Cardiovascular magnetic resonance parametric techniques to characterize myocardial effects of anthracycline therapy in adults with normal left ventricular ejection fraction: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The cardiotoxic effects of anthracyclines therapy are well recognized, both in the short and long term. Echocardiography allows monitoring of cancer patients treated with this class of drugs by serial assessment of left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) as a surrogate of systolic function. However, changes in myocardial function may occur late in the process when cardiac damage is already established.

Clinical and genetic characterization of patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and right atrial enlargement.

Aims: Prevalence and clinical significance of right atrial enlargement (RAE) has been poorly characterized in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Methods: One hundred and sixty consecutive patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (35.5 ± 20 years; 64% men) were studied.

Right ventricular ejection fraction and left ventricular dyssynchrony by 3D echo correlate with functional impairment in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy.

Background: The aim of the study was to detect if right ventricular (RV) ejection fraction assessed by real-time 3-dimensional echocardiography (RT3DE) could predict patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) with greater functional impairment in response to cardiopulmonary exercise.

Methods And Results: Seventy chronic heart failure patients with DCM (55.5 ± 9.

Role of helical CT in diagnosis of gallstone ileus and related conditions.

Objective: Small-bowel obstruction from gallstone impaction is a pathological entity frequently observed in elderly patients with a history of cholelithiasis or cholecystitis. Diagnostic imaging plays a great role in the management of patients with suspected gallstone ileus and overall in the correct predictive diagnosis: in the last years, some experiences in radiologic diagnosis of this entity by sonography, abdominal plain film and CT, and occasionally MRI have been reported. Some questions related to gallstone ileus are to be considered: one of them is the possibility of recurrence, which increases the operatory risk in these patients.