Aortic and Mitral Calcification Is Marker of Significant Carotid and Limb Atherosclerosis in Patients with First Acute Coronary Syndrome.

PURPOSE: Atherosclerosis is a systemic disease and coronary artery disease is frequently associated with peripheral artery disease. As aortic and mitral valvular calcification (VC) share some etiopathogenetic mechanisms with atherosclerosis, we analyzed the risk profile and the echocardiographic characteristics of patients admitted for first acute coronary syndrome (ACS) to investigate whether the presence of VC could be a marker of asymptomatic hemodynamically significant peripheral atherosclerosis. METHODS: A total of 151 patients admitted for ACS without previous history of cardiovascular disease were consecutively enrolled. The presence of VC was identified by echocardiography; a carotid stenosis ≥50% by ultrasound identified carotid artery disease (CarAD); an ankle-brachial index ≤0.9 or ≥1.4 identified lower extremity artery disease (LEAD). Significant peripheral atherosclerosis was defined by the presence of CarAD and/or LEAD. RESULTS: Peripheral atherosclerosis was diagnosed in 82 (54.3%) patients; isolated CarAD in 24, isolated LEAD in 20, both diseases in 38 patients. VC was present in 103 (68.2%) patients. By multivariate analysis, age (OR = 1.059, 95% CI 1.007-1.113, P = 0.025), diabetes mellitus (OR = 5.068, 95% CI 1.480-17.351, P = 0.010), VC (OR = 7.422, 95% CI 2.421-22.880, P < 0.001), and multivessel CAD (OR = 3.317, 95% CI 1.281-8.586, P = 0.013) were the only independent predictors of having peripheral atherosclerosis. C-statistic for VC was not inferior to that obtained by age (0.728, 95% CI 0.649-0.797 vs. 0.800, 95% CI 0.727-0.861, P = 0.101) and to that obtained by the combination of multivessel CAD with diabetes (0.750; 95% CI 0.673-0.817, P = 0.635), and, furthermore, it was higher than that obtained by diabetes alone (0.620, 95% CI 0.538-0.698, P = 0.036). CONCLUSION: Ruling out the presence of significant peripheral atherosclerosis should be routinely considered in patients with ACS showing VC at echocardiography.

Percutaneous treatment of patients with heart diseases: selection, guidance and follow-up. A review.

Aortic stenosis and mitral regurgitation, patent foramen ovale, interatrial septal defect, atrial fibrillation and perivalvular leak, are now amenable to percutaneous treatment. These percutaneous procedures require the use of Transthoracic (TTE), Transesophageal (TEE) and/or Intracardiac echocardiography (ICE). This paper provides an overview of the different percutaneous interventions, trying to provide a systematic and comprehensive approach for selection, guidance and follow-up of patients undergoing these procedures, illustrating the key role of 2D echocardiography.

Validation of Left Atrial Volume Estimation by Left Atrial Diameter from the Parasternal Long-Axis View.

BACKGROUND: Measurement of left atrial (LA) volume (LAV) is recommended for quantification of LA size. Only LA anteroposterior diameter (LAd) is available in a number of large cohorts, trials, or registries. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether LAV may be reasonably estimated from LAd. METHODS: One hundred forty consecutive patients referred to our outpatient clinics were prospectively enrolled to measure LAd from the long-axis view on two-dimensional echocardiography. LA orthogonal dimensions were also taken from apical four- and two-chamber views. LAV was measured using the Simpson, area-length, and ellipsoid (LAVe) methods. The first 70 patients were the learning series and the last 70 the testing series (TeS). In the learning series, best-fitting regression analysis of LAV-LAd was run using all LAV methods, and the highest values of F were chosen among the regression equations. In the TeS, the best-fitting regressions were used to estimate LAV from LAd. RESULTS: In the learning series, the best-fitting regression was linear for the Spearman method (r2 = 0.62, F = 111.85, P = .0001) and area-length method (r2 = 0.62, F = 112.24, P = .0001) and powered for the LAVe method (r2 = 0.81, F = 288.41, P = .0001). In the TeS, the r2 value for LAV prediction was substantially better using the LAVe method (r2 = 0.89) than the Simpson (r2 = 0.72) or area-length (r2 = 0.70) method, as was the intraclass correlation (ρ = 0.96 vs ρ = 0.89 and ρ = 0.89, respectively). In the TeS, the sensitivity and specificity of LA dilatation by the estimated LAVe method were 87% and 90%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: LAV can be estimated from LAd using a nonlinear equation with an elliptical model. The proposed method may be used in retrospective analysis of existing data sets in which determination of LAV was not programmed.

