Meta-Analysis of Intravascular Ultrasound-Guided Versus Angiography-Guided Endovascular Treatment in Lower Extremity Artery Disease.

Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) offers precise information about lesion morphology and enhances the optimization of endovascular treatments (EVT). Nevertheless, the impact of IVUS on the durability of EVTs and clinical outcomes remains uncertain. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the efficacy of IVUS-guided EVT compared with angiography-guided EVT.

Cerebral infarction related to nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis in a middle-aged woman with uterine adenomyosis: A case report.

Rationale: Few isolated case reports and case series have reported arterial and venous thromboembolism related to adenomyosis; however, the underlying mechanism remains unclear.

Patient Concerns: A 47-year-old woman presented with dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and loss of consciousness after red blood cell transfusion. She was being treated for menorrhagia and severe anemia.

Epidemiologic Profile of Patients With Valvular Heart Disease in Korea: A Nationwide Hospital-Based Registry Study.

Background: Valvular heart disease (VHD) is a common cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality worldwide; however, its epidemiological profile in Korea requires elucidation.

Methods: In this nationwide retrospective cohort study from the Korean valve survey, which collected clinical and echocardiographic data on VHD from 45 medical centers, we identified 4,089 patients with VHD between September and October 2019.

Results: The aortic valve was the most commonly affected valve (n = 1,956 [47.

Balanced double aortic arch demonstrated by multimodality image and 7-year follow-up in a symptomatic elderly patient: A case report.

Double aortic arch is a very rare congenital heart disease. Double aortic arch forms a vascular ring, compressing the esophagus and trachea, causing symptoms mainly in infants and young children, and symptoms rarely appear after adulthood. The management of double aortic arch depends on the severity of the symptoms, but since aging exacerbates atherosclerosis and complicates surgery, treatment in adults has many considerations.

Prognostic Value of Global Longitudinal Strain in Patients With Heart Failure With Improved Ejection Fraction.

Objectives: The authors sought to determine whether global longitudinal strain (GLS) is independently associated with the natural history of patients with heart failure (HF) with improved ejection fraction (HFimpEF).

Background: Left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF) often improves in patients with reduced EF. The clinical course of patients with HFimpEF, however, is quite variable.

Epidemiology of Venous Thromboembolism and Treatment Pattern of Oral Anticoagulation in Korea, 2009-2016: a Nationwide Study Based on the National Health Insurance Service Database.

Background: The annual incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) is increasing, and the treatment pattern of oral anticoagulants (OACs) has changed with introduction of new oral anticoagulants (NOACs). The aims of this study were to assess the annual incidence of VTE in a Korean population and the change of treatment pattern with availability of NOACs using a population-based database.

Methods: Using the Korean National Health Insurance Services database, we identified patients diagnosed with VTE between 2009 and 2016.

Long-Term Left Atrial Function after Device Closure and Surgical Closure in Adult Patients with Atrial Septal Defect.

Background: Studies comparing left atrial (LA) function after surgical closure or percutaneous closure in patients with an atrial septal defect (ASD) are lacking.

Methods: Between 1 and 3 years after ASD treatment, we retrospectively analyzed the medical records and transthoracic echocardiographic images of patients who had been diagnosed with an ASD after 20 years of age and who had undergone surgical closure (ASD-S) or percutaneous device closure (ASD-D). We measured LA peak systolic, early diastolic, and late diastolic strain values using 2-dimensional (2D) speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) and calculated reservoir, conduit, and contraction strain.

Efficacy and safety of co-administered telmisartan/amlodipine and rosuvastatin in subjects with hypertension and dyslipidemia.

Single risk factors, such as hypertension and dyslipidemia, can combine to exacerbate the development and severity of cardiovascular disease. Treatment goals may be more effectively achieved if multiple disease factors are targeted with combination treatment. We enrolled 202 patients who were randomly divided into the following three groups: telmisartan/amlodipine 80/5 mg + rosuvastatin 20 mg, telmisartan 80 mg + rosuvastatin 20 mg, and telmisartan/amlodipine 80/5 mg.

Addition of Amlodipine or Valsartan for Improvement of Diastolic Dysfunction Associated with Hypertension.

Background: Hypertensive patients are at increased risk of diastolic dysfunction. The hypothesis of this study was that addition of amlodipine would be superior to valsartan in improving diastolic dysfunction associated with hypertension.

Methods: In this randomized trial, we randomly assigned 104 controlled, hypertensive patients with diastolic dysfunction to receive either amlodipine 2.

Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention of Cardiovascular Toxicity Related to Anti-Cancer Treatment in Clinical Practice: An Opinion Paper from the Working Group on Cardio-Oncology of the Korean Society of Echocardiography.

Cardiovascular (CV) toxicity associated with anti-cancer treatment is commonly encountered and raises critical problems that often result in serious morbidity or mortality. Most cardiac toxicities are related to the cumulative dose of chemotherapy; however, the type of chemotherapy, concomitant agents, and/or conventional CV risk factors have been frequently implicated in CV toxicity. Approximately half of the patients exhibiting CV toxicity receive an anthracycline-based regimen.

Erratum: Diagnostic Performance of Intravascular Ultrasound-Derived Minimal Lumen Area to Predict Functionally Significant Non-Left Main Coronary Artery Disease: a Meta-Analysis.

