The international journal of cardiovascular imaging
-
Int J Cardiovasc Imaging · Apr 2012
Degree and distribution of left ventricular hypertrophy as a determining factor for elevated natriuretic peptide levels in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: insights from cardiac magnetic resonance imaging.
Whether the left ventricular (LV) mass index (LVMI) and LV volumetric parameters are associated independently with natriuretic peptide levels is unclear in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Therefore, we investigated which parameters have an independent relationship with N-terminal pro-B type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels in HCM patients using echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR). A total of 103 patients with HCM (82 men, age 53 ± 12 years) were evaluated. ⋯ On multivariable analysis, non-apical HCM, increased maximal wall thickness and LAVI were independently related with NT-proBNP. Severity of LV hypertrophy and diastolic parameters might be important in the elevation of NT-proBNP level in HCM. Therefore, further evaluation of these parameters in HCM might be warranted.
-
Int J Cardiovasc Imaging · Apr 2012
Comparative StudyPrognostic value of adenosine stress cardiovascular magnetic resonance and dobutamine stress echocardiography in patients with low-risk chest pain.
Excluding obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) as the etiology of acute chest pain in patients without diagnostic electrocardiographic changes or elevated serum cardiac biomarkers is challenging. Stress testing is a valuable risk-stratifying technique reserved for the subset of these patients with low-risk chest pain who have an intermediate clinical probability of obstructive CAD. Given the risks of radiation inherent to nuclear and computed tomography imaging, both adenosine stress cardiovascular magnetic resonance (AS-CMR) imaging and dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) are attractive alternative stress modalities. ⋯ Both AS-CMR and DSE had excellent negative prognostic values for the primary endpoint, 100 and 99%, respectively. Both AS-CMR and DSE are effective stress modalities for excluding clinically significant coronary artery disease in patients presenting acute low-risk chest pain. Patients without findings to suggest ischemia have an excellent intermediate-term prognosis.
-
Int J Cardiovasc Imaging · Apr 2012
Comparative StudyAutomated versus manual segmentation of atherosclerotic carotid plaque volume and components in CTA: associations with cardiovascular risk factors.
The purpose of this study was to validate automated atherosclerotic plaque measurements in carotid arteries from CT angiography (CTA). We present an automated method (three initialization points are required) to measure plaque components within the carotid vessel wall in CTA. Plaque components (calcifications, fibrous tissue, lipids) are determined by different ranges of Hounsfield Unit values within the vessel wall. ⋯ Significant associations found only by the automated method were between age and plaque volume, hypercholesterolemia and plaque volume and diabetes and fibrous tissue percentage. Significant association found only by the manual method was between previous cerebrovascular disease and percentage of fibrous tissue. Automated analysis of plaque composition in the carotid arteries is comparable with the manual analysis and has the potential to replace it.
-
Int J Cardiovasc Imaging · Apr 2012
Optical coherence tomography findings of very late stent thrombosis after drug-eluting stent implantation.
Previous optical coherence tomography (OCT) studies in patients with drug-eluting stents (DESs)-related very late stent thrombosis (VLST) were scarce. Therefore, we investigated OCT findings of VLST after implantation of DESs. Using OCT, we analyzed the status of stent struts and neointimal characteristics in 18 patients who developed VLST after DES implantation. ⋯ Time to OCT study after DES implantation was significantly longer in the eight patients with lipid-laden neointima than in 49 patients without lipid-laden neointima (45.5 ± 17.7 months vs. 11.7 ± 7.2 months, respectively, P < 0.001). Lipid-laden neointima was detected in some patients with neointimal hyperplasia > 1 year after DES implantation. In addition to uncovered or malapposed struts, rupture of lipid-laden neointima inside DESs was identified in some patients with DES-related VLST.