3-Dimensional Images of Mitral Annulus Perforation: An Alien's Mouth.

In this clinical vignette, we describe a case of a patient with windsock-like posterior mitral annulus perforation at the site of annular calcification caused by infective endocarditis. Three-dimensional transesophageal images of the perforation resembling an "alien's mouth" are very striking for how 3-dimensional imaging can improve visualization of anatomy of the heart. ().

Pacemaker-associated superior vena cava syndrome: Role of contrast echocardiography.

Pacemaker-associated superior vena cava (SVC) syndrome is increasingly recognized as a nonmalignant type of SVC syndrome. Computed tomographic (CT) angiography is the first choice of imaging for diagnosis but in some cases there is discrepancy between the clinical findings and CT images. In this report we present the role of contrast study with transesophageal echocardiography in a patient with suspicion of SVC syndrome but inconclusive CT findings.

David's procedure for pulmonary artery aneurysm.

Pulmonary artery aneurysm (PAA) is a rare entity with fatal complications. Its silent course contributes to large aneurysms with compression symptoms. We present a 39-year-old female idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension patient with a giant PAA causing severe pulmonary regurgitation (PR) and symptomatic left main coronary artery compression (LMCA).

A rare complication of transcatheter aortic valve replacement: Free-floating nose cone.

Presently described is a case in which the tip of the delivery catheter system (nose cone) has been broken during catheter removal after valve deployment in a femoral transcatheter aortic valve replacement procedure and the successful management of this rare complication.

Missed unroofed coronary sinus.

Coronary sinus atrial septal defect (ASD) is a rare congenital cardiac anomaly, which might be difficult to diagnose. In this report, we describe a patient with small secundum ASDs and an associated large coronary sinus ASD, which had been missed at initial evaluation. The diagnosis of coronary sinus ASD was established by using transesophageal echocardiography after percutaneous closure of a small secundum ASD at another center.

The association of estimated whole blood viscosity with hemodynamic parameters and prognosis in patients with heart failure.

Aim: We aimed to investigate the association of estimated whole blood viscosity (WBV) with hemodynamic parameters and prognosis in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.

Materials & Methods: Total of 542 patients were included and followed-up for median 13 months.

Results: The WBV parameters had negative relationship with right atrium pressure and positive correlation with cardiac index.

How to image individual pulmonary veins with transthoracic echocardiography.

Although Doppler analysis of pulmonary veins (PVs) is crucial in the assessment of cardiac hemodynamics, there is controversy regarding individual anatomical PV imaging with transthoracic echocardiography (TTE). This report is a discussion of how to image PVs accurately using TTE. To resolve any contradiction, multiple TTE images were obtained during the selective catheterization of the PV in patients undergoing atrial fibrillation ablation procedure.

3D echocardiographic imaging of a septal myocardial cleft in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Myocardial clefts are defined as narrow, deep blood-filled invaginations within the left ventricular myocardium. They occur in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy patients with different frequency and represent a distinctive morphological expression of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Although two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography is able to detect myocardial clefts in some cases, cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging with its high spatial resolution can detect myocardial clefts not visualized with echocardiography.

Monocyte count-to-high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol ratio is associated with abdominal aortic aneurysm size.

Aim: To determine the association of monocyte count-to-high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol ratio, a recently emerged inflammatory marker, with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) size.

Patients & Methods: A total of 120 asymptomatic AAA subjects (99 male, mean age: 67.1 ± 10.

Monocyte to HDL ratio in prediction of BMS restenosis in subjects with stable and unstable angina pectoris.

Aim: This study aims to assess the predictive role of the preprocedural circulating monocyte to high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol ratio (MHR) on the occurrence of stent restenosis (SR) in patients with stable and unstable angina pectoris undergoing successful bare-metal stenting (BMS).

Patients & Methods: Between February 2008 and June 2014, a total of 831 patients with stable and unstable angina pectoris who underwent successful BMS were retrospectively analyzed. Demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients were recorded.

Severity of coronary artery disease is an independent risk factor for decline in kidney function.

Background And Aim: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) and cardiovascular disease are closely interrelated and the presence of one condition synergistically affects the prognosis of the other, in a negative manner. There are surprisingly very few data on the relationship between baseline coronary artery disease (CAD) severity and subsequent decline in kidney function. We aimed to evaluate for the first time whether baseline coronary artery lesion severity predicts the decline in kidney function.

Azathioprine-induced atrial fibrillation.

Azathioprine, a purine analogue that competitively inhibits the biosynthesis of purine nucleotides, is used in a wide range of conditions. Although its side-effects are well known, cardiac side effects like paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) are based on only a few case reports. We describe here the case of a 55-year-old woman with primary biliary cirrhosis who presented a first-detected, symptomatic AF 2 h after azathioprine therapy which resolved after discontinuation of the drug with no predisposing factors for supraventricular arrhythmias (systemic hypertension, diabetes or coronary artery disease).

Morning Blood Pressure Surge as a Predictor of Development of Chronic Kidney Disease.

Blood pressure (BP) usually increases upon awakening--a physiological mechanism called morning BP surge (MBPS). BP values above the MBPS threshold are associated with target organ damage, including left ventricular hypertrophy and proteinuria. Despite these data, there have been no studies that have investigated the association between elevated MBPS and the development of incident chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Association of Serum Uric Acid Level With Blood Pressure Variability in Newly Diagnosed Essential Hypertension.

Serum uric acid (UA) is independently associated with hypertension and blood pressure (BP) variability (BPV) is associated with cardiovascular events and mortality in hypertensive patients. The aim of the present study was to assess the association of serum UA with BPV in 300 untreated essential hypertension patients (mean age 57.3±13.