Biopsy strategies for intermediate and high suspicion thyroid nodules with macrocalcifications.

Objectives: (1) To find strategies to improve diagnostic performance of ultrasound-guided biopsy of intermediate and high suspicion thyroid nodules with macrocalcifications. (2) To find malignancy rates of nodules with macrocalcification.

Materials And Methods: From 2018 to 2022, fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) and core needle biopsy (CNB) were retrospectively evaluated.

Functional angiography-derived index of microcirculatory resistance validated with microvascular obstruction in cardiac magnetic resonance after STEMI.

Introduction And Objectives: The index of microcirculatory resistance (IMR) measured after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is associated with microvascular obstruction (MVO) and adverse clinical events. To evaluate MVO after successful primary PCI for STEMI without pressure wires or hyperemic agents, we investigated the feasibility and usefulness of functional angiography-derived IMR (angio-IMR).

Methods: The current study included a total of 285 STEMI patients who underwent primary PCI and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR).

Functional Coronary Angiography-Derived Index of Microcirculatory Resistance in Patients With ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy and prognostic implications of angiography-derived index of microcirculatory resistance (angio-IMR) in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).

Background: The index of microcirculatory resistance (IMR) is a reliable invasive measure of coronary microvascular dysfunction in patients with STEMI. A functional coronary angiography-derived method to estimate IMR is a wire- and hyperemic agent-free alternative to IMR.

Comparison of global and regional myocardial strains in patients with heart failure with a preserved ejection fraction vs hypertension vs age-matched control.

Background: With an increasing clinical importance of the treatment of the heart failure (HF) with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), it is important to be certain of the diagnosis of HF. We investigated global and regional left ventricular (LV) strains using speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) in patients with HFpEF and compared those parameters with that of patients with hypertension and normal subjects.

Methods: Peak longitudinal, circumferential and radial strains were assessed globally and regionally for each study groups using STE.

Computationally simulated fractional flow reserve from coronary computed tomography angiography based on fractional myocardial mass.

Computed tomography angiography (CCTA)-based calculations of fractional flow reserve (FFR) can improve the diagnostic performance of CCTA for physiologically significant stenosis but the computational resource requirements are high. This study aimed at establishing a simple and efficient algorithm for computing simulated FFR (S-FFR). A total of 107 patients who underwent CCTA and invasive FFR measurements were enrolled in the study.

Identification of Factors that Predict whether the Right Parasternal View Is Required for Accurate Evaluation of Aortic Stenosis Severity.

Background: To accurately assess aortic stenosis (AS) severity, multiple windows should be used to best align the Doppler beam with the flow direction of the stenotic jet. To evaluate: (1) the frequency at which the highest peak AV velocity is found in the right parasternal window (RPW), (2) the extent of correlation between aortic root angulation and the location of the highest peak AV jet velocity, and (3) which patients would benefit most from RPW-based assessment of AS severity.

Methods: We evaluated AS velocity in the apical window (AW) and RPW by continuous-wave Doppler (CWD) in 263 patients with more than moderate AS.

Concordant and Discordant Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging Delayed Hyperenhancement Patterns in Patients with Ischemic and Non-Ischemic Cardiomyopathy.

Background And Objectives: The diagnosis of ischemic (ICM) and non-ischemic cardiomyopathy (NICM) is conventionally determined by the presence or absence of coronary artery disease (CAD) in the setting of a reduced left systolic function. However the presence of CAD may not always indicate that the actual left ventricular (LV) dysfunction mechanism is ischemia, as other non-ischemic etiologies can be responsible. We investigated patterns of myocardial fibrosis using delayed hyperenhancement (DHE) on cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) in ICM and NICM.

Differences in apical and non-apical types of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: a prospective analysis of clinical, echocardiographic, and cardiac magnetic resonance findings and outcome from 350 patients.

Aims: Apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (ApHCM) is thought to have a favourable clinical outcome, compared with other types of HCM. We sought to investigate the clinical and anatomical differences in cardiovascular imaging between ApHCM and non-ApHCM.

Methods And Results: A total of 350 patients diagnosed with HCM underwent cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) and echocardiography.

Assessment of perioperative cardiac risk of patients undergoing noncardiac surgery using coronary computed tomographic angiography.

Background: The appropriate indication for coronary computed tomographic angiography (CTA) as a part of preoperative evaluation has not been defined yet. We investigated the value of coronary CTA in patients undergoing noncardiac surgery.

Methods And Results: We included 844 patients (median age, 67 years; male sex, 62%) who underwent coronary CTA for screening of coronary artery disease before noncardiac surgery.