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PLoS One 2019 22;14(2):e0207832. Epub 2019 Feb 22.

School of Medicine, National Yang Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.

Cardiac diseases with elevated central venous pressure have higher frequency of jugular venous reflux (JVR), which is associated with decreased cerebral blood flow and white matter hyperintensities. Whether patients with severe mitral-regurgitation (SMR) have poorer cognitive functions and whether JVR is involved were determined in this pilot study. Patients with SMR and age/sex-matched controls were prospectively recruited. Read More

Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2019 Feb 22. Epub 2019 Feb 22.

Hospital for Sick Children / University of TOronto, Canada.

The pulsatile pattern of blood motion measured by Doppler ultrasound within the umbilical artery is known to contain useful diagnostic information and is widely used to monitor pregnancies at risk of fetal growth restriction or stillbirth. Animal studies have identified reflected pressure waves travelling counter to the direction of blood flow as an important factor in the shape of these waveforms. In the present study, we establish a method to measure reflected waves in the human umbilical artery and assess their influence on blood velocity pulsation. Read More

J Investig Med High Impact Case Rep 2019 Jan-Dec;7:2324709618822075

3 Wright State University, Dayton, OH, USA.

Infective endocarditis (IE) can lead to significant morbidity and mortality without appropriate treatment. Modified Duke Criteria are accepted by many professional societies to establish the diagnosis of IE, and cardiac imaging is one of the major diagnostic criteria. Transesophageal echocardiography is an algorithmic escalation to diagnose IE when transthoracic echo does not appreciate a positive finding. Read More

Ann Thorac Surg 2019 Feb 18. Epub 2019 Feb 18.

Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Yan'an Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan, PR China; Cardiovascular Surgery Institution of Yunnan, Kunming, Yunnan, PR China.

Left atrial (LA) thrombus with calcification are rare anomalies in rheumatic mitral stenosis. An accurate preoperative evaluation is critical for making clinical decisions and surgical plans. We report a rheumatic heart disease case presented the exemplary imaging manifestation of massive LA thrombus with calcification. Read More

Catheter Cardiovasc Interv 2019 Feb 21. Epub 2019 Feb 21.

Greenberg Cardiology Division, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York.

Objectives: To assess impact of left ventricular (LV) chamber remodeling on MitraClip (MClp) response.

Background: MitraClip is the sole percutaneous therapy approved for mitral regurgitation (MR) but response varies. LV dilation affects mitral coaptation; determinants of MClp response are uncertain. Read More

Emerg Radiol 2019 Feb 21. Epub 2019 Feb 21.

McGovern Medical School, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Imaging, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 6431 Fannin Street, 2.130B, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.

Purpose: To evaluate chest injury patterns in pediatric patients involved in all-terrain vehicle (ATV) accidents.

Methods: Retrospective review of patients 0-18 years old admitted to a level I trauma institute following an ATV-related incident from 2004 to 2013 was performed. Chest injury type, accident mechanism, driver/passenger status, and demographic and clinical data were compared between patients with and without chest injury. Read More

Eur Heart J Cardiovasc Imaging 2019 Feb 13. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

Biomedical Imaging Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 8700 Beverly Boulevard, S. Mark Taper Building, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Aims: Increased attenuation of pericoronary adipose tissue (PCAT) around the proximal right coronary artery (RCA) from coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) has been shown to be associated with coronary inflammation and improved prediction of cardiac death over plaque features. Our aim was to investigate whether PCAT CT attenuation is related to progression of coronary plaque burden.

Methods And Results: We analysed CTA studies of 111 stable patients (age 59. Read More

J Nucl Cardiol 2019 Feb 20. Epub 2019 Feb 20.

Cardiovascular Division and the Cardiovascular Imaging Center, Department of Medicine, University of Virginia Health System, Box 800158, 1215 Lee Street, Charlottesville, VA, 22908, USA.

