Evaluation of left ventricular function in patients with mitral annular disjunction using speckle tracking echocardiography.

BACKGROUND: Mitral annular disjunction (MAD) is a structural abnormality characterized by the systolic detachment of the posterior mitral annulus and the ventricular myocardium. It is usually observed coexistent with mitral valve prolapse (MVP) and associated with a mechanical dysfunction despite preserved electrical isolation function of the mitral annulus. This study aimed to evaluate left ventricular (LV) function using speckle tracking echocardiography in MVP patients with MAD. METHODS: This study was designed as a prospective, single-center study including 103 patients with MVP and 40 age- and sex-matched control subjects. Transthoracic echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging were performed to assess LV function and MAD presence. RESULTS: MAD (+) MVP (n = 34), MAD (-) MVP (n = 69), and control (n = 40) groups were enrolled in the study. Among the MVP patients, 34 (33%) had MAD. T-negativity in the inferior leads on electrocardiography was more frequent in the MAD (+) group than in the MAD (-) patients (4.3% vs. 20.6%, p = .014). Mitral regurgitation degree, Pickelhaube sign (17.6% vs. 1.4%, p = .005), and late gadolinium enhancement frequency (35.3% vs. 10.6%, p = .002) were significantly higher in MAD (+) patients. MAD (+) patients had significantly impaired global longitudinal strain (-23.1 ±  2.1 vs. -23.5 ± 2.3, p < .001), basal longitudinal strain (BLS) (-19.6 ±  1.5 vs. -20.5 ± 1.9, p < .001), Mid-Ventricular Longitudinal Strain (-22.2 ± 1.7 vs. -23.2 ± 2.2, p < .001) and LA strain (-24.5 ± 3.9 vs. -27.2 ± 3.6, p < .001) when compared to MAD (-) MVP patients, despite similar LV ejection fraction. All these values of MVP patients were also significantly lower than the control group. The mean MAD distance was 7.8 ± 3.2 mm in MAD (+) patients. Patients with two or more symptoms were higher in the MAD (+) group than in the MAD (-) group (4.3% vs. 44.1%, p < .001). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated a significant decrease in longitudinal strain in MVP patients with MAD, indicating myocardial dysfunction. These findings suggest that MAD may contribute to LV dysfunction and highlight the importance of early detection in younger patients. Further research is needed to explore the functional implications and long-term outcomes of MAD.

The association of left atrial mechanics with left ventricular morphology in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: a cardiac magnetic resonance study.

Purpose: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is related with structural and pathologic changes in the left atrium (LA) and left ventricle (LV). The aim of this study was to explore the association between LA mechanics and LV characteristics in patients with HCM using cardiac magnetic resonance feature tracking (CMR-FT). Material and methods: A total of 76 patients with HCM and 26 healthy controls were included in the study. The parameters including the extent of LV late gadolinium enhancement (LGE-%) and the LV early diastolic longitudinal strain rate (edLSR) were assessed for LV. LA conduit, booster, and reservoir functions were assessed by LA fractional volumes and strain analyses using CMR-FT. HCM patients were classified as HCM patients without LGE, with mild LGE-% (0% < LGE-% l 10%), and prominent LGE-% (10% < LGE-%). Results: HCM patients had worse LA functions compared with the controls (p < 0.05). The majority of LA functional indices were more impaired in HCM patients with regard to LGE. LA volumes were higher in HCM patients with prominent LGE-% compared with HCM patients with mild LGE-% (p < 0.05). However, only a minority of LA functional parameters differed between the 2 groups. LA strain parameters showed weak to modest correlations with LV LGE-% and LV edLSR. Conclusions: LV characteristics, to some extent, influence LA mechanics, but they might not be the only factor inducing LA dysfunction in patients with HCM.

Early Valve Thrombosis Management After Successful Transcatheter Tricuspid Valve-in-Valve Implantation.

Transcatheter tricuspid valve-in-valve implantation is a critical option in high risk bioprosthetic tricuspid valve dysfunction. In this case report, balloon-expandable transcatheter heart valve was implanted successfully into the tricuspid valve and early thrombosis was managed successfully. (Level of Difficulty: Intermediate.).

