Four-dimensional computed tomography is useful for detection of apical sparing of cardiac amyloidosis.

A 73-year-old male was admitted because of recurrent syncope. He was diagnosed with transient bradycardia caused by a 2:1 atrioventricular block, and he underwent cardiac computed tomography (CT) using 320 detector-row CT to screen for coronary artery disease. Significant coronary artery stenosis was not detected, but diffuse late iodinate enhancement was found on the epi-myocardium and endo-myocardium of the interventricular septum, and endo-myocardium of the anterior and lateral left ventricular (LV) myocardium (LVM) on CT. The ejection fraction and global longitudinal strain (LS) of LVM were 53.97% and - 9.87% on CT. Apical sparing was present, meaning the LS of LV apical segments were preserved compared with basal segments on CT. Pathological findings of LVM demonstrated loss of myocardial cells and extra-cellular amyloid deposition on the direct fast scarlet staining. He was finally diagnosed with transthyretin amyloidosis.

Strong Diagnostic Performance of Single Energy 256-row Multidetector Computed Tomography with Deep Learning Image Reconstruction in the Assessment of Myocardial Fibrosis.

Objective Although magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the gold standard for evaluating abnormal myocardial fibrosis and extracellular volume (ECV) of the left ventricular myocardium (LVM), a similar evaluation has recently become possible using computed tomography (CT). In this study, we investigated the diagnostic accuracy of a new 256-row multidetector CT with a low tube-voltage single energy scan and deep-learning-image reconstruction (DLIR) in detecting abnormal late enhancement (LE) in LVM. Methods We evaluated the diagnostic performance of CT for detecting LE in LVM and compared the results with those of MRI as a reference. We also measured the ECV of the LVM on CT and compared the results with those on MRI. Patients or Materials We analyzed 50 consecutive patients who underwent cardiac CT, including a late-phase scan and MRI, within three months of suspected cardiomyopathy. All patients underwent 256-slice CT (Revolution CT Apex; GE Healthcare) with a low tube-voltage (70 kV) single energy scan and DLIR for a late-phase scan. Results In patient- and segment-based analyses, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of detection of LE on CT were 94% and 85%, 100% and 95%, and 96% and 93%, respectively. The ECV of LVM per patient on CT and MRI was 33.0% ±6.2% and 35.9% ±6.1%, respectively. These findings were extremely strongly correlated, with a correlation coefficient of 0.87 (p <0.0001). The effective radiation dose on late-phase scanning was 2.4±0.9 mSv. Conclusion The diagnostic performance of 256-row multislice CT with a low tube voltage and DLIR for detecting LE and measuring ECV in LVM is credible.

A new composite indicator consisting of left ventricular extracellular volume, N-terminal fragment of B-type natriuretic peptide, and left ventricular end-diastolic volume is useful for predicting reverse remodeling after catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation.

Recently, myocardial extracellular volume (ECV) analysis has been measurable on computed tomography (CT) using new software. We evaluated the use of cardiac CT to estimate the myocardial ECV of left ventricular (LV) myocardium (LVM) to predict reverse remodeling (RR) in cases of atrial fibrillation (AF) after catheter ablation (CA). Four hundred and seven patients underwent CA for AF in our institution from April 2014 to Feb 2021. Of these, 33 patients (8%) with an LVEF ≤ 50% and who had undergone CT were included in our study. We estimated the LVM ECV using commercial software to analyze the CT data. RR was defined as an improvement in LVEF to > 50% after CA. LVEF increased to > 50% in 24 patients (73%) after CA. In all 24 patients, LVM ECV, LV end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes (LVEDV and LVESV), and the n-terminal fragment of pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) were significantly lower than in the other nine patients (P = 0.0037, 0.0273, 0.0443, and < 0.0001). On receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the best cut-off of ECV, LVEDV, LVESV and NT-proBNP for the prediction of RR were 37.73%, 120 mL, 82 mL, and 1267 pg/mL, respectively. We newly defined the ENL (ECV, NT-proBNP, and LVEDV) score as the summed score for the presence or absence (1 or 0; maximum score = 3) of ECV, NT-proBNP, and LVEDV values less than or equal to each best cut-off value, and found that this score gave the highest area under the curve for the prediction of RR (0.9583, P < 0.0001). The ENL score may be useful for predicting RR in patients with AF undergoing CA.

An Increased Diagnostic Accuracy of Significant Coronary Artery Stenosis Using 320-slice Computed Tomography with Model-based Iterative Reconstruction in Cases with Severely Calcified Coronary Arteries.

