CSANZ and RANZCR Position Statement on Initial Certification and Maintenance of Recognition for Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging (CMRI).

The CSANZ/RANZCR Position Statement on Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging (CMRI) is intended to support and foster the provision of quality, safe CMRI services in Australia and New Zealand. This document specifically pertains to CMRI in adults, as distinct from general vascular MRI or paediatric imaging, and provides certification and recertification requirements.

Interstitial lung abnormalities in the Queensland Lung Cancer Screening Study: prevalence and progression over 2 years of surveillance.

Background: We report the prevalence and progression of incidentally detected interstitial lung abnormalities (ILA) in the Queensland Lung Cancer Screening Study cohort.

Methods: About 256 volunteers aged 60-74, with ≥30 pack years smoking history and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) ≥50% predicted underwent low-dose computed tomography (CT) chest screening. Electronic search of baseline (T0) and 2-year follow-up (T2) CT reports identified candidate cases using Fleischner Society interstitial terminology.

MRI measurements of the thoracic aorta and pulmonary artery.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to obtain a range of normal measurements of the adult thoracic aorta and main pulmonary artery using cardiac MRI, and to assess agreement between measurements made on ECG-gated two-dimensional (2D) breath held steady-state-free precession (SSFP), and three-dimensional (3D) breath held SSFP image acquisitions.

Methods: Forty-nine normal volunteers underwent cardiac MRI using a 1.5T system.

Late gadolinium enhancement does occur in Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy - A quantitative cardiac magnetic resonance and speckle tracking strain study.

Background: Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) on cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) has been recommended to distinguish Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) from either acute myocardial infarction or myocarditis.

Method: 44 consecutive patients with confirmed Mayo Clinic criteria for TTC underwent CMR imaging at 1.5 Tesla during the acute phase.

Screen-detected subsolid pulmonary nodules: long-term follow-up and application of the PanCan lung cancer risk prediction model.

Objective: To report the long-term follow-up of subsolid nodules (SSNs) detected in participants of a prospective low-dose CT lung cancer screening cohort, and to investigate the utility of the PanCan model in stratifying risk in baseline SSNs.

Methods: Participants underwent a baseline scan, two annual incidence scans and further follow-up scans for the detected nodules. All SSNs underwent a minimum of 2 years of follow-up (unless resolved or resected).

Enhancing Academic Success by Creating a Community of Learners.

Objective: To enhance academic performance and student progression by creating a community of learners.

Design: Academic performance and student progression of students participating in the first 3 years of a second-year pharmacy learning community were compared with those of students in the 3 previous classes. Students participating in the learning community completed surveys at the end of each semester and at the end of the academic year.

Coronary artery calcification on computed tomography correlates with mortality in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Objective: This cross-sectional study assessed the prognostic implications of computed tomography (CT) coronary artery calcification (CAC), independent of emphysema, in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Materials And Methods: Coronary artery calcification and emphysema were assessed on noncontrast, ungated chest CT scans of patients with COPD using the validated CAC ordinal visual scale (CAC OVS; range, 0-12) and visual CT emphysema index.

Results: A total of 200 CT images were analyzed.

RETRACTED: Right to left ventricular volume ratio: A novel marker of disease severity in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.1016/j.ijchv.

Pharmacokinetic behavior presents drug therapy challenges.

There are conditions that cause a substantial change in drug clearance to such a degree that how a specific drug is managed to optimize drug response and minimize drug toxicity presents a challenge. This review will focus on recent literature (within the past 5 years) that evaluates pathophysiologic and genetic conditions and drug interactions which can change drug clearance to the magnitude that response is affected. Situations discussed that cause an increase in drug clearance will include: augmented renal clearance in critically ill patients; ultrafast drug metabolism caused by gene duplication; and enzyme induction interactions caused by rifampin.

Radiology and pathology correlation in common infiltrative cardiomyopathies.

Infiltrative cardiomyopathies generally pose a diagnostic dilemma as current diagnostic tools are imprecise. Invasive endomyocardial biopsy is considered as the gold standard however it has some limitations. Recently cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is emerging as an excellent technique in diagnosing infiltrative cardiomyopathies and is increasingly being used.

