CMR Predictors of Favorable Outcome in Myocarditis: A Single-Center Experience.

Background: Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) has emerged as the most accurate, non-invasive method to support the diagnosis of clinically suspected myocarditis and as a risk-stratification tool in patients with cardiomyopathies. We aim to assess the diagnostic and prognostic role of CMR at diagnosis in patients with myocarditis. Methods: We enrolled consecutive single-center patients with 2013 ESC consensus-based endomyocardial biopsy (EMB)-proven or clinically suspected myocarditis undergoing CMR at diagnosis. The pre-specified outcome was defined as NYHA class > I and echocardiographic left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) < 50% at follow-up. Results: We included 207 patients (74% male, median age 36 years; 25% EMB-proven). CMR showed the highest sensitivity in myocarditis with infarct-like presentation. Patients with EMB-proven myocarditis were more likely to have diffuse LGE and right ventricular LGE (p < 0.001), which was also more common among patients with arrhythmic presentation (p = 0.001). The outcome was met in 17 patients at any follow-up time point, more commonly in those with larger biventricular volumes (p < 0.001), CMR-based diagnosis of dilated cardiomyopathy (p < 0.001), and ischemic LGE (p = 0.005). Higher biventricular systolic function (p < 0.001) and greater LGE extent (p = 0.033) at diagnosis had a protective effect. Conclusions: In our single-center cohort of rigorously defined myocarditis patients, higher biventricular systolic function and greater LGE extent on CMR at diagnosis identified patients with better functional class and higher left ventricular ejection fraction at follow-up. Conversely, larger biventricular volumes, CMR-based DCM features, and the presence of an ischemic LGE pattern at diagnosis were predictors of worse functional class and LV systolic dysfunction at follow-up. Larger prospective studies are warranted to extend our findings to multi-center cohorts.

New Non-Invasive Imaging Technologies in Cardiac Transplant Follow-Up: Acquired Evidence and Future Options.

Heart transplantation (HT) is the established treatment for end-stage heart failure, significantly enhancing patients' survival and quality of life. To ensure optimal outcomes, the routine monitoring of HT recipients is paramount. While existing guidelines offer guidance on a blend of invasive and non-invasive imaging techniques, certain aspects such as the timing of echocardiographic assessments and the role of echocardiography or cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) as alternatives to serial endomyocardial biopsies (EMBs) for rejection monitoring are not specifically outlined in the guidelines. Furthermore, invasive coronary angiography (ICA) is still recommended as the gold-standard procedure, usually performed one year after surgery and every two years thereafter. This review focuses on recent advancements in non-invasive and contrast-saving imaging techniques that have been investigated for HT patients. The aim of the manuscript is to identify imaging modalities that may potentially replace or reduce the need for invasive procedures such as ICA and EMB, considering their respective advantages and disadvantages. We emphasize the transformative potential of non-invasive techniques in elevating patient care. Advanced echocardiography techniques, including strain imaging and tissue Doppler imaging, offer enhanced insights into cardiac function, while CMR, through its multi-parametric mapping techniques, such as T1 and T2 mapping, allows for the non-invasive assessment of inflammation and tissue characterization. Cardiac computed tomography (CCT), particularly with its ability to evaluate coronary artery disease and assess graft vasculopathy, emerges as an integral tool in the follow-up of HT patients. Recent studies have highlighted the potential of nuclear myocardial perfusion imaging, including myocardial blood flow quantification, as a non-invasive method for diagnosing and prognosticating CAV. These advanced imaging approaches hold promise in mitigating the need for invasive procedures like ICA and EMB when evaluating the benefits and limitations of each modality.

Treat-to-target in real-life psoriatic arthritis patients: achieving minimal disease activity with bDMARDs/tsDMARDs and potential barriers.

OBJECTIVE: (1) to describe the frequency of minimal disease activity (MDA) in a real-life psoriatic arthritis (PsA) cohort, (2) to longitudinally explore predictors of MDA; (3) to examine frequency and predictors of low disease activity (LDA) in patients with axial involvement (axPsA). METHODS: consecutive PsA patients in stable biological/targeted-synthetic Disease-Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs (bDMARDs/tDMARDs) who attended our center were enrolled. Disease activity indices, including MDA and ankylosing spondylitis disease activity score-LDA (ASDAS-LDA) for axPsA, were evaluated at baseline and every 6 months, up to 36 months or bDMARDs/tsDMARDs discontinuation. Patients' history, BMI, comorbidities - including osteoarthritis (OA) and fibromyalgia - were collected. Variables were compared between patients who achieved sustained MDA and those who did not. Multivariable generalized estimating equation (GEE) models were built to identify predictors of MDA and ASDAS-LDA over time. Data were expressed as beta coefficient (95%CI). RESULTS: 104 patients were enrolled, 54% males, mean age 55.7 years; 52% had axPsA. Across all evaluations, 52-61% reached MDA, and 17-24% achieved ASDAS-LDA. AxPsA, fibromyalgia, OA and BMI≥35 were less frequently observed in patients with sustained MDA. The GEE model confirmed the following factors were significantly and independently associated with MDA: age (Beta=-0.05), bDMARDs/tsDMARDs duration (Beta=+0.31), axPsA (Beta=-1.07), fibromyalgia (Beta=-3.35), OA (Beta=-1.87), BMI≥35 (Beta=-2.53). Age (Beta=-0.01), fibromyalgia (Beta=-2.03) and OA (Beta=-1.30) were also independently associated with ASDAS-LDA. CONCLUSIONS: MDA is an attainable target in real-life. AxPsA represents a difficult-to-treat subset. Sustained MDA depends on disease features (axPsA) as well as patients' characteristics (e.g. age, bDMARDs/tDMARDs duration, comorbidities).

