The international journal of cardiovascular imaging
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Int J Cardiovasc Imaging · Jun 2008
ReviewStrain and strain rate deformation parameters: from tissue Doppler to 2D speckle tracking.
Strain and strain rate deformation parameters based on Color Doppler Myocardial Imaging, and more recently on two-dimensional (2D) gray scale images, have evolved as important methods for the quantification of myocardial function. Although these parameters are already applicable in the research field, their acquisition and analysis involve a number of technical challenges and complexities. Accurate knowledge of the basic principles of those techniques, as presented in this article, will further enhance their applicability to clinical practice.
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Int J Cardiovasc Imaging · Mar 2008
ReviewRole of cardiac computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging in the evaluation of acute chest pain in the emergency department.
Evaluation of patients presenting with chest pain to the emergency department remains a challenging task because of a variety of etiologies that range from benign to potentially fatal. Although majority of patients do not have myocardial ischemia as the cause of their presentation, the clinical work up can be time consuming, costly and inconclusive. Recent technical advances in cardiac computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging have led to better diagnostic accuracy in evaluating patients with chest pain. In this paper, we review the role of cardiac computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging in evaluating patients with chest pain in the emergency department.
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Int J Cardiovasc Imaging · Mar 2008
The role of N terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide in the evaluation of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction: correlation with echocardiographic indexes in hypertensive patients.
The utility of N-Terminal pro Brain Natriuretic Peptide (NT-proBNP) and Brain Natriuretic Peptide (BNP) for detecting left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction in hypertensive patients without heart failure symptoms is unclear. In this study, we investigated the relation between NT-proBNP plasma levels and LV diastolic dysfunction in hypertensive patients without systolic dysfunction. ⋯ The assessment of the blood concentration of NT-proBNP is of potential value for identification of those patients with hypertension to detect early cardiovascular changes, especially LV diastolic dysfunction.
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Int J Cardiovasc Imaging · Feb 2008
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyAngiographic and 3D intravascular ultrasound assessment of overlapping bare metal stent and three different formulations of drug-eluting stents in patients with diabetes mellitus.
The aim of this study was to examine the impact of overlapping bare-metal stent (BMS) and three different formulations of drug-eluting stent (DES) on intimal hyperplasia (IH) response of patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). ⋯ Overlapping BMS is associated with enhanced IH response in diabetic patients, whereas overlapping DES, particularly SES and PES, appear effective to inhibit IH without detectable late vascular adverse effects.