Mechanical Wave Velocities in Left Ventricular Walls in Healthy Subjects and Patients With Aortic Stenosis.

BACKGROUND: Mechanical wave velocity (MWV) measurement is a promising method for evaluating myocardial stiffness, because these velocities are higher in patients with myocardial disease. OBJECTIVES: Using high frame rate echocardiography and a novel method for detection of myocardial mechanical waves, this study aimed to estimate the MWVs for different left ventricular walls and events in healthy subjects and patients with aortic stenosis (AS). Feasibility and reproducibility were evaluated. METHODS: This study included 63 healthy subjects and 13 patients with severe AS. All participants underwent echocardiographic examination including 2-dimensional high frame rate recordings using a clinical scanner. Cardiac magnetic resonance was performed in 42 subjects. The authors estimated the MWVs at atrial kick and aortic valve closure in different left ventricular walls using the clutter filter wave imaging method. RESULTS: Mechanical wave imaging in healthy subjects demonstrated the highest feasibility for the atrial kick wave reaching >93% for all 4 examined left ventricular walls. The MWVs were higher for the inferolateral and anterolateral walls (2.2 and 2.6 m/s) compared with inferoseptal and anteroseptal walls (1.3 and 1.6 m/s) (P < 0.05) among healthy subjects. The septal MWVs at aortic valve closure were significantly higher for patients with severe AS than for healthy subjects. CONCLUSIONS: MWV estimation during atrial kick is feasible and demonstrates higher velocities in the lateral walls, compared with septal walls. The authors propose indicators for quality assessment of the mechanical wave slope as an aid for achieving consistent measurements. The discrimination between healthy subjects and patients with AS was best for the aortic valve closure mechanical waves. (Ultrasonic Markers for Myocardial Fibrosis and Prognosis in Aortic Stenosis; NCT03422770).

A woman in her eighties with chest pain during immunotherapy for melanoma. / En kvinne i 80-årene med brystsmerter under immunterapi mot melanom.

BACKGROUND: Immunotherapy is used to treat several cancer types. As it is a relatively new type of treatment, knowledge of optimal handling of rare side effects is sparse. CASE PRESENTATION: A woman in her early eighties with inoperable metastases from malignant melanoma was given immunotherapy. Five weeks after the first dose of nivolumab 480 mg she was admitted to the hospital with symptoms of coronary artery disease. On suspicion of side effects from nivolumab, she was given prednisolone 80 mg daily. MRI of the heart showed findings highly suggestive of myocarditis. Her condition initially improved, but 9 days after leaving the hospital she developed muscular weakness and ptosis. Neurography and electromyography revealed acute axonal polyneuropathy and she was treated with mycophenolate mofetil. In the days that followed she had increasing paresis, apnoea and pain in the right shoulder. Echocardiography showed reduced systolic function. The patient died 11 days after the second hospitalisation. INTERPRETATION: The patient developed hepatitis, myocarditis and neuropathy after only one course of immunotherapy. Those are known to be rare side effects with a high mortality rate. The patient was given high dose prednisolone and mycophenolate mofetil. Intravenous immunoglobulins and/or plasmapheresis could have been alternative treatments.