The relationship between sarcopenia and one-year mortality in patients with critical limb ischemia undergoing endovascular therapy below the knee.

OBJECTIVE: Critical limb ischemia (CLI) is a progressive form of peripheral artery disease (PAD). Patients with CLI have poor long-term prognosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the value of sarcopenia in terms of 1-year mortality in patients with below-the-knee lesions who underwent endovascular treatment for CLI. METHODS: A total of 190 patients with critical limb ischemia who underwent endovascular treatment (EVT) for below-the-knee (BTK) lesions were enrolled in this study. Sarcopenia was defined using the psoas muscle index (PMI). PMI was obtained by calculating the average psoas muscle area (APMA) of the left and right psoas muscles at the third lumbar vertebra level and dividing by the square of the height (cm2/m2). The primary endpoint of the study was 1-year mortality and the secondary endpoint was 1-year amputation. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to presence of sarcopenia. RESULTS: We detected sarcopenia in 64 patients. The mean age, height, and EF were higher in sarcopenia group. The psoas muscle area, weight, psoas muscle index, body-mass index, albumin level, and GFR were lower in sarcopenia group. The incidence of amputation (11.9% vs 29.7%, p = 0.003) and mortality (15.1% vs 35.9%, p = 0.001) were higher in patients with sarcopenia. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to determine the independent predictors of amputation and mortality. The survival curve for 1-year using the sarcopenia was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method, and statistical analysis was performed with the log-rank test. The presence of sarcopenia, glomerular filtration rate level, and low ejection fraction were found to be independent predictors of mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Sarcopenia was associated with 1-year mortality in patients with CLI undergoing EVT for BTK lesions. Also, patients with sacropenia had higher 1-year amputation rates. Sarcopenia may be a simple method to help patient selection, assessment, and intervention strategy for EVT and may improve patient outcomes.

Heavy Calcification of Left Atrium and Calcific Mass on Mitral Valve: An Unusual Presentation of Ankylosing Spondylitis.

Ankylosing spondylitis is a complex chronic disease that starts from the spine and sacroiliac joint, causes joint stiffness, and affects the quality of life. Aortic dilatation, aortic valve insufficiency, and heart block due to conduction system involvement are the leading accompanying cardiac pathologies. In this case report, we aimed to show a rare cardiac involvement of left atrial calcification, pericardial involvement, and formation of a calcified inflammatory mass that might be misdiagnosed as vegetation on the mitral valve in a late-stage ankylosing spondylitis patient, by using multimodality imaging and histopathological diagnosis.

Structural Changesofthe Right Fibrous Trigone as a Risk Factor for Conduction Disturbance After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation.

BACKGROUND: The right fibrous trigone, which the His bundle penetrates, is part of the subaortic area adjacent to the membranous septum. Structural alterations of the right fibrous trigone may cause conduction disturbance as a result of compression in this area after transcatheter aortic valve implantation. This study analyzed the hypothesis of whether imaging parameters of the RFT could predict the risk of conduction disturbance after transcatheter aortic valve implantation. METHODS: We retrospectively examined 209 patients who underwent transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve implantationat a tertiary cardiac center. The different valve models were divided into 2 groups: self-expanding valve and balloon-expandable valve. Using pre-procedure computed tomography, we evaluated for the alterations of the right fibrous trigone. RESULTS: New conduction disturbance was seen in 75 of 209 (35.8%) patients. Receiver operating characteristics plots displayed a right fibrous trigone density of -6 Hounsfieldunit for SEV and -16 Hounsfield unit for balloon-expandable valve as the optimal cut- off points for prediction conduction disturbance. In multiple regression analyses, the high density of RFT emerged as an independent predictor of conduction disturbance in both the self-expanding valve (odds ratio: 1.01, 95% CI: 1.01 to 1.02, P = 0.035) and bal- loon-expandable valve (odds ratio: 1.01, 95% CI: 1.01 to 1.03, P = 0.017) groups. A shorter membranous septum length and a greater implantation depth were also found to be significantly associated with a higher incidence of conduction disturbance in both trans- catheter aortic valve implantation groups. CONCLUSION: High density of right fibrous trigone is independently associated with con- duction disturbance after transcatheter aortic valve implantation, and its pre-proce- dure computed tomography evaluation can help predict the new-onset of conduction disturbance.

