[Current guidelines for chronic coronary syndrome : Role of computed tomography-coronary angiography and pretest probability for coronary artery disease].

Due to its high sensitivity and high negative predictive value, computed tomography angiography of the coronary arteries (CCTA) has proven to be particularly useful for ruling out obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) in cases of suspected chronic coronary syndrome (CCS), which is why CCTA will also be included in the care of patients with statutory health insurance in Germany according to the G-BA decision of January 24, 2024. The value of CCTA is clearly confirmed in the current guidelines of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the national care guideline from August 2024. However, good results from CCTA can only be achieved-in addition to appropriate qualifications of those performing the test and the necessary technical requirements-if the right patients are included, namely those with a low intermediate pretest probability for the presence of obstructive CAD.

Distinct pulmonary patterns in ANCA-associated vasculitides: insights from a retrospective single center cohort study.

ANCA-associated vasculitides (AAV) comprise granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) and eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis. All forms may involve different organ systems, yet kidney and lung involvement are common and fatal in many cases. Here, we aimed to determine the predictive value of pulmonary disease manifestation and individual CT findings in AAV patients.

The Predictive Role of Metabolic Volume Segmentation Compared to Semiquantitative PET Parameters in Diagnosis of LVAD Infection using [F]FDG Imaging.

Purpose: Left ventricular assisting device (LVAD) is a vital mechanical circulatory assist device for patients with end-stage heart disease, serving as either a bridge to transplantation or palliative destination therapy. Yet device infection represents a major lethal complication, warranting a multi-step, complex therapy approach including an urgent device exchange or heart transplantation. Still, timely diagnosis of site and extent of VAD-specific infection for a proper therapy planning poses challenges in regular clinical care.

Rivaroxaban versus vitamin K antagonist treatment on the progression of coronary calcification: the IRIVASC-trial.

Vitamin K antagonists (VKA) remain the only option of anticoagulation for people with mechanical valve replacement and due to their wider availability and lower acquisition costs, VKA's remain widely used in low- and middle-income countries. It has been suggested that prolonged use of VKAs can increase the development of vascular and valvular calcification, though this effect has not been examined in larger randomized prospective trials. This investigator-initiated multicenter, prospective, randomized, open-label interventional trial randomized patients with baseline coronary or valvular calcification and an indication for prolonged oral anticoagulation therapy to Marcumar or Rivaroxaban.