Imaging of Cardiac Masses: An Updated Overview.

Studying cardiac masses is one of the most challenging tasks for cardiac imagers. The aim of this review article is to focus on the modern imaging of cardiac masses proceeding through the most frequent ones. Cardiac benign masses such as myxoma, cardiac papillary fibroelastoma, rhabdomyoma, lipoma, and hemangioma are browsed considering the usefulness of most common cardiovascular imaging tools, such as ultrasound techniques, cardiac computed tomography, cardiac magnetic resonance, and in the diagnostic process. In the same way, the most frequent malignant cardiac masses, such as angiosarcoma and metastases, are highlighted. Then, the article browses through nontumoral masses such as cysts, mitral caseous degenerative formations, thrombi, and vegetations, highlighting the differential diagnosis between them. In addition, the article helps in recognizing anatomic normal variants that should not be misdiagnosed as pathological entities.

An isolated anterior mitral leaflet cleft: a case report.

INTRODUCTION: The anterior mitral leaflet cleft is an unusual congenital lesion most often encountered in association with other congenital heart defects. The isolated anterior leaflet cleft is quite a rare anomaly and is usually cause of mitral valve regurgitation. The importance of the lesion is that it is often correctable. When feasible, cleft suture and, eventually, annuloplasty are preferable to valve replacement. Echocardiography is the first choice technique in the evaluation of mitral valve disease, providing useful information about valve anatomy and hemodynamic parameters. CASE PRESENTATION: We present a case of an isolated anterior mitral leaflet cleft producing moderate-severe mitral regurgitation correctly identified by echocardiography and successfully surgically corrected. CONCLUSION: Isolated cleft is a rare aberration, that has to be known in order to be diagnosed. Transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography is the most useful non invasive technique for cleft diagnosis and to indicate the right surgical correction.

Preoperative scallop-by-scallop assessment of mitral prolapse using 2D-transthoracic echocardiography.

BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to assess the accuracy of harmonic imaging 2D-transthoracic echocardiography (2D-TTE) segmental analysis compared to surgical findings, in degenerative mitral regurgitation (MR). METHODS: Seventy-seven consecutive patients with severe degenerative MR were prospectively enrolled. Preoperative 2D-TTE with precise localization of prolapsing or flailing scallops/segments was performed. All patients underwent mitral valve surgical repair. Surgical reports (SR), including valve description, were used as references for comparisons. A postoperative control 2D-TTE was performed. RESULTS: Out of 462 scallops/segments studied, surgical inspection identified 102 prolapses or flails (22%), 92 of which had previously been detected by 2D-TTE (90.2% sensitivity, 100% specificity). Agreement between preoperative 2D-TTE segmental analysis and SR was 97.8% (k = 0.93; p < 0.0001). Sixty-nine out of 77 2D-TTE reports were completely concordant with SR (89.6% diagnostic accuracy). None of the 8 non-concordant 2D-TTE reports were in complete disagreement with SR. P2 scallop was always involved in posterior leaflet prolapse or flail and was described correctly by 2D-TTE in 68 out of 69 patients (98,7% agreement, k = 0,93; 98.5% sensitivity). The anterior leaflet was involved in 14 patients (18%); A2 segment was involved in all of those cases and was correctly detected by 2D-TTE in 13 (98,7% agreement, k = 0,95; 92,8% sensitivity). Antero-lateral and postero-medial para-commissural prolapse or flail had a lower prevalence (14% and 10% respectively), with 2D-TTE sensitivity respectively of 64% and 50%. CONCLUSIONS: 2D-TTE, performed by an experienced echo-lab, has very good diagnostic accuracy in localizing the scallops/segments involved in degenerative MR, particularly for the middle ones (P2-A2), which represent almost the totality of prolapses. More invasive, time consuming and expensive exams should be reserved to selected cases.

Innate immunity in cardiac myxomas and its pathological and clinical correlations.

Cardiac myxomas are the most common benign cardiac tumor. We investigated the immunohistochemical properties of 11 surgically excised cardiac myxomas, in order to analyze the correlation between macrophages and mast cell populations and clinical parameters. CD68+/CD163-/iNOS- (M0) cells represent the most abundant macrophage phenotype; however, CD68+/CD163+ cells (M2) were also frequent. CD68+/iNOS+ (M1) elements were rare. Mast cells, defined as a population of c-kit (CD117)+ and/or tryptase+ cells were also detected. Statistical analysis showed significant correlations between c-kit (CD117)+ and tryptase, CD68 and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), ESR and red blood cell count (RBC), and prothrombin time and platelet count. The inverse correlation between RBCs in peripheral blood and ESR suggested that anemia associated with chronic inflammatory disease is a noncasual event in patients suffering from cardiac myxoma. Mechanical hemolysis may be only a minor component of anemia, according to the lack of correlation between echographic surface and RBCs. Moreover, tumor size did not correlate with ESR, showing that inflammatory state may depend from both tumor cells population and inflammatory infiltrate. In the future, modulation of macrophage polarization in cardiac myxomas might represent important therapeutic target.

