[Cardiac MR in development: the large multicenter CMR studies in 2012]. / IRM cardiaque en évolution: de grandes études multicentriques en 2012.

The results of several large multicenter CMR studies were reported in 2012, thus, constantly corroborating the evidence on CMR performance. In this review, we present results of the MR-IMPACT programme and the CE-MARC study, which demonstrated the superiority of perfusion-CMR over gated SPECT for the workup of suspected CAD, the currently available data from the European CMR registry, comprising almost 30,000 patients from 57 participating centers in 15 European countries, and finally, the results of the Advisa-MRI study, which documented the safety of a MRI-compatible pacemaker system. These large trials and others set the basis for the recommendations in the new European guidelines on heart failure to use CMR as a first line method if echocardiographic quality is inadequate or the etiology of heart failure is unclear.

[Cardiology]. / Cardiologie.

The present review provides a selected choice of clinical research in the field of interventional cardiology, electrophysiology and cardiac imaging. We also focused on the new guidelines published by the European society of cardiology in 2010 (revascularization, atrial fibrillation and device therapy in heart failure).

[Non invasive cardiac imaging: clinical role of newly developed modalities. Part III: non ischemic cardiac diseases]. / Imagerie cardiaque non invasive: rôle des nouvelles modalités en pratique clinique (III). Pathologies cardiaques non ischemiques.

Echocardiography is the preferred initial noninvasive test to assess heart muscle and heart valves. Cardiac MRI has a unique capacity to directly characterise myocardial tissue with specific imaging sequences and late enhancement pattern after gadolinium injection, and has a specific role in the diagnosis of cardiomyopathies. In valvular heart diseases, cardiac MRI precisely measures the severity of aortic or pulmonary regurgitation. In pericardial heart diseases, and specifically when constrictive pericarditis is suspected, cardiac MRI and/or CT are useful to look for pericardial thickening. Cardiac CT and MRI are very rapidly developing techniques in cardiology; the use of these expensive techniques must follow the currently accepted indications in order to be integrated in a rational diagnosis process in clinical practice.

[Cardiac imaging: specific clinical role of newly developed non invasive techniques. Part 1: Morphological evaluation]. / Imagerie cardiaque non invasive: apport spécifique en clinique des nouvelles modalités (I). Evaluation morphologique.

Echocardiography is the preferred initial test to assess cardiac morphology and ventricular function. Cardiac MRI enables an optimal visualisation of heart muscle without contrast injection, and precise measurement of the ventricular volumes and systolic function. It is therefore an ideal test for patients with poor echocardiographic windows or for the specific evaluation of right heart chambers. Heart CT also remarkably images heart muscle and precisely measures ventricular systolic function after intravenous injection of iodinated contrast. Coronary CT may also, in selected cases, avoid the need for diagnostic coronary angiography. Although very accurate, these imaging modalities are expensive and may be contra-indicated for a particular patient. Their use in clinical practice has to follow the accepted guidelines.

[Cardiac imaging: specific clinical role of newly developed non invasive techniques. Part II: functional evaluation]. / Imagerie cardiaque non invasive: apport spécifique en clinique des nouvelles modalités (II). Evaluation fonctionnelle.

The non-invasive evaluation of myocardial ischemia is a priority in cardiology. The preferred initial non-invasive test is exercise ECG, because of its high accessibility and its low cost. Stress radionuclide myocardial perfusion imaging or stress echocardiography are now routinely performed, and new non-invasive techniques such as perfusion-MRI, dobutamine stress-MRI or 82rubidium perfusion PET have recently gained acceptance in clinical practice. In the same time, an increasing attention has been accorded to the concept of myocardial viability in the decisional processes in case of ischemic heart failure. In this indication, MRI with late enhancement after intravenous injection of gadolinium and 18F-FDG PET showed an excellent diagnostic accuracy. This article will present these new imaging modalities and their accepted indications.

