Atrial secondary tricuspid regurgitation: pathophysiology, definition, diagnosis, and treatment.

Atrial secondary tricuspid regurgitation (A-STR) is a distinct phenotype of secondary tricuspid regurgitation with predominant dilation of the right atrium and normal right and left ventricular function. Atrial secondary tricuspid regurgitation occurs most commonly in elderly women with atrial fibrillation and in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction in sinus rhythm. In A-STR, the main mechanism of leaflet malcoaptation is related to the presence of a significant dilation of the tricuspid annulus secondary to right atrial enlargement. In addition, there is an insufficient adaptive growth of tricuspid valve leaflets that become unable to cover the enlarged annular area. As opposed to the ventricular phenotype, in A-STR, the tricuspid valve leaflet tethering is typically trivial. The A-STR phenotype accounts for 10%-15% of clinically relevant tricuspid regurgitation and has better outcomes compared with the more prevalent ventricular phenotype. Recent data suggest that patients with A-STR may benefit from more aggressive rhythm control and timely valve interventions. However, little is mentioned in current guidelines on how to identify, evaluate, and manage these patients due to the lack of consistent evidence and variable definitions of this entity in recent investigations. This interdisciplinary expert opinion document focusing on A-STR is intended to help physicians understand this complex and rapidly evolving topic by reviewing its distinct pathophysiology, diagnosis, and multi-modality imaging characteristics. It first defines A-STR by proposing specific quantitative criteria for defining the atrial phenotype and for discriminating it from the ventricular phenotype, in order to facilitate standardization and consistency in research.

Racial Differences in Age-Related Changes in Left Ventricular Structural and Functional Echocardiographic Measurements Among Healthy Japanese and American Participants　- A Subanalysis of the World Alliance Society of Echocardiography Normal Values Study.

BACKGROUND: Age-related changes in left ventricular (LV) structure and function lower the threshold for the onset of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). LV parameters change also with race; however, the racial differences in age-related changes in LV parameters with and without adjustment for body mass index (BMI), heart rate (HR), and blood pressure (BP) remain unclear.Methods and Results: We performed a subanalysis of the World Alliance Society of Echocardiography Normal Values Study, an international cross-sectional study that examined normal echocardiographic values in 15 countries. The age-related changes in 2-dimensional echocardiographic derived parameters including LV size, systolic function, and mass, were compared between healthy Japanese (n=227) and healthy White (n=98) and Black (n=69) American participants. In men, age-related changes in all parameters did not differ significantly among races. However, compared with Japanese women, White American women had a smaller body surface area (BSA)-indexed LV volume, BSA-indexed LV internal dimension at end-systole, BSA-indexed LV stroke volume, and LV mass index to BSA, and a larger LV ejection fraction with age, even after adjusting for BMI, HR, and BP. CONCLUSIONS: Age-related changes in LV structure and function, which are important for the pathophysiology of HFpEF, may differ by race. Therefore, future studies examining echocardiographic reference values for each age group in each race are needed.

Artificial intelligence based left ventricular ejection fraction and global longitudinal strain in cardiac amyloidosis.

