[Significance of echo- and vectorcardiographic studies of the heart atrium in the assessment of intracardiac hemodynamics and myocardial contractility].

Seventy three patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) complicated by paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) were examined. Vectorcardiography developed by I. A. Akulinichev and M-mode echocardiography were used to assess the status of left atrial and ventricular myocardia. An interrelationship was examined between the electrophysiological and echocardiographic parameters of myocardial performance, depending on the stage of circulatory insufficiency (CI). The patients with PAF-complicated CHD, unlike those with CHD alone, showed more severe myocardial conduction abnormalities despite the stage of CI. There were signs of compensatory left ventricular overload in the absence of clinical signs of CI. Comparison of ultrasound examination findings with high performance atrial vectorcardiographic ones increases the possibility of accurately assessing the cardiac performance by using noninvasive tools of examinations.