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Acta Biomater 2022 Jun 14. Epub 2022 Jun 14.

ImViA laboratory, University of Burgundy, Dijon, France; Department of Medical Imaging, University Hospital of Dijon, Dijon, France.

Ascending aortic aneurysm (AsAA) is a high-risk cardiovascular disease with an increased incidence over years. In this study, we compare different risk factors based on the pre-failure behavior (from a biomechanical point of view) obtained ex-vivo from an equi-biaxial tensile test. A total of 100 patients (63 ± 12 years, 72 males) with AsAA replacement, were recruited. Read More

J Vasc Surg 2022 Jun 14. Epub 2022 Jun 14.

Department of Surgery, Rijnstate, Arnhem, The Netherlands.

Objective: There is a significant cardiac morbidity and mortality after endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR). However, information about long-term risk of cardiac events after EVAR and potential predictors is lacking. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine incidence and predictors of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) at one- and five-years after elective EVAR for infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms. Read More

J Card Surg 2022 Jun 17. Epub 2022 Jun 17.

Department of Surgery, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA.

Background: Understanding the aortic annulus is important for obtaining reproducible and durable aortic valve (AV) repair and allowing advances for transcatheter AV replacement treatment of aortic regurgitation (AR). Significant limitations exist when using echocardiography and computed tomography-based imaging with feature tracking at the aortic annulus.

Aims: Cardiac magnetic resonance is used to obtain regional longitudinal strain and can be modified to obtain circumferential annular strain at the fibrous and muscular portions of the AV annulus. Read More

Open Heart 2022 Jun;9(1)

Division of Nephrology, Endocrinology and Nephrology Axis, CHU de Quebec Research Center, Quebec, Quebec, Canada

Objective: To investigate temporal trends of chronic kidney disease (CKD) among patients with incident aortic stenosis (AS) and to compare these trends with that of a matched control population.

Methods: Using the Quebec Integrated Chronic Disease Surveillance System, we performed a population-based nested case-control study including 108 780 patients newly hospitalised with AS and 543 900 age-matched, sex-matched and fiscal year-matched patients without AS from 2000 to 2016 in Quebec (Canada). Three subgroups were considered. Read More

Interv Cardiol Clin 2022 Jul;11(3):233-243

Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Banner University Medical Center, 1111 East McDowell, Phoneix, AZ 85006, USA.

Paravalvular leaks (PVLs) are challenging lesions that require a comprehensive understanding of surgical and transcatheter heart therapies, multimodality imaging, and transcatheter techniques. Approach to a transcatheter heart valve (THV) or surgical prosthesis for PVL differs in terms of options and varies according to the location (aortic or mitral). A suggested framework for transcatheter PVL repair is defect localization, access planning, defect crossing, sheath delivery. Read More

J Card Surg 2022 Jun 11. Epub 2022 Jun 11.

Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Hamburg Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.

Objectives: We evaluated the potential of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR)-derived strain to assess aortic valve (AV) annulus deformation during the cardiac cycle in regurgitant and well-functioning AVs.

Methods: Four patients with severe aortic regurgitation and seven healthy controls underwent CMR. Assessment of longitudinal strain was performed by hypothesizing the AV annulus would be the left ventricle in long-axis orientation. Read More

Cardiovasc Revasc Med 2022 May 19. Epub 2022 May 19.

Interventional Cardiology Unit, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Milan, Italy. Electronic address:

Background: Transcatheter aortic valve implant (TAVI) is gaining momentum in the treatment of severe, symptomatic aortic valve stenosis, and its indication is expanding to lower surgical risk individuals, who are generally younger and have a long life expectancy. Therefore, transcatheter bioprostheses durability appears of critical importance. Aim of the present study is to evaluate mid-term outcomes of TAVI in a high-volume single center cohort. Read More

J Clin Med 2022 May 25;11(11). Epub 2022 May 25.

Interventional Cardiology Department, Centro Cardiologico Monzino, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), 20138 Milan, Italy.

Moderate to severe paravalvular-leak (PVL) regurgitation after surgical aortic-valve replacement or after transcatheter valve implantation represents a well-known complication associated with symptoms related to heart failure, hemolysis, or both in patients with multiple comorbidities and with poor prognostic outcomes. The transcatheter closure of aortic paravalvular leaks (APVLs) is currently considered a valid alternative to cardiac surgery. Nevertheless, careful patient selection, optimal cardiac imaging for intraprocedural guidance, and expert operators are key for success. Read More

J Cardiothorac Surg 2022 Jun 9;17(1):149. Epub 2022 Jun 9.

Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Teikyo University, 2-11-1 Kaga, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, 173-8605, Japan.

Background: Cardiac papillary fibroelastoma (PFE) is a rare tumor, and especially rare when found on the pulmonary valve.

