A 60-year-old with heart failure symptoms due to 1st degree AV-Block caused by granulomatosis with polyangiitis (Wegener's granulomatosis).

Granulomatosis with polyangiitis is a rare systemic inflammatory disorder mainly affecting the small vessels. Cardiac involvement is rare, conduction delay being the most rare one. This case reports on a middle-aged male patient with heart failure symptoms due to a 1st degree atrioventricular block with a marked PR prolongation of 480 ms on electrocardiography (ECG).

Recovery of left ventricular and left atrial mechanics in various entities of aortic stenosis 12 months after TAVI.

Background: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has been shown to improve prognosis of high-risk patients. Data, however, concerning the impact of TAVI on regional and global left atrial (LA) and left ventricular (LV) mechanics in varying entities of severe aortic stenosis (AS) are sparse, particularly in patients with paradoxical low-flow (PLF) AS or with reduced LV ejection fraction (LVEF). This study evaluated the effects of TAVI on LA and LV mechanics in varying entities of AS 12 months after implantation.

Short-term effects of transcatheter aortic valve implantation on left atrial mechanics and left ventricular diastolic function.

Background: Aortic stenosis (AS) leads to remodeling of the left heart. Strain measurements enable the assessment of left atrial (LA) mechanics. The goal of this study was to evaluate the short-term effects of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) on LA myocardial deformation as well as left ventricular (LV) diastolic function.

Doppler haemodynamics and effective orifice areas of Edwards SAPIEN and CoreValve transcatheter aortic valves.

Aims: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is a new therapy for severe aortic stenosis in high-risk patients. So far, no reference values for the echocardiographic assessment of this new class of heart valves have been established. The aim of our study was to determine Doppler haemodynamics and the effective orifice area (EOA).