Cardio-oncology is a growing field focused on the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease in oncologic patients. While a major focus of chemotherapy-related cardiac dysfunction has been on left ventricular ejection fraction, oncologic treatment can lead to cardiovascular pathology in a variety of ways. The use of multimodality imaging is essential to the care of these patients, with nuclear cardiology playing an important role. Read More

J Nucl Cardiol 2019 Feb 20. Epub 2019 Feb 20.

Department of Medical Physics, Isala Hospital, Zwolle, The Netherlands.

Background: Repositioning of the heart during myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) using Rubidium-82 (Rb-82) PET may occur when using regadenoson. Our aim was to determine the prevalence and the effect of correcting for this myocardial creep on myocardial blood flow (MBF) quantification.

Methods: We retrospectively included 119 consecutive patients who underwent dynamic rest- and regadenoson-induced stress MPI using Rb-82 PET. Read More

Quant Imaging Med Surg 2019 Jan;9(1):75-85

Discipline of Medical Radiation Sciences, School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, Australia.

Background: Computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) is the preferred imaging modality for diagnosis of patients with suspected pulmonary embolism (PE). Radiation dose associated with CTPA has been significantly reduced due to the use of dose-reduction strategies, however, investigation of low-dose CTPA with use of different kVp and pitch values has not been systematically studied. The aim of this study was to utilize a 3D printed pulmonary model with simulation of small thrombus in the pulmonary arteries for development of optimal CTPA protocols. Read More

Quant Imaging Med Surg 2019 Jan;9(1):53-62

Discipline of Medical Radiation Sciences, School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.

Background: Three-dimensional (3D) printing has been shown to accurately replicate anatomical structures and pathologies in complex cardiovascular disease. Application of 3D printed models to simulate pulmonary arteries and pulmonary embolism (PE) could assist development of computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) protocols with low radiation dose, however, this has not been studied in the literature. The aim of this study was to investigate optimal CTPA protocols for detection of PE based on a 3D printed pulmonary model. Read More

Clin Anat 2019 Feb 20. Epub 2019 Feb 20.

Institute of Genetic Medicine, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, United Kingdom.

Clin Physiol Funct Imaging 2019 Feb 20. Epub 2019 Feb 20.

Lund University, Skåne University Hospital, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Clinical Physiology, Lund, Sweden.

Limited visualisation of the fetal heart and vessels by fetal ultrasound due to suboptimal fetal position, patient habitus and skeletal calcification may lead to missed diagnosis, overdiagnosis and parental uncertainty. Counseling and delivery planning may in those cases also be tentative. The recent fetal cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) reconstruction method utilising tiny golden angle iGRASP (iterative Golden-angle RAdial Sparse Parallel MRI) allows for cine imaging of the fetal heart for use in clinical practice. Read More

Cardiol Young 2019 Feb;29(2):119-122

2Department of Pediatric Cardiology,University of Uludag,Bursa,Turkey.

IntroductionDiagnostic and interventional catheter angiography of the heart is frequently used in paediatric cardiology. It is also possible to detect urinary system anomalies with cineurography images that may be obtained during angiocardiography. In this study, the aim was to determine the frequency, distribution, and properties of urinary system anomalies accompanying heart diseases, and to find out the effectiveness of cineurographic images in detecting the urinary system anomalies. Read More

J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med 2019 Feb 19:1-7. Epub 2019 Feb 19.

e Anesthesiology and Obstetrics and Gynecology , Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at El Paso , El Paso , TX , USA.

Objective: This study analyzes the important role of ultrasonography (IUS) related to the maternal outcomes in women with fetal persistent occiput posterior position (POPP) and asynclitism (A) in labor neuraxial analgesia (LNA).

Study Design: Prospective assessment of 148 primiparous women diagnosed with the prolonged second stage of labor. Transabdominal and transperineal IUS were used to detect fetal head position and to evaluate the angle of progression (AOP) and pubic arch angle (PAA). Read More

J Med Case Rep 2019 Feb 19;13(1):37. Epub 2019 Feb 19.

