Coronary microvascular dysfunction as assessed by multimodal diagnostic imaging in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is related to the severity of cardiac dysfunction.

INTRODUCTION: Coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) plays a major role in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) physiopathology but its assessment in clinical practice remains a challenge. Nowadays, innovations in invasive and noninvasive coronary evaluation using multimodal imaging provide options for the diagnosis of CMD. The objective of the present study was to investigate if new multimodal imaging diagnosis of CMD could detect HCM patients with more impaired cardiac function by left atrioventricular coupling index (LACI). METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 32 consecutive patients with a confirmed diagnosis of HCM (62 ± 13 years, 62% men) were prospectively screened for CMD using a multimodal imaging method. LACI was assessed by cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging. Fifteen (47%) patients had CMD by multimodal imaging method. Patients with CMD presented a significantly higher LACI (48.5 ± 25.4 vs. 32.5 ± 10.6, p = .03). A multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that CMD was independently associated with LACI (OR = 1.069, 95% CI 1.00-1.135, p = .03). CONCLUSION: Multimodal imaging diagnosis of CMD is applicable to HCM patients and is associated with more impaired cardiac function.

Coronary microvascular dysfunction and atrial reservoir function.

BACKGROUND: Coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) refers to structural and functional abnormalities of the coronary microcirculation, which may be diagnosed using invasive coronary physiology. CMD is responsible for impaired diastolic cardiac function. It has recently been suggested that left atrial strain (LASr) represents a highly sensitive tool for detecting cardiac diastolic function abnormalities. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between CMD and LASr. METHODS: Consecutively enrolled patients with non-obstructed coronary arteries (NOCA) underwent CMD and LASr evaluation by invasive thermodilution and noninvasive echocardiography, respectively. RESULTS: Forty-two (42) patients were included, out of which 26 presented with CMD. There were no significant differences between CMD-positive and negative patients in terms of clinical and echocardiographic characteristics. LASr was significantly reduced in patients with CMD (24.6% ± 6.1 vs. 30.3 ± 7.8%, p = 0.01). A moderate correlation was observed between coronary flow reserve and LAsr (r = 0.47, p = 0.002). A multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that CMD was independently associated with LASr (OR = 0.88, 95%CI 0.78-0.99.135, p = 0.04). A LASr cut-off of 25.5% enabled an optimal classification of patients with or without CMD. CONCLUSION: Patients with NOCA and CMD had a significantly reduced LASr compared with patients without CMD, suggesting the early impairment of diastolic function in these patients.

Effect of adaptive servo-ventilation for central sleep apnoea in systolic heart failure on muscle sympathetic nerve activity: a SERVE-HF randomised ancillary study.

BACKGROUND: Adaptive servo-ventilation (ASV) effectively suppresses central sleep apnoea (CSA) but has been associated with increased all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in chronic heart failure patients with reduced ventricular ejection fraction (HFrEF). All-cause and, especially, cardiovascular mortality in chronic heart failure is highly correlated with sympathetic tone. This analysis of SERVE-HF data investigated the effect of ASV on sympathetic tone in patients with HFrEF and CSA. METHODS: HFrEF patients in the SERVE-HF trial (left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤45%, apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI) ≥15 events·h-1 with predominant CSA) were randomly assigned to receive guideline-based heart failure treatment alone (controls) or plus ASV. For this analysis, the primary outcome was change in muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) at 3-month follow-up. The effects of baseline MSNA and change in MSNA over time on mortality in the main study were also assessed. RESULTS: 40 patients with HFrEF were included in this analysis (age 71.3±11.7 years, LVEF 34.2±7.7%, 57.5% in New York Heart Association (NYHA) Functional Class II, 42.5% in NYHA Functional Class III, AHI 35.2±11 events·h-1). Sympathetic tone evolution during follow-up did not differ between groups (controls: 47.6±8.3 bursts·min-1 at baseline to 44.6±11.2 bursts·min-1; ASV group: 43.0±9.0 bursts·min-1 at baseline to 42.74±9.45 bursts·min-1). The reduction in sympathetic tone was associated with significantly increased cardiovascular mortality in the ASV group, whereas in the control group reduced sympathetic tone appeared to be protective. CONCLUSIONS: Suppression of CSA with ASV did not seem to have a significant effect on chronic heart failure-related sympathetic activation. Simultaneous suppression of CSA and reduction in MSNA was associated with increased cardiovascular mortality.

