Assessment of coronary artery disease by post-mortem cardiac MR.

Objectives: Minimally invasive or virtual autopsies are being advocated as alternative to traditional autopsy, but have limited abilities to detect coronary artery disease. It was the objective of this study to assess if the occurrence of chemical shift artifacts (CSA) along the coronary arteries on non-contrast, post-mortem cardiac MR may be used to investigate coronary artery disease.

Methods: We retrospectively compared autopsy and CT findings of 30 cases with significant (≥75%), insignificant (<75%), or absent coronary artery stenosis to post-mortem cardiac MR findings.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy or transient left ventricular apical ballooning syndrome: A systematic review.

Background: Transient left ventricular apical ballooning syndrome (TLVABS) is an acute cardiac syndrome mimicking ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction characterized by transient wall-motion abnormalities involving apical and mid-portions of the left ventricle in the absence of significant obstructive coronary disease.

Methods: Searching the MEDLINE database 28 case series met the eligibility criteria and were summarized in a narrative synthesis of the demographic characteristics, clinical features and pathophysiological mechanisms.

Results: TLVABS is observed in 0.