Role of myocardial strain imaging in diagnosing inducible myocardial ischemia with treadmill contrast-enhanced stress echocardiography.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study is to analyze the diagnostic value of global longitudinal strain (GLS) in detecting inducible myocardial ischemia in patients with chest pain undergoing treadmill contrast-enhanced stress echocardiography (SE). METHODS: We retrospectively enrolled all patients who underwent invasive coronary angiography after treadmill contrast-enhanced SE. Rest and peak-stress myocardial GLS, segmental LS, and LS of 4-chamber (CH), 2-CH, and 3-CH views were reported. Luminal stenosis of more than 70% or fractional flow reserve (FFR) of < 0.8 was considered significant. RESULTS: In total 33 patients were included in the final analysis, among whom sixteen patients (48.4%) had significant coronary artery stenosis. Averaged GLS, 3-CH, and 4-CH LS were significantly lower in patients with critical coronary artery stenosis compared to those without significant stenosis (-17.1 ± 7.1 vs. -24.2 ± 7.2, p = 0.041), (-18.2 ± 8.9 vs. -24.6 ± 8.2, p = 0.045) and (-14.8 ± 6.2 vs. -22.8 ± 7.8, p = 0.009), respectively. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis of ischemic and non-ischemic segments demonstrated that a cut-off value of -20% of stress LS had 71% sensitivity and 60% specificity for ruling out inducible myocardial ischemia (Area under the curve was AUC = 0.72, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Myocardial LS measured with treadmill contrast-enhanced stress echocardiography demonstrates potential value in identifying patients with inducible myocardial ischemia.

Computed tomography myocardial perfusion imaging to detect myocardial ischemia in patients with anxiety and obstructive coronary heart disease post-exposure to mental stressors.

This study aims to measure myocardial blood flow (MBF) using dynamic CT- myocardial perfusion imaging (CT-MPI) combined with mental stressors in patients with obstructive coronary artery disease (OCAD) and in patients with anxiety and no obstructive coronary artery disease (ANOCAD). A total of 30 patients with OCAD with 30 patients with ANOCAD were included in this analysis. Using the 17-segment model, the rest and stress phase MBF of major coronary arteries in participants were recorded respectively. Compared with ANOCAD patients, OCAD patients were more likely to have localized reduction of MBF (p < 0.05). For patients with ANOCAD, both global MBF and MBF of the main coronary arteries in the stress phase were lower than those in the rest phase (all p < 0.05), but there was no significant difference in MBF among the main coronary arteries in the rest or stress phase (p = 0.25, p = 0.15). For patients with OCAD, the MBF of the target area was lower than that of the non-target area in both the rest and stress phase, and the MBF of the target area in the stress phase was lower than that in the rest phase (all p < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference in MBF between the rest or stress phase in the non-target area (p = 0.73). Under mental stress, the decrease in MBF in ANOCAD patients was diffuse, while the decrease in MBF in OCAD patients was localized. Dynamic CT-MPI combined with mental stressors can be used to detect MBF changes in anxiety patients.

Predictive value of plaque characteristics for identification of lesions causing ischemia.

BACKGROUND: Functional assessment using fractional flow reserve (FFR) and anatomical assessment using optical coherence tomography (OCT) are used in clinical practice for patients with intermediate coronary stenosis. Moreover, coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) is a common noninvasive imaging technique for evaluating suspected coronary artery disease before being referred for angiography. This study aimed to investigate the association between FFR and plaque characteristics assessed using coronary CTA and OCT for intermediate coronary stenosis. METHODS: Based on a prospective multicenter registry, 159 patients having 339 coronary lesions with intermediate stenosis were included. All patients underwent coronary CTA before being referred for coronary angiography, and both FFR measurements and OCT examinations were performed during angiography. A stenotic lesion identified with FFR ≤0.80 was deemed diagnostic of an ischemia-causing lesion. The predictive value of plaque characteristics assessed using coronary CTA and OCT for identifying lesions causing ischemia was analyzed. RESULTS: Stenosis severity and plaque characteristics on coronary CTA and OCT differed between lesions that caused ischemia and those that did not. In multivariate analysis, low attenuation plaque on coronary CTA (odds ratio [OR]=2.78; P=0.038), thrombus (OR=5.13; P=0.042), plaque rupture (OR=3.25; P=0.017), and intimal vasculature on OCT (OR=2.57; P=0.012) were independent predictors of ischemic lesions. Increasing the number of these plaque characteristics offered incremental improvement in predicting the lesions causing ischemia. CONCLUSIONS: Comprehensive anatomical evaluation of coronary stenosis may provide additional supportive information for predicting the lesions causing ischemia.