Regional CZT myocardial perfusion reserve for the detection of territories with simultaneously impaired CFR and IMR in patients without obstructive coronary artery disease: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the diagnostic performances of CZT myocardial perfusion reserve (MPR) for the detection of territories with simultaneous impaired coronary flow reserve (CFR) and index of microcirculatory resistance (IMR) in patients without obstructive coronary artery disease. METHODS: Patients were prospectively included before being referred for coronary angiography. All patients underwent CZT MPR before invasive coronary angiography (ICA) and coronary physiology assessment. Rest and dipyridamole-induced stress myocardial blood flow (MBF) and MPR were quantified using 99mTc-SestaMIBI and a CZT camera. Fractional flow reserve (FFR), Thermodilution CFR, and IMR were assessed during ICA. RESULTS: Between December 2016 and July 2019, 36 patients were included. 25/36 patients presented no obstructive coronary artery disease. A complete functional assessment was performed in 32 arteries. No territory presented a significant ischemia on CZT myocardial perfusion imaging. A moderate yet significant correlation was observed between regional CZT MPR and CFR (r = 0.4, P = .03). Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value, and accuracy of regional CZT MPR versus the composite invasive criterion (impaired CFR and IMR) were 87 [47% to 99%], 92% [73% to 99%], 78% [47% to 93%], 96% [78% to 99%], and 91% [75% to 98%], respectively. All territories with a regional CZT MPR ≤ 1.8 showed a CFR < 2. Regional CZT MPR values were significantly higher in arteries with CFR ≥ 2 and IMR < 25 (negative composite criterion, n = 14) than in those with CFR < 2 and IMR ≥ 25 (2.6 [2.1 to 3.6] versus 1.6 [1.2 to 1.8]), P < .01). CONCLUSION: Regional CZT MPR presented excellent diagnostic performances for the detection of territories with simultaneously impaired CFR and IMR reflecting a very high cardiovascular risk in patients without obstructive coronary artery disease.

Noninvasive assessment of coronary microvascular dysfunction using SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging and myocardial perfusion entropy quantification in a rodent model of type 2 diabetes.

PURPOSE: Coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMVD) plays a major role in the occurrence of cardiovascular events (CVE). We recently suggested the clinical potential of myocardial perfusion entropy (MPE) quantification from SPECT myocardial perfusion images (MPI) for the prognosis of CVE occurrence. We hypothesized that the quantification of MPE from SPECT MPI would allow the assessment of CMVD-related MPE variations in a preclinical model of type 2 diabetes (T2D) including treatment with the anti-diabetic incretin liraglutide (LIR). METHODS: Optimal conditions for the preclinical quantification of MPE using 201Tl SPECT MPI were determined in rats with a T2D-like condition induced by a high-fat diet and streptozotocin injection (feasibility study, n = 43). Using such conditions, echocardiography and post-mortem LV capillary density evaluation were then used in order to assess the effect of LIR and the ability of MPE to assess CMVD (therapeutic study, n = 39). RESULTS: The feasibility study identified dobutamine stress and acute NO synthase and cyclooxygenase inhibition as optimal conditions for the quantification of MPE, with significant increases in MPE being observed in T2D animals (P < 0.01 vs controls). In the therapeutic study, T2D rats were hyperglycemic (5.5 ± 0.5 vs 1.1 ± 0.3 g/L for controls, P < 0.001) and had a significantly lower left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (65 ± 4% vs 74 ± 9%, P < 0.01) and LV capillary density (2400 ± 300 vs 2800 ± 600 mm-3, P < 0.05). LIR partially restored glycemia (3.9 ± 0.6 g/L, P < 0.05 vs controls and T2D), totally prevented LVEF impairment (72 ± 7%, P = NS vs CTL), with no significant effect on capillary density. MPE was significantly increased in T2D rats (7.6 ± 0.5 vs 7.1 ± 0.5, P < 0.05), with no significant improvement in T2D-LIR rats (7.4 ± 0.4, P = NS vs controls and T2D). CONCLUSION: MPE quantification allowed the preclinical noninvasive assessment of CMVD. Both MPE and capillary density quantification suggested that LIR did not improve T2D-induced CMVD. The relevance of MPE for CMVD assessment warrants further clinical investigation.

