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An acute, transient episode of left ventricular dysfunction characterizes Takotsubo syndrome. It represents about 2% of all cases of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), and occurs predominantly in postmenopausal women, generally following a significant physical or emotional stressor. It can be diagnosed based on clinical symptoms and the absence of coronary artery disease on angiography. Ventriculography remains the gold standard for the diagnosis. Despite its transitory characteristic Takotsubo syndrome should not be considered a benign condition since complications occur in almost half of the patients, and the mortality rate reaches 4-5%. Lately, it has been revealed that Takotsubo syndrome can also lead to permanent myocardial damage due to the massive release of catecholamines that leads to myocardial dysfunction. Different mechanisms have been advanced to explain this fascinating syndrome, such as plaque rupture and thrombosis, coronary spasm, microcirculatory dysfunction, catecholamine toxicity, and activation of myocardial survival pathways. Here are still several issues with Takotsubo syndrome that need to be investigated: the complex relationship between the heart and the brain, the risk of permanent myocardial damage, and the impairment of cardiomyocyte. Our review aims to elucidate the pathophysiology and the mechanisms underlying this complex disease to manage the diagnostic and therapeutic algorithms to create a functional synergy between physicians and patients.
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A 19-year-old patient presented for syncope with third-degree AV block (TDAVB) at ECG. A chest-CT showed a thymic mass that could be responsible for TDAVB due to extrinsic vagal nerve compression. Thymectomy led to complete AV block resolution. An extrinsic vagal compression mechanism should be considered among causes of complete atrioventricular block.
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Bloqueio Atrioventricular , Hiperplasia do Timo , Adulto , Bloqueio Atrioventricular/diagnóstico , Bloqueio Atrioventricular/etiologia , Eletrocardiografia , Humanos , Síncope/etiologia , Nervo Vago , Adulto JovemRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Using three-dimensional (3D) modalities for optimal pre-procedure planning in transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is critical for procedural success. However, current methods rely on visualizing images on a two-dimensional screen, using shading and colors to create the illusion of 3D, potentially impeding the accurate comprehension of the actual anatomy structures. In contrast, a new Mixed Reality (MxR) based software enables accurate 3D visualization, imaging manipulation, and quantification of measurements. AIMS: The study aims to evaluate the feasibility, reproducibility, and accuracy of dimensions of the aortic valve complex as measured with a new holographic MxR software (ARTICOR®, Artiness srl, Milano, Italy) compared to a widely used software for pre-operative sizing and planning (3mensio Medical Imaging BV, Bilthoven, The Netherlands). METHODS: This retrospective, observational, double-center study enrolled 100 patients with severe aortic stenosis who underwent cardiac computed tomography (CCT) before TAVR. The CCT datasets of volumetric aortic valve images were analyzed using 3Mensio and newly introduced MxR-based software. RESULTS: Ninety-eight percent of the CCT datasets were successfully converted into holographic models. A higher level of agreement between the two software systems was observed for linear metrics (short, long, and average diameter). In comparison, agreement was lower for area, perimeter, and annulus-to-coronary ostia distance measurements. Notably, the annulus area, annular perimeter, left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) area, and LVOT perimeter were significantly and consistently smaller with the MxR-based software compared to the 3Mensio. Excellent interobserver reliability was demonstrated for most measurements, especially for direct linear measurements. CONCLUSIONS: Linear measurements of the aortic valve complex using MxR-based software are reproducible compared to the standard CCT dataset analyzed with 3Mensio. MxR-based software could represent an accurate tool for the pre-procedural planning of TAVR.
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Estenose da Valva Aórtica , Holografia , Substituição da Valva Aórtica Transcateter , Substituição da Valva Aórtica Transcateter/métodos , Humanos , Estudos Retrospectivos , Holografia/métodos , Feminino , Estenose da Valva Aórtica/cirurgia , Estenose da Valva Aórtica/diagnóstico por imagem , Masculino , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Idoso , Imageamento Tridimensional/métodos , Valva Aórtica/cirurgia , Valva Aórtica/diagnóstico por imagem , Reprodutibilidade dos Testes , Realidade Aumentada , SoftwareRESUMO
Background After the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak, social isolation measures were introduced to contain infection. Although there is currently a slowing down of the infection, a reduction of hospitalizations, especially for myocardial infarction, was observed. The aim of our study is to evaluate the impact of the infectious disease on ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) care during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, through the analysis of recent cases of patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention. Methods and Results Consecutive patients affected by STEMI from March 1 to 31, 2020, during social restrictions of Italian government, were collected and compared with patients with STEMI treated during March 2019. During March 2020, we observed a 63% reduction of patients with STEMI who were admitted to our catheterization laboratory, when compared with the same period of 2019 (13 versus 35 patients). Changes in all time components of STEMI care were notably observed, particularly for longer median time in symptom-to-first medical contact, spoke-to-hub, and the cumulative symptom-to-wire delay. Procedural data and in-hospital outcomes were similar between the 2 groups, whereas the length of hospitalization was longer in patients of 2020. In this group, we also observed higher levels of cardiac biomarkers and a worse left ventricular ejection fraction at baseline and discharge. Conclusions The coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak induced a reduction of hospital access for STEMI with an increase in treatment delay, longer hospitalization, higher levels of cardiac biomarkers, and worse left ventricular function.