Mitral repair with the sole use of a semi-rigid band in a sub-population of patients with Barlow's disease: a 4-year follow-up with stress echocardiography.

OBJECTIVES: Surgical treatment of Barlow's disease is usually demanding. In a sub-population of Barlow patients with bileaflets prolapse and central regurgitant jet, we performed mitral repair using only a semi-rigid annuloplasty band. Stress echocardiography follow-up was evaluated. METHODS: Of a total of 350 consecutive patients with mitral prolapse, 69 had anatomical features of Barlow's disease. Of these, 40 with multiple large central jets without chordal rupture were repaired only using an annuloplasty band, and these constituted the study group. An echocardiographic study of the acute change in valvular and ventricular morphology before and after surgery was carried out. Patients were evaluated at discharge and after a mean follow-up of 4.7 ± 3.2 years by stress echocardiography. RESULTS: No death or reoperation occurred. Acute echocardiographic study revealed that mitral annuloplasty led to a significant migration of the leaflets towards the apex of the left ventricle. Coaptation length increased dramatically from 2.7 ± 0.8 to 11.3 ± 2.7 mm and a reduction in annular diameters and leaflet length was observed. The left ventricle was elongated (72.8 ± 6.9 vs 63.2 ± 8.1 mm) and the distance from the papillary muscle tip to the mitral annulus increased (anterior 30 ± 3.9 vs 20.3 ± 4.8 mm, posterior 29.7 ± 4.3 vs 20.8 ± 5.6 mm). At discharge, residual mitral regurgitation was mild in 1 case and trivial in 3. The results were confirmed at stress echocardiography follow-up with normal valve function at peak exercise. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with severe mitral regurgitation due to Barlow's disease with multiple central jet and without chordal rupture, mitral annuloplasty is effective in restoring mitral valve function owing to profound changes in mitral valve and left ventricle geometry. At follow-up, stress echocardiography confirms the results and the stability of the repair.

Translation and validation of the Italian version of the European Heart Failure Self-care Behaviour Scale.

BACKGROUND: Heart failure (HF) patients can benefit from management programmes that include education, discharge planning and structured follow-up. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the improvement of self-care as a result of these interventions. The European Heart Failure Self-care Behaviour Scale (EHFScBS) was developed as a reliable and valid instrument for self-care evaluation. OBJECTIVES: The aims were to translate and validate the Italian version of the EHFScBS and to evaluate factors related to self-care. METHODS: The translation and validation were performed as follows: translation and back-translation; evaluation by four bilingual cardiologists; administration to healthy individuals of different ages and education to test language comprehension; final correction by cardiologists experienced in cognitive assessment; and administration in HF patients to test validity and internal consistency. RESULTS: A sample of 93 HF patients (mean age 77 +/- 6 years, 53% women) was considered for the validation procedure. Fifty-four (58%) patients were already followed in the HF clinic (HFC), with previous HF education, and 39 (42%) were evaluated at baseline. The reliability analysis showed a Cronbach's alpha of 0.82. At multivariate analysis, age, not already followed in HFC and female sex were associated to worse self-care behaviour. When HFC patients were considered separately, an association between self-care and cognitive dysfunction was observed. CONCLUSION: The EHFScBS appears to be a valid and reliable instrument in the Italian version also. Self-care behaviour appears to depend on age and sex and a previous HF education. Mild to moderately impaired cognitive function seems to influence self-care in patients who have already received HF education.

Early detection of coronary artery disease by 64-slice multidetector computed tomography in asymptomatic hypertensive high-risk patients.

BACKGROUND: The 64-slice multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT) is an accurate noninvasive technique for assessing the degree of luminal narrowing in coronary arteries of patients with chronic ischemic disease. Aim of this study was to determine the value of MDCT in comparison to invasive coronary angiography (ICA) for detecting the presence and extent of coronary atherosclerotic plaques in a population of asymptomatic, hypertensive patients considered to be at high risk for cardiovascular events. METHODS: We studied 67 asymptomatic, hypertensive patients at high-risk (Euro Score >5%). All patients had negative or nondiagnostic findings at exercise stress testing and therefore underwent both MDCT and ICA. RESULTS: In the per-patient analysis, MDCT correctly identified 16/17 (94%) patients with significant coronary artery disease involving at least 1 vessel and 48/50 (96%) normal subjects. In the per-segment analysis, MDCT correctly detected 21/22 (95%) coronary segments with a stenosis >or=50% and 856/868 (98%) normal segments, with a high negative predictivity of normal scans (100%). There was a good concordance between MDCT and ICA, with a high Pearson correlation coefficient between the coronary narrowings with the two techniques (r=0.84, p<0.01). Mean coronary calcium score was higher for the 17 patients with significant coronary artery disease on ICA than in the 50 patients without (422+/-223 HU vs 72+/-21 HU p<0.001). The ROC curves identified 160 as the best calcium volumetric score cut-off value able to identify >or=1 significant coronary stenosis with sensitivity 88% and specificity 85%. CONCLUSIONS: MDCT is an excellent noninvasive technique for early identification of significant coronary stenoses in high risk asymptomatic hypertensive patients and might provide unique information for the screening of this broad population.