Improving the role of echocardiography in studying the right ventricle of repaired tetralogy of Fallot patients: comparison with cardiac magnetic resonance.

Right ventricular (RV) evaluation represents one of the major clinical tasks in the follow-up of repaired tetralogy of Fallot patients (rToF) with pulmonary valve regurgitation, as both severe RV dilatation and dysfunction are key factors in defining the need of pulmonary valve replacement. The aim of our study was to report the diagnostic accuracy of echocardiography in the identification of rToF patients with severely dilated and/or depressed RV as compared to cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR). Among our patients with rToF, a subgroup of 95 (17.

JNKs, insulin resistance and inflammation: A possible link between NAFLD and coronary artery disease.

The incidence of obesity has dramatically increased in recent years. Consequently, obesity and associated disorders such as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease constitute a serious problem. Therefore, the contribution of adipose tissue to metabolic homeostasis has become a focus of interest.

Prognostic significance of left atrial volume dilatation in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

To evaluate the prognostic role of left atrial (LA) volume in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), LA volume was measured at baseline and during follow-up in 140 patients with HCM. Unfavorable outcome, defined as occurrence of sudden death, heart transplantation, or invasive reduction of obstruction, developed in 16 patients. In patients with enlarged LA volume (>27 mL/m(2)), there was an increased risk for unfavorable outcome (P = .