[Echocardiographic approaches for the identification of patients with ventricular asynchrony]. / Thérapie de resynchronisation: échographie et critères de sélection.

The beneficial effect of cardiac resynchronization therapy has been demonstrated in large clinical trials. However, on an individual basis 20% to 30% of patients receiving this therapy will lack improvement or even deteriorate. A better selection of patients to predict response to cardiac resynchronization therapy is therefore needed. Echocardiographic studies have clearly demonstrated that the presence of intra-ventricular dyssynchrony is an important factor determining response to resynchronization therapy, whereas interventricular dyssynchrony appears to be of less importance. Of the different echocardiographic approaches aimed at prediction of response to resynchronization therapy, literature suggests that tissue Doppler imaging may represent the best method. Ongoing research trials will further define the role of other new bi- or three-dimensional echocardiographic tools in the clinical management of patients with heart failure.

Morphological, clinical and genetic aspects in a family with a novel LAMP-2 gene mutation (Danon disease).

A family with several cases of severe cardiomyopathy and moderate myopathy is described, affecting two brothers and their cousin as well as their mothers. One boy died of sudden cardiac arrest at 17 years of age. The two brothers were treated with an implantable defibrillator and their mother died suddenly at 40 years of age. Muscle biopsy in males showed vacuolar myopathy in two cases, and no abnormality on standard staining in the third case. Cardiac biopsies showed hypertrophic and vacuolated fibres. Complete absence of LAMP-2 was demonstrated by immunohistochemistry on the vacuolated skeletal and cardiac muscle, but also on the morphologically normal skeletal muscle. Sequencing of LAMP-2 gene showed a novel S157X mutation in exon 4. Danon disease is a rare and potentially lethal cause of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Diagnosis can be made by immunohistochemistry performed on cardiac or muscle biopsy, and confirmed by genetic analysis, which also allows for easy family screening and counselling.

[Surgical options for terminal heart failure]. / Options chirurgicates pour l'insuffisance cardiaque terminale.

Terminal heart failure can be the cause or the result of major dysfunctions of the organisms. Although, the outcome of the natural history is the same in both situations, it is of prime importance to differentiate the two, as only heart failure as the primary cause allows for successful mechanical circulatory support as bridge to transplantation or towards recovery. Various objective parameters allow for the establishment of the diagnosis of terminal heart failure despite optimal medical treatment. A cardiac index <2.0 l/min, and a mixed venous oxygen saturation <60%, in combination with progressive renal failure, should trigger a diagnostic work-up in order to identify cardiac defects that can be corrected or to list the patient for transplantation with/without mechanical circulatory support.

Stroke recurrence in patients with patent foramen ovale: the Lausanne Study. Lausanne Stroke with Paradoxal Embolism Study Group.

Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is more common in patients with stroke than in matched controls, but the stroke mechanism and late prognosis are not well known. We studied features, coexisting causes, and recurrences of stroke in 140 consecutive patients (mean age 44 +/- 14 years) with stroke and PFO admitted to a population-based primary-care center. We selected the patients from 340 patients (41%) aged < or = 60 years with acute stroke. The initial event was brain infarction in 118 patients (84%) and TIA in 22 (16%). Intracranial embolic occlusions were present on angiography or transcranial Doppler in most patients admitted within 12 hours of onset, whereas a venous source was clinically apparent in only six patients (5.5%). Pulmonary embolism, Valsalva maneuver at onset, and coagulation abnormalities were rare, but one-fourth of the patients had an interatrial septum aneurysm (ISA) that coexisted with PFO. An alternative cause of stroke was present in only 22 patients (16%), usually cardiac (atrial fibrillation, severe mitral valve prolapse, akinetic left ventricular segment). During a mean follow-up of 3 years, the stroke or death rate was 2.4% per year, but only eight patients had a recurrent infarct (1.9% per year). This low rate of recurrence contrasted with the severity of initial stroke, which left disabling sequelae in one-half the patients. Multivariate analysis showed that interatrial communication, a history of recent migraine, posterior cerebral artery territory infarct, and a coexisting cause of stroke were associated with recurrence, whereas ISA and treatment type (coagulant or antiaggregant therapy, surgical closure of PFO) were not. However, given the low number of events, these findings must be taken with caution. In conclusion, our study shows that stroke associated with PFO with or without ISA is not commonly due to a coexisting cause of stroke. It is usually embolic, although a definite source cannot often be demonstrated. The presenting stroke is often severe, but recurrence is uncommon. The demonstration of factors associated with a higher risk of recurrence in subgroups of patients is critical for the long-term management of these patients.