Cardiac Imaging Laboratory, Department of Cardiology, Hospital Universitario de Canarias, Ofra s/n, La Cuesta, 38320, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain.

Background: Approximately half of pulmonary embolism cases are diagnosed in an emergency context. The classic symptoms of pulmonary embolism are absent in intensive care unit patients who are under sedation and on mechanical ventilation. In this scenario, after the development of sudden, severe hypotension, pulmonary embolism must be considered and included in a differential diagnosis according to the cause of admission. Read More

Kidney Int Rep 2019 Feb 11;4(2):267-274. Epub 2018 Oct 11.

Department of Nephrology and Hypertension, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany.

Introduction: The high burden of left ventricular (LV) abnormalities in patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) is well established. However, less is known about the prevalence, patterns, and determinants of LV abnormalities in patients with early CKD.

Methods: We examined LV structure in 290 patients with a median estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of 51 ml/min per 1. Read More

Eur J Radiol Open 2019 4;6:78-84. Epub 2019 Feb 4.

Department of Cardiology, University Heart Center, University Hospital Zurich, Raemistrasse 100, 8091, Zurich, Switzerland.

Purpose: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is characterized by a heterogeneous morphology and variable prognosis. A mismatch between left ventricular mass (LVM) and microvascular circulation with corresponding relative ischemia has been implicated to cause myocardial replacement fibrosis that deteriorates prognosis. Besides parametric T1 mapping, Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (CMR) T2* mapping is able to identify ischemia as well as fibrosis in cardiac and extracardiac diseases. Read More

Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2019 Feb 17. Epub 2019 Feb 17.

Liver Unit, Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Birmingham, UK.

Background: Cardiac dysfunction is frequently observed in patients with cirrhosis. There remains a paucity of data from routine clinical practice regarding the role of echocardiography in the pre-assessment of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic stent-shunt.

Aim: Our study aimed to investigate if echocardiography parameters predict outcomes after transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic stent-shunt insertion in cirrhosis. Read More

Ann Emerg Med 2019 Feb 14. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Division of Emergency Medicine, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT; Salt Lake City Fire Department, Salt Lake City, UT.

Study Objective: Point-of-care ultrasonography provides diagnostic information in addition to visual pulse checks during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The most commonly used modality, transthoracic echocardiography, has unfortunately been repeatedly associated with prolonged pauses in chest compressions, which correlate with worsened neurologic outcomes. Unlike transthoracic echocardiography, transesophageal echocardiography does not require cessation of compressions for adequate imaging and provides the diagnostic benefit of point-of-care ultrasonography. Read More

J Laryngol Otol 2019 Feb 18:1-8. Epub 2019 Feb 18.

Department of Otorhinolaryngology,Hannover Medical School,Germany.

Objectives: The cause of Eustachian tube dysfunction often remains unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the feasibility and possible diagnostic use of optical coherence tomography in the Eustachian tube ex vivo.

Methods: Two female blackface sheep cadaver heads were examined bilaterally. Read More

JACC Cardiovasc Imaging 2019 Feb 11. Epub 2019 Feb 11.

Royal Free Hospital, London, United Kingdom; Division of Medicine, University College London, United Kingdom. Electronic address:

Objectives: The study sought to assess the performance of cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) myocardial perfusion mapping against invasive coronary physiology reference standards for detecting coronary artery disease (CAD, defined by fractional flow reserve [FFR] ≤0.80), microvascular dysfunction (MVD) (defined by index of microcirculatory resistance [IMR] ≥25) and the ability to differentiate between the two.

Background: Differentiation of epicardial (CAD) and MVD in patients with stable angina remains challenging. Read More

JACC Cardiovasc Imaging 2019 Feb 11. Epub 2019 Feb 11.