Myocardial motion in acute ischemia: revealing invisible deformation by echocardiography.

Echocardiography has been used clinically to assess regional myocardial wall motion for the diagnosis of acute myocardial ischemia or stress-induced ischemia, but it is often difficult to distinguish hypokinetic motion from normal motion. Myocardial wall motion is affected by loading conditions as well as intrinsic contractility, making it challenging to define a normal range of wall motion. Therefore, hypokinesis is usually diagnosed by comparing target areas with other areas of myocardium considered normal (relative hypokinesis). Myocardial strain analysis by tissue Doppler echocardiography and speckle-tracking echocardiography has enabled objective and quantitative evaluation of regional myocardial wall motion. Peak systolic strain decreases during acute ischemia, but subtle and invisible myocardial motion, such as early systolic lengthening (ESL) and postsystolic shortening (PSS), also occurs, and the analysis of these subtle motions can improve the diagnostic accuracy of ischemia. However, the diagnosis of ischemic myocardium by strain analysis is not widely performed in clinical practice at this time due to several limitations. This article reviews the features of myocardial motion during acute ischemia, the mechanisms of ESL and PSS, the diagnosis of ischemic myocardium using strain analysis, and current approaches and future challenges to overcome the limitations in the detection of relative hypokinesis. This article also explains the use of ESL and PSS to detect myocardial ischemic memory that remains after brief ischemia.

The Relationship between the Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index and Ischemia with Non-Obstructive Coronary Arteries in Patients Undergoing Coronary Angiography. / A Relação entre o Índice de Imuno-Inflamação Sistêmica e Isquemia com Artérias Coronárias Não Obstrutivas em Pacientes Submetidos à Angiografia Coronária.

BACKGROUND: Ischemia with the non-obstructive coronary artery (INOCA) is an ischemic heart disease that mostly includes coronary microvascular dysfunction and/or epicardial coronary vasospasm due to underlying coronary vascular dysfunction and can be seen more commonly in female patients. The systemic immune-inflammation index (SII, platelet × neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio) is a new marker that predicts adverse clinical outcomes in coronary artery disease (CAD). OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate the relationship between INOCA and SII, a new marker associated with inflammation. METHODS: A total of 424 patients (212 patients with INOCA and 212 normal controls) were included in the study. Peripheral venous blood samples were received from the entire study population prior to coronary angiography to measure SII and other hematological parameters. In our study, the value of p<0.05' was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The optimal cut-off value of SII for predicting INOCA was 153.8 with a sensitivity of 44.8% and a specificity of 78.77% (Area under the curve [AUC]: 0.651 [95% CI: 0.603-0.696, p=0.0265]). Their ROC curves were compared to assess whether SII had an additional predictive value over components. The AUC value of SII was found to be significantly higher than that of lymphocyte (AUC: 0.607 [95% CI: 0.559-0.654, p = 0.0273]), neutrophil (AUC: 0.559 [95%CI: 0.511-0.607, p=0.028]) and platelet (AUC: 0.590 [95% CI: 0.541-0.637, p = 0.0276]) in INOCA patients. CONCLUSIONS: A high SII level was found to be independently associated with the existence of INOCA. The SII value can be used as an indicator to add to the traditional expensive methods commonly used in INOCA prediction.

FUNDAMENTO: A isquemia com artéria coronária não obstrutiva (INOCA) é uma doença cardíaca isquêmica que inclui principalmente disfunção microvascular coronariana e/ou vasoespasmo coronariano epicárdico devido à disfunção vascular coronariana subjacente e pode ser observada mais comumente em pacientes do sexo feminino. O índice de inflamação imunológica sistêmica (SII, relação plaquetas × neutrófilos/linfócitos) é um novo marcador que prediz resultados clínicos adversos na doença arterial coronariana (DAC). OBJETIVO: Este estudo tem como objetivo investigar a relação entre INOCA e SII, um novo marcador associado à inflamação. MÉTODOS: Um total de 424 pacientes (212 pacientes com INOCA e 212 controles normais) foram incluídos no estudo. Amostras de sangue venoso periférico foram recebidas de toda a população do estudo antes da angiografia coronária para medir o SII e outros parâmetros hematológicos. Em nosso estudo o valor de p<0,05' foi considerado estatisticamente significativo. RESULTADOS: O valor de corte ideal do SII para prever o INOCA foi 153,8, com sensibilidade de 44,8% e especificidade de 78,77% (Área sob a curva [AUC]: 0,651 [IC 95%: 0,603­0,696, p=0,0265]). Suas curvas ROC foram comparadas para avaliar se o SII tinha um efeito preditivo adicional valor sobre os componentes. O valor da AUC do SII foi significativamente maior do que o do linfócito (AUC: 0,607 [IC 95%: 0,559­0,654, p = 0,0273]), neutrófilos (AUC: 0,559 [IC 95%: 0,511­0,607, p = 0,028]) e plaquetas (AUC: 0,590 [IC 95%: 0,541­0,637, p = 0,0276]) em pacientes INOCA. CONCLUSÕES: Verificou-se que um nível elevado de SII estava independentemente associado à existência de INOCA. O valor do SII pode ser usado como um indicador para adicionar aos métodos tradicionais e caros comumente usados na previsão do INOCA.

Cardiac MRI-Enriched Phenomapping Classification and Differential Treatment Outcomes in Patients With Ischemic Cardiomyopathy.

BACKGROUND: Significant controversy continues to confound patient selection and referral for revascularization and mitral valve intervention in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM). Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) enables comprehensive phenotyping with gold-standard tissue characterization and volumetric/functional measures. Therefore, we sought to determine the impact of CMR-enriched phenomapping patients with ICM to identify differential outcomes following surgical revascularization and surgical mitral valve intervention (sMVi). METHODS: Consecutive patients with ICM referred for CMR between 2002 and 2017 were evaluated. Latent class analysis was performed to identify phenotypes enriched by comprehensive CMR assessment. The primary end point was death, heart transplant, or left ventricular assist device implantation. A multivariable Cox survival model was developed to determine the association of phenogroups with overall survival. Subgroup analysis was performed to assess the presence of differential response to post-magnetic resonance imaging procedural interventions. RESULTS: A total of 787 patients were evaluated (63.0±11.2 years, 24.8% women), with 464 primary events. Subsequent surgical revascularization and sMVi occurred in 380 (48.3%) and 157 (19.9%) patients, respectively. Latent class analysis identified 3 distinct clusters of patients, which demonstrated significant differences in overall outcome (P<0.001). Latent class analysis identified differential survival benefit of revascularization in patients as well as patients who underwent revascularization with sMVi, based on phenogroup classification, with phenogroup 3 deriving the most survival benefit from revascularization and revascularization with sMVi (hazard ratio, 0.61 [0.43-0.88]; P=0.0081). CONCLUSIONS: CMR-enriched unsupervised phenomapping identified distinct phenogroups, which were associated with significant differential survival benefit following surgical revascularization and sMVi in patients with ICM. Phenomapping provides a novel approach for patient selection, which may enable personalized therapeutic decision-making for patients with ICM.

Quantification of myocardial scar of different etiology using dark- and bright-blood late gadolinium enhancement cardiovascular magnetic resonance.