Benefit Over Risk Assessment of CT-guided Lung Core Needle Biopsy With the Coaxial Technique.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Lung percutaneous needle biopsy (PNB) under CT guidance can be performed with a single-needle or with a coaxial (CX) technique. This study evaluated the CX technique in a large cohort of patients who underwent to CT-guided lung PNB in our Institute over a period of 7 years. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively collected and analyzed data relative to 700 CT-guided lung PNBs performed from August 2012 to August 2019 in 700 patients (M:F=436:264; mean age=69 years, range=6-93 years) with normal coagulation and pulmonary function. PNB was considered diagnostic if at least one of the collected tissue specimens allowed for histological diagnosis. Pulmonary hemorrhage (PH) and pneumothorax (PNX) were evaluated as present or absent. Statistical analysis was made by Chi-square test of Pearson, Fisher's exact test and Wilcoxon test. RESULTS: The CX technique showed a high diagnostic accuracy (93.0%) and allowed the collection of a great number of appropriate tissue specimens with a single pleural puncture (≥3 specimens in 77.4% of cases). PH was the complication more frequent (55.4%), without significant clinical impact. Global PNXs incidence was high (42.9%), but the introducer allowed to aspirate the PNX with a lower percentage of chest tube placement vs. PNXs not aspirated (6.3% and 13.3%, respectively). CONCLUSION: This large retrospective study confirmed the high diagnostic accuracy of lung PNB with the CX technique and allowed identification of significant factors to achieve a greater diagnostic power and decrease complication rates.

Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy: evolving diagnostic perspectives.

Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) is a genetically determined heart muscle disease characterized by fibro-fatty myocardial replacement, clinically associated with malignant ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. Originally described a disease with a prevalent right ventricular (RV) involvement, subsequently two other phenotypes have been recognized, such as the left dominant and the biventricular phenotypes, for which a recent International Expert consensus document provided upgrade diagnostic criteria (the 2020 "Padua Criteria"). In this novel workup for the diagnosis of the entire spectrum of phenotypic variants of ACM, including left ventricular (LV) variants, cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) has emerged as the cardiac imaging technique of choice, due to its capability of detailed morpho-functional and tissue characterization evaluation of both RV and LV. In this review, the key role of CMR in the diagnosis of ACM is outlined, including the supplemental value for the characterization of the disease variants. An ACM-specific CMR study protocol, as well as strengths and weaknesses of each imaging technique, is also provided. KEY POINTS: • Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy includes three different phenotypes: dominant right, biventricular, and dominant left. • In 2020, diagnostic criteria have been updated and cardiac magnetic resonance has emerged as the cardiac imaging technique of choice. • This aim of this review is to provide an update of the current state of art regarding the use of CMR in ACM, with a particular focus on novel diagnostic criteria, CMR protocols, and prognostic significance of CMR findings in ACM.

Added Value of CCTA-Derived Features to Predict MACEs in Stable Patients Undergoing Coronary Computed Tomography.

Clinical evidence has emphasized the importance of coronary plaques' characteristics, rather than lumen stenosis, for the outcome of cardiovascular events. Coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) has a well-established role as a non-invasive tool for assessing plaques. The aim of this study was to compare clinical characteristics and CCTA-derived information of stable patients with non-severe plaques in predicting major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) during follow-up. We retrospectively selected 371 patients (64% male) who underwent CCTA in our center from March 2016 to January 2021 with Coronary Artery Disease­Reporting and Data System (CAD-RADS) 0 to 3. Of those, 198 patients (53% male) had CAD-RADS 0 to 1. Among them, 183 (49%) had normal pericoronary fat attenuation index (pFAI), while 15 (60% male) had pFAI ≥ 70.1 Hounsfield unit (HU). The remaining 173 patients (76% male) had CAD-RADS 2 to 3 and were divided into patients with at least one low attenuation plaque (LAP) and patients without LAPs (n-LAP). Compared to n-LAP, patients with LAPs had higher pFAI (p = 0.005) and had more plaques than patients with n-LAP. Presence of LAPs was significantly higher in elderly (p < 0.001), males (p < 0.001) and patients with traditional risk factors (hypertension p = 0.0001, hyperlipemia p = 0.0003, smoking p = 0.0003, diabetes p = <0.0001, familiarity p = 0.0007). Among patients with CAD-RADS 0 to 1, the ones with pFAI ≥ 70.1 HU were more often hyperlipidemic (p = 0.05) and smokers (p = 0.007). Follow-up (25,4 months, range: 17.6−39.2 months) demonstrated that LAP and pFAI ≥ 70.1 significantly and independently (p = 0.04) predisposed to outcomes (overall mortality and interventional procedures). There is an added value of CCTA-derived features in stratifying cardiovascular risk in low- to intermediate-risk patients with non-severe, non-calcified coronary plaques. This is of utmost clinical relevance as it is possible to identify a subset of patients with increased risk who need strengthening in therapeutic management and closer follow-up even in the absence of severe CAD. Further studies are needed to evaluate the effect of medical treatments on pericoronary inflammation and plaque composition.