Bristol Heart Institute, University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, Bristol, United Kingdom; School of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom; Bristol National Institute of Health Research, Biomedical Research Centre, Bristol, United Kingdom. Electronic address:

Objectives: This study sought to assess the prognostic impact of cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) and conventional risk factors in patients with myocardial infarction with nonobstructed coronaries (MINOCA).

Background: Myocardial infarction with nonobstructed coronary arteries (MINOCA) represents a diagnostic dilemma, and the prognostic markers have not been clarified.

Methods: A total of 388 consecutive patients with MINOCA undergoing cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) assessment were identified retrospectively from a registry database and prospectively followed for a primary clinical endpoint of all-cause mortality. Read More

J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2018 Nov 24. Epub 2018 Nov 24.

Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Miss. Electronic address:

Objective: Chest computed tomography (CT) imaging is being increasingly used for potential lung donor assessment. However, the efficacy of CT imaging in this setting remains unknown. We hypothesize that chest CT imaging independently affects the decision-making process in donor lung utilization. Read More

Eur Radiol Exp 2019 Feb 15;3(1). Epub 2019 Feb 15.

University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, 9713GZ, Groningen, The Netherlands.

Background: Current developments showed a fast-increasing implementation and use of three-dimensional (3D) printing in medical applications. Our aim was to review the literature regarding the application of 3D printing to cardiac valve disease.

Methods: A PubMed search for publications in English with the terms "3D printing" AND "cardiac valve", performed in January 2018, resulted in 64 items. Read More

Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2019 Feb 15. Epub 2019 Feb 15.

Department of Cardiac Surgery, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan.

A 66-year-old woman developed marked haemolytic anaemia 2 years after total aortic arch replacement using a branched Dacron graft. Echocardiography confirmed bicuspid aortic valve stenosis. A four-dimensional flow magnetic resonance imaging revealed a jet flow arising from the aortic valve along with the vortex and turbulent flow inside the kinked prosthetic graft at the ascending aorta. Read More

Cardiovasc Pathol 2019 Jan 19;40:12-18. Epub 2019 Jan 19.

University of British Columbia, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Vancouver General Hospital, Neuropathology, Vancouver, BC, Canada; St. Paul's Hospital, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Vancouver, BC, Canada. Electronic address:

Introduction: Iatrogenic embolization following cardiac investigative procedures may result from hydrophilic polymer emboli (HPE) from catheter valve and vessel wall calcifications, and air embolism from open heart surgery. This retrospective clinical pathologic analysis was undertaken to ascertain the frequency and extent of these potentially fatal complications.

Methods: This retrospective clinical pathologic autopsy analysis with premortem diagnostic imaging correlation identified 110 individuals who had undergone endovascular procedures between 2010 and 2016 within 90 days of death and followed by hospital autopsy. Read More

J Nucl Cardiol 2019 Feb 14. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Tuscan Regional Amyloid Centre, Careggi University Hospital, Florence, Italy.

Background: 99mTc-HMDP scintigraphy has proved its efficacy in non-invasive diagnosis of cardiac amyloidosis (CA) and is currently interpreted according to the Perugini qualitative assessment. Several semi-quantitative indices have been proposed to overcome inherent possible limitations of visual grading. Our aim was to comparatively evaluate six different indices and their diagnostic performance. Read More

IEEE Trans Radiat Plasma Med Sci 2019 Jan 4;3(1):54-60. Epub 2018 Apr 4.

Carl E. Ravin Advanced Imaging Laboratories, the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the Department of Radiology, the Department of Biomedical Engineering, the Medical Physics Graduate Program, and the Department of Physics, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27705 USA.

The 4D extended cardiac-torso (XCAT) phantom has provided a valuable tool to study the effects of anatomy and motion on medical images, especially cardiac motion. One limitation of the XCAT was that it did not have a physiological basis which to realistically simulate variations in cardiac function. In this work, we incorporate into the XCAT anatomy the four-chamber FE Living Heart Model (LHM) developed by the Living Heart Project (LHP). Read More

J Hum Genet 2019 Feb 14. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Department of Human Genetics, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama, Japan.

