Differentiating cardiac amyloidosis and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy by use of three-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography.

Introduction: Cardiac amyloidosis (CA) and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) are important differential diagnosis of left ventricular hypertrophy. The aim of this study was to investigate if three-dimensional (3D) speckle tracking-derived functional parameters enabled differentiation of CA and HCM by a disease-specific pattern.

Methods: Twelve patients with CA and 12 patients with HCM were included.

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance of myocardial infarction after blunt chest trauma: a heartbreaking soccer-shot.

Cardiac injury occasionally occurs as a result of blunt chest trauma. Most cardiac complications in chest trauma are due to myocardial contusion rather than direct damage to the coronary arteries. However, traumatic coronary injury has been reported, and a variety of underlying pathophysiological mechanisms have been proposed.

Echocardiographic assessment and monitoring of the clinical course in a patient with Tako-Tsubo cardiomyopathy by a novel 3D-speckle-tracking-strain analysis.

Using real-time 3D-speckle-tracking in the clinical course of Tako-Tsubo turned out as a quick and feasible tool for recognition and follow-up of wall motion abnormalities.