Persistent right heart dilatation after percutaneous mitral balloon valvuloplasty: A weird coexistence of iatrogenic and congenital shunts.

We present an interesting case of concomitant congenital anomalies with an iatrogenic defect. The female patient underwent a percutaneous mitral balloon valvuloplasty due to rheumatic mitral stenosis. Unfortunately, an iatrogenic atrial septal defect (ASD) transpired during the procedure. Upon post-procedure examination, partial anomalous pulmonary venous (PAPVR) return was observed. The patient was symptomatic; on imaging, dilatation of the right heart chambers were detected. In addition, another crucial point was that the patient was planning a pregnancy, thus robotic surgery for iatrogenic ASD and PAPVR return was recommended. After a successful operation, the patient was asymptomatic and the size of right heart chambers were normalized.

A joint convolutional-recurrent neural network with an attention mechanism for detecting intracranial hemorrhage on noncontrast head CT.

To investigate the performance of a joint convolutional neural networks-recurrent neural networks (CNN-RNN) using an attention mechanism in identifying and classifying intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) on a large multi-center dataset; to test its performance in a prospective independent sample consisting of consecutive real-world patients. All consecutive patients who underwent emergency non-contrast-enhanced head CT in five different centers were retrospectively gathered. Five neuroradiologists created the ground-truth labels. The development dataset was divided into the training and validation set. After the development phase, we integrated the deep learning model into an independent center's PACS environment for over six months for assessing the performance in a real clinical setting. Three radiologists created the ground-truth labels of the testing set with a majority voting. A total of 55,179 head CT scans of 48,070 patients, 28,253 men (58.77%), with a mean age of 53.84 ± 17.64 years (range 18-89) were enrolled in the study. The validation sample comprised 5211 head CT scans, with 991 being annotated as ICH-positive. The model's binary accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity on the validation set were 99.41%, 99.70%, and 98.91, respectively. During the prospective implementation, the model yielded an accuracy of 96.02% on 452 head CT scans with an average prediction time of 45 ± 8 s. The joint CNN-RNN model with an attention mechanism yielded excellent diagnostic accuracy in assessing ICH and its subtypes on a large-scale sample. The model was seamlessly integrated into the radiology workflow. Though slightly decreased performance, it provided decisions on the sample of consecutive real-world patients within a minute.

Third-Generation Dual-Source Computed Tomography for Coronary Angiography With Individually Tailored Scan Protocols Can Achieve a Low Radiation Dose With Good Image Quality in Unselected Patients.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the image quality and radiation exposure associated with coronary angiography obtained with a third-generation dual-source computed tomography, using body mass index (BMI)- and heart rate (HR)-adapted protocols in real-world patients. METHODS: Three scan protocols were implemented with regard to HR: prospective turbo high-pitch spiral, sequential, and retrospective spiral modes. We adapted the reference kilovoltage value according to BMI. Image quality was evaluated using a 4-point scale, and effective dose estimates were calculated using the dose-length product. RESULTS: Among the 896 patients, 417 (46.54%), 433 (48.32%), and 45 (5.02%) were imaged using prospective turbo high-pitch spiral, sequential, and retrospective spiral modes, respectively. The median BMI was 27.3 (25-30.4) kg/m2, and the effective dose was 0.65 mSv (interquartile range, 0.33-1.56 mSv). Only 32 of 896 examinations (3.5%) had poor image quality. CONCLUSIONS: Computed tomography angiography with BMI- and HR-tailored protocols offers good image quality with low radiation dose in unselected patients.

Clinical Use of Tailored Computed Tomography to Prevent Poststernotomy Dehiscence.

BACKGROUND: Morphological and tissue density analysis of the sternum can be performed in the preoperative computed tomography (CT). The purpose of this study was to analyze morphology and tissue density of sternum in CT and effect for comparison sternal instability. METHODS: Patients with sternal instability (n = 61) and sternal stability (n = 66) were enrolled in this study. All of the patients were studied using same thorax CT procedure. All the measurements were performed by one specific cardiovascular radiologist. The Hounsfield units (HUs) were measured in axial sections of the sternum trabecular bone. RESULTS: Sternal instability group mean HU was 75.36 ± 13.19 and sternal stability group HU was 90.24 ± 12.16 (p < 0.000). HU is the statically significant predictor of sternal instability. CONCLUSION: Our study showed a significant correlation between the mean HU value of sternum and sternal instability. We think that it is important to evaluate the existing thorax CT while performing preoperative risk analysis for sternal dehiscence.