We herein report two individuals with novel nonsense mutations in STAG2 on Xq25, encoding stromal antigen 2, a component of the cohesion complex. A male fetus (Case 1) clinically presented with holoprosencephaly, cleft palate and lip, blepharophimosis, nasal bone absence, and hypolastic left heart by ultrasonography at 15 gestational weeks. Another female patient (Case 2) showed a distinct phenotype with white matter hypoplasia, cleft palate, developmental delay (DD), and intellectual disability (ID) at 7 years. Read More

J Am Heart Assoc 2019 Feb;8(4):e010926

1 Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging University of Virginia Charlottesville VA.

Background Sustained pressure overload leads to changes in cardiac metabolism, function, and structure. Both time course and causal relationships between these changes are not fully understood. Therefore, we studied spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) during early hypertension development and compared them to control Wistar Kyoto rats. Read More

Circ Cardiovasc Imaging 2019 Feb;12(2):e007720

Division of Cardiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD (Y.B.S., A.A.-Z., M.R.O., A.L.V., J.B., J.A.C.L., J.M.M.).

Background Ongoing advancements of coronary computed tomographic angiography (CTA) continue to challenge the role of invasive coronary angiography (ICA) as the gold standard for the evaluation of coronary artery disease (CAD). We sought to investigate the diagnostic accuracy of 320-slice CTA for detecting obstructive CAD in reference to ICA and nuclear myocardial perfusion imaging using single-photon emission computed tomography. Methods For the CORE320 study (Coronary Artery Evaluation Using 320-Row Multidetector Computed Tomography Angiography and Myocardial Perfusion), 381 patients at 16 centers underwent CTA, nuclear myocardial perfusion imaging by single-photon emission computed tomography, and ICA for the evaluation of CAD. Read More

PLoS One 2019 14;14(2):e0211624. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Heart and Vascular Center, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.

Background: We aimed to characterize gender specific left ventricular hypertrophy using a novel, accurate and less time demanding cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) quantification method to differentiate physiological hypertrophy and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy based on a large population of highly trained athletes and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy patients.

Methods: Elite athletes (n = 150,>18 training hours/week), HCM patients (n = 194) and athletes with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (n = 10) were examined by CMR. CMR based sport indices such as maximal end-diastolic wall thickness to left ventricular end-diastolic volume index ratio (EDWT/LVEDVi) and left ventricular mass to left ventricular end-diastolic volume ratio (LVM/LVEDV) were calculated, established using both conventional and threshold-based quantification method. Read More

J Perinat Med 2019 Feb 14. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Department of Obstetrics, Paulista School of Medicine, Federal University of São Paulo (EPM-UNIFESP), São Paulo-SP, Brazil.

Objectives To determine the reference range for the myocardial area in healthy fetuses using three-dimensional (3D) ultrasonography and validate these results in fetuses of pregnant women with pre-gestational diabetes mellitus (DM). Methods This cross-sectional retrospective study included 168 healthy pregnant women between gestational weeks 20 and 33+6 days. The myocardial area was measured using spatio-temporal image correlation (STIC) in the four-chamber view. Read More

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2019 Feb 13;19(1):71. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

Hubert-Yeargan Center for Global Health, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.

Background: Hypoxia during labor contributes to 2.2 million intrapartum and early neonatal deaths each year. An additional 0. Read More

BMC Gastroenterol 2019 Feb 13;19(1):30. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

Department of Medicine, Université de Montréal & Montreal Heart Institute, Montreal, H1T 1C8, Canada.

Background: Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) with its high incidence and prevalence rates in Canada generates a heavy burden of tests and procedures. The purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of the transfer of information from physician to patient, as well as the patient understanding and perceptions about the tests and procedures that are ordered to them in the context of IBD diagnosis and monitoring.