Impact of a micro-net mesh technology covering stent on coronary microvascular dysfunction in patients with high thrombus burden.

BACKGROUND: Highly thrombotic coronary lesions continue to be a serious and clinically significant problem that is not effectively and completely addressed by current technology. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to investigate whether a micro-net mesh (MNM) technology covering stent could preserve the index of microcirculatory resistance (IMR) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with high thrombus burden. METHODS AND RESULTS: Fifty-two patients with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction or ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction and high thrombus burden (TIMI thrombus grade ≥ 3) were randomized into two groups, PCI with a MNM covering stent (MNM group, n = 25) and PCI with any commercially available stent (DES group, n = 27). As the primary endpoint, IMR was measured immediately after PCI using a pressure-temperature sensor-tipped coronary wire. The secondary endpoint was left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) at 6 months of follow-up. The IMR in the MNM group was significantly lower in comparison to the DES group (33.2 [21.3, 48.9] vs. 57.2 [39.9, 98.0], p = 0.005). No significant differences were observed in baseline LVEF (54.5 ± 10.2% vs. 53.1 ± 6.87%, p = .57), while LVEF was significantly improved at follow-up in the MNM group (61.1 ± 7.1% vs. 53.9 ± 6.35%, p = .0001). CONCLUSION: MNM technology significantly improved coronary microvascular dysfunction after PCI in patient with acute coronary syndrome and appears as a useful technological option for thrombus management.

Preclinical and clinical evaluation of a new method to assess cardiac insulin resistance using nuclear imaging.

BACKGROUND: Myocardial insulin resistance (IR) could be a predictive factor of cardiovascular events. This study aimed to introduce a new method using 123I-6-deoxy-6-iodo-D-glucose (6DIG), a pure tracer of glucose transport, for the assessment of IR using cardiac dynamic nuclear imaging. METHODS: The protocol evaluated first in rat-models consisted in two 6DIG injections and one of insulin associated with planar imaging and blood sampling. Compartmental modeling was used to analyze 6DIG kinetics in basal and insulin conditions and to obtain an index of IR. As a part of a translational approach, a clinical study was then performed in 5 healthy and 6 diabetic volunteers. RESULTS: In rodent models, the method revealed reproducible when performed twice at 7 days apart in the same animal. Rosiglitazone, an insulin-sensitizing drug, induced a significant increase of myocardial IR index in obese Zucker rats from 0.96 ± 0.18 to 2.26 ± 0.44 (P<.05) after 7 days of an oral treatment, and 6DIG IR indexes correlated with the gold standard IR index obtained through the hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp (r=.68, P<.02). In human, a factorial analysis was applied on images to obtain vascular and myocardial kinetics before compartmental modeling. 1.5-fold to 2.2-fold decreases in mean cardiac IR indexes from healthy to diabetic volunteers were observed without reaching statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: These preclinical results demonstrate the reproducibility and sensibility of this novel imaging methodology. Although this first in-human study showed that this new method could be rapidly performed, larger studies need to be planned in order to confirm its performance.

Comparison of Cadmium Zinc Telluride ECG-gated SPECT equilibrium radionuclide angiocardiography to magnetic resonance imaging to measure right ventricular volumes and ejection fraction in patients with cardiomyopathy.