Prognosis after stroke followed by surgical closure of patent foramen ovale: a prospective follow-up study with brain MRI and simultaneous transesophageal and transcranial Doppler ultrasound.

BACKGROUND: The risk of stroke and the long-term prognosis of recurrent strokes in young patients with patent foramen ovale (PFO) are not well known. For this reason, the treatment of these patients remains empirical. An alternative treatment to prolonged antithrombotic therapy may be surgical closure of the PFO. METHODS: Thirty patients (20 men and 10 women) with stroke and PFO were prospectively selected among 138 patients with stroke and PFO for a study of surgical closure of PFO at our center. Eligible patients were < 60 years old, had negative results of a systematic search for another cause of stroke (first criterion), and met two of the four following criteria: (1) recurrent clinical cerebrovascular events or multiple ischemic lesions on brain MR, (2) PFO associated with an atrial septal aneurysm, (3) > 50 microbubbles counted in the left atrium on contrast transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), and (4) Valsalva maneuver or cough preceding the stroke. Patients selected in this manner for surgery were considered to be a subgroup with a higher risk of stroke recurrence. RESULTS: All patients had a direct suture of PFO while under cardiopulmonary bypass without recorded early or delayed significant complication. All patients underwent a new brain MRI and TEE simultaneous with transcranial Doppler ultrasonography after contrast injection at 8 +/- 3 months after surgery. After a mean follow-up of 2 years without antithrombotic treatment, no recurrent cerebrovascular event (stroke or transient ischemic attack [TIA]) and no new lesion on MRI had developed. Postoperative contrast TEE and transcranial Doppler ultrasonography showed that two patients had residual interatrial right-to-left shunting, although much smaller than before surgery, associated with single versus double continuous suture. CONCLUSIONS: Our study of 30 selected stroke patients with surgical suture of PFO showed a stroke recurrence rate of 0% and no significant complication. Residual right-to-left shunting may be avoided by double continuous suture of the PFO. In the absence of controlled studies to guide individual therapeutic decisions, our findings show that PFO closure can be done safely and may be considered to avoid recurrence in selected patients with long life expectancy and presumed paradoxic embolism.

Usefulness of the echocardiographic velocity ratio for detection of significant aortic stenosis.

In this study, which included 56 patients with aortic stenosis, the predictive value of the fractional shortening velocity ratio was evaluated. This Doppler index allowed detection of significant aortic stenosis (0.53 cm2/m2), with a positive predictive value of 93% and a negative predictive value of 92% for a cutoff value of 0.8.

Surgical prophylaxis of recurrent stroke in patients with patent foramen ovale: a pilot study.