Systemic thrombolysis for acute, severe Budd-Chiari syndrome.

Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS) or hepatic venous outflow obstruction, is a rare and complex clinical entity, with diverse aetiology and a wide range of presentations. Its rarity and heterogeneity create significant challenges for evidence-based clinical decision-making, particularly in the even more infrequent setting of acute BCS presentation. Here we present the case of a young woman with acute, severe BCS, where treatment alternatives were limited due to a significant IVC thrombus burden.

Prevalence of articles with honorary and ghost authors in three pharmacy journals.

Purpose: The prevalence of honorary and ghost authors in articles published in 2009 in three peer-reviewed pharmacy journals was studied.

Methods: A 20-question survey was e-mailed to corresponding authors of articles with two or more authors published in 2009 in the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, Annals of Pharmacotherapy, and Pharmacotherapy. The survey solicited the following information: demographic characteristics of the corresponding author, information about the published article, information to determine whether any of the authors did not meet the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors criteria for authorship, and information to determine if an individual contributed substantially to the research or writing of the article but was not listed as an author.

CT angiography with cardiac MRI: non-invasive functional and anatomical assessment for the etiology in newly diagnosed heart failure.

Exclusion of ischemia is important in patients with newly diagnosed systolic heart failure (HF). We prospectively compared standard-of-care invasive catheter angiography (iCA) and echocardiography to a novel non-invasive strategy of both Coronary Computed Tomographic Angiography (CCTA) and Cardiovascular MRI (CMR) to determine the etiology of myocardial dysfunction Prospective data were collected from consecutive patients referred for iCA to investigate echocardiographically-confirmed new onset HF. CMR (1.

Angioembolisation of pulmonary artery pseudoaneurysm arising in H1N1 influenza viral pneumonia.

A 51 year-old Aboriginal woman was diagnosed with H1N1 influenza virus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Contrasted CT of the pulmonary and bronchial vasculature undertaken for investigation for of haemoptysis revealed an 11 mm left upper lobe pulmonary artery pseudoaneurysm (PAP). The PAP was successfully treated with angioembolisation of the parent artery with two platinum coils.

Percutaneous treatment of an occlusive left main pseudoaneurysm: a role for multimodality imaging.

A pseudoaneurysm with compression of the left main coronary artery causing significant ischaemia was successfully treated with a covered stent. We report this rare complication of cardiac surgery for infective endocarditis with a large root abscess. The patient developed a pseudoaneurysm arising from the body of the left main and causing compression of this vessel following his fourth redo aortic valve replacement for staphylococcal endocarditis.

Positron emission tomography combined with computed tomography as an integral component in evaluation of primary cardiac lymphoma.

We present a case of primary cardiac lymphoma (PCL) that was initially manifest through syncopal episodes. In the diagnostic evaluation, positron emission tomography combined with computed tomography (PET-CT) made a significant contribution--beyond that which would have been possible if only conventional imaging modalities such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) were utilized--and played a major role in follow-up.

Cardiac MRI is superior to gated blood pool imaging in the assessment of left ventricular function in patients post-cardiac transplantation.

Background: Gated Blood Pool Imaging (GBPI) has low inter-test variability compared to echocardiography, and is often used when accurate repeated measurements of left ventricular ejection fraction are required such as in the surveillance of post-transplant patients. The aim of this study was to determine if cardiac MRI (CMR) could replace Gated Blood Pool Imaging for annual assessment of left ventricular (LV) function in the surveillance of patients post-cardiac transplantation.

Methods: Forty-nine patients at various stages of post-cardiac transplantation presenting for annual review underwent LV functional assessment with GBPI and CMR.

The value of dual-source 64-slice CT coronary angiography in the assessment of patients presenting to an acute chest pain service.

Background: The absence of radiological evidence of plaque on computed tomographic coronary angiography (CTCA) reliably excludes obstructive coronary artery disease.

Methods: We studied patients who presented to our emergency department with chest pain and were admitted to our chest pain assessment service. If they were free of pain and without high-risk features of myocardial ischaemia including elevation of serum biomarkers they underwent CTCA and performed a standard treadmill exercise test.