Atrial Dilatation Development in Hypertensive Treated Patients: The Campania-Salute Network.

BACKGROUND: Left atrial (LA) dilatation is associated with unfavorable outcome in hypertension. However, there are few data on clinical, demographic, and echocardiographic findings correlated with LA dilatation development. METHODS: From the Campania-Salute Network registry, we identified 5,375 hypertensive patients (52±11 years, 38% women) in normal sinus rhythm, with normal LA diameter (parasternal short-axis <24.0 in women and <25.4mm/m in men), with normal left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction, and with at least 12 months of echocardiographic follow-up. We included in the clinic evaluation type of antihypertensive drugs. RESULTS: Follow-up duration was of 70±48 months. During follow-up, 647 patients (12%) showed LA dilatation. Patients with incident LA dilatation were older, most likely to be women, more obese, more diabetics, with lower Modification of Diet in Renal Disease, higher total cholesterol, lower uric acid, higher pulse pressure, lower heart rate, higher LV mass, concentric geometry and lower E/A ratio at mitral level, longer E deceleration time, and higher intima-media carotid thickness. They take more drugs, and follow-up was longer (overall P < 0.05). In the Cox analysis, age, female gender, obesity, higher LV mass, LA diameter at baseline, and longer E deceleration time were determinants of LA dilatation. Furthermore, the use of diuretics protected against LA dilatation. CONCLUSIONS: Our data identify a risk profile for LA dilatation, characterized by older age, female sex, obesity, higher LV mass, and worse diastolic function. In this subgroup of patients, the use of diuretics seems to protect against LA dilatation.

Speckle-tracking analysis based on 2D echocardiography does not reliably measure left ventricular torsion.

PURPOSE: Worldwide left ventricular (LV) twist is measured by 2D speckle tracking acquiring apical short axis at a LV level where papillary muscles are no longer visible; however, we hypothesized that this methodological recommendation is not enough accurate to obtain a reliable measurement of apical rotation. METHODS: We measured twist and untwist rate in 30 healthy subjects by following the earlier method. By 3D echocardiography, we identified two LV apex levels: (i) 3D Apex, defined as the last apical slice at which LV cavity was visible; (ii) 2D Apex, defined as the level where diameters are equal to those of apical LV short axis used for twist analysis in the same subject. The ratio between the distance of 2D Apex and 3D Apex from LV base was calculated and expressed as percentage (2D Apex/3D Apex). RESULTS: 2D Apex/3D Apex was strongly related to the magnitude of twist and untwisting rate (r = 0·82, P<0·001; r = -0·46, P = 0·015, respectively). The only determinant of twist was 2D Apex/3D Apex (r(2)  = 0·68; r = 0·82; F ratio: 52·6, P<0·001); whereas untwisting rate was influenced by 2D Apex/3D Apex and age (r(2)  = 0·42; r = 0·65; F ratio: 7·7; P = 0·003 for 2D Apex/3D Apex; and P = 0·011 for age). CONCLUSIONS: Left ventricular apical level acquisition, even when recorded in a standard manner, determines variability of twist mechanics measurements. Thus, current anatomical markers used to identify LV apex for twist analysis are not reliable and need different standardization. 3D echocardiography may help in such standardization.