Objective High-quality images can be obtained with 320-slice computed tomography (CT) with model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR). We therefore investigated the diagnostic accuracy of 320-slice CT with MBIR for detecting significant coronary artery stenosis. Methods This was a retrospective study of 160 patients who underwent coronary CT and invasive coronary angiography (ICA). The first 100 consecutive patients (Group 1) underwent 320-slice CT without MBIR or small-focus scanning. The next 60 consecutive patients (Group 2) underwent 320-slice CT with both MBIR and small-focus scanning. Patients who underwent coronary artery bypass surgery were excluded. The diagnostic performance of 320-slice CT without MBIR or small-focus scanning and 320-slice CT with both of them, with ICA regarded as a reference standard, was compared to detect significant coronary artery stenosis (≥70% on CT, ≥75% on ICA). Results In a patient-based analysis, the sensitivity, specificity, and overall accuracy of detection of significant stenosis on CT against ICA were 95%, 85%, and 91% in Group 1, and 93%, 83%, and 90% in Group 2, respectively. No significant differences were observed between the two groups in the patient- and segment-based analyses. However, among cases with a severe coronary artery calcium score >400 (31 cases in Group 1 and 28 in Group 2), the specificity and overall accuracy were significantly higher (all p<0.01) in Group 2 than in Group 1 according to the segment-based analysis. Conclusion The diagnostic accuracy of the detection of coronary artery stenosis on CT was improved using 320-slice CT with MBIR.

Strontium-89 chloride delivery for painful bone metastases in patients with a history of prior irradiation.

BACKGROUND: Re-irradiation of a previously irradiated site must be done with careful consideration to minimize dose to organs at risk. AIMS: To evaluate pain response and safety of Sr-89 administration for painful bone metastases after prior irradiation. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed patients with Sr-89 injection for painful bone metastasis in a previously irradiated site. All patients were seen in follow-up at 1, 2, 3, and 4 months after injection and every 6 months thereafter. Pain control, toxicity, and pain progression-free survival were analyzed. Correlation of pain relapse with the following characteristics was analyzed: gender, age, primary tumor, tumor pathology, baseline performance status, and baseline verbal rating scale. RESULTS: Among 25 patients analyzed (10 male, 15 female), median age was 68 (range, 50-81) years. Primary tumor sites included lung (n = 11), breast (n = 3), uterine cervix (n = 3), prostate (n = 3), and others (n = 5). Median follow-up was 25 (range, 1-76) months. Pain relief was observed in 24 patients (96.0%). One- and 2-year pain progression-free survival rates in these patients were 54.5% and 48.4%, respectively. Median time to pain progression was 5 (range, 2-16) months. Statistically significantly lower pain progression-free survival was observed in patients with osteolytic bone metastases (p < 0.01). No grade 3 or worse adverse events were observed. CONCLUSION: Sr-89 injection showed pain relief in most of our patients with painful bone metastases in a previously irradiated site and caused no grade 3 or worse adverse events. Sr-89 is an option for patients with a painful bone metastasis in a previously irradiated site.

Importance of the Multimodality Evaluation of a Double-chambered Right Ventricle for Surgical Indications on Admission for Acute Myocardial Infarction.

We treated a female patient known to have a double-chambered right ventricle (DCRV) who presented with symptoms of an acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Emergent coronary artery catheterization revealed acute right coronary artery (RCA) occlusion and proximal left anterior descending (LAD) stenosis. We performed percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for the RCA occlusion. Right heart catheterization revealed a pressure gradient across the mid-RV of 58 mmHg. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed no other congenital cardiac abnormalities. She underwent surgical repair of the RV stenosis and coronary artery bypass surgery for LAD stenosis.

Evaluation of extracellular volume by computed tomography is useful for prediction of prognosis in dilated cardiomyopathy.

Cardiac computed tomography (CT) is useful for the screening of coronary artery stenosis, and extracellular volume fraction (ECV) analysis by CT using new dedicated software is now available. Here, we evaluated the utility of ECV analysis using cardiac CT to predict patient prognosis in cases with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). We analyzed 70 cases with DCM and cardiac computed tomography (CT) with available late-phase images. We evaluated the ECV of the left ventricular myocardium (LVM) using commercially available software (Ziostation 2, Ziosoft Inc, Japan). ECV on LVM was 33.96 ± 5.04%. Major adverse cardiac events (MACE) occurred in 21 cases (30%). ECV of the LVM on CT, endo-systolic volume, and rate of significant valvular disease were significantly higher in cases with MACE than in those without (37.16 ± 5.91% vs. 32.59 ± 3.95%, 194 ± 109 vs. 138 ± 78 ml and 57% vs. 20%, all P values < 0.05). LVEF was significantly lower in cases with MACE than in those without (23 ± 8 vs. 31 ± 11%, P = 0.0024). The best cut-off value of ECV on LVM for prediction of MACE was 32.26% based on receiver operating characteristics analysis. Cases with ECV ≥ 32.26% had significantly higher MACE based on Kaplan-Meier analysis (P = 0.0032). Only ECV on LVM was an independent predictor of MACE based on a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model (P = 0.0354). Evaluation of ECV on LVM by CT is useful for predicting MACE in patients with DCM.

Efficacy of EUS-guided celiac plexus neurolysis in combination with EUS-guided celiac ganglia neurolysis for pancreatic cancer-associated pain: a multicenter prospective trial.