Methods: An online questionnaire was completed by 210 IBD patients in Canada. Read More

Eur J Case Rep Intern Med 2018 27;5(9):000938. Epub 2018 Sep 27.

Emergency Department, Hospital of Braga/Medical School of University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is the most serious and life-threatening clinical presentation of venous thromboembolism, and difficult to diagnose. Triple point-of-care-ultrasonography (POCUS) of the lung, heart and leg veins is a multiorgan approach that may help to evaluate patients suspected of having PE, in combination with existing protocols and computed tomographic pulmonary angiography (CTPA). We present the case of a 26-year-old man with sudden onset of dyspnoea and swelling of the leg with a Well's score of 9. Read More

Eur J Case Rep Intern Med 2018 24;5(4):000760. Epub 2018 Apr 24.

Internal Medicine Department, Brugmann University Hospital, Brussels, Belgium.

A 56-year-old woman presented with cognitive impairment, confusion and slowed speech, muscle cramps and peripheral paraesthesia preceded by vomiting. Blood tests revealed severe hypokalaemia, hyponatremia, hypomagnesemia and hypocalcaemia. Following a diagnosis of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy based on ultrasonography, the patient was treated with electrolyte supplementation and recovered within 48h. Read More

Rofo 2019 Feb 12. Epub 2019 Feb 12.

Neurology, Justus-Liebig-University, Giessen, Germany.

Purpose:  Fabry disease (FD) is an X-linked multi-organ disorder of lysosomal metabolism with cardiac disease being the leading cause of death. Identifying early FD-specific pathologies is important in the context of maximum therapeutic benefit in these stages. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the value of quantitative cardiac T1 mapping as a potential disease-specific surrogate. Read More

Curr Cardiol Rep 2019 Feb 12;21(2). Epub 2019 Feb 12.

Clinical and Experimental Medicine Department, Cardiology Unit, University of Messina, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria 'Policlinico G. Martino,' Via Consolare Valeria 1, 98125, Messina, Italy.

Purpose Of Review: The aim is to provide a description of the most important echocardiographic features in systemic amyloidosis.

Recent Findings: Amyloidosis is a heterogeneous group of multisystem disorders, characterized by an extracellular deposition of amyloid fibrils. Several imaging tests are available for the diagnosis; however, echocardiography is the cornerstone of the non-invasive imaging modality for cardiac amyloidosis. Read More

J Int Med Res 2019 Feb 12:300060519826462. Epub 2019 Feb 12.

Department of Ultrasound, Wuhan Asia Heart Hospital, Wuhan, China.

Blood cysts of the mitral valve are rare in adults. These blood cysts are often asymptomatic. Blood cysts resulting in severe left ventricular outflow tract obstruction leading to syncope have not been previously report. Read More

J Cardiovasc Echogr 2018 Oct-Dec;28(4):236-238

Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy.

Papillary fibroelastoma is a rare benign cardiac tumor, second after cardiac myxoma as more frequent cardiac valvular tumor. The therapy is usually based on surgery according to size, mobility, symptoms, and risks of surgery. We report the case of a 67-year old female with transient ischemic attack. Read More

J Cardiovasc Echogr 2018 Oct-Dec;28(4):218-227

Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, Pisa University, Pisa, Italy.

The introduction of three-dimensional echography (3D echo) in vascular field is not recent, but it still remains a seldom-used technique because of the costs of ultrasound probe and the need of dedicated laboratories. Therefore, despite significant prognostic implications, the high diagnostic accuracy in plaque definition, and the relative ease of use, 3D echo in vascular field is a niche technique. The purpose of this review is mainly clinical and intends to demonstrate the potential strength of a 3D approach, including technical aspects, in order to present to clinicians and imagers the appealing aspects of a noninvasive and radiation-free methodology with relevant diagnostic and prognostic correlates in the assessment of carotid atherosclerosis. Read More

Ann Pediatr Cardiol 2019 Jan-Apr;12(1):32-37

Department of Child Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia, Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia.