BACKGROUND: Assessment of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and global longitudinal strain (GLS) plays a key role in the diagnosis of cardiac amyloidosis (CA). However, manual measurements are time consuming and prone to variability. We aimed to assess whether fully automated artificial intelligence (AI) calculation of LVEF and GLS provide similar estimates and can identify abnormalities in agreement with conventional manual methods, in patients with pre-clinical and clinical CA. METHODS: We identified 51 patients (age 80 ± 10 years, 53% male) with confirmed CA according to guidelines, who underwent echocardiography before and/or at the time of CA diagnosis (median (IQR) time between observations 3.87 (1.93, 5.44 years). LVEF and GLS were quantified from the apical 2- and 4-chamber views using both manual and fully automated methods (EchoGo Core 2.0, Ultromics). Inter-technique agreement was assessed using linear regression and Bland-Altman analyses and two-way ANOVA. The diagnostic accuracy and time for detecting abnormalities (defined as LVEF ≤ 50% and GLS ≥ -15.1%, respectively) using AI was assessed by comparisons to manual measurements as a reference. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in manual and automated LVEF and GLS values in either pre-CA (p = .791 and p = .105, respectively) or at diagnosis (p = .463 and p = .722). The two methods showed strong correlation on both the pre-CA (r = .78 and r = .83) and CA echoes (r = .74 and r = .80) for LVEF and GLS, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of AI-derived indices for detecting abnormal LVEF were 83% and 86%, respectively, in the pre-CA echo and 70% and 79% at CA diagnosis. The sensitivity and specificity of AI-derived indices for detecting abnormal GLS was 82% and 86% in the pre-CA echo and 100% and 67% at the time of CA diagnosis. There was no significant difference in the relationship between LVEF (p = .99) and GLS (p = .19) and time to abnormality between the two methods. CONCLUSION: Fully automated AI-calculated LVEF and GLS are comparable to manual measurements in patients pre-CA and at the time of CA diagnosis. The widespread implementation of automated LVEF and GLS may allow for more rapid assessment in different disease states with comparable accuracy and reproducibility to manual methods.

Impact of Wideband Late Gadolinium Enhancement Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging on Device-Related Artifacts in Different Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Types.

BACKGROUND: Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) imaging in patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD) is limited by device-related artifacts (DRA). The use of wideband (WB) LGE protocols improves LGE images, but their efficacy with different ICD types is not well known. PURPOSE: To assess the effects of WB LGE imaging on DRA in different non-MR conditional ICD subtypes. STUDY TYPE: Retrospective. POPULATION: A total of 113 patients undergoing cardiac magnetic resonance imaging with three ICD subtypes: transvenous (TV-ICD, N = 48), cardiac-resynchronization therapy device (CRT-D, N = 48), and subcutaneous (S-ICD, N = 17). FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: 5 T scanner, standard LGE, and WB LGE imaging with a phase-sensitive inversion recovery segmented gradient echo sequence. ASSESSMENT: DRA burden was defined as the number of artifact-positive short-axis LGE slices as percentage of the total number of short-axis slices covering the left ventricle from based to apex, and was determined for WB and standard LGE studies for each patient. Additionally, artifact area on each slice was quantified. STATISTICAL TESTS: Shapiro-Wilks, Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance, Dunn tests with Bonferroni correction, and Mann-Whitney U-test. RESULTS: In patients with TV-ICD, DRA burden was significantly reduced and nearly eliminated with WB LGE compared to standard LGE imaging (median [interquartile range]: 0 [0-7]% vs. 18 [0-50]%, P < 0.05), but WB imaging had less of an impact on DRA in the CRT-D (8 [0-23]% vs. 16 [0-45]%, p = 0.12) and S-ICD (60 [15-71]% vs. 67 [50-92]%, P = 0.09) patients. Residual DRA was significantly greater (P < 0.05) for S-ICD compared to other device types with WB LGE imaging, despite the generators of all three ICD types having similar proximity to the heart. The area of S-ICD associated DRA was smaller with WB LGE (P < 0.001) than with standard LGE imaging and the artifacts had different characteristics (dark signal void instead of a bright hyperenhancement artifact). DATA CONCLUSION: Although WB LGE imaging reduced the burden of DRA caused by S-ICD, the residual artifact was greater than that observed with TV-ICD and CRT-D devices. Further developments are needed to better resolve S-ICD artifacts. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 1 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: STAGE: 5.

Myocardial strain analysis of the right ventricle: comparison of different cardiovascular magnetic resonance and echocardiographic techniques.