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the efficacy of endoscopic ultrasound-guided celiac plexus neurolysis (EUS-CPN) in combination with EUS-guided celiac ganglia neurolysis (EUS-CGN) for pancreatic cancer-associated pain. METHODS: This multicenter prospective trial was registered in the University Hospital Medical Information Network (UMIN000031228). Fifty-one consecutive patients with pancreatic cancer-associated pain who presented at one of five Japanese referral centers between February 2018 and March 2021 were enrolled. EUS-CGN was added in cases of visible celiac ganglia. The primary endpoint was effectiveness, defined as a decrease in the numerical rating scale (NRS) by ≥ 3 points. NRS data were prospectively acquired at 1 week after the procedure to evaluate its effectiveness and the extent of pain relief. RESULTS: The technical success rates of EUS-CPN and EUS-CGN were 100% and 80.4%, respectively. The overall efficacy rate was 82.4% [90% confidence interval (CI) 71.2-90.5, P < 0.0001]. The complete pain relief rate was 27.4%. The adverse events rate was 15.7%. The average pain relief period was 72 days. The efficacy rate was higher in the EUS-CPN plus EUS-CGN group than in the EUS-CPN alone group. EUS-CPN plus EUS-CGN was superior to EUS-CPN alone for achieving complete pain relief (P = 0.045). EUS-CGN did not improve the average length of the pain relief period. CONCLUSIONS: EUS-CPN combined with EUS-CGN is safe, feasible, and effective for pain relief in patients with pancreatic cancer. The patients who received additional EUS-CGN had a better short-term response. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: UMIN000031228.

Evaluating Outcomes of a Social Media-Based Peer and Clinician-Supported Smoking Cessation Program in Preventing Smoking Relapse: Mixed Methods Case Study.

BACKGROUND: Smoking relapse prevention after completion of a smoking cessation program is highly germane to reducing smoking rates. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the 1-year outcomes of a social media-based and peer and clinician-supported smoking cessation program on Facebook and examine communication patterns that could support smoking cessation and identify risk of relapse. METHODS: We used a mixed methods case study evaluation approach featuring a single-case holistic design. We recruited volunteers who signed up after successful completion of a 12-week clinical smoking cessation program in a general medicine department in Japan. Participants contemporaneously accessed a closed Facebook page, and we analyzed their posts including text and emoticons. We used joint display analysis, which involved iterative structuring and restructuring construct-specific tables with both types of data to find the most effective approach for integrating the quantitative results with the qualitative results of content analysis. RESULTS: One successful participant and 2 relapsed participants were analyzed to explore the specific patterns of postings prior to relapse. Decisive comments about quitting smoking were common among participants, but encouraging messages for peers were more common from the successful participant. Comments seeking social support and reassurance were warning signs of relapse. Conflicted comments also may be a warning sign of relapse risk. CONCLUSIONS: These findings based on a mixed methods case study of a social media platform supporting smoking cessation could be used to guide messaging in other online social networking service communities after a smoking cessation program to help reduce smoking relapse. TRIAL REGISTRATION: UMIN Clinical Trials Registry UMIN000031172; https://upload.umin.ac.jp/cgi-open-bin/ctr/ctr_view.cgi?recptno=R000035595.

Development of an assessment sheet for fall prediction in stroke inpatients in convalescent rehabilitation wards in Japan.

OBJECTIVE: We conducted a study to develop an assessment sheet for fall prediction in stroke inpatients that is handy and reliable to help ward staff to devise a fall prevention strategy for each inpatient immediately upon admission. METHODS: The study consisted of three steps: (1) developing a data sampling form to record variables related to risk of falls in stroke inpatients and conducting a follow-up survey for stroke inpatients from their admission to discharge by using the form; (2) carrying out analyses of characteristics of the present subjects and selecting variables showing a high hazard ratio (HR) for falls using the Cox regression analysis; (3) developing an assessment sheet for fall prediction involving variables giving the integral coefficient for each variable in accordance with the HR determined in the second step. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: (1) Subjects of the present survey were 704 inpatients from 17 hospitals including 270 fallers. (2) We selected seven variables as predictors of the first fall: central paralysis, history of previous falls, use of psychotropic medicines, visual impairment, urinary incontinence, mode of locomotion and cognitive impairment. (3) We made 960 trial models in combination with possible coefficients for each variable, and among them we finally selected the most suitable model giving coefficient number 1 to each variable except mode of locomotion, which was given 1 or 2. The area under the ROC curve of the selected model was 0.73, and sensitivity and specificity were 0.70 and 0.69, respectively (4/5 at the cut-off point). Scores calculated from the assessment sheets of the present subjects by adding coefficients of each variable showed normal distribution and a significantly higher mean score in fallers (4.94 +/- 1.29) than in non-fallers (3.65 +/- 1.58) (P = 0.001). The value of the Barthel Index as the index of ADL of each subject was indicated to be in proportion to the assessment score of each subject. CONCLUSION: We developed an assessment sheet for fall prediction in stroke inpatients that was shown to be available and valid to screen inpatients with risk of falls immediately upon admission.