Papillary fibroelastoma originating from the atrial septum touching the mitral valve leading to infective endocarditis: a case report.

Background: Cardiac papillary fibroelastoma is a rare benign tumor, which is often mistaken for a vegetation. Predominantly asymptomatic, it can cause life-threatening complications. Although rare, mobile papillary fibroelastoma movement between affected valves may hamper valve closure and damage the valve, leading to valvular regurgitation.

Differential Regulation of Plasma Copeptin Levels in Patients with Heart Failure: A Single-Center Prospective Study.

Elevated levels of arginine vasopressin (AVP) have been reported to be involved in the pathogenesis of heart failure (HF). Recent evidence has shown the role of copeptin, the C-terminal fragment of pro-AVP, as a biomarker in patients with HF. However, the relevant information is still limited.

Intravascular ultrasound predictors of side branch occlusion in bifurcation lesions after percutaneous coronary intervention.

Background: Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of bifurcation lesion has been associated with a low success rate and a high incidence of procedural complications, including side branch occlusion and myocardial infarction. It remains controversial whether preintervention intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) findings can help to identify side branches likely to occlude after PCI of bifurcation lesions.

Methods And Results: From our IVUS database we identified 81 bifurcation lesions in 72 patients.

Impact of peri-stent remodeling on in-stent neointimal proliferation in acute myocardial infarction.

Fifty stented lesions in 50 patients with acute myocardial infarction were studied by intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) before and just after stent implantation and at follow-up. Volumetric IVUS analyses revealed that greater peristent positive remodeling after stent implantation was associated with less neointimal proliferation and greater luminal gain at follow-up.

Relation of lateral ST-segment elevation pattern to myocardial salvage in patients with recanalized anterolateral acute myocardial infarction.

Background: Although anterior acute myocardial infarction (AMI) with ST-segment elevation in lateral leads is associated with a poor prognosis, the significance of the pattern of lateral ST-segment elevation has not been examined.

Hypothesis: The aim of the study was to examine the relation of the pattern of lateral ST-segment elevation to myocardial reperfusion and infarct size in patients with AMI.

Methods: We studied 111 patients who had a first AMI presenting with anterolateral ST-segment elevation and Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) grade 3 flow of the left anterior descending coronary artery within 6 h from symptom onset.

Relation between the timing of the last preinfarction angina and microvascular reperfusion in patients with recanalized acute myocardial infarction.

In patients with recanalized acute myocardial infarction (AMI), the relation between the timing of preinfarction angina (PA) and microvascular reperfusion remains unclear. A total of 186 patients (114 with anterior and 72 with inferior AMI) who had total occlusion and TIMI 3 recanalization < or = 6 hours from the onset of AMI were divided into 4 groups according to the time interval between the last episode of PA and the onset of AMI: < or = 2 hours (group A, n = 52); 2 to 48 hours (group B, n = 43), > or = 48 hours (group C, n = 33), and no PA (group D, n = 58). The angiographic myocardial blush grade, a marker of microvascular reperfusion, was retrospectively assessed immediately after recanalization.

Reliability of resolution of ST-segment elevation after coronary reperfusion in predicting myocardial salvage in anterior wall acute myocardial infarction.

Resolution of ST-segment elevation (ST resolution) after reperfusion therapy has been shown to correlate with improved left ventricular (LV) function in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). However, not all patients with ST resolution have preserved LV function. We evaluated the clinical significance of ST resolution in 129 patients with anterior wall AMI who underwent successful coronary recanalization within 6 hours after symptom onset by studying the relation to myocardial blush grade, another angiographic marker of myocardial reperfusion.