AIMS: The objective of this study was to determine the accuracy of right ventricular function (RVF) assessed by Cadmium Zinc Telluride ECG-gated SPECT equilibrium radionuclide angiocardiography (CZT-ERNA). METHODS AND RESULTS: Twenty-one consecutive patients with cardiomyopathy (aged 54 ± 19 years; 62% male) were included. RV ejection fraction (EF) and volumes were analyzed by CZT-ERNA and compared with values obtained by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR). Mean values were not different between CZT-ERNA and MRI for RVEF (48.1 ± 10.4% vs 50.8 ± 10.0%; P = .23). Significant correlations (P < .0001) were observed between CZT-ERNA and MRI for RVEF, RV end-diastolic volume, and end-systolic volume (r = 0.81, r = 0.93, and r = 0.96, respectively). Bland-Altman analysis showed a mean difference (bias) between CZT-ERNA and MRI for RVEF of -2.69% (95% CI - 5.35 to - 0.42) with good agreement between the 2 techniques (limits of agreement, -14.3 to 8.99). Intraobserver and interobserver reproducibility of RVF measured by CZT-ERNA was high. CONCLUSION: CZT-ERNA provides accurate, reproducible assessment of RVF and appears as a good alternative to cardiac magnetic resonance for the evaluation of the magnitude of RVF in patients with cardiomyopathy.

Prognostic value of SPECT myocardial perfusion entropy in high-risk type 2 diabetic patients.

PURPOSE: Risk stratification of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) remains suboptimal. We hypothesized that myocardial perfusion entropy (MPE) quantified from SPECT myocardial perfusion images may provide incremental prognostic value in T2D patients independently from myocardial ischemia. METHODS: T2D patients with very high and high cardiovascular risk were prospectively included (n = 166, 65 ± 12 years). Stress perfusion defect was quantified by visual evaluation of SPECT MPI. SPECT MPI was also used for the quantification of rest and stress MPE. The primary end point was major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) defined as cardiac death, myocardial infarction (MI), and myocardial revascularization > 3 months after SPECT. RESULTS: Forty-four MACEs were observed during a 4.6-year median follow-up. Significant differences in stress MPE were observed between patients with and without MACEs (4.19 ± 0.46 vs. 3.93 ± 0.40; P ≤ .01). By Kaplan-Meier analysis, the risk of MACEs was significantly higher in patients with higher stress MPE (log-rank P ≤ 01). Stress MPE and stress perfusion defect (SSS ≥ 4) were significantly associated with the risk of MACEs (hazard ratio 2.77 and 2.06, respectively, P < .05 for both) after adjustment for clinical and imaging risk predictors as identified from preliminary univariate analysis. MPE demonstrated incremental prognostic value over clinical risk factors, stress test EKG and SSS as evidenced by nested models showing improved Akaike information criterion (AIC), reclassification (global continuous net reclassification improvement [NRI]: 63), global integrated discrimination improvement (IDI: 6%), and discrimination (change in c-statistic: 0.66 vs 0.74). CONCLUSIONS: Stress MPE provided independent and incremental prognostic information for the prediction of MACEs in diabetic patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02316054 (12/12/2014).

Prospective diagnostic performance of semiconductor SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging: wall thickening analysis reduces the need for an additional prone acquisition.

PURPOSE: To determine whether the assessment of regional wall thickening (WT) in addition to myocardial perfusion from stress supine acquisitions could compensate for the lack of prone acquisition and the corresponding decrease in the diagnostic performance of SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) in patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease (CAD). METHODS: The study group comprised 41 patients (123 vessels) with known or suspected CAD prospectively recruited for systematic prone and supine 201Tl stress SPECT MPI. The diagnostic performance of SPECT MPI was determined for various image sets including nongated supine images (supine NG), nongated combined prone and supine images (prone and supine NG) and gated supine images, allowing WT evaluation from NG images in addition to perfusion (supine NG + WT) using invasive coronary angiography and fractional flow reserve as the gold standards. RESULTS: The rate of false positives was significantly higher among the supine NG images (20.8%) than among either the prone and supine NG or the supine NG + WT images (3.3% and 2.7%, respectively, P < 0.05 vs. supine NG). Consequently, specificity was higher for the prone and supine NG images than for the supine NG images (96.1% vs. 76.1%, P < 0.01) and was highest for the supine NG + WT images (96.8%, P not significant vs. prone and supine NG), without significant differences in sensitivity (80.0%, 86.6% and 73.3%, respectively, P not significant for all comparisons). CONCLUSION: The diagnostic performance of supine stress SPECT MPI is improved when WT assessment of ischaemic segments is used as an additional diagnostic criterion to values not significantly different from those with combined prone and supine acquisitions.