Case Presentation: We report the case of a 70-year-old woman patient with a pulmonary valve PFE diagnosed incidentally during a follow-up of aortic regurgitation. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging showed no suggestive signs of malignant tumors, and thrombus or myxoma was initially suspected. Read More

JACC Cardiovasc Imaging 2022 Jun;15(6):971-973

Gagnon Cardiovascular Institute, Morristown Medical Center, Morristown, New Jersey, USA. Electronic address:

JACC Cardiovasc Interv 2022 Jun;15(11):1126-1136

Smidt Heart Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, USA. Electronic address:

Background: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is generally performed without control over the alignment of the bioprosthesis to the native aortic valve (AV) commissures. Data on the impact of commissural misalignment (CMA) on the clinical and hemodynamic outcome after TAVR are scarce.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of commissural misalignment (CMA) on the clinical and hemodynamic outcome in patients with severe tricuspid aortic stenosis undergoing TAVR using the balloon-expandable (BE) SAPIEN 3 valve (Edwards LifeSciences). Read More

J Cardiothorac Surg 2022 Jun 7;17(1):146. Epub 2022 Jun 7.

Department of Cardiac Surgery, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8655, Japan.

Background: Quadricuspid aortic valve is a rare congenital heart disease that may be associated with a different anatomical relationship between the coronary artery ostium and the commissure.

Case Presentation: Herein, we report a case of a 59-year-old woman who underwent aortic valve replacement for a quadricuspid aortic valve with severe aortic regurgitation. Intraoperatively, the aortic valve had four cusps of almost equal size and the right coronary artery arose adjacent to the commissure between the right coronary cusp and one of the two non-coronary cusps. Read More

Front Cardiovasc Med 2022 18;9:885338. Epub 2022 May 18.

Biomedical Imaging Center, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.

Background And Purpose: Prognostic models based on cardiovascular hemodynamic parameters may bring new information for an early assessment of patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV), playing a key role in reducing the long-term risk of cardiovascular events. This work quantifies several three-dimensional hemodynamic parameters in different patients with BAV and ranks their relationships with aortic diameter.

Materials And Methods: Using 4D-flow CMR data of 74 patients with BAV (49 right-left and 25 right-non-coronary) and 48 healthy volunteers, aortic 3D maps of seventeen 17 different hemodynamic parameters were quantified along the thoracic aorta. Read More

Mayo Clin Proc 2022 Jun;97(6):1094-1107

Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN. Electronic address:

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence and natural history of mitral annulus calcification (MAC) and associated mitral valve dysfunction (MVD) in patients undergoing clinically indicated echocardiography.

Methods: A retrospective review was conducted of all adults who underwent echocardiography in 2015. Mitral valve dysfunction was defined as mitral regurgitation or mitral stenosis (MS) of moderate or greater severity. Read More

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2022 24;2022:3803818. Epub 2022 May 24.

Department of Imaging, Xianghe County People's Hospital, Xianghe, China.

Objective: This study is to assess the application of combined detection of echocardiography and serum N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-ProBNP) in the diagnosis of diastolic heart failure (DHF) and its effect on left ventricular morphology and diastolic function.

Methods: Thirty patients with DHF with enrolled in our hospital between January 2019 and January 2021 were included in the experimental group, and thirty healthy individuals during the same period were included in the control group. The blood pressure, heart rate (HR), left ventricular morphology, diastolic function, and serum NT-ProBNP levels were compared between the two groups. Read More

Comput Math Methods Med 2022 21;2022:1997371. Epub 2022 May 21.

Department of Cardiac Surgery, Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University; Beijing Institute of Heart, Lung and Blood Vessel Diseases, Beijing 100029, China.

Surgical treatment of mitral valve diseases has become minimally invasive. This study analyzed the follow-up results of patients after mitral valve repairs (MVRep) using the da Vinci robot. The clinical data of patients who underwent minimally invasive MVRep using the da Vinci robot between January 2016 and June 2021 and completed follow-ups were prospectively collected. Read More

J Cardiovasc Comput Tomogr 2022 May 20. Epub 2022 May 20.

Department of Medicine I, Klinikum der LMU München, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Marchioninistr. 15, Munich, Germany; German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Munich, Germany.

Background: Computed tomography (CT) imaging is the standard of care before transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). The aortic annulus undergoes conformational changes during the heart cycle. Therefore, the image acquisition time point can impact prosthesis sizing and fit. Read More

J Magn Reson Imaging 2022 May 28. Epub 2022 May 28.

Radiology, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Background: Aortopathy is common with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV), and underlying intrinsic tissue abnormalities are believed causative. Valve-mediated hemodynamics are altered in BAV and may contribute to aortopathy and its progression. The contribution of intrinsic tissue defects versus altered hemodynamics to aortopathy progression is not known. Read More

Kyobu Geka 2022 Jun;75(6):472-475

Divison of Cardiovascular Surgery, Kansai Electric Power Hospital, Osaka, Japan.