Prevention of recurrent stroke in adults with patent foramen ovale represents a therapeutic challenge. Antiplatelet or anticoagulant treatment is widely introduced, but its exact indication is not known. In this pilot study, eight men and three women with previous ischemic cerebral events underwent direct surgical closure of the patent foramen ovale. Mean age was 39.4 (from 30 to 58) years. No coexisting cause of stroke was found after extensive investigations, including blood and coagulation tests, echocardiography, 24-hour three-lead electrocardiographic monitoring, extracranial and transcranial Doppler ultrasonography, and cerebral angiography. Criteria for operation also included at least two of the following: atrial septal aneurysm, multiple cerebral infarcts, a history of multiple cerebral events, and Valsalva strain before stroke. Before operation, one patient had two shunts (1 patent foramen ovale, 1 intrapulmonary shunt). No intraoperative or postoperative complications occurred, but a few hours after operation transient arrhythmias developed in two patients without atrial fibrillation, hemodynamic instability, or embolism. During a median follow-up of 12.2 months, no patient had recurrent stroke. All patients prospectively underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging and contrast echocardiography with simultaneous transcranial Doppler ultrasonography. A residual right-to-left interatrial shunt, smaller than the preoperative one, was observed in only one patient, whereas no lesion was seen on magnetic resonance imaging. Our study suggests that surgical closure of patent foramen ovale in patients with presumed paradoxic embolism is safe, with no recurrent stroke in the first year of follow-up. Further studies are needed to evaluate the long-term prognosis of patients with versus without operation and to define the role of operation as an alternative to prolonged antithrombotic treatment.

Systematic surgical closure of patent foramen ovale in selected patients with cerebrovascular events due to paradoxical embolism. Early results of a preliminary study.

OBJECTIVE: To define therapeutic strategy for management of patients with ischemic stroke due to a high probability of paradoxical embolism through a Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO). METHODS: Since 1988 all consecutive patients with cerebrovascular events and PFO from the Stroke Registry of our population-based primary-care center are prospectively studied and followed. Since 1992, among 118 patients with cryptogenic embolic brain infarct or transient ischemic attack (TIA) and PFO, 32 consecutive patients younger than 60 years who presented at least two of the following criteria were admitted for surgery: history of Valsalva strain before stroke (11); multiple clinical events (13); multiple infarcts on brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) (15); atrial septal aneurysm (ASA) (16); large right-to-left shunt (> 50 microbubbles) (12). RESULTS: Operative time 135' +/- 33'. CPB time 34' +/- 14'. Aortic crossclamping time 16' +/- 6'. Post-operative bleeding 485 +/- 170 ml. No homologous blood transfusion required. No neurological, cardiac or renal complications. All patients were followed-up corresponding to a cumulative time of 601 patient-months. This revealed no recurrent vascular events nor silent new brain lesions on brain MRI. Systematic simultaneous contrast Trans Esophageal Echocardiography (TEE)-Trans Cranial Doppler showed a small residual interatrial shunt in two patients. CONCLUSION: Surgical closure of a patent foramen ovale can be accomplished with very low morbidity and reduce efficiently the risk of stroke recurrence. It seems to be the option of choice in selected patients with a higher (> 1.5%/year) risk of stroke recurrence.

Cardiac perforation after surgical repair of pectus excavatum.

Five days after surgical repair of pectus excavatum, this 7-year-old boy had a right-sided Kirschner wire protruding beneath the skin. The wire was repositioned blindly. Severe congestive heart failure developed. Surgical exploration showed a pierced right atrium, a torn septal leaflet of the tricuspid valve and noncoronary aortic cusp, and a large traumatic ventricular septal defect. The outcome and the indications and possible complications of surgery are discussed.

[Study of valvular prostheses by Doppler echography]. / Etude des prothèses valvulaires en écho-Doppler.

Doppler echocardiography is a reliable non-invasive method of following up patients with prosthetic heart valves. Transthoracic M mode and two-dimensional echo allow evaluation of the movement of the mobile element of the prosthesis and of the size of the cardiac chambers. Doppler studies (transprosthetic pressure gradient, valve surface area, trans- and periprosthetic regurgitation) give an indication of the hemodynamic profile of the prosthesis. Transesophageal echocardiography is especially useful when there are abnormalities suggestive of prosthetic valve dysfunction (fever, systemic embolism, clinical symptoms, haemolysis...).

