The incremental value of myocardial viability, evaluated by 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography, and cardiovascular magnetic resonance for mortality prediction in patients with previous myocardial infarction and symptomatic heart failure.

Objectives: To find the imaging mortality predictors in patients with previous myocardial infarction (MI), symptomatic heart failure (HF), and reduced left ventricle (LV) ejection fraction (EF).

Methods: for the study 39 patients were selected prospectively with prior MI, symptomatic HF, and LVEF ≤40%. All patients underwent transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), single-photon emission computed tomography myocardial perfusion imaging (SPECT MPI), 18F-FDG positron emission tomography (FDG PET).

Comparative Analysis of Myocardial Viability Multimodality Imaging in Patients with Previous Myocardial Infarction and Symptomatic Heart Failure.

Background and Objectives: To compare the accuracy of multimodality imaging (myocardial perfusion imaging with single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT MPI), 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (18F-FDG PET), and cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) in the evaluation of left ventricle (LV) myocardial viability for the patients with the myocardial infarction (MI) and symptomatic heart failure (HF). Materials and Methods: 31 consecutive patients were included in the study prospectively, with a history of previous myocardial infarction, symptomatic HF (NYHA) functional class II or above, reduced ejection fraction (EF) ≤ 40%. All patients had confirmed atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (CAD), but conflicting opinions regarding the need for percutaneous intervention due to the suspected myocardial scar tissue.

Detection of Functionally Significant Coronary Artery Disease: Role of Regional Post Systolic Shortening.

Background: The main goal of this manuscript was to evaluate the diagnostic value of the global and regional postsystolic shortening (PSS) parameters, assessed by two-dimensional (2D) speckle-tracking echocardiography, at rest and during dobutamine stress for the detection of functionally significant coronary artery stenoses in patients with moderate pretest probability of stable coronary artery disease (CAD).

Methods: Dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) and adenosine stress myocardial perfusion imaging by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR-MPI) were performed on 83 patients with moderate pretest probability of stable CAD and left ventricle ejection fraction ≥55%. CAD was defined as ≥50% diameter stenoses on invasive coronary artery angiography (CAA) validated as hemodynamically significant by CMR-MPI.

Accuracy of three-dimensional systolic dyssynchrony and sphericity indexes for identifying early left ventricular remodeling after acute myocardial infarction.

Objective: Left ventricle (LV) geometry and dyssynchrony are associated with LV remodeling after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The aim of this prospective study was to assess the diagnostic value of new three-dimensional echocardiography (3DE) parameters [sphericity (SI) and systolic dyssynchrony indexes (SDI)] for the prediction of LV remodeling after AMI and to compare them with two-dimensional echocardiography (2DE) parameters.

Methods: 2DE and 3DE were performed in 75 patients with AMI within 3 days from the onset of MI and 6 months later.

Changes in right ventricular longitudinal function: primary mitral and concomitant tricuspid valve repair.

Objectives: To evaluate the impact of concomitant tricuspid valve (TV) repair on the right ventricular (RV) function postoperatively and within the 6 months following degenerative mitral valve (MV) repair.

Methods: The prospective study included 37 patients (mean age 57.32 ± 2.

Positron Emission Tomography in the Diagnosis and Management of Coronary Artery Disease.

Cardiac positron emission tomography (PET) and positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) are encouraging precise non-invasive imaging modalities that allow imaging of the cellular function of the heart, while other non-invasive cardiovascular imaging modalities are considered to be techniques for imaging the anatomy, morphology, structure, function and tissue characteristics. The role of cardiac PET has been growing rapidly and providing high diagnostic accuracy of coronary artery disease (CAD). Clinical cardiology has established PET as a criterion for the assessment of myocardial viability and is recommended for the proper management of reduced left ventricle (LV) function and ischemic cardiomyopathy.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy: the challenging diagnosis in clinical routine.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is rapidly reversible heart failure syndrome that usually mimics the symptoms of acute myocardial infarction with the characteristic regional wall-motion abnormalities (classically with a virtual apical ballooning caused by hypokinetic or akinetic apical or midventricular myocardium and hypercontraction of the basal segments) and absence of obstructive coronary artery disease. TC is usually associated with identifiable emotional, psychological or physical stress event and most commonly appears in postmenopausal women. The certain pathophysiological mechanism remains unknown.

Congenital coronary anomalies detected by coronary computed tomography compared to invasive coronary angiography.

Background: As coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) has emerged as a non-invasive alternative for evaluation of coronary anatomy with a lower referral threshold than invasive coronary angiography (ICA), the prevalence of coronary anomalies in CCTA may more closely reflect the true prevalence in the general population. Morphological features of coronary anomalies can be evaluated more precisely by CCTA than by ICA, which might lead to a higher identification of congenital coronary anomalies in CCTA compared to ICA.To evaluate the incidence, clinical and morphological features of the anatomy of patients with coronary anomalies detected either by coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) with prospective ECG-triggering or invasive coronary angiography (ICA).

CT coronary angiography: impact of adapted statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) on coronary stenosis and plaque composition analysis.

To assess the impact of adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) on coronary plaque volume and composition analysis as well as on stenosis quantification in high definition coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA). We included 50 plaques in 29 consecutive patients who were referred for the assessment of known or suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) with contrast-enhanced CCTA on a 64-slice high definition CT scanner (Discovery HD 750, GE Healthcare). CCTA scans were reconstructed with standard filtered back projection (FBP) with no ASIR (0 %) or with increasing contributions of ASIR, i.

Coronary artery calcium scoring: Influence of adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction using 64-MDCT.

Objective: Assessment of coronary artery calcification is increasingly used for cardiovascular risk stratification. We evaluated the reliability of calcium-scoring results using a novel iterative reconstruction algorithm (ASIR) on a high-definition 64-slice CT scanner, as such data is lacking.

Methods And Results: In 50 consecutive patients Agatston scores, calcium mass and volume score were assessed.

Hypodense regions in unenhanced CT identify nonviable myocardium: validation versus 18F-FDG PET.

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the accuracy of hypodense regions in non-contrast-enhanced cardiac computed tomography (unenhanced CT) to identify nonviable myocardial scar tissue.

Methods: Hypodense areas were visually identified in unenhanced CT of 80 patients in the left ventricular anterior, apical, septal, lateral and inferior myocardium and CT density was measured in Hounsfield units (HU). Findings were compared to (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake by positron emission tomography (FDG PET), which served as the standard of reference to distinguish scar (<50 % FDG uptake) from viable tissue (≥50 % uptake).

Cadmium-zinc-telluride myocardial perfusion imaging in obese patients.

Unlabelled: We have evaluated the impact of increased body mass on the quality of myocardial perfusion imaging using a latest-generation γ-camera with cadmium-zinc-telluride semiconductor detectors in patients with high (≥40 kg/m(2)) or very high (≥45 kg/m(2)) body mass index (BMI).

Methods: We enrolled 81 patients, including 18 with no obesity (BMI < 30 kg/m(2)), 17 in World Health Organization obese class I (BMI, 30-34.9 kg/m(2)), 15 in class II (BMI, 35-39.

Image quality in low-dose coronary computed tomography angiography with a new high-definition CT scanner.

A new generation of high definition computed tomography (HDCT) 64-slice devices complemented by a new iterative image reconstruction algorithm-adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction, offer substantially higher resolution compared to standard definition CT (SDCT) scanners. As high resolution confers higher noise we have compared image quality and radiation dose of coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) from HDCT versus SDCT. Consecutive patients (n = 93) underwent HDCT, and were compared to 93 patients who had previously undergone CCTA with SDCT matched for heart rate (HR), HR variability and body mass index (BMI).