Giant cell myocarditis (GCM) is one of the rare diseases that cause fatal heart failure and suspected to be associated with autoimmune disorder. There are few reports that the patients of GCM live long because of their progressive heart failure. We report a rare case of patient who was suspected two long hospitalizations due to heart failure in her childhood and peripartum period, and incidentally diagnosed with GCM by myocardial biopsy performed at the aortic valve replacement and mitral annuloplasty for severe aortic valve regurgitation and moderate mitral regurgitation. Read More

Kyobu Geka 2022 Jun;75(6):457-460

Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Tsukuba Medical Center, Tsukuba, Japan.

A 55-year-old woman was diagnosed with Turner syndrome following amenorrhea at age 20. Since then, hormone replacement therapy has been used in the obstetrics and gynecology department, but follow-up for cardiovascular disease has not been performed. At age 44, she was taken to our hospital for the first time because of acute aortic dissection and rupture, and urgently underwent total arch replacement. Read More

Kyobu Geka 2022 Jun;75(6):423-427

Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Hiroshima City Hiroshima Citizens Hospital, Hiroshima, Japan.

A 35-years-old pregnant woman with Marfan's syndrome visited the emergent department. She had sudden severe back pain. She was at the 20th week of gestation. Read More

J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth 2022 Aug 11;36(8 Pt B):3427-3428. Epub 2022 May 11.

Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. Electronic address:

Heart 2022 May 24. Epub 2022 May 24.

Division of Cardiology, Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Mixed aortic stenosis (AS) and aortic regurgitation (AR) is the most frequent concomitant valve disease worldwide and represents a heterogeneous population ranging from mild AS with severe AR to mild AR with severe AS. About 6.8% of patients with at least moderate AS will also have moderate or greater AR, and 17. Read More

JACC Cardiovasc Interv 2022 Jun 17;15(11):1101-1110. Epub 2022 May 17.

Civil Hospital and University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.

Background: The first-generation ACURATE neo transcatheter heart valve (THV) (Boston Scientific) was associated with a non-negligible occurrence of moderate or greater paravalvular aortic regurgitation (AR) following transcatheter aortic valve replacement. To overcome this issue, the ACURATE neo2 iteration, which incorporates a taller outer skirt aimed at reducing the occurrence of paravalvular AR, has recently been developed.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of the ACURATE neo2 (Boston Scientific) THV in patients with severe aortic valve stenosis. Read More

J Invasive Cardiol 2022 Jun 19;34(6):E448-E454. Epub 2022 May 19.

Kerckhoff Heart Center, Department of Cardiology, 61231 Bad Nauheim, Germany.

Background: Data are lacking regarding the outcomes of balloon postdilation (BPD) for the Acurate neo and neo2 devices. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of BPD in a large, single-center cohort of patients treated with the Acurate platform.

Methods: For this retrospective analysis, we included all patients with severe aortic stenosis who underwent transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) with the Acurate neo or neo2 prosthesis at our institution. Read More

EuroIntervention 2022 06 3;18(2):e179-e180. Epub 2022 Jun 3.

Cuspa LTD, Nazareth, Israel.

JACC Case Rep 2022 May 4;4(9):529-532. Epub 2022 May 4.

DeBakey Heart and Vascular Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA.

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is an inflammatory cranial and/or extracranial vasculitis. Although cranial GCA is widely recognized, extracranial GCA is underdiagnosed because of its nonspecific and atypical presentations. We report a case of asymptomatic extracranial GCA with ascending thoracic aortopathy discovered incidentally during surgical mitral valve repair. Read More

J Med Case Rep 2022 May 16;16(1):205. Epub 2022 May 16.

Cardiology, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust, Norwich, UK.

Background: Doppler transthoracic echocardiography is routinely performed to measure peak mitral inflow velocities in the assessment of left ventricular diastolic function. The limitations of echocardiography are well documented, but its accuracy in the measurement of transmitral peak velocity in the presence of aortic valve regurgitation has not yet been compared with four-dimensional flow cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. Four-dimensional flow cardiac magnetic resonance imaging offers time-resolved cross-sectional velocity information that can be used to investigate mitral inflow peak velocity. Read More

Am J Cardiol 2022 Jun;172:144-145

From the Baylor Heart and Vascular Institute; the Departments of Internal Medicine and Pathology, Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, Texas. Electronic address:

Described herein is a 53-year-old man who underwent resection of a fusiform aneurysm of the ascending aorta, and excision of a congenitally malformed stenotic unicuspid aortic valve. Examination of the wall of the aortic aneurysm disclosed classic features of syphilis. Although some degree of pure aortic regurgitation is common in patients with aortic syphilis, the presence of associated aortic valve stenosis, such as occurred in this patient, has been mentioned in only 4 previous publications, none of which included morphologic examination of the ascending aorta or aortic valve. Read More

JACC Cardiovasc Interv 2022 Jun 11;15(11):e135-e136. Epub 2022 May 11.

Department of Cardiology, Cardiology I, University Medical Center Mainz of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany.