Cardiovascular magnetic resonance semi-automated threshold-based post-processing of right ventricular volumes in repaired tetralogy of Fallot.

Background: Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is the gold-standard to estimate right ventricular (RV) volumes, which are key for clinical management of patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot (rTOF). Semi-automated threshold-based methods (SAT) have been proposed for CMR post-processing as alternatives to fully manual standard tracing. We investigated the impact of SAT on RV analysis using different thresholds in rTOF patients.

When Paying Attention Pays Back: Missense Mutation c.1006G>A p. (Val336Ile) in Gene Causing Left Ventricular Hypertrophy and Conduction Abnormalities in a Caucasian Patient: Case Report and Literature Review.

cardiomyopathy is a rare genetic disorder that manifests early in life with an autosomal dominant inheritance pattern. It harbors left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), ventricular pre-excitation and progressively worsening conduction system defects. Its estimated prevalence among patients with LVH ranges from 0.

Semaglutide therapy decreases epicardial fat inflammation and improves psoriasis severity in patients affected by abdominal obesity and type-2 diabetes.

Summary: Psoriasis is often associated with abdominal obesity and type-2 diabetes (T2D). The inflammatory process in psoriasis can target adipose tissue depots, especially those surrounding the heart and coronary arteries, exposing to an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. A 50-year-old female patient referred to us for abdominal obesity and T2D, which were not controlled with lifestyle modifications.

[Spontaneous resolution of pericardial cyst: a complex case report].

Pericardial cysts are rare mediastinal abnormalities, generally benign, discovered most often incidentally in the course of diagnostic investigations involving the cardiac profile. They have an incidence of 1 case in 100 000 and are mostly located at the right cardiophrenic angle. Spontaneous resolution of cysts is even rarer.

Potential role of epicardial adipose tissue as a biomarker of anthracycline cardiotoxicity.

Background: We investigated the radiodensity of epicardial (EAT), subcutaneous (SAT), and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) before and after treatment with anthracyclines in a population of breast cancer (BC) patients, and in controls not treated with anthracyclines, to detect a potential role of EAT density as a biomarker of changes related to chemotherapy cardiotoxicity.

Methods: We reviewed BC patients treated with anthracyclines who underwent CT before (CT-t) and after (CT-t) chemotherapy, and age- and sex-matched controls who underwent two CT examinations at comparable intervals. On non-contrast scans, EAT was segmented contouring the pericardium and thresholding between -190 and -30 Hounsfield units (HU), and SAT and VAT were segmented with two 15-mm diameter regions of interest thresholded between -195 and -45 HU.

A patient-specific algorithm to achieve commissural alignment with Acurate Neo: The sextant technique.

Aims: The aim of this proof-of-concept study was to investigate safety and efficacy of a CT-scan based patient-specific algorithm to maximize coronary clearance and secondarily to achieve anatomically correct commissural alignment with the Acurate Neo device.

Method And Results: A total of 45 consecutive patients undergoing TAVR with the Acurate Neo THV were prospectively enrolled in the study. Mean age was 81.

Dual-energy CT performance in acute pulmonary embolism: a meta-analysis.

Objectives: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) with regard to its post-processing techniques, namely linear blending (LB), iodine maps (IM), and virtual monoenergetic (VM) reconstructions, in diagnosing acute pulmonary embolism (PE).

Methods: This meta-analysis was conducted according to PRISMA. A systematic search on MEDLINE and EMBASE was performed in December 2019, looking for articles reporting the diagnostic performance of DECT on a per-patient level.

Pulmonary thromboembolism in coronavirus disease 2019 patients undergoing thromboprophylaxis.

We aimed to investigate the prevalence of pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) and its association with clinical variables in a cohort of hospitalized coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients receiving low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) at prophylactic dosage.In this retrospective observational study we included COVID-19 patients receiving prophylactic LMWH from admission but still referred for lower-limbs venous Doppler ultrasound (LL-US) and computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) for clinical PTE suspicion. A dedicated radiologist reviewed CTPA images to assess PTE presence/extension.

Extent and characteristics of carotid plaques and brain parenchymal loss in asymptomatic patients with no indication for revascularization.

Background And Aims: Extent of subclinical atherosclerosis has been associated with brain parenchymal loss in community-dwelling aged subjects. Identification of patient-related and plaque-related markers could identify subjects at higher risk of brain atrophy, independent of cerebrovascular accidents. Aim of the study was to investigate the relation between extent and characteristics of carotid plaques and brain atrophy in asymptomatic patients with no indication for revascularization.

Diagnosis of left atrial appendage thrombus in patients with atrial fibrillation: delayed contrast-enhanced cardiac CT.

