Moderate aortic stenosis in the dysfunctional ventricle: should it be treated?

Moderate aortic stenosis is associated with a worse prognosis than milder degrees. Pathophysiologically, this condition in a dysfunctional ventricle could lead to a further mechanism of haemodynamic worsening, so its treatment should lead to clinical advantages for the patient. The low risk of complications associated with percutaneous correction of aortic valve disease (transcatheter aortic valve implantation) should also be considered, which would seem to favour an interventional approach even in the aforementioned condition. However, sparse data and small population studies make this approach still controversial. Three randomized controlled trials are underway to shed definitive light on the topic.

The prognostic role of right ventricular dysfunction in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) primarily affects the left ventricle (LV) sparing the right ventricle (RV) in vast majority of cases. However, several studies employing CMR have revealed that myocardial hypertrophy may also involve the RV. To assess RV size and function in a large prospectively cohort of HCM patients and to evaluate whether these parameters in association with other MR findings can predict cardiac events. Two participating centers prospectively included patients with known or suspected HCM between 2011 and 2017. CMR studies were performed with three different scanners. Outcome measures were a composite of ventricular arrhythmias, hospitalization for HF and cardiac death. Of 607 consecutive patients with known or suspected HCM, 315 had complete follow-up information (mean 65 ± 20 months). Among them, 115 patients developed major cardiac events (MACE) during follow-up. At CMR evaluation, patients with events had higher left atrium (LA) diameter (41.5 ± 8 mm vs. 37.17 ± 7.6 mm, p < 0.0001), LV mass (156.7 vs. 144 g, p = 0.005) and myocardial LGE (4.3% vs. 1.9%, p = 0.001). Similarly, patients with events had lower RV stroke volume index (42.7 vs. 47.0, p = 0.0003) and higher prevalence of both RV hypertrophy (16.4% vs. 4.7%, p = 0.0005) and reduced RV ejection fraction (12.2% vs. 4.4%, p = 0.006). In the multivariate analysis, LA diameter and RV stroke volume index were the strongest predictors of events (p < 0.001 and p = 0.0006, respectively). Anatomic and functional RV anomalies detected and characterized with CMR may have may have a major role in predicting the prognosis of HCM patients.

[Managing patients with left ventricular thrombosis after acute myocardial infarction: current evidence, uncertainties, and future perspectives]. / Il paziente con trombosi ventricolare sinistra dopo infarto miocardico acuto: tra evidenze disponibili, incertezze e prospettive future.

The incidence of left ventricular thrombosis (LVT) after acute myocardial infarction has declined significantly in recent decades, thanks to advances in the field of revascularization and antithrombotic therapy. Despite oral anticoagulation, embolic events are the most feared complication of LVT. From a pathophysiological point of view, the development of LVT depends on Virchow's triad, that is, endothelial damage caused by myocardial infarction, blood stasis due to left ventricular dysfunction, and hyper-coagulability determined by inflammation. The diagnostic modalities of LVT include transthoracic echocardiography preferably implemented by contrast administration, and cardiac magnetic resonance. Most thrombi develop in the first 2 weeks after acute myocardial infarction, so the role of systematic screening with short to medium term repeated imaging appears limited. Vitamin K antagonists remain the cornerstone of therapy, since the effectiveness of direct oral anticoagulants remains to be established. Only weak evidence supports the routine use of prophylactic anticoagulant therapy, even in high-risk patients.

Left Ventricular Thrombus Management After Acute Myocardial Infarction in Clinical Practice: Results from LEVITATION Survey and Narrative Review.

PURPOSE: Left ventricular thrombus (LVT) after ST-elevation myocardial infarction still presents diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. The LEVITATION survey was designed to take a picture of LVT management in current clinical practice. METHODS: The survey covered diagnostic, therapeutic, and prophylactic issues and was completed by 104 European cardiac centers. Most of them (59%) were university or tertiary centers. RESULTS: The survey showed anterior apical a-/dyskinesia, large MI, spontaneous echo-contrast, late presentation with delayed PCI, and TIMI flow 0-1 as the most important perceived risk factors for LVT formation. Serial ultrasound imaging is the most used tool to diagnose LVT (88% of the centers), with contrast-enhanced ultrasound and cardiac MR performed in case of poor apex visualization or spontaneous echo-contrast. One third (34%) of the centers uses prophylactic anticoagulation to prevent LVT formation. In the presence of LVT, low molecular weight heparin is the most used in-hospital therapy. At discharge, vitamin K antagonist and direct oral anticoagulants are used in 67 and 32% of the cases, respectively. Triple antithrombotic therapy with aspirin plus clopidogrel and VKA is the most used strategy at discharge (55%), whereas a single antiplatelet therapy is preferred only in the case of moderate-to-high risk of bleeding. To assess LVT total regression, half of the centers use contrast-enhanced ultrasound and/or cardiac-MR. The duration of anticoagulation is usually 3-6 months (55%), with long-term prolongation in case of LVT persistence or recurrence. CONCLUSION: The survey has depicted for the first time the current real-world management of this neglected topic and has highlighted several grey zones that are still present and not supported by evidence.