Background: Iron-induced cardiomyopathy remains the leading cause of mortality in patients with β-thalassemia major. Iron overload cardiomyopathy, which may be reversible through iron chelation, is characterized by early diastolic dysfunction. Amino-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is a sensitive biomarker of diastolic dysfunction. Read More

J Am Soc Echocardiogr 2019 Feb 7. Epub 2019 Feb 7.

This document is the second of 2 companion appropriate use criteria (AUC) documents developed by the American College of Cardiology, American Association for Thoracic Surgery, American Heart Association, American Society of Echocardiography, American Society of Nuclear Cardiology, Heart Rhythm Society, Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography, Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, and Society of Thoracic Surgeons. The first document addresses the evaluation and use of multimodality imaging in the diagnosis and management of valvular heart disease, whereas this document addresses this topic with regard to structural (nonvalvular) heart disease. While dealing with different subjects, the 2 documents do share a common structure and feature some clinical overlap. Read More

Swiss Med Wkly 2019 Feb 11;149:w20014. Epub 2019 Feb 11.

Cardiology Department, University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, Switzerland.

Patient tailored diagnosis and risk stratification in patients with suspected or known coronary artery disease (CAD) are pivotal. At present, cardiac imaging modalities provide the possibility to evaluate the whole ischaemic cascade noninvasively. In asymptomatic patients, the evaluation of the calcium score may be beneficial and also guide the individual preventive strategy. Read More

Acta Cardiol 2019 Feb 11:1-9. Epub 2019 Feb 11.

a Department of Cardiology , CHU UCL Namur , site Godinne , Yvoir , Belgium.

A strong family history of early-onset coronary artery disease (CAD) may represent a substantial predictor of enhanced development of subclinical atherosclerosis in a sibling population. In this population, standard cardiovascular (CV) risk assessment could be underrated with the predictive capacity of the Framingham Risk Score. At present, cardiac computed tomography (CT) provides a high diagnostic performance for the detection of coronary atherosclerosis. Read More

J Surg Case Rep 2019 Jan 31;2019(1):rjz010. Epub 2019 Jan 31.

Division of Cardiac Surgery, Department of Surgery, St. Michael's Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

A 47-year-old male who previously underwent emergency surgery for type A aortic dissection presented to the emergency department 4 years later with acute chest pain radiating to his back and a significant drop in hemoglobin. Clinical presentation was concerning for aortic graft failure, but imaging revealed a large (6.0 × 3. Read More

Open Access Maced J Med Sci 2019 Jan 4;7(1):162-173. Epub 2019 Jan 4.

Medical School, University of Prishtina, Prishtina, Kosovo.

Myocarditis is an inflammatory disease of the myocardium with a broad spectrum of clinical presentations, ranging from mild symptoms to severe heart failure. The course of patients with myocarditis is heterogeneous, varying from partial or full clinical recovery in a few days to advanced low cardiac output syndrome requiring mechanical circulatory support or heart transplantation. Myocarditis is a very heterogeneous disease, especially in the pediatric age group as worldwide disease myocarditis has been defined by the World Health Organization/International Society and Federation of Cardiology as an inflammatory disease of the heart muscle diagnosed by established histological, immunologic, and immunohistological criteria. Read More

Am J Cardiol 2019 Jan 31. Epub 2019 Jan 31.

University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois. Electronic address:

Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) have been a relative contraindication to cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging. Although cardiovascular magnetic resonance provides valuable information regarding scar in patients with ventricular arrhythmias or cardiomyopathy, ICDs in these patients frequently cause artifacts hindering accurate interpretation of both cine and late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) images. We sought to quantify the frequency and severity of artifact on LGE images and assess whether a modified wideband LGE protocol could improve the diagnostic yield of scar identification in agreement with invasive electroanatomic mapping (EAM). Read More