BACKGROUND: Right ventricular (RV) strain is a useful predictor of prognosis in various cardiovascular diseases, including those traditionally believed to impact only the left ventricle. We aimed to determine inter-modality and inter-technique agreement in RV longitudinal strain (LS) measurements between currently available cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) and echocardiographic techniques, as well as their reproducibility and the impact of layer-specific strain measurements. METHODS: RV-LS was determined in 62 patients using 2D speckle tracking echocardiography (STE, Epsilon) and two CMR techniques: feature tracking (FT) and strain-encoding (SENC), and in 17 healthy subjects using FT and SENC only. Measurements included global and free-wall LS (GLS, FWLS). Inter-technique agreement was assessed using linear regression and Bland-Altman analysis. Reproducibility was quantified using intraclass correlation (ICC) and coefficients of variation (CoV). RESULTS: We found similar moderate agreement between both CMR techniques and STE in patients: r = 0.57-0.63 for SENC; r = 0.50-0.62 for FT. The correlation between SENC and STE was better for GLS (r = 0.63) than for FWLS (r = 0.57). Conversely, the correlation between FT and STE was higher for FWLS (r = 0.60-0.62) than GLS (r = 0.50-0.54). FT-midmyocardial strain correlated better with SENC and STE than FT-subendocardial strain. The agreement between SENC and FT was fair (r = 0.36-0.41, bias: - 6.4 to - 10.4%) in the entire study group. All techniques except FT showed excellent reproducibility (ICC: 0.62-0.96, CoV: 0.04-0.30). CONCLUSIONS: We found only moderate inter-modality agreement with STE in RV-LS for both FT and SENC and poor agreement when comparing between the CMR techniques. Different modalities and techniques should not be used interchangeably to determine and monitor RV strain.

Echocardiographic Changes in Patients Implanted With a Fully Magnetically Levitated Left Ventricular Assist Device (Heartmate 3).

BACKGROUND: The Heartmate 3 (HM3) is a Conformiteé Européenne mark-approved left ventricular (LV) assist device (LVAD) with fully magnetically levitated rotor and features consisting of a wide range operational speeds, wide flow paths, and artificial pulse. We performed a hemodynamic-echocardiographic speed optimization evaluation in HM3-implanted patients to achieve optimal LV- and right ventricular (RV) shape. METHODS AND RESULTS: Sixteen HM3 patients underwent pump speed ramp tests with right heart catheterization. Three-dimensional echocardiographic (3DE) LV and RV datasets (Philips) were acquired, and volumetric (Tomtec) and shape (custom software) analyses were performed (LV: sphericity, conicity; RV: septal and free-wall curvatures). Data were recorded at up to 13 speed settings. Speed changes were in 100-rpm steps, starting at 4600 rpm and ramping up to 6200 rpm. 3DE was feasible in 50% of the patients. Mean original speed was 5306 ± 148 rpm. LV end-diastolic (ED) diameter (-0.15 ± 0.09 cm/100 rpm) and volumes (ED: 269 ± 109 mL to 175 ± 90 mL; end-systolic [ES]: 234 ± 111 mL to 146 ± 81 mL) progressively decreased as the shape became less spherical and more conical; RV volumes initially remained stable, but at higher speeds increased (ED: from 148 ± 64 mL to 181 ± 92 mL; ES: 113 ± 63 mL to 130 ± 69 mL). On average, the RV septum became less convex (bulging toward the LV) at the highest speeds. CONCLUSIONS: LV and RV shape changes were noted in HM3-supported patients. Although a LV volumetric decrease and shape improvement was consistently noted, RV volumes grew in response to increase in speed above a certain point. A next concern would be whether understanding of morphologic and function changes in LV and RV during LVAD speed change assessed with the use of 3DE helps to optimize LVAD speed settings and improve clinical outcomes.

Association of circulating transcriptomic profiles with mortality in sickle cell disease.