The effect of complex vascular anatomy on silent new ischemic cerebral lesions in carotid artery stenting procedures (from the COMPLEX-CAS Trial).

BACKGROUND: Carotid artery stenting is a minimally invasive, durable alternative treatment option, which is an alternative to the reference method, carotid endarterectomy, for patients with carotid artery stenosis; however, silent new ischemic cerebral lesions (SNICLs) after carotid artery stenting remain as a matter of concern. Hence, we aimed to assess the effect of complex vascular anatomy on silent new ischemic cerebral lesions in carotid artery stenting procedures. METHODS: We prospectively evaluated 122 patients (mean age: 69.5 ± 7.1 years, male:83) who underwent carotid artery stenting for carotid artery revascularization. The patients having symptomatic transient ischemic attack or stroke after carotid artery stenting were excluded. The presence of a new hyperintense lesions on diffusion-weighted imaging without any neurological findings was considered as the SNICL. Patients were classified into two groups as DWI-positive and DWI-negative patients. RESULTS: Among the study population, 32 patients (26.2%) had SNICLs. The DWI-positive group had a significantly higher common carotid artery (CCA)-internal carotid artery (ICA) angle, older age, more frequent history of stroke, a higher proportion of type III aortic arch, and longer fluoroscopy time than the DWI-negative group. High CCA-ICA angle was identified as one of the independent predictors of SNICL (OR (odds ratio) = 1.103 95%CI (confidence interval): (1.023-1.596); p = 0.034), and CCA-ICA angle higher than 34.5 degrees predicted SNICL with a sensitivity of 62.5% and a specificity of 62.2% (area under the curve: 0.680; 95% CI: 0.570 to 0.789; p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: The higher CCA-ICA angle may predict pre-procedure SNICL risk in carotid artery stenting and may have clinical value in the management of patients with carotid artery stenosis.

Association between left ventricular strain and cardiac iron load in beta-thalassaemia major: a cardiac magnetic resonance study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the utility of cardiac magnetic resonance feature tracking-derived left ventricular strain in assessing cardiac dysfunction and investigate the correlation between left ventricular strain and myocardial T2* in patients with beta-thalassaemia major. METHODS: Forty-two patients with beta-thalassaemia major, having a mean age of 22.49 ± 8.48 years, and age-matched healthy controls were enrolled in the study. The observer drew regions of interest on the interventricular septum, and T2* decay curves were calculated accordingly. The short-axis cine images were used to derive left ventricular circumferential and radial strains, and the long-axis four-chamber and two-chamber images were used to assess left ventricular longitudinal strain. RESULTS: The mean global left ventricular strains were lower in beta-thalassaemia major patients than the controls (p < 0.05). Left ventricular strains of beta-thalassaemia major patients with cardiac T2* values of > 20 ms were also significantly reduced compared with the controls (p < 0.05); there was no difference between the mean left ventricular ejection fractions of the two groups (p = 0.84). Cardiac T2* showed a weak correlation with left ventricular ejection fraction (r = 0.33, p = 0.03), while the left ventricular circumferential strain showed a good positive correlation with cardiac T2* (r = 0.6, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Compared with healthy controls, patients with beta-thalassaemia major, including those with myocardial T2* values of >20 ms, showed reduced global left ventricular strains. Left ventricular circumferential strain was positively correlated with myocardial T2*. Left ventricular strain analysis using cardiac magnetic resonance feature tracking may have utility in beta-thalassaemia major assessment.Key FindingsPatients with beta-thalassaemia major, including those with myocardial T2* values of >20 ms, had reduced global left ventricular strains.Cardiac T2* showed a weak correlation with left ventricular ejection fraction, while the left ventricular circumferential strain showed a good positive correlation with cardiac T2*.ImportanceLeft ventricular strain using cardiac magnetic resonance feature tracking might be used as an adjunct in assessing cardiac functions in beta-thalassaemia major.

