Prosthesis-patient mismatch after mitral valve replacement: A pooled meta-analysis of Kaplan-Meier-derived individual patient data.

OBJECTIVE: The hemodynamic effect and early and late survival impact of prosthesis-patient mismatch (PPM) after mitral valve replacement remains insufficiently explored. METHODS: Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for English language original publications. The search yielded 791 potentially relevant studies. The final review and analysis included 19 studies compromising 11,675 patients. RESULTS: Prosthetic effective orifice area was calculated with the continuity equation method in 7 (37%), pressure half-time method in 2 (10%), and partially or fully obtained from referenced values in 10 (53%) studies. Risk factors for PPM included gender (male), diabetes mellitus, chronic renal disease, and the use of bioprostheses. When pooling unadjusted data, PPM was associated with higher perioperative (odds ratio [OR]: 1.66; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.32-2.10; p < .001) and late mortality (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.46; 95% CI: 1.21-1.77; p < .001). Moreover, PPM was associated with higher late mortality when Cox proportional-hazards regression (HR: 1.97; 95% CI: 1.57-2.47; p < .001) and propensity score (HR: 1.99; 95% CI: 1.34-2.95; p < .001) adjusted data were pooled. Contrarily, moderate (HR: 1.01; 95% CI: 0.84-1.22; p = .88) or severe (HR: 1.19; 95% CI: 0.89-1.58; p = .24) PPM were not related to higher late mortality when adjusted data were pooled individually. PPM was associated with higher systolic pulmonary pressures (mean difference: 7.88 mmHg; 95% CI: 4.72-11.05; p < .001) and less pulmonary hypertension regression (OR: 5.78; 95% CI: 3.33-10.05; p < .001) late after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Mitral valve PPM is associated with higher postoperative pulmonary artery pressure and might impair perioperative and overall survival. The relation should be further assessed in properly designed studies.

The Prognostic Value of Right Atrial and Right Ventricular Functional Parameters in Systemic Sclerosis.

Introduction: Right ventricular (RV) function is of particular importance in systemic sclerosis (SSc), since common SSc complications, such as interstitial lung disease and pulmonary hypertension may affect RV afterload. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is the gold standard for measuring RV function. CMR-derived RV and right atrial (RA) strain is a promising tool to detect subtle changes in RV function, and might have incremental value, however, prognostic data is lacking. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of RA and RV strain in SSc. Methods: In this retrospective study, performed at two Dutch hospitals, consecutive SSc patients who underwent CMR were included. RV longitudinal strain (LS) and RA strain were measured. Unadjusted cox proportional hazard regression analysis and likelihood ratio tests were used to evaluate the association and incremental value of strain parameters with all-cause mortality. Results: A total of 100 patients (median age 54 [46-64] years, 42% male) were included. Twenty-four patients (24%) died during a follow-up of 3.1 [1.8-5.2] years. RA reservoir [Hazard Ratio (HR) = 0.95, 95% CI 0.91-0.99, p = 0.009] and conduit strain (HR = 0.93, 95% CI 0.88-0.98, p = 0.008) were univariable predictors of all-cause mortality, while RV LS and RA booster strain were not. RA conduit strain proved to be of incremental value to sex, atrial fibrillation, NYHA class, RA maximum volume indexed, and late gadolinium enhancement (p < 0.05 for all). Conclusion: RA reservoir and conduit strain are predictors of all-cause mortality in SSc patients, whereas RV LS is not. In addition, RA conduit strain showed incremental prognostic value to all evaluated clinical and imaging parameters. Therefore, RA conduit strain may be a useful prognostic marker in SSc patients.

The year 2020 in the European Heart Journal - Cardiovascular Imaging: part I.

The European Heart Journal - Cardiovascular Imaging was launched in 2012 and has during these 9 years become one of the leading multimodality cardiovascular imaging journals. The journal is currently ranked as number 20 among all cardiovascular journals. Our journal is well established as one of the top cardiovascular journals and is the most important cardiovascular imaging journal in Europe. The most important studies published in our Journal in 2020 will be highlighted in two reports. Part I of the review will focus on studies about myocardial function and risk prediction, myocardial ischaemia, and emerging techniques in cardiovascular imaging, while Part II will focus on valvular heart disease, heart failure, cardiomyopathies, and congenital heart disease.

Exercise haemodynamics after restrictive mitral annuloplasty for functional mitral regurgitation.