Sickle cell disease (SCD) complications are associated with increased morbidity and risk of mortality. We sought to identify a circulating transcriptomic profile predictive of these poor outcomes in SCD. Training and testing cohorts consisting of adult patients with SCD were recruited and prospectively followed. A pathway-based signature derived from grouping peripheral blood mononuclear cell transcriptomes distinguished 2 patient clusters with differences in survival in the training cohort. These findings were validated in a testing cohort in which the association between cluster 1 molecular profiling and mortality remained significant in a fully adjusted model. In a third cohort of West African children with SCD, cluster 1 differentiated SCD severity using a published scoring index. Finally, a risk score composed of assigning weights to cluster 1 profiling, along with established clinical risk factors using tricuspid regurgitation velocity, white blood cell count, history of acute chest syndrome, and hemoglobin levels, demonstrated a higher hazard ratio for mortality in both the training and testing cohorts compared with clinical risk factors or cluster 1 data alone. Circulating transcriptomic profiles are a powerful method to risk-stratify severity of disease and poor outcomes in both children and adults, respectively, with SCD and highlight potential associated molecular pathways.

Echocardiography and cardiovascular magnetic resonance based evaluation of myocardial strain and relationship with late gadolinium enhancement.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to: (1) determine the agreement in cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) and speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) derived strain measurements, (2) compare their reproducibility, (3) determine which approach is best related to CMR late gadolinium enhancement (LGE). BACKGROUND: While STE-derived strain is routinely used to assess left ventricular (LV) function, CMR strain measurements are not yet standardized. Strain can be measured using dedicated pulse sequences (strain-encoding, SENC), or post-processing of cine images (feature tracking, FT). It is unclear whether these measurements are interchangeable, and whether strain can be used as an alternative to LGE. METHODS: Fifty patients underwent 2D echocardiography and 1.5 T CMR. Global longitudinal strain (GLS) was measured by STE (Epsilon), FT (NeoSoft) and SENC (Myocardial Solutions) and circumferential strain (GCS) by FT and SENC. RESULTS: GLS showed good inter-modality agreement (r-values: 0.71-0.75), small biases (< 1%) but considerable limits of agreement (- 7 to 8%). The agreement between the CMR techniques was better for GLS than GCS (r = 0.81 vs 0.67; smaller bias). Repeated measurements showed low intra- and inter-observer variability for both GLS and GCS (intraclass correlations 0.86-0.99; coefficients of variation 3-13%). LGE was present in 22 (44%) of patients. Both SENC- and FT-derived GLS and GCS were associated with LGE, while STE-GLS was not. Irrespective of CMR technique, this association was stronger for GCS (AUC 0.77-0.78) than GLS (AUC 0.67-0.72) and STE-GLS (AUC = 0.58). CONCLUSION: There is good inter-technique agreement in strain measurements, which were highly reproducible, irrespective of modality or analysis technique. GCS may better reflect the presence of underlying LGE than GLS.

Aortic root changes before and after surgery for chronic aortic dilatation: A 3D echocardiographic study.

BACKGROUND: Quantitative 3D assessment of the aortic root may improve planning and success of aortic valve (AV)-sparing operations. AIMS: To use 3D transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) to assess the effect of chronic aortic dilatation on aortic root shape and aortic regurgitation (AR) severity and to examine the effects of AV-sparing operations. METHODS AND RESULTS: To determine the changes with chronic aortic dilatation, we studied 48 patients, 23 with aortic dilatation (Group 1 ≤ mild AR, n = 13; Group 2 ≥ moderate AR, n = 10) and 25 Controls. To determine the changes in AV-sparing operations, a subgroup of 15 patients were examined pre- and post surgery. 3D-TEE images were analyzed using multiplanar reconstruction (QLAB, Philips, Philips Medical Systems, Andover, MA, USA) to obtain aortic root areas, diameters, and lengths. We also calculated a novel parameter called total coaptation surface area (TCoapSA), which sums the contact surface area of all the AV cusps. Compared to Controls, Groups 1 and 2 had significantly larger aortic root areas, inter-commissural distances, and cusp heights. Compared to Group 1 and Controls, Group 2 had significantly smaller TCoapSA when adjusted for aortic annular area (P = 0.001) with shorter coaptation height (P < 0.001). In patients undergoing AV-sparing surgery, TCoapSA was significantly larger post surgery (P = 0.001) with greater coaptation height (P < 0.001) and smaller inter-commissural distances (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The aortic valve is a dynamic structure that remodels in response to aortic dilatation. Successful valve-sparing surgery corrects these changes. Quantitative modeling of the aortic valve and root could potentially improve the repair to the individual patients and modify outcomes.