The Association between the Extent of Late Gadolinium Enhancement and Diastolic Dysfunction in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.

Background Diastolic dysfunction in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) patients is a frequent, yet poorly understood phenomenon. Purpose The purpose of this study is to assess the relationship between the myocardial fibrosis and diastolic dysfunction in patients with HCM. Materials and Methods We retrospectively investigated the impact of the myocardial fibrosis, as assessed by the extent of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE-%) on cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI), on diastolic dysfunction in 110 patients with HCM. The diastolic dysfunction was evaluated by the left atrial (LA) volume index measured on CMRI and lateral septal E/E' ratio calculated on echocardiography. Results : There was a moderate correlation between the LGE-% and LA volume ( r = 0.59, p < 0.0001). The logistic regression model of LGE-%, mitral regurgitation, and total left ventricular mass that investigated the independent predictors of LA volume identified LGE-% as the only independent parameter associated with the LA volume index ( ß = 0.30, p = 0.003). No correlation was observed between the LGE-% and E/E'( r = 0.24, p = 0.009). Conclusions Myocardial fibrosis in HCM patients is associated with a chronic diastolic burden as represented by increased LA volume. However, the fibrosis does not influence the E/E' ratio, which is a well-known parameter of ventricular relaxation, restoring forces, and filling pressure.

Comparison of echocardiography and 320-row multidetector computed tomography for the diagnosis of congenital heart disease in children.

INTRODUCTION: Echocardiography (echo) is the primary non-invasive imaging modality for the assessment of congenital heart disease (CHD). Computed tomography angiography (CTA) also has potential to examine the anatomy of complex heart anomalies as well as extracardiac involvement. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to determine the impact of new CTA technology in the diagnosis of CHD and to compare echo and CTA in terms of diagnostic accuracy. METHODS: Forty-five patients who underwent preoperative echo and CTA assessment in the intensive care unit were included in this study. The results were assessed for three main types of CHD (cardiac malformations, cardiac-major vessel connections and major vessels). The main groups were also divided into subgroups according to surgical features in order to assess them more objectively. Imaging methods were compared for diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity and specificity, while surgical findings were accepted as the gold standard. RESULTS: Patients' median age and weight were two months (three days-eight years) and 12 kg (2.5-60 kg), respectively. In 45 operated cases, 205 subgroup malformations were assessed. Diagnostic accuracy was significantly greater in echo (echo vs. CTA: 98.4% and 96.2% [chi-square=6.4, p=0.011]). During surgery, 84 cardiac malformations (echo vs. CTA: 97.4% and 95.1% [chi-square=4.9, p=0.03]), 47 cardiac-major vessel connections (echo vs. CTA: 98.3% and 95.4% [chi-square=7.5, p=0.03]), and 74 major vessel malformations (echo vs. CTA: 96% and 98% [chi-square=1.8, p=0.48]) were confirmed. CONCLUSION: Echocardiography and CTA are imaging methods with high diagnostic accuracy in children with CHD. The use of echocardiography together with CTA, especially for the visualization of extracardiac anatomy, provides additional information for clinicians.

Which One to Treat When Pannus and Thrombus Coexist in a Mechanical Aortic Valve?: An Equivocal Case.

The coexistence of pannus and thrombus is not uncommon. Accurate diagnosis of the etiology of prosthetic valve dysfunction (PVD) is of utmost importance in guiding adequate and rational therapy. We present a case of PVD in which computed tomography played a decisive role in guiding treatment. (Level of Difficulty: Intermediate.).

An overlooked cause for reversible severe tricuspid regurgitation and pulmonary hypertension: Hibernating right ventricle.

Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) can occur due to many etiologies, including primary valve disease, left heart disease, annular dilatation in atrial fibrillation, or pulmonary hypertension (PH). Functional TR is caused by tricuspid annular dilatation in the setting of right ventricular remodeling. The right ventricle (RV) ischemia is an overlooked cause of functional TR which tends to diminish with an improvement in right heart functions. We present the case of a patient in whom functional TR significantly improved after percutaneous revascularization. We highlight that the ischemic RV can present with reversible functional TR or PH and emphasized the necessity of accurate detection of the etiology.