Diagnostic value of stress thallium-201/rest technetium-99m-sestamibi sequential dual isotope high-speed myocardial perfusion imaging for the detection of haemodynamically relevant coronary artery stenosis.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of stress thallium-201/rest technetium-99m-sestamibi sequential dual-isotope high-speed myocardial perfusion imaging (DI-HS-MPI) against invasively determined fractional flow reserve (FFR). METHODS: Fifty-four consecutive patients prospectively underwent DI-HS-MPI before invasive coronary angiography. Perfusion was scored visually by summed stress score on a patient and coronary territory basis. Significant coronary artery disease (CAD) was defined by the presence of ≥ 90% stenosis/occlusion or fractional flow reserve ≤ 0.80 for coronary stenosis ≥ 50%. RESULTS: FFR was measured in 69 of 162 coronary vessels, with 1.28 ± 0.56 vessels assessed/patient. Sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy of MPI for the detection of significant CAD were 92.8%, 69.2%, and 81.4%, on a patient basis, and 83.7%, 90.4%, and 88.8% by coronary territory. CONCLUSIONS: DI-HS-MPI accurately detects functionally significant CAD as defined by using FFR.

SPECT myocardial ischemia in the absence of obstructive CAD: Contribution of the invasive assessment of microvascular dysfunction.

Coronary microvascular dysfunction has recently emerged as a major independent prognostic factor and can be invasively assessed by coronary flow reserve (CFR) and the index of microvascular resistance (IMR). The incremental prognostic value of myocardial ischemia from SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) over clinical characteristics, cardiac risk factors, and stress test data for the prediction of hard cardiac events (myocardial infarction and cardiac death) has been well demonstrated over the last two decades regardless of the absence or presence of epicardial CAD. Recently developed semi-conductor, cardiac-dedicated cameras allow for decreased acquisition times and systematic procubitus and decubitus acquisitions thereby limiting the occurrence of false positives historically attributable to artefactual motion, attenuation, and digestive artifacts. It is therefore likely that pathophysiological causes rather than acquisition artifacts might underlie SPECT perfusion abnormalities. Here, we report four representative examples of patients presenting with ischemia in the setting of no obstructive CAD and normal fractional flow reserve together with elevated IMR and low CFR. The results indicate that ischemia from SPECT MPI could result from microvascular dysfunction in patients without obstructive CAD and should be considered as a prognostic factor for hard cardiac events.

Stress thallium-201/rest technetium-99m sequential dual-isotope high-speed myocardial perfusion imaging validation versus invasive coronary angiography.

BACKGROUND: Recent advances in nuclear myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) have made it possible to develop a dual-isotope protocol for high-speed acquisition with image quality and radiation delivery comparable to that obtained with conventional single isotope protocols. So far, no study has compared dual-isotope high-speed MPI to invasive coronary angiography (ICA) in a large cohort using a Cadmium-zinc-telluride SPECT system. METHODS: Over a 1-year period (May 2011 to April 2012), 1366 patients underwent dual-isotope high-speed MPI. Patients with ICA within 3 months after dual-isotope high-speed MPI were included together with patients with a low likelihood of coronary artery disease (CAD) in order to assess normalcy rate. Global summed stress score (SSS) and summed rest score (SRS) were calculated, and ICA results were analyzed independently. The main end point was a patient-based assessment of the diagnostic performance of dual-isotope high-speed MPI in detecting or ruling out significant CAD (>70% reduction in lumen diameter). RESULTS: Inclusion criteria were fulfilled for 214 patients (143 men; age 60 ± 14 years; ICA, n = 104; low likelihood for CAD, n = 110). An exercise stress test was performed in 62% of patients and a pharmacological stress test was performed with either dipyridamole (32%) or dobutamine (6%). Average examination duration was 22.4 ± 4.5 minutes. Mean SSS, SRS, and SDS were 8.0 ± 4.9, 3.1 ± 4.3, and 5.0 ± 3.2, respectively. Prevalence of angiographic CAD was 75%. ICA detected stenosis in the left main trunk, left anterior descending artery, left circumflex artery, and right coronary artery in 4, 33, 31, and 42 patients, respectively. Sensitivity of dual-isotope high-speed MPI was 94%, normalcy rate was 92%, and accuracy was 83% for detecting CAD. CONCLUSION: Dual-isotope high-speed MPI is reliable at detecting or ruling out CAD. NCT01785589.