AIMS: Restrictive mitral annuloplasty (RMA) can provide a durable solution for functional mitral regurgitation (MR), but might result in obstruction to antegrade mitral flow. Aim of this study was to assess the magnitude of change in mitral valve area (MVA) during exercise after RMA, to relate the change in MVA to left ventricular (LV) geometry and function, and to assess its haemodynamic and clinical impact. METHODS AND RESULTS: Bicycle exercise echocardiography was performed in 32 patients after RMA. Echocardiographic data at rest and during exercise were compared with preoperative echocardiographic data. Clinical endpoints were collected following the study visit. MVA increased during exercise in 25 patients (1.6 ± 0.4 cm2 to 2.0 ± 0.6 cm2, P < 0.001), whereas MVA decreased in 7 patients (1.8 ± 0.5 cm2 to 1.5 ± 0.4 cm2, P = 0.020). Patients with an increased MVA showed a significant reduction in LV volumes at rest compared to preoperatively, and an increase in stroke volume and cardiac output (CO) during exercise. In patients with decreased MVA, LV reverse remodelling was absent and myocardial flow reserve limited. Patients with decreased exercise MVA had a higher increase in mean pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) with respect to CO and worse survival 36 months after the study visit (69±19% vs. 92±5%, P = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: Both increased and decreased MVA were observed during exercise echocardiography after RMA for functional MR. Change in MVA was related to the extent of LV geometrical and functional changes. A decreased MVA during exercise was associated with a higher increase in mean PAP with respect to CO, and worse survival.

Noninvasive imaging in cardiac resynchronization therapy--part 1: selection of patients.

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is an established therapy for patients with advanced heart failure, depressed left ventricular function, and wide QRS complex. However, individual response varies, and a substantial amount of patients do not respond to CRT. Recent studies observed that assessment of inter- and particularly intraventricular dyssynchrony may allow identification of potential responders to CRT. In addition, presence of scar tissue and venous anatomy may play a role in the selection of candidates. In this review, an extensive overview of the available dyssynchrony measurements is provided using echocardiography as well as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and nuclear imaging. Furthermore, other information derived from MRI, nuclear imaging, and computed tomography useful for the selection of potential candidates for CRT will be discussed.

Comparison of Quantity of Calcific Deposits by Multidetector Computed Tomography in the Aortic Valve and Coronary Arteries.

The aim of this study was to compare the calcium burden of the aortic valve and coronary arteries with multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) in a propensity score-matched population of patients with a bicuspid versus a tricuspid aortic valve. From an ongoing clinical registry of patients who underwent MDCT, 70 patients with bicuspid aortic valve and 210 patients with tricuspid aortic valve were matched based on age, gender, cardiovascular risk factors, chest pain symptoms, and MDCT indication. Aortic valve calcium and the presence and severity of coronary artery disease were analyzed. Patients were divided into age quintiles. The median Agatston coronary artery score (27 [0 to 563] vs 0 [0 to 57], p = 0.003) was higher in patients with a tricuspid aortic valve compared with those with a bicuspid aortic valve. In contrast, patients with bicuspid aortic valve had a significantly larger calcium volume of the aortic valve than those with tricuspid aortic valve (391 [43 to 2,028] mm3 vs 0 [0 to 1,844] mm3, p <0.001). In patients with bicuspid aortic valve, the calcification process of the aortic valve started at an earlier age (second quintile 35 to 51 years) compared with those with tricuspid aortic valve, whereas the coronary atherosclerosis process was similar in both groups. In conclusion, patients with bicuspid aortic valve show larger aortic valve calcium load and at earlier age than those with tricuspid aortic valve, independently from the extent of calcium in the coronary arteries. Calcific deposits were heavier in bicuspid than in tricuspid valves.

Impact of age on transcatheter aortic valve implantation outcomes: a comparison of patients aged ≤ 80 years versus patients > 80 years.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the procedural outcomes and the long-term survival of patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) and compare study results of patients ≤ 80 years and patients > 80 years old. METHODS: A total of 240 patients treated with TAVI were divided into two groups according to age ≤ 80 years (n = 105; 43.8%) and > 80 years (n = 135; 56.2%). The baseline characteristics and the procedural outcomes were compared between these two groups of patients. RESULTS: With the exception of peripheral artery disease and hypercholesterolemia, which were more frequently observed in the older age group, baseline characteristics were comparable between groups. Complication rates did not differ significantly between patients ≤ 80 years and patients > 80 years. There were no differences in 30-day mortality rates between patients aged ≤ 80 years and patients > 80 years old (9.5% vs. 7.4%, respectively; P = 0.557). After a median follow-up of 28 months (interquartile range: 16-42 months), 50 (47.6%) patients aged ≤ 80 years died compared to 57 (42%) deaths in the group of patients > 80 years old (P = 0.404). CONCLUSION: The results of the present single center study showed that age did not significantly impact the outcomes of TAVI.

Prognostic implications of left ventricular dilation in patients with nonischemic heart failure: interactions with restrictive filling pattern and mitral regurgitation.

