The international journal of cardiovascular imaging
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Int J Cardiovasc Imaging · Mar 2013
Case ReportsSalmonella mycotic aneurysm: a rare cause of fever and back pain in elderly.
An 85-year-old man with history of hypertension presented with fever, cough and abdominal pain. Unfortunately fever and leukocytosis persisted despite treatment. Blood cultures obtained on admission grew Salmonella enteritidis. ⋯ The diagnosis of S. aortitis can be challenging, because the clinical course may be indolent and the symptoms are nonspecific. A high index of suspicion is required to make the diagnosis of S. aortitis, especially in patients with Salmonella bacteraemia, fever, back pain and/or abdominal pain. This case highlights the usefulness of TOE in the evaluation of diseases involving the thoracic aorta, leading to a successful intervention.
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Int J Cardiovasc Imaging · Mar 2013
Comparative StudyRight ventricular regional and global systolic function is diminished in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension: a 2-dimensional ultrasound speckle tracking echocardiography study.
The purpose of the study is to evaluate right ventricular (RV) regional and global systolic function in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) by 2-dimensional ultrasound speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) and explore the impact of pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP) and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) on RV systolic function. 42 patients with PAH and 31 healthy controls were included in this study. RV longitudinal peak systolic strain (LS) and strain rate (LSRs) were measured at the basal, mid and apical segments of the RV free wall and septum by STE. RV global longitudinal peak systolic strain (GLS) and strain rate (GLSRs) were also measured by STE. ⋯ GLS and GLSRs were correlated with CMR-derived RVEF. (r₁ = 0.693; r₂ = 0.560, respectively, P < 0.05). STE can identify impaired RV regional and global systolic function in patients with PAH. STE-derived strain and strain rate can be used as novel indices for RV function assessment from 2-dimensional echocardiographic images.
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Int J Cardiovasc Imaging · Feb 2013
Comparative StudyQuantification of mitral valve regurgitation with color flow Doppler using baseline shift.
Vena contracta width (VCW) and effective regurgitant orifice area (EROA) are well established methods for evaluating mitral regurgitation using transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). For color-flow Doppler (CF) measurements Nyquist limit of 50-60 cm/s is recommended. Aim of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of a baseline shift of the Nyquist limit for these measurements. ⋯ Correlation between VCA 3D NL37.5 and EROA 2D NL50 was 0.41 (p < 0.05) vs. 0.53 (p < 0.05) using EROA 2D NL37.5. Baseline shift of the NL to 37.5 cm/s improves the correlation for VCW and EROA when compared to RT 3D NL50 planimetry of the vena contracta area. Baseline shift in RT 3D to a NL of 37.5 cm/s shows similar results like NL50.
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Int J Cardiovasc Imaging · Feb 2013
Comparative StudyImage quality in low-dose coronary computed tomography angiography with a new high-definition CT scanner.
A new generation of high definition computed tomography (HDCT) 64-slice devices complemented by a new iterative image reconstruction algorithm-adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction, offer substantially higher resolution compared to standard definition CT (SDCT) scanners. As high resolution confers higher noise we have compared image quality and radiation dose of coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) from HDCT versus SDCT. Consecutive patients (n = 93) underwent HDCT, and were compared to 93 patients who had previously undergone CCTA with SDCT matched for heart rate (HR), HR variability and body mass index (BMI). ⋯ Mean effective radiation dose did not significantly differ between HDCT (1.7 ± 0.6 mSv, range 1.0-3.7 mSv) and SDCT (1.9 ± 0.8 mSv, range 0.8-5.5 mSv; P = n.s.). HDCT scanners allow low-dose 64-slice CCTA scanning with higher resolution than SDCT but maintained image quality and equally low radiation dose. Whether this will translate into higher accuracy of HDCT for CAD detection remains to be evaluated.