Publications by authors named "Alice Niero"

Objective: To determine the accuracy of the KOROT P3 Accurate (previously InBody BPBIO480KV) monitor, an automated auscultatory blood pressure (BP) measuring device developed for professional use, in people with extra-large arms according to the ISO81060-2 2018 protocol.

Methods: The KOROT P3 Accurate was tested in 37 subjects with upper-arm circumference ranging from >42 to 53 cm using a mercury sphygmomanometer coupled to a 20 × 40 cm tronco-conical cuff as the reference standard.

Results: The mean BP difference between the device and the observers' reference measurements was 1.

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Aims: We assessed the feasibility of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) and the role of myocardial strain in the diagnostic work-up of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and a clinical suspicion of cardiac rupture (CR).

Methods And Results: Consecutive patients with AMI complicated by CR who underwent CMR were enrolled. Traditional and strain CMR findings were evaluated; new parameters indicating the relative wall stress between AMI and adjacent segments, named wall stress index (WSI) and WSI ratio, were analysed.

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The assessment of myocardial viability is a crucial step in the work-up of patients with coronary artery disease and left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction. Myocardial revascularization should be considered in patients with viable myocardium and LV systolic dysfunction, since this could improve LV function and outcomes.Noninvasive imaging plays a key role in the study of viability and different modalities are currently available, including cardiac magnetic resonance, stress echocardiography and nuclear imaging.

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Background: Whether ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) represent a feature of the adaptive changes of the athlete's heart remains elusive. We aimed to assess the prevalence, determinants, and underlying substrates of VAs in young competitive athletes.

Method And Results: We studied 288 competitive athletes (age range, 16-35 years; median age, 21 years) and 144 sedentary individuals matched for age and sex who underwent 12-lead 24-hour ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring.

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Three-dimensional (3D) speckle-tracking echocardiography (3DSTE) is an advanced imaging technique designed for left ventricular (LV) myocardial deformation analysis based on 3D data sets. 3DSTE has the potential to overcome some of the intrinsic limitations of two-dimensional STE (2DSTE) in the assessment of complex LV myocardial mechanics, offering additional deformation parameters (such as area strain) and a comprehensive quantitation of LV geometry and function from a single 3D acquisition. Albeit being a relatively young technique still undergoing technological developments, several experimental studies and clinical investigations have already demonstrated the reliability and feasibility of 3DSTE, as well as several advantages of 3DSTE over 2DSTE.

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Background: The clinical profile and arrhythmic outcome of competitive athletes with isolated nonischemic left ventricular (LV) scar as evidenced by contrast-enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance remain to be elucidated.

Methods And Results: We compared 35 athletes (80% men, age: 14-48 years) with ventricular arrhythmias and isolated LV subepicardial/midmyocardial late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) on contrast-enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance (group A) with 38 athletes with ventricular arrhythmias and no LGE (group B) and 40 healthy control athletes (group C). A stria LGE pattern with subepicardial/midmyocardial distribution, mostly involving the lateral LV wall, was found in 27 (77%) of group A versus 0 controls (group C; P<0.

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Introduction: The extent of right ventricular (RV) electroanatomic scar (EAS) detected by endocardial voltage mapping (EVM) is a powerful invasive predictor of arrhythmic outcome in patients with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC). Electrocardiogram (ECG) and signal-averaged ECG are noninvasive tools of established clinical value for the diagnosis of electrical abnormalities in ARVC. This study was designed to assess the role of ECG and SAECG abnormalities for noninvasive estimation of the extent and regional distribution of RV-EAS and prediction of scar-related arrhythmic risk.

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