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether small left ventricular (LV) volumes increase the negative prognostic impact of a restrictive filling pattern (RFP) and that of mitral regurgitation (MR) in patients with nonischemic heart failure (HF). The Meta-analysis Research Group in Echocardiography (MeRGE) is a meta-analysis that collated individual patient data from several prospective echocardiography outcome studies. This analysis was restricted to 10 studies and 601 patients with nonischemic HF. The role of MR was tested in a subgroup of 252 patients. A total of 106 deaths occurred during a median follow-up of 32 months. At multivariate analysis, RFP (hazard ratio [HR], 4.16; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.54-11.23; P=.005) and New York Heart Association class III or IV (HR, 2.15; 95% CI, 1.33-3.47; P=.001) were the independent predictors of poor prognosis, and there was no statistically significant interaction between LV dilation and RFP. Moderate/severe MR was associated with poorer outcome in the group of patients with normal volumes, whereas it was not a significant predictor of mortality in patients with any degree of LV dilation. In patients with nonischemic HF, RFP is the most important indicator of poor prognosis, irrespective of the degree of LV dilation. Normal LV volumes increase the negative prognostic impact of moderate to severe MR.

Quantitative analysis of mitral valve apparatus in mitral valve prolapse before and after annuloplasty: a three-dimensional intraoperative transesophageal study.

BACKGROUND: Intraoperative real-time three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography has been shown useful in the evaluation of the mitral valve (MV) apparatus, and dedicated commercial software allows its quantitative assessment. The aims of this study were to (1) quantify the effects induced by prolapse on MV anatomy in the presence of fibroelastic deficiency (FED) or Barlow's disease (BD), (2) assess the effect of surgery on the MV apparatus, and (3) investigate the potential role of three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography in surgical planning. METHODS: Fifty-six patients (29 with FED, 27 with BD) undergoing MV repair and annuloplasty were studied immediately before and after surgery. Also, 18 age-matched patients with normal MV anatomy, undergoing coronary artery bypass, were included as a control group. Three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiographic data sets were acquired and analyzed to quantify several MV annulus and leaflet parameters using dedicated software. RESULTS: MV prolapse and regurgitation were associated with a markedly enlarged annulus (area, 12.0 ± 3.2 cm(2) in FED and 15.4 ± 3.8 cm(2) in BD) and leaflets compared with controls (area, 7.5 ± 2.1 cm(2)), while annular height (4.5 ± 1.3 mm in controls, 4.0 ± 1.3 mm in FED, 5.3 ± 1.6 mm in BD) and the mitral aortic angle (136 ± 12° in controls, 141 ± 12° in FED, 137 ± 11° in BD) were similar. Patients with BD showed greater values than those with FED. MV repair and annuloplasty led to a significant undersizing of leaflet and annular areas (4.0 ± 1.1 cm(2) in FED, 4.9 ± 1.3 cm(2) in BD), diameters, and height (2.6 ± 1.1 mm in FED, 3.4 ± 1.4 mm in BD) compared with controls. Coaptation length remained in the normal range (30 ± 5 mm in controls, 24 ± 6 mm in FED, 28 ± 6 mm in BD). Differences between BD and FED were reduced but still present after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Intraoperative three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography allows quantitative evaluation of the MV apparatus in the presence of FED or BD and could be useful for immediate assessment of the surgical procedure.

Myocardial collagen turnover after surgical ventricular restoration in heart failure patients.

AIMS: Surgical ventricular restoration (SVR) aims to normalize left ventricular (LV) volume and shape in patients with ischaemic cardiomyopathy and anterior wall scar. The chronic effects on LV function may depend on alterations in myocardial collagen metabolism. The present study evaluated myocardial collagen synthesis and degradation rates at baseline and at 6 months follow-up after SVR. We hypothesize that the chronic effects of SVR on LV function and clinical outcome depend on alterations in myocardial collagen metabolism. METHODS AND RESULTS: Serum levels of aminoterminal propeptides of type I and III collagen (PINP, PIIINP), carboxyterminal telopeptide of type I collagen (ICTP), and tenascin-C (TNC) were measured at baseline and 6 months after SVR in 24 patients. In addition, New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class, LV volumes and function were evaluated. At follow-up, a significant improvement in NYHA class (from 3.2 ± 0.8 to 1.4 ± 0.6, P< 0.001) and LV ejection fraction (from 28 ± 9 to 35 ± 7%, P< 0.001) was found, whereas E/A ratio tended to increase (from 1.4 ± 1.1 to 1.9 ± 1.1, P= 0.064). Serum levels of PINP, PIIINP, ICTP, and TNC increased significantly (PINP: from 37 ± 15 to 67 ± 26 µg/L, P< 0.001; PIIINP: from 4.9 ± 1.7 to 7.9 ± 4.0 µg/L, P< 0.001; ICTP: from 5.9 ± 3.7 to 10.0 ± 5.3 µg/L, P< 0.001; TNC: from 30 ± 20 to 44 ± 23 µg/L, P= 0.020). At follow-up, an LV ejection fraction <34% and E/A ratio ≥ 2.0 were significantly associated with increased serum levels of PIIINP and ICTP. CONCLUSION: In patients who underwent SVR, myocardial collagen metabolism was significantly enhanced 6 months after surgery. Serum levels of myocardial collagen turnover biomarkers were related to post-surgical LV systolic and diastolic function.