Novel Real-Time Fluoroscopic Assessment Method of Transcatheter Heart Valve Expansion Following Balloon-Expandable TAVR.

Background: Transcatheter heart valve (THV) underexpansion after transcatheter aortic valve replacement may be associated with worse outcomes. THV expansion can be assessed fluoroscopically using a pigtail for calibration; however, the accuracy of this technique specific to transcatheter aortic valve replacement is unknown. We assessed the accuracy and reproducibility of a novel fluoroscopic method to assess THV expansion using the THV commissural post for calibration.

The Role of Machine Learning in the Detection of Cardiac Fibrosis in Electrocardiograms: Scoping Review.

Background: Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of mortality worldwide. Cardiac fibrosis impacts the underlying pathophysiology of many cardiovascular diseases by altering structural integrity and impairing electrical conduction. Identifying cardiac fibrosis is essential for the prognosis and management of cardiovascular disease; however, current diagnostic methods face challenges due to invasiveness, cost, and inaccessibility.

Five Year Outcomes in Low-Risk Patients Undergoing Surgery in the PARTNER 3 Trial.

Background: Surgery remains an important treatment for low-risk patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis (AS). We evaluated 5-year outcomes in low-risk patients undergoing isolated surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) or SAVR with concomitant procedures within the randomized PARTNER 3 trial.

Methods: In the PARTNER 3 trial, 454 patients underwent surgery for severe, symptomatic, tri-leaflet AS and were followed for 5 years.

Relationship Between Severity of Ischemia and Coronary Artery Disease for Different Stress Test Modalities in the ISCHEMIA Trial.

Background: The relationship between the extent and severity of stress-induced ischemia and the extent and severity of anatomic coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with obstructive CAD is multifactorial and includes the intensity of stress achieved, type of testing used, presence and extent of prior infarction, collateral blood flow, plaque characteristics, microvascular disease, coronary vasomotor tone, and genetic factors. Among chronic coronary disease participants with site-determined moderate or severe ischemia, we investigated associations between ischemia severity on stress testing and the extent of CAD on coronary computed tomography angiography.

Methods: Clinically indicated stress testing included nuclear imaging, echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, or nonimaging exercise tolerance test.

Cardiac CT, MRI, and PET in 2023: Exploration of Key Articles across Imaging and Multidisciplinary Journals.

In this review, the authors examine recent advancements in noninvasive cardiac imaging, focusing on cardiac CT, MRI, and PET, reviewing key publications from imaging and multidisciplinary journals from 2023. The authors discuss the increasing adoption of photon-counting CT and its applications in coronary and structural imaging, and explore various aspects of plaque and functional assessment, emphasizing their clinical implications. Radiation exposure analysis from the SCOT-HEART (Scottish Computed Tomography of the Heart) trial is also discussed.