Plaque quantification by coronary computed tomography angiography using intravascular ultrasound as a reference standard: a comparison between standard and last generation computed tomography scanners.

AIMS: The emerging role of coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) as a non-invasive tool for atherosclerosis evaluation is supported by data reporting a good correlation between CCTA and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) for plaque volume quantification. Aim of the present study was to evaluate whether a last generation CT-scanner may improve coronary plaque volume assessment using IVUS as standard-of-reference. METHODS AND RESULTS: From a registry of 1915 consecutive, all-comers, patients who underwent a clinically indicated IVUS evaluation we enrolled 59 patients who underwent CCTA with a 64-slice CT (Group 1) and 59 patients who underwent CCTA with whole-heart coverage CT scanner (Group 2). Patients who underwent CCTA with unfavourable heart rhythm were not excluded from the analysis. Image quality (4-point Likert scale) focused on plaque analysis was evaluated. Plaque volume quantification by CCTA was compared to IVUS. No difference in clinical characteristics was found between Group 1 and Group 2. Plaque volume quantification by CCTA was considered not feasible in 11 plaques of Group 1 and in 4 plaques of Group 2 (P = 0.09). Higher correlation for plaque volume quantification by CCTA vs. IVUS was demonstrated in Group 2 when compared with Group 1 (r = 0.9888 vs. 0.9499; P < 0.0001). The Bland-Altman analysis showed plaque volume overestimation by CCTA of 11.9 mm3 in Group 1 and 4 mm2 in Group 2 (P < 0.001). Effective radiation dose of CCTA was significantly lower in Group 2 vs. Group 1 (2.7 ± 0.9 vs. 8.1 ± 3.6 mSv, respectively; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: CCTA using a new scanner generation showed to be an accurate non-invasive tool to assess and quantify coronary plaque volume.

CT Perfusion Versus Coronary CT Angiography in Patients With Suspected In-Stent Restenosis or CAD Progression.

OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to assess the diagnostic performance of coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) alone, adenosine-stress myocardial perfusion assessed by computed tomography (CTP) alone, and coronary CTA + CTP by using a 16-cm Z-axis coverage scanner versus invasive coronary angiography (ICA) and fractional flow reserve (FFR) as the clinical standard. BACKGROUND: Diagnostic performance of coronary CTA for in-stent restenosis detection is still challenging. Recently, CTP showed additional diagnostic power over coronary CTA in patients with suspected coronary artery disease. However, few data are available on CTP performance in patients with previous stent implantation. METHODS: Consecutive stable patients with previous coronary stenting referred for ICA were enrolled. All patients underwent stress myocardial CTP and rest CTP + coronary CTA. Invasive FFR was performed during ICA when clinically indicated. The diagnostic rate and diagnostic accuracy of coronary CTA, CTP, and coronary CTA + CTP were evaluated in stent-, territory-, and patient-based analyses. RESULTS: In the 150 enrolled patients (132 men; mean age 65.1 ± 9.1 years), the CTP diagnostic rate was significantly higher than that of coronary CTA in all analyses (territory based [96.7% vs. 91.1%; p < 0.0001] and patient based [96% vs. 68%; p < 0.0001]). When ICA was used as gold standard, CTP diagnostic accuracy was significantly higher than that of coronary CTA in all analyses (territory based [92.1% vs. 85.5%, p < 0.03] and patient based [86.7% vs. 76.7%, p < 0.03]). The concordant coronary CTA + CTP assessment exhibited the highest diagnostic accuracy values versus ICA (95.8% in the territory-based analysis). The diagnostic accuracy of CTP was significantly higher than that of coronary CTA (75% vs. 30.5%; p < 0.001). The radiation exposure of coronary CTA + CTP was 4.15 ± 1.5 mSv. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with coronary stents, CTP significantly improved the diagnostic rate and accuracy of coronary CTA alone compared with both ICA and invasive FFR as gold standard.