A histopathologic schema to quantify the burden of cardiac amyloidosis: Relationship with survival and echocardiographic parameters.

BACKGROUND: Despite routine use of echocardiographic parameters to evaluate the severity of cardiac amyloidosis (CA), this methodology has not been well validated. We developed a histopathologic schema for quantifying CA burden and evaluated its relationship with clinical outcomes. Additionally, echocardiographic parameters were tested as potential noninvasive indices of CA burden. METHODS: We retrospectively studied 59 patients with CA (17 light chain, 42 transthyretin) who underwent endomyocardial biopsies. Light microscopy with staining was used to categorize CA burden as mild-to-moderate (<50%) or high (≥50%). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed for the two groups. In 34 patients with good-quality echocardiograms, we measured left ventricular volumes, ejection fraction (EF), interventricular septal thickness (IVSt), posterior wall thickness (PWt), LV mass, lateral e'-velocity, and global longitudinal strain (GLS). These parameters were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Thirty-five patients had mild-to-moderate and 24 severe amyloid burden. Kaplan-Meier curves demonstrated a trend toward worse mortality with high CA burden, which was more common and associated with higher mortality specifically in transthyretin-type patients. Echocardiography-derived IVSt, PWt, and LV mass were directly related to CA burden, while LV EF, e'-velocity, and GLS magnitude were inversely related to CA burden. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provided a signal that CA burden is a clinically important entity with potentially valuable prognostic information. Echocardiographic parameters of LV anatomy and function correlate with histopathologic burden of CA, which is inversely related to survival. Further studies are needed to determine whether these parameters could be used as imaging biomarkers of treatment-related changes in CA burden.

Automated, machine learning-based, 3D echocardiographic quantification of left ventricular mass.

BACKGROUND: Although 3D echocardiography (3DE) circumvents many limitations of 2D echocardiography by allowing direct measurements of left ventricular (LV) mass, it is seldom used in clinical practice due to time-consuming analysis. A recently developed 3DE machine learning (ML) approach allows automated determination of LV mass. We aimed to evaluate the accuracy of this new approach by comparing it to cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) reference and to conventional 3DE volumetric analysis. METHODS: We prospectively studied 23 patients who underwent 3DE (Philips EPIQ) and CMR imaging on the same day. Single-beat wide-angle 3D datasets of the left ventricle were acquired. LV mass was quantified using the new automated software (Philips HeartModel) with manual corrections when necessary and using conventional volumetric analysis (TomTec). CMR analysis was performed by manual slice-by-slice tracing of LV endo- and epicardial boundaries. Reproducibility of the ML approach was assessed using repeated measurements and quantified by intra-class correlation (ICC) and coefficients of variation (CoV). RESULTS: Automated LV mass measurements were feasible in 20 patients (87%). The results were similar to CMR-derived values (Bland-Altman bias 5 g, limits of agreement ±37 g) and also to the conventional 3DE analysis (bias 7 g, ±27 g). Processing time was considerably shorter: 1.02 ± 0.24 minutes (CMR: 2.20 ± 0.13 minutes; TomTec: 2.36 ± 0.09 minutes), although manual corrections were performed in most patients. Repeated measurements showed high reproducibility: ICC = 0.99; CoV = 4 ± 5%. CONCLUSIONS: 3D Echocardiography analysis of LV mass using novel ML-based algorithm is feasible, fast, and accurate and may thus facilitate the incorporation of 3DE measurements of LV mass into clinical practice.

Importance of the Left Atrium: More Than a Bystander?

Left atrial size and function parameters are associated with adverse outcomes in multiple disease states, including heart failure with reduced and preserved ejection fraction. Recent data suggest that phasic left atrial function and left atrial stain measurements also hold prognostic information. Three-dimensional echocardiography provides more accurate and reproducible quantification of left atrial volumes than 2-dimensional echocardiography when compared with cardiac magnetic resonance reference standards. Greater accessibility to these advanced imaging techniques allows for the integration of these parameters into routine clinical practice.

