Kardiol Pol
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Heart failure (HF) is a chronic disease of great clinical and economic significance for both the healthcare system and patients themselves. ⋯ The costs of treating heart failure in Poland are high; proper allocation of resources to diagnostic procedures and treatment may contribute to rationalisation of the relevant expenditure.
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Case Reports
Pulmonary artery aneurysm mimicking pulmonary artery dissection detected by multimodality imaging.
An idiopathic pulmonary artery aneurysm (PAA) is an uncommon lesion, and is defined when the diameter of the pulmonary trunk is greater than 30 mm in the absence of cardiac or pulmonary etiologies. Idiopathic PAA is generally asymptomatic and has an increased risk for dissection or rupture of the aneurysm. We herein demonstrate two- and three-dimensional echocardiographic and computerised tomographic angiography features of an idiopathic pulmonary aneurysm mimicking a pulmonary artery dissection.
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Atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is generally associated with deterioration of the clinical status, functional capacity, and quality of life. It is also an independent risk factor for stroke and death. Studies evaluating the effectiveness of AF ablation in this cohort are relatively scant, have included relatively few patients, and their results are somewhat conflicting. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the safety and efficacy of catheter ablation of AF in patients with HCM. ⋯ Catheter ablation of AF in patients with HCM is an effective and safe therapeutic option, particularly in patients with paroxysmal AF. Effectiveness of ablation is significantly smaller in patients with persistent AF and even more so in those with long-persistent AF. Repeated procedures were often necessary. Continued antiarrhythmic drug therapy is often required due to a significant degree of atrial remodelling.