Echocardiographic markers of cardiac amyloidosis in patients with heart failure and left ventricular hypertrophy.

BACKGROUND: Cardiac amyloidosis (CA), following a non-invasive diagnosis, constitutes an increasingly prevalent heart failure (HF) etiology. This study aims to determine which echocardiography findings help to diagnose CA in patients with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) admitted for decompensated HF. METHODS: The present study is a retrospective observational study on a cohort of 85 LVH patients admitted for HF decompensation, in which 99mTc-DPD scanning was performed to rule out transthyretin CA. The echocardiographic findings obtained were compared between CA and non-CA groups. RESULTS: From a total number of 85 patients, 49 (57.6%) met the CA criteria and 36 (42.3%) were ruled out for the disease. Interventricular septum thickness (16 ± 3 mm vs. 14 ± 3 mm), left ventricular posterior wall thickness (14 ± 3 mm vs. 11 ± 2 mm), left ventricular mass (259 ± 76 g vs. 224 ± 53 g), left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (48 ± 7 mm vs. 53 ± 6 mm), left ventricular end-diastolic indexed volume (51 ± 18 cm3/m2 vs. 59 ± 16 cm3/m2), tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (16 ± 5 mm vs. 20 ± 4 mm), right atrial area (27.4 ± 8.4 cm2 vs. 22.2 ± 5.7 cm2) and strain relative apical sparing (2.2 ± 0.9 vs. 1.03 ± 0.4; p = 0.04) were significantly associated with the diagnosis of CA. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with LVH admitted for HF decompensation, there are several echocardiographic features (LVH, reduced left ventricular cavity size, strain relative apical sparing, right atrial dilation, and altered right ventricular function) that are associated with the diagnosis of cardiac amyloidosis.

Parsonage-Turner syndrome associated with hepatitis E infection in immunocompetent patients.

Introduction The hepatitis E virus (HEV) is the leading cause of acute hepatitis around the world. In recent years, knowledge has increased concerning extrahepatic manifestations caused by HEV, including neurological manifestations such as Parsonage-Turner syndrome (PTS). PTS is characterized by severe shoulder or arm pain and patchy paresis with muscle weakness. The aim of the present study was to assess the association between HEV and PTS. Materials and Methods We reported two cases of PTS associated with HEV, which were diagnosed in a short period of time in the same village. PTS was diagnosed by physical examination and electrophysiological studies, and serology testing for IgM, low-avidity IgG, and RNA of HEV established the diagnosis of acute HEV infection. Results A 44-year-old man who presented cervicobrachial pain accompanied by paresthesia, dyspnea, and isolated derangement of liver enzymes and 57-year-old women with cervical pain radiated to upper limbs, paresthesia, and liver cytolysis, although, this patient was initially diagnosed as having drug-induced hepatitis. Finally, the diagnosis was Parsonage- Turner syndrome associated with hepatitis e virus. In both patients, symptoms were bilateral and they required hospital admission. Both consumed vegetables are grown in a local patch and the phylogenetic analysis showed genotype 3f. Then, we reviewed the literature on PTS and HEV and we found 62 previously described cases that were more likely to be men (86.20 %) with more frequent bilateral symptoms (85.71 %). Genotype 3 is the most commonly associated. Three of those cases were diagnosed in Spain. Conclusions According to our findings, HEV should be considered in patients with neuralgic amyotrophy, including those with the absence of liver cytolysis.