Integrated analyses of gene expression and genetic association studies in a founder population.

Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have become a standard tool for dissecting genetic contributions to disease risk. However, these studies typically require extraordinarily large sample sizes to be adequately powered. Strategies that incorporate functional information alongside genetic associations have proved successful in increasing GWAS power. Following this paradigm, we present the results of 20 different genetic association studies for quantitative traits related to complex diseases, conducted in the Hutterites of South Dakota. To boost the power of these association studies, we collected RNA-sequencing data from lymphoblastoid cell lines for 431 Hutterite individuals. We then used Sherlock, a tool that integrates GWAS and expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) data, to identify weak GWAS signals that are also supported by eQTL data. Using this approach, we found novel associations with quantitative phenotypes related to cardiovascular disease, including carotid intima-media thickness, left atrial volume index, monocyte count and serum YKL-40 levels.

Echocardiographic changes with non-invasive ventilation and CPAP in obesity hypoventilation syndrome.

RATIONALE: Despite a significant association between obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS) and cardiac dysfunction, no randomised trials have assessed the impact of non-invasive ventilation (NIV) or CPAP on cardiac structure and function assessed by echocardiography. OBJECTIVES: We performed a secondary analysis of the data from the largest multicentre randomised controlled trial of OHS (Pickwick project, n=221) to determine the comparative efficacy of 2 months of NIV (n=71), CPAP (n=80) and lifestyle modification (control group, n=70) on structural and functional echocardiographic changes. METHODS: Conventional transthoracic two-dimensional and Doppler echocardiograms were obtained at baseline and after 2 months. Echocardiographers at each site were blinded to the treatment arms. Statistical analysis was performed using intention-to-treat analysis. RESULTS: At baseline, 55% of patients had pulmonary hypertension and 51% had evidence of left ventricular hypertrophy. Treatment with NIV, but not CPAP, lowered systolic pulmonary artery pressure (-3.4 mm Hg, 95% CI -5.3 to -1.5; adjusted P=0.025 vs control and P=0.033 vs CPAP). The degree of improvement in systolic pulmonary artery pressure was greater in patients treated with NIV who had pulmonary hypertension at baseline (-6.4 mm Hg, 95% CI -9 to -3.8). Only NIV therapy decreased left ventricular hypertrophy with a significant reduction in left ventricular mass index (-5.7 g/m2; 95% CI -11.0 to -4.4). After adjusted analysis, NIV was superior to control group in improving left ventricular mass index (P=0.015). Only treatment with NIV led to a significant improvement in 6 min walk distance (32 m; 95% CI 19 to 46). CONCLUSION: In patients with OHS, medium-term treatment with NIV is more effective than CPAP and lifestyle modification in improving pulmonary hypertension, left ventricular hypertrophy and functional outcomes. Long-term studies are needed to confirm these results. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Pre-results, NCT01405976 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/).

An insidious and deadly complication of mechanical chest compressions in a patient on anticoagulation and the subtle echocardiographic findings that enabled timely diagnosis.

Good-quality chest compressions improve outcomes in cardiac arrest. While manual chest compressions are suboptimal in this regard, the LUCAS device has been shown to improve the effectiveness of chest compressions during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The complication rate associated with mechanical CPR, however, has not been adequately studied. Limited evidence suggests no difference in internal injury between manual and mechanical CPR. We report the case of a patient on anticoagulation who developed a mediastinal hematoma post mechanical CPR and on whom subtle findings on initial echocardiography could have alerted the clinician to this complication early during the clinical course. This case further suggests that there may be special populations of patients in whom we may need to be more vigilant in the use of mechanical CPR.

Residual native left ventricular function optimization using quantitative 3D echocardiographic assessment of rotational mechanics in patients with left ventricular assist devices.

