Characterisation of Ferritin-Lymphocyte Ratio in COVID-19.

The ferritin-lymphocyte ratio (FLR) is a novel inflammatory biomarker for the assessment of acute COVID-19 patients. However, the prognostic value of FLR for predicting adverse clinical outcomes in COVID-19 remains unclear, which hinders its clinical translation. We characterised the prognostic value of FLR in COVID-19 patients, as compared to established inflammatory markers.

Low CRB-65 Scores Effectively Rule out Adverse Clinical Outcomes in COVID-19 Irrespective of Chest Radiographic Abnormalities.

CRB-65 (onfusion; espiratory rate ≥ 30/min; lood pressure ≤ 90/60 mmHg; age ≥ years) is a risk score for prognosticating patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. However, a significant proportion of COVID-19 patients have normal chest X-rays (CXRs). The influence of CXR abnormalities on the prognostic value of CRB-65 is unknown, limiting its wider applicability.

Radiologist opinions regarding reporting incidental coronary and cardiac calcification on thoracic CT.

Objectives: Coronary and cardiac calcification are frequent incidental findings on non-gated thoracic computed tomography (CT). However, radiologist opinions and practices regarding the reporting of incidental calcification are poorly understood.

Methods: UK radiologists were invited to complete this online survey, organised by the British Society of Cardiovascular Imaging (BSCI).

Myopericarditis and myositis in a patient with COVID-19: a case report.

Background: Concurrent myopericarditis and myositis can present in patients with pre-existing systemic inflammatory diseases. Here we present a case of myopericarditis and myositis associated with COVID-19, in the absence of respiratory symptoms.

Case Summary: We present a middle-aged female with a history of hypertension and previous myopericarditis.

Proportion of acute ischaemic strokes attributable to a cardiac aetiology in an unselected young patient population: A single centre experience.

The incidence of acute ischaemic stroke in young patients is increasing and identifying the underlying cause is critically important with regards to their optimal management. The true proportion of cardiac causes of stroke in young patients is poorly defined. We aimed to determine the proportion of strokes attributable to cardiac causes in an unselected, consecutive cohort of young patients.

Ascending aortic dissection in a pregnant patient with neonatally repaired coarctation of aorta and bicuspid aortic valve.

Aortic dissection is characterised by a tear in the intimal and medial layers of the endovascular aortic wall which propagates distally. Here, we discuss the case of a 35-year-old woman who was 37 weeks pregnant and presented with dizziness and blurred vision. She had a history of a neonatal end-to-end repair of a coarctation of aorta, a known bicuspid aortic valve and a dilated ascending aorta under surveillance.

A unique case of "double-orifice aortic valve"-comprehensive assessment by 2-, 3-dimensional, and color Doppler echocardiography.

Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is a powerful imaging tool for the comprehensive assessment of valvular structure and function. TEE may be of added benefit when anatomy is difficult to delineate accurately by transthoracic echocardiography. In this article, we present 2-, 3-dimensional, and color Doppler TEE images from a male patient with aortic stenosis.

Recommendations for accurate CT diagnosis of suspected acute aortic syndrome (AAS)--on behalf of the British Society of Cardiovascular Imaging (BSCI)/British Society of Cardiovascular CT (BSCCT).

Accurate and timely assessment of suspected acute aortic syndrome is crucial in this life-threatening condition. Imaging with CT plays a central role in the diagnosis to allow expedited management. Diagnosis can be made using locally available expertise with optimized scanning parameters, making full use of recent advances in CT technology.

Inducible myocardial ischaemia diagnosed using computed tomography dipyridamole stress myocardial perfusion technique.

Improved multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) temporal and spatial resolution allows for the assessment of coronary artery disease, left ventricular systolic function and resting myocardial perfusion defects with high sensitivity and specificity. Here we present a case using a novel combination technique of cardiac computed tomography scanning with dipyridamole stress for the detection of functionally significant coronary disease, and demonstrate that dipyridamole-induced myocardial ischaemia is both detectable and quantifiable by cardiac MDCT.

