Quantitative Late Gadolinium Enhancement Cardiac Magnetic Resonance and Sudden Death in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: A Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Quantitative late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) cardiac magnetic resonance provides important prognostic information for sudden cardiac death (SCD) in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). However, it has not been fully integrated into clinical practice. OBJECTIVES: To assess the prognostic value of LGE extent in predicting SCD in adults with HCM across different methods of quantification, thresholds, and patients' clinical profile. METHODS: The authors searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library for studies investigating the prognostic value of LGE% in predicting SCD in HCM. Pooled odds ratios were calculated with 95% CIs. The optimal threshold was determined using a multiple cutoffs model. RESULTS: Eleven studies were included in the meta-analysis with a total of 5,550 patients and a median follow-up time of 5.2 years. Two studies quantified LGE manually, 7 studies used the 6 SD technique, 1 study used the 4 SD technique, and 1 study the 2 SD technique. There was no statistically significant difference in predicting SCD between these 4 methods (P = 0.443). Optimal cutoff could be determined only for the 6 SD technique. LGE 10% was the optimal threshold of the 6 SD technique with sensitivity 0.73 and specificity 0.67. CONCLUSIONS: The different LGE quantification techniques have comparable accuracy in predicting SCD. When the more extensively studied 6 SD technique is used, LGE 10% is the optimal cutoff and can effectively restratify intermediate-risk patients. LGE extent can improve HCM risk stratification, but it is unlikely to become a standalone tool.

Statin-based treatment for cardiovascular risk and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Killing two birds with one stone?

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) share common risk factors and may have a parallel course. Statin treatment alone or in combination with other drugs has a substantially beneficial effect on CVD morbidity and mortality. The question was if these regimens were harmful for the liver. Mounting data suggest that statin monotherapy or statin-based treatments are safe in patients with NAFLD and can improve liver tests and liver ultrasonographic evidence of NAFLD. Recent data suggest that statin-based therapies are beneficial to the liver and at the same time reduce CVD morbidity and mortality in patients with NAFLD more than in subjects without it. These findings suggest that with statins we are able to get two birds with one stone.

Is the risk for cardiovascular disease increased in all phenotypes of the polycystic ovary syndrome?

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common disorder in women of reproductive age, affecting around 10% of them. Polycystic ovary syndrome is considered to be related to increased risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). There are 2 definitions for PCOS: one adopted in 1990 (classical PCOS with phenotypes A and B) and the other in 2003 (Rotterdam criteria with 4 phenotypes A to D). The latter is a wider definition including the 1990 phenotypes. There is mounting data suggesting that phenotypes C and D are not actually related to increased CVD risk, and thus screening for CVD risk factors of intervening for primary CVD prevention in young women is not cost-effective. There is an increasing number of suggestions to return to the 1990 criteria plus some metabolic parameters to identify real CVD risk in this population. However, such a strategy needs verification by large, prospective studies.