Preservation of native left ventricular (LV) function in patients supported with LV assist device (LVAD) may be beneficial to attain optimal hemodynamics and enhance potential recovery. Currently, LVAD speed optimization is based on hemodynamic parameters, without considering residual native LV function. We hypothesized that alternatively, LV rotational mechanics can be quantified by 3D echocardiography (3DE), and may help preserve native LV function while optimizing LVAD speed. The goal of this study was to test the feasibility of quantifying the effects of LVAD implantation on LV rotational mechanics and to determine whether conventional speed optimization maximally preserves native LV function. We studied 55 patients with LVADs, who underwent 3DE imaging and quantitative analysis of LV twist. Thirty patients were studied before and after LVAD implantation. The remaining 25 patients were studied during hemodynamic ramp studies. The pump speed at which LV twist was maximal was compared with the hemodynamics-based optimal speed. LV twist decreased following LVAD implantation from 4.2 ± 2.7 to 2.3 ± 1.9° (P < 0.01), reflecting the constricting effects on native function. With lower pump speeds, no significant changes were noted in LV twist, which peaked at a higher speed. In 11/25 (44%) patients, the conventional hemodynamic/2DE methodology and 3DE assessment of maximal residual function did not indicate the same optimal conditions, suggesting that a higher pump speed would have better preserved native function. In conclusion, quantitative 3DE analysis of LV rotational mechanics provides information, which together with hemodynamics may help select optimal pump speed, while maximally preserving native LV function.

A novel profile/view ordering with a non-convex star shutter for high-resolution 3D volumetric T1 mapping under multiple breath-holds.

PURPOSE: To examine a novel non-convex star ordering/shutter for reducing the number of breath-holds in cardiac three-dimensional (3D) T1 Mapping MRI with multiple breath-holds. METHODS: A novel ordering, Non-Convex Star (NCS) was designed to acquire 3D volumes in a modified look-locker inversion recovery (MOLLI) T1 mapping sequence to provide more spatial resolution and coverage in fewer breath-holds. The proposed 3D-MOLLI approach using NCS was first validated in two phantoms using artifact power (AP) measurement against the fully sampled phantom. This was followed by an in vivo study in seven swine, in which the T1 values of the left ventricular (LV) myocardium divided into the American Heart Association (AHA) 16-segment model was compared against the reference multislice two-dimensional (2D) clinical reference and 3D volume without NCS breath-hold reduction. RESULTS: NCS breath-hold reduction yielded less AP compared with the matched SENSE accelerated phantom volume (P < 0.0005), and was shown to be optimal at 25% fewer breath-holds. Calculated T1 values from 3D in vivo volumes with/without NCS were comparable in all AHA segments (P = NS), whereas 3D-NCS yielded significantly higher T1 values than 2D at midslice of the LV myocardium in each AHA segment (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: We successfully demonstrate the feasibility of the NCS approach for a 3D T1 mapping acquisition requiring fewer breath-holds. Magn Reson Med 77:2215-2224, 2017. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Reproducibility and experience dependence of echocardiographic indices of left ventricular function: Side-by-side comparison of global longitudinal strain and ejection fraction.

BACKGROUND: Although left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF) and global longitudinal strain (GLS) are recommended by the current echocardiographic chamber quantification guidelines, these measurements are not performed routinely. Because EF measurements rely on manual tracing of LV boundaries, and are subject to inter-reader variability and experience dependence, we hypothesized that semiautomated GLS measurements using speckle tracking would be more reproducible and less experience-dependent. METHODS: Images from 30 patients were analyzed to obtain biplane EF using manual tracing. GLS was measured in three long-axis views using EchoInsight software (Epsilon Imaging) that automatically detects LV endocardial boundary, which is edited manually as necessary and is then automatically tracked throughout the cardiac cycle. All measurements were performed by an expert echocardiographer and three first-year cardiology fellows. RESULTS: Semiautomated GLS analysis showed excellent correlation (r=.98) and small bias (-1.0±13% of measured value) between the experienced and less experienced readers, superior to EF (r=.91, bias 7.3±16%). Also, in repeated measurements, GLS showed higher intra-class correlation (ICC=.98) than EF (ICC=.89). Additionally, GLS analysis required ~1 minute per patient, while biplane EF measurements took twice as long. CONCLUSIONS: Semiautomated GLS measurements are fast, less experience-dependent, and more reproducible than conventional EF measurements. This is probably because, irrespective of experience, the readers' choice of boundary position varies less when asked to refine the automated detection than to draw borders without initial clues. This technique may facilitate the workflow of a busy laboratory and make a step forward toward incorporating quantitative analysis into everyday echocardiography practice.

