Echocardiographic Changes in Eosinophilic Endocarditis Induced by Churg-Strauss Syndrome.

Eosinophilic myocarditis may be accompanied by Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS). We report a case of CSS that was accompanied by myocardial changes in the early stage. A 71-year-old woman complained of mild chest pain at rest, but routine echocardiography did not reveal any endocardial abnormalities.

Eicosapentaenoic Acid combined with optimal statin therapy improves endothelial dysfunction in patients with coronary artery disease.

Purpose: Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) has been reported to augment endothelial function and improve clinical outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). The purpose of this study was to determine whether EPA could improve residual endothelial dysfunction despite adequate lipid-lowering with statin in CAD patients.

Methods: Eighty patients with established CAD, who had been on statin treatment and had serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels <100 mg/dl, were randomly assigned to receive either 1,800 mg of EPA daily plus statin (EPA group, n = 40) or statin alone (Control group, n = 40).

Longitudinal heterogeneity of coronary artery distensibility in plaques related to acute coronary syndrome.

Background: How coronary distensibility contributes to stable or unstable clinical manifestations remains obscure. We postulated that the heterogeneous plaque distensibility is associated with unstable clinical presentations in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS).

Methods And Results: Seventeen and 19 ACS-related and -unrelated lesions, respectively, were visualized using intravascular ultrasound imaging with simultaneous intracoronary pressure recording.

Effect of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors and beta-blockers on left ventricular remodeling after coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

Preventing left ventricular (LV) remodeling after coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) is important to avoid long-term congestive heart failure. The present study evaluated the effects of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and beta-blockers on LV remodeling. Twenty-three patients with angina pectoris and 36 with old myocardial infarction underwent CABG.