The international journal of cardiovascular imaging
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Int J Cardiovasc Imaging · Jan 2016
Natural history of atherosclerotic disease progression as assessed by (18)F-FDG PET/CT.
The aim of this study was to assess the impact of cardiovascular risk factors and plaque inflammation on the progression of atherosclerosis as assessed by positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) imaging with (18)F-radiolabled fluorodeoxyglucose ((18)F-FDG). This study was designed as a retrospective cohort study. Patients who received a (18)F-FDG PET/CT scan and follow-up scan 9-24 months later without systemic inflammation or steroid medication were eligible for the study. (18)F-FDG PET/CT included a full diagnostic contrast enhanced CT scan. ⋯ Carotid lumen reduction was predicted by hypercholesterolemia (p = 0.008) while aortic lumen reduction was associated with BMI and mean (18)F-FDG uptake (p ≤ 0.005). Furthermore we observed a dose response relationship between the number of cardiovascular risk factors and calcified plaque volume progression in the aorta (p = 0.03). Findings from this study provide data on the natural history of atherosclerotic disease burden in multiple vascular beds and emphasize the value of morphological and physiologic information provided by (18)F-FDG PET/CT imaging.
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Int J Cardiovasc Imaging · Dec 2015
Comparative StudyComparison of right ventricular contractile abnormalities in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy versus hypertensive heart disease using two dimensional strain imaging: a cross-sectional study.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) affects the right ventricle (RV) because of the anatomically hypertrophied septum and plausibly by extension of the myopathic process to the RV. We sought to investigate RV strain in patients with left ventricular hypertrophy secondary to either HCM or hypertension (H-LVH). Our cross-sectional study included 32 patients with HCM, 21 patients with H-LVH, and 11 healthy subjects, who were evaluated with transthoracic echocardiography. ⋯ Regional and global RV strain parameters were not significantly impaired in H-LVH compared to healthy controls An RV GLS cut-off value of >14.9% differentiated HCM and H-LVH with a 90% sensitivity and a 95% specificity (p < 0.001). RV strain parameters are impaired in patients with HCM. Assessment of two-dimensional RV strain parameters could help differentiate between HCM and H-LVH.
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Int J Cardiovasc Imaging · Dec 2015
Observational StudyExercise stress echocardiography with tissue Doppler imaging in risk stratification of mild to moderate aortic stenosis.
Patients with mild to moderate aortic stenosis (AS) seem to have a worse outcome than commonly expected. Early identification of subjects who may develop a rapid disease progression or cardiovascular events is critical in order to apply adequate risk management. ⋯ A ≥ 15 stress-induced increase in E/e' ratio is highly predictive of cardiac events in patients with mild to moderate AS. Assessment of diastolic function using TDI during ESE provides additional prognostic information in such patients.
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Int J Cardiovasc Imaging · Dec 2015
Comparative StudySemiautomatic three-dimensional CT ventricular volumetry in patients with congenital heart disease: agreement between two methods with different user interaction.
To assess agreement between two semi-automatic, three-dimensional (3D) computed tomography (CT) ventricular volumetry methods with different user interactions in patients with congenital heart disease. In 30 patients with congenital heart disease (median age 8 years, range 5 days-33 years; 20 men), dual-source, multi-section, electrocardiography-synchronized cardiac CT was obtained at the end-systolic (n = 22) and/or end-diastolic (n = 28) phase. Nineteen left ventricle end-systolic (LV ESV), 28 left ventricle end-diastolic (LV EDV), 22 right ventricle end-systolic (RV ESV), and 28 right ventricle end-diastolic volumes (RV EDV) were successfully calculated using two semi-automatic, 3D segmentation methods with different user interactions (high in method 1, low in method 2). ⋯ In contrast, no statistically significant difference in RV EDV (122.57 ± 88.57 ml in method 1, 123.83 ± 89.89 ml in method 2; P = 0.36) was found between the two methods. All ventricular volumes showed very high correlation (R = 0.978, 0.993, 0.985, 0.997 for LV ESV, LV EDV, RV ESV, and RV EDV, respectively; P < 0.001) between the two methods. In patients with congenital heart disease, 3D CT ventricular volumetry shows good agreement and high correlation between the two methods, but method 2 tends to slightly underestimate LV ESV, LV EDV, and RV ESV.
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Int J Cardiovasc Imaging · Dec 2015
Observational StudyAdditive prognostic value of coronary artery calcium score and renal function in patients with acute chest pain without known coronary artery disease: up to 5-year follow-up.
Long-term incremental prognostic value of renal function over coronary artery calcium score (CACS) in symptomatic patients without known coronary artery disease (CAD) is unclear. The objective of this study was to examine additive prognostic value of renal function over CACS in patients with acute chest pain suspected of CAD. Renal function and CACS were assessed in patients without known CAD who presented to the emergency department with chest pain from 2005 to 2008. ⋯ In multivariate logistic regression analysis, CACS categories (CACS 1-100: HR 3.17, p = 0.005; CACS 101-400: HR 7.68, p < 0.001; CACS > 400: HR 8.88, p < 0.001) and CKD (HR 10.18, p < 0.001) were independent predictors for MACE. Both adding renal function and CACS significantly improved the overall predictive performance (p < 0.001 for global Chi square increase) from Framingham risk categories or thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) risk score. Both CACS and renal function were independent predictors for future cardiac events and provided additive prognostic value to each other and over either Framingham risk categories or TIMI risk score.