Objectives: The current reference standard for diagnosing LAA thrombi is transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), a semi-invasive technique. We aimed to devise an optimal protocol for cardiac computed tomography (CCT) in diagnosing left atrial appendage (LAA) thrombus in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), using TEE as reference standard.

Methods: Two hundred sixty consecutive patients referred for radiofrequency ablation for AF were prospectively enrolled.

CT-derived pulmonary vascular metrics and clinical outcome in COVID-19 patients.

To assess pulmonary vascular metrics on chest CT of COVID-19 patients, and their correlation with pneumonia extent (PnE) and outcome, we analyzed COVID-19 patients with an available previous chest CT, excluding those performed for cardiovascular disease. From February 21 to March 21, 2020, of 672 suspected COVID-19 patients from two centers who underwent CT, 45 RT-PCR-positives (28 males, median age 75, IQR 66-81 years) with previous CTs performed a median 36 months before (IQR 12-72 months) were included. We assessed PnE, pulmonary artery (PA) diameter, ascending aorta (Ao) diameter, and PA/Ao ratio.

Impact of aortic angle on transcatheter aortic valve implantation outcome with Evolut-R, Portico, and Acurate-NEO.

Objectives: To investigate paravalvular leak (PVL) and devices success rates according to aortic angle (AA) in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) with three new-generation self-expanding devices.

Background: The impact of aortic angle (AA) on TAVI device success and PVL rates is controversial.

Methods: This retrospective study included 392 patients submitted to TAVI for severe aortic stenosis with Portico, Evolut-R and Acurate-NEO, and available AA measurements at computed tomography (CT) angiography.

First-in-Man Study Evaluating the Emblok Embolic Protection System During Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement.

Objectives: This study sought to evaluate the feasibility of complete cerebral protection during transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) with a novel embolic protection device.

Background: Evidences and data about new cerebral embolic protection devices are lacking and scarce.

Methods: A prospective, nonrandomized, multicenter, first-in-man pilot study designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of cerebral embolic protection utilizing the Emblok embolic protection system (Innovative Cardiovascular Solutions, Grand Rapids, Michigan) during TAVR.

Progression of brain white matter hyperintensities in asymptomatic patients with carotid atherosclerotic plaques and no indication for revascularization.

Background And Aims: Brain white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) have been associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke and considered as markers of brain ischemia. Progression of WMHs in asymptomatic patients with non-hemodynamically significant carotid plaque could represent a putative marker of plaque vulnerability. We prospectively evaluate progression and determinants of WMHs in this population.

Carotid artery plaque uptake of C-PK11195 inversely correlates with circulating monocytes and classical CD14CD16 monocytes expressing HLA-DR.

Background: We explored the relation between blood concentrations of monocyte/lymphocyte subsets and carotid artery plaque macrophage content, measured by positron emission tomography (PET) with C-PK11195.

Methods And Results: In 9 patients with carotid plaques we performed C-PK11195-PET/computed tomography angiography imaging and measurement of absolute concentrations and frequencies of circulating monocytes and T-cell subsets. Plaque standardized uptake value (SUV) for C-PK11195 was negatively correlated with concentrations of total monocytes (r = -0.

[Saphenous vein graft aneurysm: percutaneous exclusion using detachable coils].

We report the case of a 78-year-old man admitted to the emergency department for typical angina onset with evidence of a large aneurysm of the coronary artery venous bypass graft, successfully closed using a percutaneous approach.

Relation between characteristics of carotid atherosclerotic plaques and brain white matter hyperintensities in asymptomatic patients.

White matter hyperintensities (WMH) can be incidentally found in patients with carotid atherosclerosis on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We investigated the relationship between WMH and characteristics of carotid plaques in asymptomatic patients without indication for carotid revascularization. We prospectively screened 235 consecutive patients with carotid stenosis <70%.

Five-year evolution of mild aortic regurgitation following transcatheter aortic valve implantation: early insights from a single-centre experience.

Objectives: To assess the follow-up evolution and impact of mild aortic regurgitation (1 + AR) following transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI).

Methods: We evaluated the follow-up outcomes and AR evolution of 558 patients affected by native aortic stenosis who underwent TAVI with residual AR ≤ 1+.

Results: No residual AR was found in 294 (52.

A Comparison Between First-Generation and Second-Generation Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) Devices: A Propensity-Matched Single-Center Experience.

Background: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is the treatment of choice for high-risk patients presenting with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of second-generation (2G) devices in comparison to first-generation (1G) devices with regard to procedural and short-term clinical outcomes.

Methods: Between November 2007 and May 2015, a total of 449 patients treated with 1G TAVI devices (Edwards Sapien XT, Medtronic CoreValve) were propensity matched (1:1) to 179 patients treated with 2G TAVI devices (Edwards Sapien 3, Medtronic Evolut R, Boston Scientific Lotus, Direct Flow Medical).