BACKGROUND The aim of the study was to assess the frequency of asymptomatic left ventricular dysfunction in primary open-angle glaucoma patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS Two-dimensional and pulsed Doppler echocardiography of transmitral flow was performed on 31 glaucoma patients and 27 controls. RESULTS No significant difference was found in early (E) and late (A) transmitral filling velocity, velocity time integral E wave (VTIE) and A wave (VTIA), left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) and fractional shortening (FS). A significant difference was found in ratio E/A (P=0.04) and ratio VTIA/VTIE (P=0.05), although all obtained values were within the 95% confidence limit for the corresponding age. CONCLUSION Our study tends to indicate the possibility of dysfunction of myocardial relaxation in glaucoma patients, which might be partially attributed to systemic vascular dysregulation.

Various malignant tumors of the liver, especially liver angiosarcoma, have been described after occupational exposure to vinyl chloride monomer. We present the case records and pathologic findings of two plastic industry workers who had been exposed to high concentrations of vinyl chloride. These workers developed hepatic neoplasms, angiosarcoma, or hemangiopericytoma. We discuss the histogenesis of these tumors; the common vascular origin and the mutual transformation of these two tumors suggest that the hemangiopericytoma may also have developed during occupational exposure to high concentrations of vinyl chloride monomer. ImagesFigure 1Figure 2