Surgery for Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy: A Nationwide Registry-Based Observational Study With Patient-Reported Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Indications and optimal timing for surgical treatment of degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) remain unclear, and data from daily clinical practice are warranted. OBJECTIVE: To investigate clinical outcomes following decompressive surgery for DCM. METHODS: Data were obtained from the Norwegian Registry for Spine Surgery. The primary outcome was change in the neck disability index (NDI) 1 yr after surgery. Secondary endpoints were the European myelopathy score (EMS), quality of life (EuroQoL 5D [EQ-5D]), numeric rating scales (NRS) for headache, neck pain, and arm pain, complications, and perceived benefit of surgery assessed by the Global Perceived Effect (GPE) scale. RESULTS: We included 905 patients operated between January 2012 and June 2018. There were significant improvements in all patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) including NDI (mean -10.0, 95% CI -11.5 to -8.4, P < .001), EMS (mean 1.0, 95% CI 0.8-1.1, P < .001), EQ-5D index score (mean 0.16, 95% CI 0.13-0.19, P < .001), EQ-5D visual analogue scale (mean 13.8, 95% CI 11.7-15.9, P < .001), headache NRS (mean -1.1, 95% CI -1.4 to -0.8, P < .001), neck pain NRS (mean -1.8, 95% CI -2.0 to -1.5, P < .001), and arm pain NRS (mean -1.7, 95% CI -1.9 to -1.4, P < .001). According to GPE scale assessments, 229/513 patients (44.6%) experienced "complete recovery" or felt "much better" at 1 yr. There were significant improvements in all PROMs for both mild and moderate-to-severe DCM. A total of 251 patients (27.7%) experienced adverse effects within 3 mo. CONCLUSION: Surgery for DCM is associated with significant and clinically meaningful improvement across a wide range of PROMs.

3D Myocardial Mechanical Wave Measurements: Toward In Vivo 3D Myocardial Elasticity Mapping.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the potential of a novel 3-dimensional (3D) mechanical wave velocity mapping technique, based on the natural mechanical waves produced by the heart itself, to approach a noninvasive 3D stiffness mapping of the left ventricle. BACKGROUND: Myocardial fibrosis is recognized as a pathophysiological substrate of major cardiovascular disorders such as cardiomyopathies and valvular heart disease. As fibrosis leads to increased myocardial stiffness, ultrasound elastography measurements could provide important clinical information. METHODS: A 3D high frame rate imaging sequence was implemented on a high-end clinical ultrasound scanner to achieve 820 volumes/s when gating over 4 consecutive cardiac cycles. Five healthy volunteers and 10 patients with various degrees of aortic stenosis were included to evaluate feasibility and reproducibility. Mechanical waves were detected using the novel Clutter Filter Wave Imaging approach, shown to be highly sensitive to the weak tissue displacements caused by natural mechanical waves. RESULTS: 3D spatiotemporal maps of mechanical wave velocities were produced for all subjects. Only the specific mechanical wave at atrial contraction provided a full 3D coverage of the left ventricle (LV). The average atrial kick propagation velocity was 1.6 ± 0.2 m/s in healthy volunteers and 2.8 ± 0.8 m/s in patients (p = 0.0016). A high correlation was found between mechanical wave velocity and age (R2 = 0.88, healthy group), septal wall thickness (R2 = 0.73, entire group), and peak jet velocity across the aortic valve (R2 = 0.70). For 3 of the patients, the higher mechanical wave velocity coexisted with the presence of late gadolinium enhancement on cardiac magnetic resonance. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, 3D LV mechanical wave velocities were visualized and measured in healthy volunteers and patients with aortic stenosis. The proposed imaging sequence and measurement technique allowed, for the first time, the measurement of full spatiotemporal 3D elasticity maps of the LV using ultrasound. (Ultrasonic markers for myocardial fibrosis and prognosis in aortic stenosis; NCT03422770).

Five-year results of endovascular aortic repair used according to instructions for use give a good general outcome for abdominal aortic aneurysm.