[This corrects the article on p. 622 in vol. 46, PMID: 27721852.

Local Atrial/Ventricular Ratio as an Adjuvant Marker for Catheter Ablation of Atrioventricular Accessory Pathways.

Background And Objectives: The earliest atrial (A)/ventricular (V) activation potential, or accessory pathway (AP) potential are commonly used as ablation targets for atrioventricular (AV) APs. However, these targets are sometimes ambiguous.

Subjects And Methods: We reviewed 119 catheter ablation cases in 112 patients diagnosed with orthodromic atrioventricular reentrant tachycardia (AVRT) or Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome.

Clinical characteristics and mutation spectrum of GLA in Korean patients with Fabry disease by a nationwide survey: Underdiagnosis of late-onset phenotype.

Fabry disease is a rare X-linked lysosomal storage disorder caused by an α-galactosidase A deficiency. The progressive accumulation of globotriaosylceramide (GL-3) results in life-threatening complications, including renal, cardiac, and cerebrovascular diseases. This study investigated the phenotypic and molecular spectra of GLA mutations in Korean patients with Fabry disease using a nationwide survey.

Extension of catheter ablation and outcome for ventricular tachycardia or premature ventricular contractions from the right ventricular outflow tract.

Objective We aimed to determine whether the extension of ablation could influence the ablation outcome for ventricular tachycardia (VT)/premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) from the right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT). Methods and results The radiofrequency catheter ablation results of 33 VT/6 frequent PVCs from the RVOT were analysed. The ablation extension was divided into 3 categories from the final successful ablation point with the earliest activation: (I) focal ablation (15 cases); ablation at 1 or 2 points; (II) focal with extended ablation (12 cases); focal and surrounding area ablation (maximum ≤1 cm) after elimination of clinical VT/PVCs; and (III) broad ablation (12 cases); continued broad ablation (maximum >1 cm) after elimination of clinical VT/PVCs.

Combined Use of Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio and C-Reactive Protein Level to Predict Clinical Outcomes in Acute Myocardial Infarction Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Background And Objectives: Both neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) are biomarkers associated with poor prognosis of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). However, the combined usefulness of NLR and CRP in predicting adverse outcomes has not been investigated.

Subjects And Methods: We analyzed 381 consecutive AMI patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) from January 2012 to January 2014.

Comparison of the Antiplatelet Effects of Once and Twice Daily Low-Dose Ticagrelor and Clopidogrel After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Although Asian people are believed to be more susceptible to bleeding on currently recommended dose of ticagrelor, there is limited evidence supporting low-dose ticagrelor. We prospectively randomized patients receiving dual antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and clopidogrel into 3 groups; aspirin plus clopidogrel 75 mg versus aspirin plus ticagrelor 90 mg once daily versus aspirin plus ticagrelor 45 mg twice daily. Platelet function assessments were conducted using VerifyNow P2Y12 assay at baseline and 28 days after randomization.

The Relationships between Body Mass Index and Left Ventricular Diastolic Function in a Structurally Normal Heart with Normal Ejection Fraction.

Background: We conducted research to determine the effect of the weight on left ventricular (LV) diastolic function in Asians, who are at greater risk of cardiovascular events compared to individuals from Western countries with similar body mass indices (BMIs).

Methods: We studied 543 participants with structurally normal hearts and normal ejection fractions. Participants were classified as normal-weight (BMI < 23.

Impact of Valvuloarterial Impedance on Concentric Remodeling in Aortic Stenosis and Its Regression after Valve Replacement.

Background: Left ventricle (LV) in patients with aortic stenosis (AS) faces a double hemodynamic load incorporating both valvular stenosis and reduced systemic arterial compliance (SAC). This study aimed to evaluate the impact of global LV afterload on LV hypertrophy (LVH) before and after aortic valve replacement (AVR).

Methods: The study cohort included 453 patients (247 males; mean age, 64 ± 11 years) who underwent AVR.

Diagnostic Performance of Intravascular Ultrasound-Derived Minimal Lumen Area to Predict Functionally Significant Non-Left Main Coronary Artery Disease: a Meta-Analysis.

Background And Objectives: Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS)-guided percutaneous coronary intervention frequently results in unnecessary stenting due to the low positive predictive value of IVUS-derived minimal lumen area (MLA) for identification of functionally significant coronary stenosis. We appraised the diagnostic accuracy of IVUS-derived MLA compared with the fractional flow reserve (FFR) to assess intermediate coronary stenosis.

Subjects And Methods: We searched MEDLINE and Cochrane databases for studies using IVUS and FFR methods to establish the best MLA cut-off values to predict significant non-left main coronary artery stenosis.

Effects of long-term iloprost treatment on right ventricular function in patients with Eisenmenger syndrome.

Background: Right ventricular (RV) function is an important prognostic factor of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), but there is insufficient data regarding RV function after long-term inhaled iloprost treatment. We evaluated the effect of long-term iloprost treatment on RV function in patients with Eisenmenger syndrome (ES).

Methods: Eleven consecutive patients with ES associated with congenital heart disease underwent echocardiographic measurements at baseline and 48 weeks after iloprost therapy.