Publications by authors named "Stefan Ghysels"
Background: We investigated the potential of magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) stiffness measurements in skeletal muscles as an outcome measure, by determining its test-retest reliability, as well as its sensitivity to change in a longitudinal follow-up study.
Methods: We assessed test-retest reliability of muscle MRE in 20 subjects with (n = 5) and without (n = 15) muscle diseases and compared this to Dixon proton density fat fraction (PDFF) and volume measurements. Next, we measured MRE muscle stiffness in 21 adults with Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) and 21 age-matched healthy controls at baseline, and after 9 and 18 months.
Background And Objectives: Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy autosomal recessive type 12 (LGMDR12) is a rare hereditary muscular dystrophy for which outcome measures are currently lacking. We evaluated quantitative MRI and clinical outcome measures to track disease progression to determine which tests could be useful in future clinical trials to evaluate potential therapies.
Methods: We prospectively measured the following outcome measures in all participants at baseline and after 1 and 2 years: 6-minute walk distance (6MWD), 10-meter walk test (10MWT), the Medical Research Council (MRC) sum scores, Biodex isometric dynamometry, serum creatine kinase, and 6-point Dixon MRI of the thighs.
Aims: Identifying early right ventricular (RV) dysfunction and impaired vasodilator reserve is challenging in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). We hypothesized that cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR)-based exercise imaging and serial cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) measurements can identify dynamic RV-arterial uncoupling and responsiveness to pulmonary vasodilators at early stages of the HFpEF syndrome.
Methods And Results: Patients with HFpEF (n = 16), impaired left ventricular relaxation due to concentric remodelling (LVCR, n = 7), and healthy controls (n = 8) underwent CMR at rest and during supine bicycle exercise with simultaneous measurements of central haemodynamics and circulating cGMP levels, before and after oral administration of 50 mg sildenafil.
Background & Aims: Enteral nutrition with polymeric intact protein formula is the preferred medical nutrition strategy in critically ill patients when oral intake is insufficient. Enteral nutrition formulas are often rich in casein protein, which has coagulating properties. Coagulation in the stomach impedes gastric emptying and might result in high gastric residual volumes which are a clinical sign of gastrointestinal intolerance and a major reason to decrease or to discontinue enteral feeding.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: An isovolumetric intragastric balloon to continuously measure gastric phasic contractility was recently developed by us. We aimed to investigate the readout of this technique in relation to gastric content and gastric emptying.
Methods: In this crossover investigation, the VIPUN Gastric Monitoring System, which comprises a double lumen nasogastric feeding tube with integrated intragastric balloon, was used to assess phasic gastric contractility by interpretation of the pressure in an isovolumetric balloon in 10 healthy subjects.
Introduction: Prolonged intense exercise has often been associated with the impairment of right ventricular (RV) function after activity, whereas this is rare for the left ventricle (LV). The effect of prolonged exercise on the heart has not been adequately measured during exercise itself.
Methods: We performed real-time cardiac magnetic resonance imaging at rest and during incremental exercise in 14 male endurance athletes (mean ± SD; age = 36 ± 6 yr, BMI = 23.