OBJECTIVES: The primary aim of this study was to investigate the rate of sac enlargement and secondary procedures after 5 years when instructions for use are strictly applied with endovascular aortic repair. The secondary aim was to investigate if strict indications with endovascular aortic repair, rendering more open operations, would change the general outcome of patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients having their abdominal aortic aneurysm procedure in a single institution between 01 January 2002 and 31 December 2006 were included. Indications for endovascular aortic repair were as follows: aortic neck: length 15 mm or more, diameter 32 mm or less and straight configuration; iliac arteries: length > 10 mm, 7.5-20 mm in diameter. Sac enlargement was defined as an increase in diameter of 5 mm or more. RESULTS: A total of 123 patients were intended to be treated electively with endovascular aortic repair from 2002 to 2007 using Cook Zenith stent grafts. In the same period, 147 patients were treated with elective open repair. At 5 years, 7.3% (N = 9) of the elective intended-to-treat patients with endovascular aortic repair had a sac enlargement. Thirty-five percent of the patients were registered with endoleaks, 13% of the patients had secondary procedures, 12.2% of the patients had early and 6.5% late complications during the follow-up period. Aneurysm rupture was seen in 1.6% of the patients. During the 5-year follow-up period, 34 (27.6%) of the endovascular aortic repair patients died. Five-year mortality for open repair was 23.8%, and 12.2% of the open repair patients had secondary procedures. CONCLUSION: Endovascular aortic repair for abdominal aortic aneurysm in accordance with instructions for use gives a low long-term risk for increased diameter and low rate of secondary procedures. There was similar mortality after elective endovascular aortic repair and open repair for abdominal aortic aneurysm. Applying endovascular aortic repair according to instructions for use does not seem to change the general outcome of patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm but improves the outcome with the method.

Renal sympathetic denervation restores aortic distensibility in patients with resistant hypertension: data from a multi-center trial.

Renal sympathetic denervation (RDN) is under investigation as a treatment option in patients with resistant hypertension (RH). Determinants of arterial compliance may, however, help to predict the BP response to therapy. Aortic distensibility (AD) is a well-established parameter of aortic stiffness and can reliably be obtained by CMR. This analysis sought to investigate the effects of RDN on AD and to assess the predictive value of pre-treatment AD for BP changes. We analyzed data of 65 patients with RH included in a multicenter trial. RDN was performed in all participants. A standardized CMR protocol was utilized at baseline and at 6-month follow-up. AD was determined as the change in cross-sectional aortic area per unit change in BP. Office BP decreased significantly from 173/92 ± 24/16 mmHg at baseline to 151/85 ± 24/17 mmHg (p < 0.001) 6 months after RDN. Maximum aortic areas increased from 604.7 ± 157.7 to 621.1 ± 157.3 mm2 (p = 0.011). AD improved significantly by 33% from 1.52 ± 0.82 to 2.02 ± 0.93 × 10-3 mmHg-1 (p < 0.001). Increase of AD at follow-up was significantly more pronounced in younger patients (p = 0.005) and responders to RDN (p = 0.002). Patients with high-baseline AD were significantly younger (61.4 ± 10.1 vs. 67.1 ± 8.4 years, p = 0.022). However, there was no significant correlation of baseline AD to response to RDN. AD is improved after RDN across all age groups. Importantly, these improvements appear to be unrelated to observed BP changes, suggesting that RDN may have direct effects on the central vasculature.

Early Thrombectomy of a Proximal Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion Leading to Complete Recovery with No Infarct.

Many recent trials show the benefit of mechanical thrombectomy in acute ischemic stroke caused by thrombi lodged in large arteries. We report the case of a 55-year-old patient who developed sudden-onset right-sided hemiplegia and aphasia. Computed tomography angiography showed a thrombus in the M1 segment of the left middle cerebral artery. The thrombus was removed by mechanical thrombectomy 85 min after the onset of symptoms. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan showed no infarct, and the patient was discharged symptom free. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of thrombectomy of a symptomatic proximal middle cerebral artery occlusion leading to complete rescue, both clinically and radiologically assessed by MRI. Our case report shows that an early thrombectomy can provide an excellent outcome.

A new removable airway stent.