Potentially simple score of late gadolinium enhancement cardiac MR in acute myocarditis outcome.

PURPOSE: To determine the value of cardiac MRI for the monitoring and the prognosis of patients with acute myocarditis. Cardiac MRI plays an increasingly important role in the diagnosis of acute myocarditis. However, it is less established as a prognostic tool, which requires specific postprocessing of images. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a prospective pilot study, we assessed the prognostic value of the evolution in a simplified visual quantitative score (SQS) of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) between initial hospitalization and 3 months later. The prognostic value was assessed at 1 year using a combination of death, heart transplant, and confirmed recurrence as main outcome. RESULTS: Twenty-eight patients were included in this study. A significant correlation was found between LGE measured by SQS and planimetry (r = 0.95, P < 0.001). Intraobserver and interobserver reproducibilities were good for SQS (ICC = 0.95 [95% CI: 0.86 to 0.98], and 0.94 [95% CI: 0.84 to 0.98], respectively). At initial hospitalization, patient characteristics between the two groups were similar. Patients with stable or increased SQS suffered more frequently from clinical outcome events than patients with a decrease in SQS (P = 0.02). CONCLUSION: Monitoring of the evolution of LGE using a simple visual score is of interest to identify patients at risk of pejorative prognosis after acute myocarditis.

Preclinical characterization of a novel radiolabeled analog of practolol for the molecular imaging of myocardial ß-adrenoceptor density.

BACKGROUND: The great clinical potential of myocardial ß-AR imaging has been shown by recent studies evaluating the ß-AR-specific, non-selective agent [(11)C]-CGP12177 in the setting of idiopathic-dilated cardiomyopathy, and myocardial infarction. However, the short half-life of (11)C hampers the potential of [(11)C]-CGP12177 for routine clinical use. AMI9 is an analog of the ß-adrenoceptor ligand practolol that can readily be labeled using radioactive isotopes of iodine. The present study was aimed at characterizing the in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo ß-AR binding properties of [(125)I]-AMI9. METHODS AND RESULTS: Newborn rat cardiomyocytes were used for saturation and kinetic binding assays as well as for displacement and competition experiments. Isolated perfused rat hearts were used to evaluate the pharmacological activity of AMI9. The in vivo kinetics of [(125)I]-AMI9 were studied using biodistribution experiments in mice. [1(25)I]-AMI9 displayed high specific affinity for ß-AR with no ß-AR subtype selectivity (K D, 5.6 ± 0.3 nM; B max, 231 ± 7 fmol·(mg protein)(-1)). AMI9 potently inhibited the inotropic effects of isoproterenol. The early in vivo cardiac and lung activities of [(125)I]-AMI9 compared favorably with those of the clinically validated tracer CGP12177. CONCLUSION: Iodine-labeled AMI9 is a promising agent for the molecular imaging of myocardial ß-AR density.

