Surgical Options for Physiological Treatment of Aortic Root Dilatation Either Isolated or Associated with Aortic Valve Disease.

Patients affected by severe aortic root pathology require an operation to replace the dilated aortic root and repair or replace the aortic valve, which is very frequently involved in the disease. Among the surgical options available for aortic root replacement, the Bentall operation and the David aortic valve reimplantation procedure are the most commonly used by surgeons. This article provides an overview of the Bio-Bentall and David operations.

Mid-term outcomes of stentless Bio-Bentall vs. David Reimplantation for aortic root replacement.

Objective: To compare the early and midterm clinical outcomes of patients undergoing two different surgical procedures (stentless biological Bentall [SBB] vs. valve-sparing David Reimplantation [VSDR]) for aortic root dilatation, with or without concomitant aortic valve pathology.

Methods: A population of 106 patients underwent aortic root replacement from 2004 to 2015 at our unit.

Outcome at 26 Years After Repair of Fallot's Tetralogy With Absent Left Pulmonary Artery.

We report long-term outcome after two-stage, "one lung repair" in a four-year-old boy with tetralogy of Fallot and congenital absence of the left pulmonary artery. The operation was carried out two years after a palliative aortopulmonary central shunt and was uneventful. Twenty-six years later, the patient is in excellent clinical condition, with normal peripheral oxygen saturation.

Outcomes after surgical ventricular restoration for ischemic cardiomyopathy.

Objective: The study objective was to evaluate the short- and long-term outcomes of patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy after surgical ventricular restoration and to identify risk factors related to poor results.

Methods: Between August 2002 and April 2016, 62 patients affected by ischemic cardiomyopathy underwent surgical left ventricular restoration at our unit. Patients' mean age at operation was 63 years (39-79 years).

Stentless Pericarbon Freedom Versus Stented Perimount Aortic Bioprosthesis: Propensity-Matched Long-Term Follow-Up.

Objective: Stentless aortic valves have shown superior hemodynamic performance and faster left ventricular mass regression compared to stented bioprostheses. Yet, controversies exist concerning the durability of stentless valves. This case-matched study compared short- and long-term clinical outcomes of stentless LivaNova-Sorin Pericarbon Freedom™ (SPF) and stented Carpentier-Edwards Perimount (CEP) aortic prostheses.

[Coronary calcifications in a subgroup of post-menopausal women with metabolic syndrome].

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the burden of coronary calcifications in a subgroup of post-menopausal women with metabolic syndrome (MS) in agreement with the National Cholesterol Educational Program-Third Report of the Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (NCEP-ATP III) definition.

Methods: We studied 81 women (43 control subjects and 38 women with MS) in agreement with the NCEP-ATP III definition undergoing multislice computed tomography for evaluation of coronary calcifications. The patients were similar for Framingham risk score.

[Breast arterial calcifications and coronary calcifications: a common link with atherosclerotic subclinical disease?].

Coronary artery calcifications seem to be correlated with a high risk of coronary heart disease. Computed tomography has been shown to be capable of providing accurate, non-invasive measurements of coronary artery calcifications. Coronary calcium is a recognized marker of atherosclerosis.

[Coronary calcium as an atherosclerosis marker].

Non-invasive diagnostic techniques such as electron beam computed tomography and multislice spiral computed tomography are able to detect and quantify coronary calcifications. Several clinical studies have shown how the amount of coronary calcifications correlates to the coronary plaque burden. The detection of coronary calcium therefore provides a unique opportunity to identify and quantify coronary atherosclerosis in a subclinical stage.

Subclinical coronary artery atherosclerosis in patients with erectile dysfunction.

Objectives: The purpose of our study was to assess the prevalence and extent of coronary artery atherosclerosis in asymptomatic patients with vascular erectile dysfunction (ED).

Background: An association between ED and ischemic heart disease has been suggested, but it is unknown if it represents a marker of subclinical coronary atherosclerosis.

Methods: We studied 70 consecutive patients with vascular ED, evaluated by penile Doppler, and 73 control subjects with no history of coronary artery disease.

Follow-up of coronary artery bypass graft patency by multislice computed tomography.

Fifty-two consecutive asymptomatic patients with a total of 166 bypass grafts were investigated by 16-slice computed tomography (CT) 15 +/- 5 days before invasive coronary angiography. Overall, 165 grafts (99.4%) were assessable with multislice CT (MSCT).

[Coronary artery calcifications in diabetic patients].

The use of noninvasive imaging techniques like electron beam and multislice computed tomography, to measure coronary artery calcium, is becoming increasingly accepted for risk stratification in both symptomatic and asymptomatic populations. The National Cholesterol Education Panel guidelines indicate that measurement of coronary calcium is an option for advanced risk assessment in appropriately selected persons. Because of the recognized high risk for cardiovascular events in patients with diabetes, they belong to the same high-risk category previously reserved for patients with known coronary heart disease.

Flow-mediated vasodilation and the risk of developing hypertension in healthy postmenopausal women.

Objectives: This study provided the opportunity to assess the relationship between endothelial vasomotor function and incidence of hypertension in a cohort of postmenopausal women.

Background: Both menopause and hypertension are associated with endothelial dysfunction and are well-known risk factors for atherosclerotic-related disease.

Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study that began in 1996 on 952 apparently healthy postmenopausal women, age 53 +/- 5 years (range 44 to 60 years), with initially normal levels of blood pressure and no history of hypertension.

Noninvasive assessment of coronary artery bypass graft patency by multislice computed tomography.

Background: Follow-up of coronary artery bypass after cardiac surgery is routinely performed by means of X-ray coronary angiography. However, this is an invasive procedure, expensive and includes ionizing radiation exposure, hospitalization and a small risk of complications. Multislice computed tomography is a noninvasive diagnostic tool that permits the visualization of the cardiac structures, including the coronary arteries.