Nonischemic Left Ventricular Scar as a Substrate of Life-Threatening Ventricular Arrhythmias and Sudden Cardiac Death in Competitive Athletes.

BACKGROUND: The clinical profile and arrhythmic outcome of competitive athletes with isolated nonischemic left ventricular (LV) scar as evidenced by contrast-enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance remain to be elucidated. METHODS AND RESULTS: We compared 35 athletes (80% men, age: 14-48 years) with ventricular arrhythmias and isolated LV subepicardial/midmyocardial late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) on contrast-enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance (group A) with 38 athletes with ventricular arrhythmias and no LGE (group B) and 40 healthy control athletes (group C). A stria LGE pattern with subepicardial/midmyocardial distribution, mostly involving the lateral LV wall, was found in 27 (77%) of group A versus 0 controls (group C; P<0.001), whereas a spotty pattern of LGE localized at the junction of the right ventricle to the septum was respectively observed in 11 (31%) versus 10 (25%; P=0.52). All athletes with stria pattern showed ventricular arrhythmias with a predominant right bundle branch block morphology, 13 of 27 (48%) showed ECG repolarization abnormalities, and 5 of 27 (19%) showed echocardiographic hypokinesis of the lateral LV wall. The majority of athletes with no or spotty LGE pattern had ventricular arrhythmias with a predominant left bundle branch block morphology and no ECG or echocardiographic abnormalities. During a follow-up of 38±25 months, 6 of 27 (22%) athletes with stria pattern experienced malignant arrhythmic events such as appropriate implantable cardiac defibrillator shock (n=4), sustained ventricular tachycardia (n=1), or sudden death (n=1), compared with none of athletes with no or LGE spotty pattern and controls. CONCLUSIONS: Isolated nonischemic LV LGE with a stria pattern may be associated with life-threatening arrhythmias and sudden death in the athlete. Because of its subepicardial/midmyocardial location, LV scar is often not detected by echocardiography.

US-guided percutaneous treatment and physical therapy in rotator cuff calcific tendinopathy of the shoulder: outcome at 3 and 12 months.

OBJECTIVES: To monitor the results of ultrasound (US)-guided percutaneous treatment of calcific tendinopathy of the shoulder at 12 months (T12) after treatment (T0). To verify the possible relations between some pre- and post-procedural variables with the clinical outcome at T12. METHODS: Forty-seven patients (26 female and 21 male) were enrolled in the study. Patients' approval and written informed consent were obtained. Symptoms were assessed by Constant Shoulder Score (CSS) at T0 and T12. Thirty of these also underwent a CSS control at 3 months (T3). The treatment efficacy was statistically tested for relation with location and type of calcification, characteristics of the tendon and subdeltoid bursa, impingement, and rehabilitation treatments. RESULTS: There was a significant increase in the average CSS value between T0 and T12 (40.7 vs. 75.3). The variables analysed did not show a statistically significant effect on the outcome at T12. A link was noticed only between patients' increasing age and score improvement, particularly among female subjects. CONCLUSION: US-guided treatment of calcific tendonitis is a viable therapeutic option. No pre- or intra-procedural parameters emerged which might help in predicting the outcome, apart from patients' needs in everyday life. KEY POINTS: • US-guided tcreatment of shoulder calcific tendinopathy is an excellent therapeutic option • Long-term results seem greatly affected by patients' features and needs in everyday life • No proven pre- or intra-procedural parameters emerged that might predict the outcome.

Unusual tumor-like calcification of the mitral annulus: diagnosis and tissue characterization by ultrasound, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging.

Calcification of the mitral annulus is a common echocardiographic finding in the elderly, particularly in females. Calcium deposits are generally located in the posterior mitral ring, sometimes extending to the whole mitral annulus and involving the mitral valve apparatus. The present report refers to 2 patients with a very atypical mass-like calcification of the mitral annulus resembling a cardiac tumor. A detailed evaluation of the mass was obtained at transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography; the differential diagnosis with other intracardiac masses was aided by the use of computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. To our knowledge there has been no prior report of such a lesion evaluated at cardiac magnetic resonance imaging.