Profile of circulating cytokines: impact of OSA, obesity and acute cardiovascular events.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is inducing oxidative stress and consequently promotes systemic inflammation and cardiovascular morbidity. The respective impact of obesity, sleep apnea and acute cardiovascular events on the profile of inflammatory cytokines has not been extensively evaluated. We examined the profile of circulating cytokines in a case-control study comparing nonobese or obese patients with or without sleep apnea and with or without an acute cardiovascular event. Patients were assessed by sleep studies and inflammatory (hs-CRP, Leptin, RANTES, MCP1, IL6, IL8, TNF-α) and anti-inflammatory (adiponectin, IL1-Ra) cytokines profile. A cardiovascular phenotyping was performed including carotid intima-media thickness, pulse wave velocity and 24h blood pressure monitoring. In comparison with patients without sleep apnea or without comorbidities, patients with the combination of an acute cardiovascular event and pre-existing sleep apnea showed a higher burden of systemic inflammation with significant increase in serum levels of hs-CRP, IL1-Ra, IL-8, IL-6, TNF-α, Rantes and sICAM. Rantes and sICAM serum levels were independently associated with AHI after an acute cardiovascular event. Serum levels of different inflammatory markers were significantly increased in patients with the combination of sleep apnea and an acute cardiovascular event. Since these biomarkers could be associated with worsened cardiovascular outcome, diagnosing and treating associated sleep apnea is potentially important in patients after an acute cardiovascular event.

Coronary Angiography Upgraded by Imaging Post-Processing: Present and Future Directions.

Advances in computer technology and image processing now allow us to obtain from angiographic images a large variety of information on coronary physiology without the use of a guide-wire as a diagnostic information equivalent to FFR and iFR but also information allowing for the performance of a real virtual percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and finally the ability to obtain information to optimize the results of PCI. With specific software, it is now possible to have a real upgrading of invasive coronary angiography. In this review, we present the different advances in this field and discuss the future perspectives offered by this technology.

Segmentation of cardiac infarction in delayed-enhancement MRI using probability map and transformers-based neural networks.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Automatic segmentation of myocardial infarction is of great clinical interest for the quantitative evaluation of myocardial infarction (MI). Late Gadolinium Enhancement cardiac MRI (LGE-MRI) is commonly used in clinical practice to quantify MI, which is crucial for clinical diagnosis and treatment of cardiac diseases. However, the segmentation of infarcted tissue in LGE-MRI is highly challenging due to its high anisotropy and inhomogeneities. METHODS: The innovative aspect of our work lies in the utilization of a probability map of the healthy myocardium to guide the localization of infarction, as well as the combination of 2D U-Net and U-Net transformers to achieve the final segmentation. Instead of employing a binary segmentation map, we propose using a probability map of the normal myocardium, obtained through a dedicated 2D U-Net. To leverage spatial information, we employ a U-Net transformers network where we incorporate the probability map into the original image as an additional input. Then, To address the limitations of U-Net in segmenting accurately the contours, we introduce an adapted loss function. RESULTS: Our method has been evaluated on the 2020 MICCAI EMIDEC challenge dataset, yielding competitive results. Specifically, we achieved a Dice score of 92.94% for the myocardium and 92.36% for the infarction. These outcomes highlight the competitiveness of our approach. CONCLUSION: In the case of the infarction class, our proposed method outperforms state-of-the-art techniques across all metrics evaluated in the challenge, establishing its superior performance in infarction segmentation. This study further reinforces the importance of integrating a contour loss into the segmentation process.

Assessment of the Objective Effect of Virtual Reality for Preoperative Anxiety in Interventional Cardiology.

The management of anxiety because of upcoming invasive coronary angiography (ICA) remains suboptimal. Previously published studies investigating the potential of virtual reality (VR) for the reduction of anxiety in ICA procedures used a subjective evaluation method. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the use of a VR program before ICA objectively decreases anxiety as assessed by the SD of normal to normal (SDNN). Lower SDNN is associated with worse anxiety. A total of 156 patients referred for ICA after a positive noninvasive test for coronary disease were included in the present randomized study. The interventional group benefited from the use of a VR mask in the transfer room before ICA, whereas the control group underwent the procedure as usual. In both groups, SDNN was measured before ICA. No statistical difference in SDNN was observed between the VR and control groups (45.5 ± 17.8 vs 50.6 ± 19.5, p = 0.12). The preoperative use of a VR mask for anxiolytic purposes in the setting of ICA did not result in a decrease in anxiety.