[Quantitative analysis of systolic function of the right ventricule by Doppler echocardiography]. / Analyse quantitative de la fonction systolique ventriculaire droite par échocardiographie Doppler.

The recording of the velocity of tricuspid valve regurgitation by continuous wave Doppler enables the calculation of the instantaneous systolic pressure gradient between the right ventricle and right atrium. As right atrial pressure is relatively constant, the rate of acceleration of the regurgitant jet reflects the quality of the rise in pressure in the right ventricle in early diastole, and therefore right ventricular contractility. The authors studied 3 Doppler parameters of the rate of velocity increase of the tricuspid regurgitation; the maximum rate of acceleration (dV/dt max), the maximum derivative of the pressure (dP/dt max) and the mean rate of increase in pressure (T). The interobserver variability of these indices is low (r greater than 0.96); reproducibility is good in patients with sinus rhythm but mediocre in atrial fibrillation. The comparison of the Doppler indices with the right ventricular isotopic fraction in 26 patients with tricuspid regurgitation showed a good correlation (dV/dt max, r = 0.79, p less than 0.0001; dP/dt max, r = 0.69, p less than 0.0001; T, r = 0.60, p = 0.0012). These results show that right ventricular systolic function can be evaluated by continuous wave cardiac Doppler by recording the spectral envelope of tricuspid regurgitation.

[Effect of stimulation on ventricular kinetics: contribution to the treatment of cardiomyopathies]. / Effet de la stimulation sur la cinétique ventriculaire: apport au traitement des myocardiopathies.

Cardiac pacing using the apex of the right ventricle as site of excitation induces asynchronous contraction between the right ventricle and the left ventricle as well as inversion of the normal left ventricular activation sequence. These two phenomena are responsible for alteration of septal kinetics and overall contractility. It has recently been demonstrated that these alterations can be used to advantage to reduce the degree of subaortic obstruction of patients suffering from hypertrophic and obstructive cardiomyopathy, and to improve their exercise tolerance. Using an opposite approach, consisting of reducing the degree of asynchronous contraction related to the presence of intraventricular conduction disorders, while optimizing atrioventricular synchronism, new pacing methods have recently been able to improve cardiac output and functional tolerance of some patients suffering from dilated cardiomyopathy. Although cardiac pacing can now be considered to be an alternative a surgery for the treatment of refractory forms of hypertrophic and obstructive cardiomyopathy, it still constitutes a research technique in the field of dilated cardiomyopathy.

[Cardiac pacing in obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathies]. / L'apport de la stimulation cardiaque dans les cardiomyopathies hypertrophiques obstructives.

Up until recently, the first-line treatment of obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy was pharmacological and surgical in refractory cases. However, the immediate beneficial effect of a cardiac pacing on infra-aortic obstruction has been known for many years. The development of sophisticated two-chamber pacemakers and their use in patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy has confirmed their beneficial effect both in terms of haemodynamic and clinical parameters. There appears to be many reasons for this advantageous effect and only some of them have been elucidated, including alteration of the activation sequence of the left ventricle secondary to apical ectopic electrical activation and reduction of the contact time of the mitral valve with the proximal septum and, in the long term, ventricular remodelling secondary to release of the outflow obstruction. The increasing number of publications reporting a beneficial effect of two-chamber pacemakers in these patients justifies consideration of this approach in all patients refractory to drug therapy.

[Echocardiographic analysis in cardiac amyloidosis]. / Amyloïdose cardiaque: une urgence diagnostique?

Systemic amyloidosis with cardiac involvement may clinically be suspected in the presence of heart failure or arrhythmia of unknown origin. Herein two cases of cardiac amyloidosis are described with a clinical presentation of heart failure refractory to usual treatment. The key role of echocardiography in the diagnosis and prognosis evaluation of cardiac amyloidosis is discussed. A treatment targeted against the generation of amyloid fibril should ideally be initiated before apparition of heart failure.