3D echocardiographic analysis of aortic annulus for transcatheter aortic valve replacement using novel aortic valve quantification software: Comparison with computed tomography.

BACKGROUND: With the increasing use of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in patients with aortic stenosis (AS), computed tomography (CT) remains the standard for annulus sizing. However, 3D transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) has been an alternative in patients with contraindications to CT. We sought to (1) test the feasibility, accuracy, and reproducibility of prototype 3DTEE analysis software (Philips) for aortic annular measurements and (2) compare the new approach to the existing echocardiographic techniques. METHODS: We prospectively studied 52 patients who underwent gated contrast CT, procedural 3DTEE, and TAVR. 3DTEE images were analyzed using novel semi-automated software designed for 3D measurements of the aortic root, which uses multiplanar reconstruction, similar to CT analysis. Aortic annulus measurements included area, perimeter, and diameter calculations from these measurements. The results were compared to CT-derived values. Additionally, 3D echocardiographic measurements (3D planimetry and mitral valve analysis software adapted for the aortic valve) were also compared to the CT reference values. RESULTS: 3DTEE image quality was sufficient in 90% of patients for aortic annulus measurements using the new software, which were in good agreement with CT (r-values: .89-.91) and small (<4%) inter-modality nonsignificant biases. Repeated measurements showed <10% measurements variability. The new 3D analysis was the more accurate and reproducible of the existing echocardiographic techniques. CONCLUSIONS: Novel semi-automated 3DTEE analysis software can accurately measure aortic annulus in patients with severe AS undergoing TAVR, in better agreement with CT than the existing methodology. Accordingly, intra-procedural TEE could potentially replace CT in patients where CT carries significant risk.

Screening for Outflow Cannula Malfunction of Left Ventricular Assist Devices (LVADs) With the Use of Doppler Echocardiography: New LVAD-Specific Reference Values for Contemporary Devices.

BACKGROUND: Echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) is used as a screening tool to evaluate the integrity and mechanics of the pump and circuit. We aimed to 1) establish the normal range and upper reference limit of peak velocity of the outflow cannula for the modern era of LVADs and 2) assess the clinical performance of the currently cited and newly proposed reference limits in patients with continuous-flow LVADs as a screening tool for cannula malfunction. METHODS: LVAD outflow peak CW velocities were measured with the use of Doppler transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) in 57 patients with LVADs (44 with Heartmate II (HM2), 13 with Heartware (HW)). The average velocity and the upper and lower normal reference limits (defined as ±2 standard deviations from the mean) for each LVAD type was calculated. The upper reference limit was then used as a screening threshold for cannula malfunction. RESULTS: The average outflow cannula peak velocity for the normal HM2 cohort was 1.86 ± 0.44 m/s with upper and lower reference limits of 2.73 m/s and 0.98 m/s, respectively. The average outflow cannula peak velocity for the normal HW cohort was 2.36 ± 0.53 m/s with upper and lower reference limits of 3.42 m/s and 1.3 m/s, respectively, which was significantly higher than the HM2 cohort (P = .004). CONCLUSIONS: In both HM2 and HW LVADs, the average peak outflow velocity and reference limit for the normal population, as measured by Doppler TTE, was markedly higher than the currently used LVAD reference limits of 2 m/s and are significantly different between devices. Patients with peak outflow velocities above our upper reference limits should be evaluated for LVAD outflow cannula malfunction.