Dark-blood late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) has been shown to improve the visualization and quantification of areas of ischemic scar compared to standard bright-blood LGE. Recently, the performance of various semi-automated quantification methods has been evaluated for the assessment of infarct size using both dark-blood LGE and conventional bright-blood LGE with histopathology as a reference standard. However, the impact of this sequence on different quantification strategies in vivo remains uncertain. In this study, various semi-automated scar quantification methods were evaluated for a range of different ischemic and non-ischemic pathologies encountered in clinical practice. A total of 62 patients referred for clinical cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) were retrospectively included. All patients had a confirmed diagnosis of either ischemic heart disease (IHD; n = 21), dilated/non-ischemic cardiomyopathy (NICM; n = 21), or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM; n = 20) and underwent CMR on a 1.5 T scanner including both bright- and dark-blood LGE using a standard PSIR sequence. Both methods used identical sequence settings as per clinical protocol, apart from the inversion time parameter, which was set differently. All short-axis LGE images with scar were manually segmented for epicardial and endocardial borders. The extent of LGE was then measured visually by manual signal thresholding, and semi-automatically by signal thresholding using the standard deviation (SD) and the full width at half maximum (FWHM) methods. For all quantification methods in the IHD group, except the 6 SD method, dark-blood LGE detected significantly more enhancement compared to bright-blood LGE (p < 0.05 for all methods). For both bright-blood and dark-blood LGE, the 6 SD method correlated best with manual thresholding (16.9% vs. 17.1% and 20.1% vs. 20.4%, respectively). For the NICM group, no significant differences between LGE methods were found. For bright-blood LGE, the 5 SD method agreed best with manual thresholding (9.3% vs. 11.0%), while for dark-blood LGE the 4 SD method agreed best (12.6% vs. 11.5%). Similarly, for the HCM group no significant differences between LGE methods were found. For bright-blood LGE, the 6 SD method agreed best with manual thresholding (10.9% vs. 12.2%), while for dark-blood LGE the 5 SD method agreed best (13.2% vs. 11.5%). Semi-automated LGE quantification using dark-blood LGE images is feasible in both patients with ischemic and non-ischemic scar patterns. Given the advantage in detecting scar in patients with ischemic heart disease and no disadvantage in patients with non-ischemic scar, dark-blood LGE can be readily and widely adopted into clinical practice without compromising on quantification.

The diagnostic accuracy of cardiac ultrasound for acute myocardial ischemia in the emergency department: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Chest pain is responsible for millions of visits to the emergency department (ED) annually. Cardiac ultrasound can detect ischemic changes, but varying accuracy estimates have been reported in previous studies. We synthetized the available evidence to yield more precise estimates of the accuracy of cardiac ultrasound for acute myocardial ischemia in patients with chest pain in the ED and to assess the effect of different clinical characteristics on test accuracy. METHODS: A systematic search for studies assessing the diagnostic accuracy of cardiac ultrasound for myocardial ischemia in the ED was conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, CINAHL, LILACS, Web of Science, two trial registries and supplementary methods, from inception to December 6th, 2022. Prospective cohort, cross-sectional, case-control studies and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that included data on diagnostic accuracy were included. Risk of bias was assessed with the QUADAS-2 tool and a bivariate hierarchical model was used for meta-analysis with paired Forest and SROC plots used to present the results. Subgroup analyses was conducted on clinically relevant factors. RESULTS: Twenty-nine studies were included, with 5043 patients. The overall summary sensitivity was 79.3% (95%CI 69.0-86.8%) and specificity was 87.3% (95%CI 79.9-92.2%), with substantial heterogeneity. Subgroup analyses showed increased sensitivity in studies where ultrasound was conducted at ED admission and increased specificity in studies that excluded patients with previous heart disease, when the target condition was acute coronary syndrome, or when final chart review was used as the reference standard. There was very low certainty in the results based on serious risk of bias and indirectness in most studies. CONCLUSIONS: Cardiac ultrasound may have a potential role in the diagnostic pathway of myocardial ischemia in the ED; however, a pooled accuracy must be interpreted cautiously given substantial heterogeneity and that important patient and test characteristics affect its diagnostic performance. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO (CRD42023392058).

Coronary microvascular dysfunction: prevalence and aetiology in patients with suspected myocardial ischaemia.