Attenuation of adenosine-induced myocardial perfusion heterogeneity by atenolol and other cardioselective beta-adrenoceptor blockers: a crossover myocardial perfusion imaging study.

Unlabelled: Little is known about the effect of chronic beta-blockade on adenosine actions. We sought to investigate the effect of oral beta-blockers on the presence, extent, and severity of myocardial perfusion abnormality induced by adenosine in patients with coronary artery disease.

Methods: In this crossover study, 45 male patients with coronary artery disease on beta-blocker therapy with atenolol, bisoprolol, or metoprolol underwent adenosine myocardial perfusion imaging both on and off beta-blockade in a random order on separate days.

Implications for single phase prospective CT coronary angiography for the diagnosis of significant coronary stenoses in clinical practice.

Background: CT coronary angiography (CTA) with 64 slice multi-detector CT (64-MDCT) has assumed an increasing role in clinical practice; however the high radiation dose associated with retrospective ECG-gated CTA has led to suggestions that a low dose prospectively gated strategy may be more appropriate. This study aims to assess the feasibility of this proposed strategy amongst standard referral for CTA in our centre.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 200 consecutive clinical CTA studies assessing the number of cardiac phases required to allow full diagnostic visualisation of the coronary tree.

Radionuclide imaging in ischaemic heart failure.

Introduction Or Background: Many tests are available for the investigation of patients with heart failure. The identification of the underlying aetiology of ventricular dysfunction is crucial as early treatment may limit or even reverse myocardial abnormalities.

Sources Of Data: This article describes cardiac radionuclide imaging techniques and their applications in ischaemic ventricular dysfunction.

64-Channel cardiac computed tomography: intraobserver and interobserver variability, part 2: global and regional ventricular function, mass, and first pass perfusion.

Objectives: To assess intraobserver and interobserver variability in cardiac computed tomographic measurements of global biventricular function, left ventricular (LV) regional wall motion, systolic wall thickening, and first pass perfusion in 3 patient cohorts at very low, low to intermediate, and intermediate to high cardiac risk.

Methods: One hundred thirty-three patients underwent 64-channel cardiac computed tomography. Images were analyzed by 2 experienced, blinded observers.

64-Channel cardiac computed tomography: intraobserver and interobserver variability (part 1): coronary angiography.

Objectives: To assess intraobserver and interobserver variation in computed tomography coronary angiography (CTA) in 3 patient cohorts at very low, low-to-intermediate, and intermediate-to-high likelihood of coronary artery disease (CAD).

Methods: One hundred thirty-three patients underwent 64-channel CTA. Coronary arteries were analyzed by 2 experienced blinded observers and reported as having 0%, 1% to 29%, 30% to 49%, 50% to 69%, 70% to 99%, or 100% stenosis.

Defining the appropriate CTA stenosis threshold for gatekeeping to invasive angiography: 50% or 70%?

There is currently much debate around the limited positive predictive value (PPV) of CT coronary angiography (CTA). There remain no published studies comparing different thresholds to define significant visual stenoses on CTA compared to the gold standard quantitative coronary angiography (QCA). The spatial resolution for ICA is (0.

Clinical management and short-term cost - 64-slice MDCT vs. myocardial perfusion scintigraphy.

There are currently no published studies of the impact of CT coronary angiography (CTA) on patient management or cost when compared with other established imaging techniques. We assessed the short term investigation and treatment costs of CTA compared with myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (MPS) using real clinical scenarios. Clinical information with either their CTA or MPS results were presented to 20 cardiologists in a random order.

Cardiac radionuclide imaging in stable coronary artery disease and acute coronary syndromes.

Introduction: The increasing number of available cardiac imaging techniques has made the investigation of coronary artery disease (CAD) more complex. Appropriate patient referral depends on an understanding of the pre-test likelihood of CAD and the information provided by each test.

Sources Of Data: This article describes myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (MPS) and summarizes evidence for its role in stable CAD and acute coronary syndromes with particular reference to current guidelines.