Comparison of left atrial appendage measurements between conventional transesophageal echocardiography and "Virtual TEE" reconstructed from computed tomography for pre-procedural planning of device closure.

For pre-procedural planning of left atrial appendage (LAA) closure, sizing is crucial. Although transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is a standard modality, cardiac computed tomography (CT) is also widely used. The virtual TEE (V-TEE) that our group developed enables us to reconstruct images similar to TEE images from CT images.

Relationship Between Blood Pressure Variability and Cognitive Function in Elderly Patients With Good Blood Pressure Control.

Background: Although higher blood pressure (BP) levels and BP variability have been associated with cognitive impairment, data are sparse regarding the relationship between BP variability and cognitive function in elderly patients with well BP control.

Methods: We analyzed 232 ambulatory patients with one or more cardiovascular risk factors. All patients underwent ambulatory BP monitoring and the Japanese version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA-J).