AIM: To evaluate the prevalence, aetiology, and corresponding morbidity of coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) in patients with suspected myocardial ischaemia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study included 115 patients with suspected myocardial ischaemia who underwent stress perfusion cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. CMD was assessed visually based on the myocardial perfusion results. The CMR-derived myocardial perfusion reserve index (MPRI) and left ventricular (LV) strain parameters obtained using the post-processing software CVI42 were employed to evaluate LV myocardial perfusion and deformation. LV strain parameters included global longitudinal, circumferential, and radial strain (GLS, GCS, and GRS), global systolic/diastolic longitudinal, circumferential, and radial strain rates (SLSR, SCSR, SRSR, DLSR, DCSR, and DRSR). RESULTS: Of the 115 patients, 12 patients were excluded and 103 patients were finally included in the study. CMD was observed in 79 % (81 patients, aged 53 ± 12 years) of patients. Regarding aetiology, 91 (88 %) patients had non-obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD), eight (8 %) had obstructive CAD, and four (4 %) had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). The incidence of CMD was highest (100 %) in patients with HCM, followed by those with non-obstructive CAD (up to 79 %). There were no statistical differences between CMD and non-CMD groups in GCS, GRS, GLS, SRSR, SCSR, SLSR, DCSR, DRSR and DLSR. CONCLUSION: The incidence of CMD was higher in patients with signs and symptoms of ischaemia. CMD occurred with non-obstructive CAD, obstructive CAD, and HCM, with the highest prevalence of CMD in HCM.

Comprehensive Angiography-Derived Functional Assessment of Epicardial and Microvascular Coronary Disease. Correlation With Non-invasive Myocardial Stress Imaging.

Coronary angiography (CA) is poorly correlated with non-invasive myocardial stress imaging (NSI) and myocardial ischemia is often observed in patients with unobstructed coronary arteries. Moreover, the diagnostic performance of combined epicardial and microcirculatory angiography-derived physiological assessment and its correlation with NSI remains unknown. A total of 917 coronary vessels in 319 patients who underwent both CA and NSI were included in this multicenter observational retrospective analysis. Quantitative flow ratio (QFR) and angiography-derived index of microcirculatory resistance (IMRangio) analyses were performed to estimate coronary epicardial and microcirculatory function respectively. NSI demonstrated evidence of myocardial ischemia in 76% of the cases. IMRangio (36 [22 to 50] vs 29 [21 to 41], p <0.001) was significantly higher and QFR (0.92 [0.78 to 0.99] vs 0.97 [0.91 to 0.99], p <0.001) was significantly lower in vessels subtending ischemic territories. Overall, the diagnostic accuracy of QFR was moderate (area under the curve of receiver operating characteristic [AUCROC] 0.632 [95% confidence interval [CI] 0.589 to 0.674], p <0.0001) but it was higher in patients with normal microcirculatory function (AUCROC = 0.726 [95% CI 0.669 to 0.784], p <0.0001, p Value for AUCROC comparison = 0.009). Combined QFR/IMRangio assessment provided incremental diagnostic performance compared with the evaluation of epicardial or microcirculatory districts in isolation (p Value for AUC comparison <0.0001) and it was able to identify the predominant mechanism of myocardial ischemia in 77% of the patients with positive NSI. Our study suggests the value of a combined angiography-derived assessment of epicardial and microvascular function for the definition of the predominant mechanism of myocardial ischemia in patients with suspected coronary artery disease.

Practice guidance for stress echocardiography.

Stress echocardiography has been one of the most promising methods for the diagnosis of ischemic heart disease, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and pulmonary hypertension. The Japanese Society of Echocardiography produced practical guidance for the implementation of stress echocardiography in 2018. At that time, stress echocardiography was not yet widely disseminated in Japan; therefore, the 2018 practical guidance for the implementation of stress echocardiography included a report on stress echocardiography and a specific protocol to promote its use at many institutions in Japan in the future. And now, an era of renewed interest and enthusiasm surrounding the diagnosis and treatment of valvular heart disease and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) has come, which are driven by emerging trans-catheter procedures and new recommended guideline-directed medical therapy. Based on the continued evidence of stress echocardiography, the new practical guideline that describes the safe and effective methodology of stress echocardiography is now created by the Guideline Development Committee of the Japanese Society of Echocardiography and is designed to expand the use of stress echocardiography for valvular heart disease and HFpEF, as well as ischemic heart disease, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and pulmonary hypertension. The readers are encouraged to perform stress echocardiography which will enhance the diagnosis and management of these patients.

