Right heart function interacts with left ventricular remodeling after CRT: A pressure volume loop study.

Background: Right ventricular (RV) dysfunction is recognized as a cardinal prognostic marker in systolic heart failure patients. Conflicting data exist on the interaction of RV function and left ventricular (LV) reverse remodeling after cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). This prospective monocentric trial was set up to assess the predictive value of baseline RV function and corresponding RV-pulmonary artery (PA) coupling on LV reverse remodeling after CRT.

Serial assessment of ventricular morphology and function.

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is an accurate, reproducible and well-validated imaging technique for the measurement of left ventricular and right ventricular volumes, function, and mass. In patients who have heart failure, CMR is ideally suited both for the initial assessment of fundamental parameters of cardiac function and longitudinal follow-up. Because of its accuracy, the decision to implement therapeutic measures based on cutoff values for ventricular ejection fraction can be made with confidence.

Safety of gadoversetamide in patients with acute and chronic myocardial infarction.

Purpose: To assess the safety data from two large, multicenter, phase 2 trials on the use of gadoversetamide (OptiMARK, Tyco Healthcare/Mallinckrodt, St. Louis, MO) as a contrast agent in delayed hyperenhancement magnetic resonance imaging (DE-MRI) in patients with acute and chronic myocardial infarction (MI).

Materials And Methods: The study population from both trials comprised 577 patients who were randomly assigned to one of four dose groups (0.

Balanced steady-state free precession vs. segmented fast low-angle shot for the evaluation of ventricular volumes, mass, and function at 3 Tesla.

Purpose: To compare balanced steady-state free precession (SSFP) and segmented fast low angle shot (FLASH) for quantification of left and right ventricular volumes and function and for left ventricular mass at high field (3 Tesla).

Materials And Methods: A total of 33 patients (19 male, mean age 54 years) with various forms of heart disease underwent ventricular function studies using cine SSFP and FLASH sequences with identical slice orientations.

Results: Using SSFP, left ventricular end-diastolic (+10 mL [4.

Comparison of SSFP and IR GRE techniques for measurement of total myocardial mass-influence of applied contrast dosage and implication for relative infarct size assessment.

Objective: To compare total left ventricular mass assessment using steady state free precession (SSFP) and inversion recovery fast gradient echo (IR GRE) imaging and further to assess the influence of contrast dosage on mass by IR GRE and its implications on relative infarct size assessment with both methods.

Methods: Forty-three patients with first documented myocardial infarction and single vessel disease underwent measurement of total myocardial mass using SSFP technique and an IR GRE sequence. As part of a Phase 2 multi-center dose ranging study for infarct identification patients received 1 of 4 possible dosages (0.