given through the intratracheal tube to the pulmonary segments.
From the above results, the author recognized the importance of heart catheterization, and simultaneously he would suggest both ECG and BCG are available to a certain extent for the screening test of cor pulmonale, while x-ray photography is comparatively little use.
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