Reproducibility of manual and semi-automated late enhancement quantification in patients with Fabry disease.

Background: Late enhancement (LE) imaging is increasingly used for diagnosis of non-ischemic cardiomyopathy. However, the mostly patchy appearance of LE in this context may reduce the reproducibility of LE measurement.

Purpose: To report intra- and inter-observer variabilities of LE measurements in Fabry disease using manual and semi-automated quantification.

Remodeling of the infarct territory in the time course of infarct healing in humans.

Object: To analyze the remodeling processes of the infarct territory in the time course of infarct healing.

Materials And Methods: Serial late enhancement (LE) studies were performed in 30 patients following reperfused myocardial infarction (MI) in the first and second week post-MI and after 3 months. To characterize infarct remodeling over time, the following variables were derived and analyzed in a blinded fashion: Infarct size (IS, in mm(3)), maximum infarct thickness (IT(max), mm), mean infarct thickness (IT(mean), mm) and the variability of infarct thickness (VIT=IT(max)/IT(mean)).

Intraindividual comparison of myocardial delayed enhancement MR imaging using gadobenate dimeglumine at 1.5 T and 3 T.

For contrast-enhanced imaging techniques relying on strong T1 weighting, 3 T provides increased contrast compared with 1.5 T. The aim of our study was the intraindividual comparison of delayed enhancement MR imaging at 1.

Evaluation of the nephrotoxicity of iodixanol in patients with predisposing factors to contrast medium induced nephropathy referred for contrast enhanced computed tomography.

To determine the risk of developing contrast induced nephropathy (CIN) in intermediate-risk patients receiving iodixanol, an iso-osmolar, dimeric non-ionic contrast agent, for CT in a clinical setting. Hundred consecutive patients referred for a contrast enhanced CT with a serum creatinine concentration>1.1mg/dl and/or a glomerular filtration rate (GFR)<90ml/min were included.

A prospective study comparing different iodine concentrations for triphasic multidetector row CT of the upper abdomen.

Objectives: To investigate the effect of different iodine concentrations at either constant injection or iodine administration rates but constant total iodine load on contrast enhancement of liver, pancreas and spleen by multidetector row CT.

Materials And Methods: One hundred and twenty consecutive patients (70+/-6 years) underwent triphasic liver CT at a four-channel multidetector-row CT using the non-ionic contrast medium iopromide. Patients were divided into six equal groups-I: 150 ml, 240 mg/ml at 4 ml/s; II: 120 ml, 300 mg/ml at 4 ml/s; III: 97.

Different reconstruction intervals for exclusion of coronary artery calcifications by retrospectively gated MDCT.

Objective: Exclusion of coronary artery calcifications has a high negative predictive value for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease. However, it is known that significant differences in calcium scoring can occur because of the ECG trigger interval. Thus, the aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of different reconstruction intervals on detection of any coronary calcium by using MDCT and retrospective cardiac gating.

The variation of morphological and functional cardiac manifestation in Fabry disease: potential implications for the time course of the disease.

Aims: The aim of this clinical cross-sectional study was to investigate the cardiac interrelation of morphological and functional abnormalities in patients with Fabry disease.

Methods And Results: Fifty-one patients (5-78 years) were compared with 25 controls (8-77 years). In all subjects, end-diastolic thickness of the left ventricle was measured by echocardiography and ultrasonic peak systolic strain rate (SR) was extracted to assess regional myocardial function.

Comparison of different iodine concentrations for multidetector row computed tomography angiography of segmental renal arteries.

The aims of this study were (1) to assess the diagnostic performance of multidetector row computed tomography angiography (CTA) on imaging of renal artery branches and (2) to investigate the effect of different iodine concentrations at constant total iodine load and either constant injection rates or constant iodine administration rates. A number of 120 consecutive patients (71+/-6 years of age) underwent CTA of renal arteries (collimation 4 x 1 mm) using the nonionic contrast medium iopromide, and were divided into six equal groups: 1: 150 ml, 240 mg/ml at 4 ml/s; 2: 120 ml, 300 mg/ml at 4 ml/s; 3: 97.3 ml, 370 mg/ml at 4 ml/s; 4: 150 ml, 240 mg/ml at 5 ml/s; 5: 120 ml, 300 mg/ml, 60 ml at 6 ml/s, 60 ml at 3 ml/s; 6: 97.

Detection of myocardial infarctions by acquisition-weighted 31P-MR spectroscopy in humans.

Purpose: To determine whether the recently applied technique of acquisition-weighted 31P-MR spectroscopy (AW-MRS) allows for the detection of depressed energy metabolism in patients with inferior wall myocardial infarctions.

Materials And Methods: Eight patients with subacute myocardial infarction and wall motion abnormalities restricted to the inferior wall were examined with a 1.5-T MR scanner.

Time course of 23Na signal intensity after myocardial infarction in humans.

Experimental studies demonstrated persistently increased 23Na content in nonviable myocardium post-myocardial infarction (MI). We hypothesized that nonviable myocardium in humans would show elevated 23Na content at all stages of infarct development, and therefore could be imaged with 23Na MRI. Ten patients were examined on days 4, 14, and 90 after infarction, and five of these patients participated in a 12-month follow-up.

Improvement of cardiac function during enzyme replacement therapy in patients with Fabry disease: a prospective strain rate imaging study.

Background: Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) has been shown to enhance microvascular endothelial globotriaosylceramide clearance in the hearts of patients with Fabry disease. Whether these results can be translated into an improvement of myocardial function has yet to be demonstrated.

Methods And Results: Sixteen patients with Fabry disease who were treated in an open-label study with 1.

Evaluation of sodium T1 relaxation times in human heart.

Purpose: To evaluate the sodium longitudinal relaxation (T(1)) characteristics for myocardium and blood in humans.

Materials And Methods: Eleven healthy volunteers were examined by using a (23)Na heart surface coil at a 1.5 T clinical scanner equipped with a broadband spectroscopy option.

Cardiac systolic rotation and contraction before and after valve replacement for aortic stenosis: a myocardial tagging study using MR imaging.

Objective: Aortic stenosis leads to the derangement of cardiac function and contraction mode because of chronic pressure overload that is relieved after surgical valve replacement. The purpose of this study was to determine the changes in left ventricular systolic rotation and contraction using MR tagging in patients with aortic stenosis before and after surgical valve replacement compared with age-matched healthy volunteers.

Materials And Methods: Twelve patients with aortic stenosis were examined with an electrocardiographically triggered two-dimensional tagging sequence at 1.

Sodium T2* relaxation times in human heart muscle.

Purpose: To determine sodium transverse relaxation (T2*) characteristics for myocardium, blood and cartilage in humans.

Methods: T2* measurements were performed using a 3D ECG-gated spoiled gradient echo sequence. A 1.