The international journal of cardiovascular imaging
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Int J Cardiovasc Imaging · Jan 2016
Atrial fibrillation is associated with hematopoietic tissue activation and arterial inflammation.
Inflammation is associated with the development of atrial fibrillation (AF). Activity in hematopoietic tissues, which produce inflammatory leukocytes, is closely related to systemic inflammation, arterial inflammation and cardiovascular events, but its relationship to AF is unknown. Using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, we examined the relationships between AF, splenic metabolic activity and vascular inflammation. ⋯ Aortic inflammation and splenic activity were highly correlated (Pearson R = 0.61, p < 0.001). Atrial fibrillation is associated with higher hematopoietic tissue activation and arterial inflammation. Further studies are needed to clarify the mechanisms by which this cardio-splenic axis is implicated in AF.
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Int J Cardiovasc Imaging · Dec 2015
Comparative StudyComparison of the reliability of E/E' to estimate pulmonary capillary wedge pressure in heart failure patients with preserved ejection fraction versus those with reduced ejection fraction.
Accurate assessment of pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) is essential for physicians to effectively manage patients with acute decompensated heart failure. The ratio of early transmittal velocity to tissue Doppler mitral annular early diastolic velocity (E/E') is used to estimate PCWP noninvasively in a wide range of cardiac patients. However, it remains contentious as to whether mitral E/E' is a reliable predictor of PCWP. ⋯ However, no significant relationship was observed between PCWP and mitral E/E' (P = 0.85) in the heart failure with reduced ejection fraction group. There were no significant correlations between any of the conventional parameters considered (LVEF, left atrial dimension, E/A, IVRT, and DT) with PCWP in either group. In conclusion, mitral E/E' is useful for estimating PCWP in patients with acute heart failure with preserved ejection fraction but may not in those with reduced ejection fraction.
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Int J Cardiovasc Imaging · Dec 2015
Comparative StudyComparison of right ventricular contractile abnormalities in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy versus hypertensive heart disease using two dimensional strain imaging: a cross-sectional study.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) affects the right ventricle (RV) because of the anatomically hypertrophied septum and plausibly by extension of the myopathic process to the RV. We sought to investigate RV strain in patients with left ventricular hypertrophy secondary to either HCM or hypertension (H-LVH). Our cross-sectional study included 32 patients with HCM, 21 patients with H-LVH, and 11 healthy subjects, who were evaluated with transthoracic echocardiography. ⋯ Regional and global RV strain parameters were not significantly impaired in H-LVH compared to healthy controls An RV GLS cut-off value of >14.9% differentiated HCM and H-LVH with a 90% sensitivity and a 95% specificity (p < 0.001). RV strain parameters are impaired in patients with HCM. Assessment of two-dimensional RV strain parameters could help differentiate between HCM and H-LVH.
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Int J Cardiovasc Imaging · Dec 2015
Comparative StudySemiautomatic three-dimensional CT ventricular volumetry in patients with congenital heart disease: agreement between two methods with different user interaction.
To assess agreement between two semi-automatic, three-dimensional (3D) computed tomography (CT) ventricular volumetry methods with different user interactions in patients with congenital heart disease. In 30 patients with congenital heart disease (median age 8 years, range 5 days-33 years; 20 men), dual-source, multi-section, electrocardiography-synchronized cardiac CT was obtained at the end-systolic (n = 22) and/or end-diastolic (n = 28) phase. Nineteen left ventricle end-systolic (LV ESV), 28 left ventricle end-diastolic (LV EDV), 22 right ventricle end-systolic (RV ESV), and 28 right ventricle end-diastolic volumes (RV EDV) were successfully calculated using two semi-automatic, 3D segmentation methods with different user interactions (high in method 1, low in method 2). ⋯ In contrast, no statistically significant difference in RV EDV (122.57 ± 88.57 ml in method 1, 123.83 ± 89.89 ml in method 2; P = 0.36) was found between the two methods. All ventricular volumes showed very high correlation (R = 0.978, 0.993, 0.985, 0.997 for LV ESV, LV EDV, RV ESV, and RV EDV, respectively; P < 0.001) between the two methods. In patients with congenital heart disease, 3D CT ventricular volumetry shows good agreement and high correlation between the two methods, but method 2 tends to slightly underestimate LV ESV, LV EDV, and RV ESV.
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Int J Cardiovasc Imaging · Dec 2015
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative StudyComparison of long-term in-stent vascular response between abluminal groove-filled biodegradable polymer sirolimus-eluting stent and durable polymer everolimus-eluting stent: 3-year OCT follow-up from the TARGET I trial.
The study sought to compare long-term optical coherence tomography (OCT)-based in-stent vascular response between the abluminal groove-filled biodegradable polymer sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) and the durable polymer everolimus-eluting stent (EES) in the TARGET I trial. The TARGET I trial was a prospective, multicenter, randomized clinical trial which enrolled 458 patients with single de novo lesions treated by abluminal groove-filled biodegradable polymer SES and EES. A subset of 43 patients underwent angiography and OCT examinations at 3 years. ⋯ EES: 99.3 %, p = 0.53), or malapposed strut rates (SES: 0.08 % vs. EES: 0.06 %, p = 0.15). The OCT-based in-stent vascular response evaluation found similar vascular healing for the two studied devices, indicating that the luminal loss in EES from 9 months to 3 years cannot be imputed on its coated biocompatible polymer.