Advantages of real time three-dimensional echocardiography in the assessment of right ventricular volumes and function in patients with pulmonary hypertension compared with conventional two-dimensional echocardiography.

Background: In recent years, right ventricular (RV) function has acquired greater relevance as a clinical and prognostic marker in many physiopathological conditions. The study aims to point out the value of real time three-dimensional echocardiography (RT3DE) and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) in the evaluation of patients affected by pulmonary hypertension (PH), compared with conventional two-dimensional (2D) echocardiography.

Methods: We enrolled 44 subjects affected by PH who underwent 2D and Doppler echocardiography, RT 3D Echocardiography and TDI evaluation of the RV, and a healthy control group.

Prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy and determinants of left ventricular mass in obese women.

Background: Obesity is frequently associated with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), a condition leading to an increased cardiovascular risk.

Aim: The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of LVH in a cohort of obese women, with a main focus on the anthropometric and clinical parameters that are associated with an increased left ventricular mass (LVM).

Methods: The study was performed in 166 obese female patients.

Acute improvement in arterial-ventricular coupling after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (CoreValve) in patients with symptomatic aortic stenosis.

The recent development of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) to treat severe aortic stenosis (AS) offers a viable option for high-risk patients categories. Our aim is to evaluate the early effects of implantation of CoreValve aortic valve prosthesis on arterial-ventricular coupling by two dimensional echocardiography. Sixty five patients with severe AS performed 2D conventional echocardiography before, immediately after TAVI, at discharge (mean age: 82.

Early left ventricular mechanics abnormalities in prehypertension: a two-dimensional strain echocardiography study.

Background: Prehypertension predicts established hypertension. In this study, the aim was to analyze left ventricular (LV) mechanics in borderline prehypertensive (pre-HT) and hypertensive (HT) subjects through two-dimensional (2D)-strain echocardiography and then evaluate possible relations between cardiac parameters and insulin metabolism (homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA(IR)).

Methods: Seventy-four consecutive newly diagnosed, untreated HT were divided, on the basis of their office blood pressure (BP) measurements, confirmed by ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM), in 41 borderline pre-HT (ABPM: 122.

Effects of bariatric surgery on early myocardial alterations in adult severely obese subjects.

Objective: Aim of this study was to investigate the effect of weight loss on structural and functional myocardial alterations in severely obese subjects treated with bariatric surgery.

Patients And Methods: Thirteen severely obese patients (2 males and 11 females) were enrolled in the study. All subjects underwent conventional 2D color Doppler echocardiography.