Incidental Detection of Myocardial Ischemia on Whole-Body PET/CT in a Patient With Carcinoma Lung.

ABSTRACT: 18 F-FDG PET/CT being a whole-body technique can detect multiple other critical nononcological findings. Various cardiac disorders identified incidentally on 18 F-FDG have been reported to help in timely management and improve overall patient care. We hereby present one such case where 18 F-FDG PET/CT performed for a workup of carcinoma lung revealed abnormal myocardial FDG uptake in the anteroseptal and apical region, which raised suspicion of myocardial ischemia such as hot spot imaging. On coronary angiography, coronary artery disease was detected and subsequently managed.

Prognostic Utility of Left Atrial Strain From MRI Feature Tracking in Ischemic and Nonischemic Dilated Cardiomyopathy: A Multicenter Study.

BACKGROUND. MRI-based prognostic evaluation in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) has historically used markers of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) and feature tracking (FT)-derived left ventricular global longitudinal strain (LVGLS). Early data indicate that FT-derived left atrial strain (LAS) parameters, including reservoir, conduit, and booster, may also have prognostic roles in such patients. OBJECTIVE. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the prognostic utility of LAS parameters, derived from MRI FT, in patients with ischemic or nonischemic DCM, including in comparison with the traditional parameters of LGE and LVGLS. METHODS. This retrospective study included 811 patients with ischemic or nonischemic DCM (median age, 60 years; 640 men, 171 women) who underwent cardiac MRI at any of five centers. FT-derived LAS parameters and LVGLS were measured using two- and four-chamber cine images. LGE percentage was quantified. Patients were assessed for a composite outcome of all-cause mortality or heart failure hospitalization. Multivariable Cox regression analyses including demographic characteristics, cardiovascular risk factors, medications used, and a wide range of cardiac MRI parameters were performed. Kaplan-Meier analyses with log-rank tests were also performed. RESULTS. A total of 419 patients experienced the composite outcome. Patients who did, versus those who did not, experience the composite outcome had larger LVGLS (-6.7% vs -8.3%, respectively; p < .001) as well as a smaller LAS reservoir (13.3% vs 19.3%, p < .001), LAS conduit (4.7% vs 8.0%, p < .001), and LAS booster (8.1% vs 10.3%, p < .001) but no significant difference in LGE (10.1% vs 11.3%, p = .51). In multivariable Cox regression analyses, significant independent predictors of the composite outcome included LAS reservoir (HR = 0.96, p < .001) and LAS conduit (HR = 0.91, p < .001). LAS booster and LGE were not significant independent predictors in the models. LVGLS was a significant independent predictor only in a model that initially included LAS booster but not the other LAS parameters. In Kaplan-Meier analysis, all three LAS parameters were significantly associated with the composite outcome (p < .001). CONCLUSION. In this multicenter study, LAS reservoir and LAS conduit were significant independent prognostic markers in patients with ischemic or nonischemic DCM, showing greater prognostic utility than the currently applied markers of LVGLS and LGE. CLINICAL IMPACT. FT-derived LAS analysis provides incremental prognostic information in patients with DCM.

Cardiovascular Imaging in Women.

Multimodality cardiovascular imaging is a cornerstone diagnostic tool in the diagnosis, risk stratification, and management of cardiovascular diseases, whether those involving the coronary tree, myocardial, or pericardial diseases in general and particularly in women. This manuscript aims to shed some light and summarize the very features of cardiovascular disease in women, explore their unique characteristics and discuss the role of cardiovascular imaging in ischemic heart disease and cardiomyopathies. The role of four imaging modalities will be discussed including nuclear medicine, echocardiography, noninvasive coronary angiography, and cardiac magnetic resonance.

Resting strain analysis to identify myocardial ischemia in patients with advanced chronic kidney disease.

BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with higher incidence of cardiovascular death. Screening for coronary artery disease in asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic patients is challenging. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the incremental value of resting deformation analysis in predicting positive results for myocardial ischemia during stress transthoracic echocardiography in patients with end-stage CKD. METHODS: Sixty-one patients (mean age: 62.3 ± 11.8, 65.7% men) with end-stage CKD were included in the study. Patients underwent a resting transthoracic echocardiogram and a dobutamine stress contrast echo (DSE) protocol. Positive results of DSE were defined as stress-induced left ventricular (LV) wall motion abnormalities. RESULTS: The study cohort had normal or mildly impaired systolic function: mean LV ejection fraction (EF) was 49.2% (±10.4) and mean LV global longitudinal strain (GLS) was 14.4% (±4.5). Half of our population had impaired left atrial (LA) strain: mean LA reservoir, conduit, and contractile reserve were 24.1% (±12.6), 10.6% (±5.9), and 13.6% (±9.2), respectively. DSE was positive for ischemia in 55.7%. A significant negative association with DSE results was found for LV EF, LV GLS and the conduit phase of LA strain. Both LV and LA dimensions showed positive correlation with presence of ischemia in DSE. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that LV GLS was independently associated with DSE (p = 0.007), after controlling for covariates, with high diagnostic accuracy. CONCLUSION: Resting LV deformation could predict positive results during DSE, thus may be useful to better identify renal patients who might benefit from coronary artery screening.

Caffeine consumed prior to cardiac stress testing may affect diagnostic accuracy of nuclear medicine myocardial imaging of myocardial ischemia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) is a well-established, non-invasive imaging procedure for the diagnosis and evaluation of patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease. With the increasing use of pharmacologic stress agents in myocardial perfusion imaging, strict preparation, including caffeine abstinence, is required. The aim of this review was to determine the effect of caffeine consumed prior to nuclear cardiac stress testing on the diagnostic accuracy. METHODS: Medline, Embase and CINAHL were searched from the earliest available time until August 2022. Methodological quality was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies version 2. Data pertaining to diagnostic accuracy were analysed using meta-analysis where appropriate and overall certainty of evidence evaluated using the Grades of Research, Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach. RESULTS: Six studies (307 participants) from a yield of 735 articles were identified. Meta-analysis of two studies found no difference in the left ventricular ejection fraction of patients pre and post caffeine consumption (MD -0.31 %, 95% CI -4.32% to 3.7%). Meta-analysis of three studies found there was uncertainty as to whether caffeine consumption affected reversibility (MD -2.16 segments 95% CI -4.61 to 0.28) and descriptive summary of three studies found mixed results for size of stress defects. CONCLUSION: The low quality evidence synthesized in this systematic review suggests caffeine may affect the diagnostic accuracy in myocardial perfusion imaging for ischemia detection in patients with chest pain and intermediate-to-high risk of coronary artery disease.

A transferable in-silico augmented ischemic model for virtual myocardial perfusion imaging and myocardial infarction detection.

This paper proposes an innovative approach to generate a generalized myocardial ischemia database by modeling the virtual electrophysiology of the heart and the 12-lead electrocardiography projected by the in-silico model can serve as a ready-to-use database for automatic myocardial infarction/ischemia (MI) localization and classification. Although the virtual heart can be created by an established technique combining the cell model with personalized heart geometry to observe the spatial propagation of depolarization and repolarization waves, we developed a strategy based on the clinical pathophysiology of MI to generate a heterogeneous database with a generic heart while maintaining clinical relevance and reduced computational complexity. First, the virtual heart is simplified into 11 regions that match the types and locations, which can be diagnosed by 12-lead ECG; the major arteries were divided into 3-5 segments from the upstream to the downstream based on the general anatomy. Second, the stenosis or infarction of the major or minor coronary artery branches can cause different perfusion drops and infarct sizes. We simulated the ischemic sites in different branches of the arteries by meandering the infarction location to elaborate on possible ECG representations, which alters the infraction's size and changes the transmembrane potential (TMP) of the myocytes associated with different levels of perfusion drop. A total of 8190 different case combinations of cardiac potentials with ischemia and MI were simulated, and the corresponding ECGs were generated by forward calculations. Finally, we trained and validated our in-silico database with a sparse representation classification (SRC) and tested the transferability of the model on the real-world Physikalisch Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) database. The overall accuracies for localizing the MI region on the PTB data achieved 0.86, which is only 2% drop compared to that derived from the simulated database (0.88). In summary, we have shown a proof-of-concept for transferring an in-silico model to real-world database to compensate for insufficient data.