Low-Dose Coronary CT Angiography in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation: Comparison of Image Quality and Radiation Exposure with Two Different Approaches.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: To evaluate image quality, coronary interpretability and radiation exposure of coronary CT angiography (CCTA) performed in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) with the latest scanner generation, comparing two different technical approaches. A new scanner that combines a 0.23 mm spatial resolution, a new generation of iterative reconstruction, fast gantry rotation time and the intracycle motion-correction algorithm to improve the temporal resolution was recently introduced in the clinical field. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We enrolled 105 consecutive patients with chronic AF who performed CCTA with a whole-heart coverage high-definition CT scanner (16-cm z-axis coverage with 256 detector rows, 0.28 s gantry rotation time). Five of them were excluded for impaired renal function. Patients were randomized between a double acquisition protocol (50 patients, group 1) or a single acquisition protocol (50 patients, group 2). The image quality, coronary segment interpretability and effective dose (ED) of CCTA were assessed. RESULTS: The mean HR during the scan was 85.6±21 bpm in group 1 vs. 83.7±23 bpm in Group 2, respectively (p < ns). In group 2, overall image quality was high and comparable with that of group 1 (Likert scale =3.2 ± 1.4 vs. 3.3 ± 1.2, p = ns, in group 1 and 2, respectively). Coronary interpretability was high and similar between the two groups (97.5% and 97.1% in group 1 and 2, p = ns, respectively). Mean ED was significantly higher in group 1 than in group 2 (5.3 ± 1.8 mSv vs. 2.7 ± 0.7 mSv, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The novel whole-heart coverage CT scanner allows to perform CCTA with a single-acquisition protocol with high image quality and low radiation exposure in AF patients.

Diagnostic accuracy of coronary CT angiography performed in 100 consecutive patients with coronary stents using a whole-organ high-definition CT scanner.

AIMS: To evaluate image quality, interpretability, diagnostic accuracy and radiation exposure of coronary CT angiography (CCTA) performed with a new scanner equipped with 0.23-mm spatial resolution, new generation iterative reconstruction, 0.28-second gantry rotation time and intra-cycle motion-correction algorithm in consecutive patients with coronary stents, including those with high heart rate (HR) and atrial fibrillation (AF). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We enrolled 100 consecutive patients (85 males, mean age 65 ±â€¯10 years) with previous coronary stent implantation scheduled for clinically indicated non-emergent invasive coronary angiography (ICA). Image quality, coronary interpretability and diagnostic accuracy vs. ICA were evaluated and the effective dose (ED) was recorded. RESULTS: Mean HR during the scan was 67 ±â€¯13 bpm. Twenty-six patients had >65 bpm HR during scanning and 13 patients had AF. Overall, image quality was high (Likert = 3.2 ±â€¯0.9). Stent interpretability was 95.8% (184/192 stents). Among 192 stented segments, CCTA correctly identified 22 out of 24 with >50% in-stent restenosis (ISR) (sensitivity 92%). In a stent-based analysis, specificity, positive and negative predictive values and diagnostic accuracy for ISR detection were 91%, 99%, 60% and 91%, respectively. In a patient-based analysis, CCTA diagnostic accuracy was 85%. Overall, mean ED of CCTA was 2.4 ±â€¯1.2 mSv. CONCLUSIONS: A whole-organ CT scanner was able to evaluate coronary stents with good diagnostic performance and low radiation exposure, also in presence of unfavorable HR and heart rhythm. TRANSLATIONAL ASPECT: The present study is the first to evaluate the CCTA capability of detecting in-stent restenosis in consecutive patients, including those with high HR and AF, using a recent scanner generation that combines improved spatial and temporal resolution with wide coverage. Using the whole-organ high-definition CT scanner we obtained high quality images of coronary stents with good interpretability and diagnostic accuracy combined with low radiation exposure, even in patients with unfavorable HR or heart rhythm for CCTA evaluation.

Myocardial deformation in iron overload cardiomyopathy: speckle tracking imaging in a beta-thalassemia major population.

Traditional echocardiography is unable to detect neither the early stages of iron overload cardiomyopathy nor myocardial iron deposition. The aim of the study is to determine myocardial systolic strain indices in thalassemia major (TM), and assess their relationship with T2*, a cardiac magnetic resonance index of the severity of cardiac iron overload. 55 TM cases with recent cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR-T2*) underwent speckle tracking analysis to assess regional myocardial strains and rotation. The results were compared with a normal control group (n = 20), and were subsequently analyzed on the basis of the CMR-T2* values. Two TM groups were studied: TM with significant cardiac iron overload ("low" T2*, ≤20 ms; n = 21), and TM with normal T2* values ("normal" T2*, >20 ms; n = 34). TM patients show significant, uniform decrease in circumferential and radial strain (P < 0.05), and a remarkable reduction in end-systolic rotation, both global, and for all segments (P < 0.001). No significant differences were found between the low- and the normal T2* group either in regional strains and rotation or in standard echocardiographic and CMR parameters. Spearman's correlation coefficient shows no significant correlation between myocardial strains, rotation and cardiac T2* values. In conclusion, our results are in accordance with recent evidence that myocardial iron overload is not the only mechanism underlying iron cardiomyopathy in TM. Strain imaging can predict subclinical myocardial dysfunction irrespective of CMR-T2* values, although it cannot replace CMR-T2* in assessing cardiac iron overload. Finally, it might be useful to appropriately time cardioactive treatment.