Echocardiographic Findings in Heart Failure Patients With Methamphetamine Use: A Case-Control Study.

Background Methamphetamine use is associated with cardiovascular disease and significant morbidity and mortality. There is only one previous study performed on echocardiographic parameters in patients with methamphetamine cardiomyopathy. Methods We performed a retrospective review of medical records in a county hospital in Southern California with a high population of methamphetamine users. We reviewed medical records and echocardiogram findings in patients seen in our institution from November 2019 to November 2020 who had cardiomyopathy with and without methamphetamine use. We excluded patients who either left the hospital or expired before appropriate assessment. We divided our patient population into a case group (methamphetamine users) and a control group (non-methamphetamine users) to study and compare their echocardiographic parameters. Results Case group included a total of 254 patients and control group included 268 patients. Majority of the patient population were males - 178 (70%) and 180 (67%) in the case and control group respectively. Age was found to be statistically significant with the younger population in the case group (p = 0.0000). Our analysis revealed statistically significant difference in methamphetamine users compared to non-users in regards to left ventricle ejection fraction (33.65% ± 18.02 vs. 41.55% ± 15.61, p=0.0000), left ventricle mass index (122.49 grams/m2 ± 40.66 vs. 108.62 grams/m2 ± 32.82, p=0.0000), left ventricle end diastolic volume index (85.91 mL/m2 ± 37.40 vs. 72.44 mL/m2 ± 25.44; p=0.0000) and marginally significant right ventricle systolic pressure (42.29mmHg ± 17.53 vs. 39.59mmHg ± 15.61; p=0.0540) Conclusion Our results indicated that methamphetamine users had echocardiogram findings with decreased ejection fraction and increased left ventricular mass index, end-diastolic volume index, and right ventricular systolic pressure consistent with worse dilated cardiomyopathy comparison to non-users.

A Giant Left Intraventricular Thrombus Associated With Apical Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Mimics Cancer.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a common disease that can be acquired due to chronic hypertension or via autosomal dominant inheritance. Several patterns of HCM have been described, of which a rare variant is apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (AHCM). Atrial thrombus is a well-recognized complication of HCM especially in the setting of atrial fibrillation (AF). However, left ventricular thrombus (LVT) formation is not nearly as prevalent as atrial thrombus. Here is a case of a 57-year-old Hispanic female with AHCM who presented with significant unintentional weight loss and unexplained anemia and was subsequently found to have a large left intraventricular mass suspicious for a tumor vs. ventricular thrombus. The diagnosis was complicated due to the large size of the mass and presenting symptoms suspicious of malignancy.

Persistent Left Superior Vena Cava: Implications of Surgical Management.

Persistent left superior vena cava is the most common congenital anomaly of thoracic venous return, which results when the left anterior cardinal vein fails to regress. A 41-year-old African American male with a history of an unspecified childhood cardiac murmur presented to the emergency department with congestive heart failure exacerbation revealing an incidental finding of a persistent left superior vena cava. Ultimately, he required implantable cardioverter defibrillator placement and cardiac transplantation assessment. In the setting of advanced device placement or cardiac transplantation, a persistent left superior vena cava warrants several important clinical considerations at a center capable of addressing the possibility of a right-sided approach and transplantation irregularities.

Imaging appearance in acute liver failure: correlation with clinical and pathology findings.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Acute liver failure (ALF) is characterized by sudden liver injury without underlying chronic liver disease. Excluding underlying cirrhosis in these patients is often difficult and liver biopsy may be impractical. We review the imaging appearance of acute hepatic failure in patients who underwent transplant and correlate these findings with clinical, laboratory and pathology parameters. METHODS: This is a retrospective review of 47 patients without known chronic liver disease who presented to three institutions between 2002 and 2010 with ALF, 46 of which underwent subsequent orthotopic liver transplantation. Pre-transplant ultrasound, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging scans were reviewed for parenchymal homogeneity, surface nodularity and evidence of portal hypertension. Explant histopathology, laboratory values and time intervals between symptom onset to initial imaging and transplant were correlated with imaging findings. RESULTS: The majority of patients with ALF had abnormal radiographic findings. Ascites was seen in 65% of patients. Splenomegaly, collateral vessel formation and hepatofugal flow in the portal vein were present in 28, 15 and 9% of patients, respectively. Nodular liver surface was noted in 23% of patients, more commonly in patients who had been ill for more than 7 days. Liver surface nodularity correlated with massive hepatic necrosis on histology and wrinkled capsule on visual inspection of explanted liver specimen. CONCLUSION: Imaging findings in ALF was variable and can resemble cirrhosis. Assessment for underlying cirrhosis in the setting of liver failure should not be based on imaging findings.

Viability assessment by multidetector computed tomography in Takotsubo cardiomyopathy.

Stress-induced cardiomyopathy, known as Takotsubo, is an increasingly recognized syndrome, characterized by transient apical or midventricular dysfunction, which mimics myocardial infarction in the absence of significant coronary artery disease, and is thought to be due to transient catecholamine overload. Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) is a novel imaging approach increasingly recognized as a rapid, noninvasive diagnostic modality to assess coronary anatomy and cardiac function. Few reports have been published regarding its utility in the assessment of myocardial viability after myocardial infarction. We describe 2 patients with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy who underwent MDCT imaging. To our knowledge, this is the first report describing the utility of MDCT that shows the absence of delayed hyperenhancement in patients with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy.

Transhepatic approach to closure of patent foramen ovale: report of 2 cases in adults.

Patent foramen ovale is increasingly diagnosed in patients who are undergoing clinical study for cryptogenic stroke or migraine. In addition, patent foramen ovale is often suspected as a cause of paradoxical embolism in patients who present with arterial thromboembolism. The femoral venous approach to closure has been the mainstay. When the femoral approach is not feasible, septal occluder devices have been deployed via a transjugular approach.Herein, we describe 2 cases of patent foramen ovale in which the transhepatic approach was used for closure. To our knowledge, this is the 1st report of a transhepatic approach to patent foramen ovale closure in an adult patient. Moreover, no previous case of patent foramen ovale closure has been reported in a patient with interrupted inferior vena cava.

Transcatheter closure of recurrent aortic pseudoaneurysm previously treated by Amplatzer occluder device.

Thoracic pseudoaneurysms are a rare variety of aortic disorders that are potentially fatal. Traditionally, these are treated surgically. False aneurysms are usually a late complication of a previous surgical procedure. Surgical management is often complicated by poor outcomes with high morbidity and mortality. We report a patient with recurrence of an aortic pseudoaneurysm after closure with an Amplatzer (AGA Medical Corp, Plymouth, NH) septal occluder that was successfully treated with a second Amplatzer device.