BACKGROUND: Malignant airway obstruction is a feared complication and will most probably occur more frequently in the future because of increasing cancer incidence and increased life expectancy in cancer patients. Minimal invasive treatment using airway stents represents a meaningful and life-saving palliation. We present a new removable airway stent for improved individualised treatment. METHODS: To our knowledge, the new airway stent is the world's first knitted and uncovered self-expanding metal stent, which can unravel and be completely removed. In an in vivo model using two anaesthetised and spontaneously breathing pigs, we deployed and subsequently removed the stents by unravelling the device. The procedures were executed by flexible bronchoscopy in an acute and a chronic setting - a 'proof-of-principle' study. RESULTS: The new stent was easily and accurately deployed in the central airways, and it remained fixed in its original position. It was easy to unravel and completely remove from the airways without clinically significant complications. During the presence of the stent in the chronic study, granulation tissue was induced. This tissue disappeared spontaneously with the removal. CONCLUSIONS: The new removable stent functioned according to its purpose and unravelled easily, and it was completely removed without significant technical or medical complications. Induced granulation tissue disappeared spontaneously. Further studies on animals and humans are needed to define its optimal indications and future use.

Incidental Intracranial Findings and Their Clinical Impact; The HUNT MRI Study in a General Population of 1006 Participants between 50-66 Years.

OBJECTIVES: Evaluate types and prevalence of all, incidental, and clinically relevant incidental intracranial findings, i.e. those referred to primary physician or clinical specialist, in a cohort between 50 and 66 years from the Nord-Trøndelag Health (HUNT) study. Types of follow-up, outcome of repeated neuroimaging and neurosurgical treatment were assessed. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 1006 participants (530 women) underwent MRI of the head at 1.5T consisting of T1 weighted sagittal IR-FSPGR volume, axial T2 weighted, gradient echo T2* weighted and FLAIR sequences plus time of flight cerebral angiography covering the circle of Willis. The nature of a finding and if it was incidental were determined from previous radiological examinations, patient records, phone interview, and/or additional neuroimaging. Handling and outcome of the clinically relevant incidental findings were prospectively recorded. True and false positives were estimated from the repeated neuroimaging. RESULTS: Prevalence of any intracranial finding was 32.7%. Incidental intracranial findings were present in 27.1% and clinically relevant findings in 15.1% of the participants in the HUNT MRI cohort. 185 individuals (18.4%) were contacted by phone about their findings. 40 participants (6.2%) underwent ≥ 1 additional neuroimaging session to establish etiology. Most false positives were linked to an initial diagnosis of suspected glioma, and overall positive predictive value of initial MRI was 0.90 across different diagnoses. 90.8% of the clinically relevant incidental findings were developmental and acquired cerebrovascular pathologies, the remaining 9.2% were intracranial tumors, of which extra-axial tumors predominated. In total, 3.9% of the participants were referred to a clinical specialist, and 11.7% to their primary physician. 1.4% underwent neurosurgery/radiotherapy, and 1 (0.1%) experienced a procedure related postoperative deficit. CONCLUSIONS: In a general population between 50 and 66 years most intracranial findings on MRI were incidental, and >15% of the cohort was referred to clinical-follow up. Hence good routines for handling of findings need to be in place to ensure timely and appropriate handling.

PPAR alpha stimulates the rat gastrin-producing cell.

The peroxisome proliferator (PP) ciprofibrate stimulates gastrin-producing cells (G-cells) in the rat stomach by an unknown mechanism, inducing hypergastrinemia and secondary enterochromaffin-like (ECL) cell hyperplasia. Ciprofibrate is a specific ligand for the nuclear peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPAR alpha). To see whether the effects of ciprofibrate could be imitated, rats were given another PPAR alpha ligand WY-14643 or the PPAR gamma ligand troglitazone by gastric intubations daily for 28 and 56 days. Troglitazone failed to raise gastrin levels. WY-14643 increased gastrin mRNA abundance, G-cell density and induced hypergastrinemia, but to a lesser extent than ciprofibrate. ECL cell parameters increased in proportion with the relative hypergastrinemia. Ciprofibrate and WY-14643 altered the levels of acyl CoA-oxidase mRNA and PPAR alpha mRNA in antrum, but had no effect in corpus. The PPAR alpha receptor was found in at least some G-cells by immunostaining. This study supports the hypothesis that PPAR alpha specific ligands could stimulate the G-cells by acting locally from the stomach lumen through antral PPAR alpha.