Prognostic value of left atrial reverse remodelling in patients hospitalized with acute decompensated heart failure.

Aims: Left atrial (LA) volume index (LAVI) in chronic heart failure (HF) predicts cardiovascular outcomes. However, the association between LAVI reduction during acute decompensated HF (ADHF) and its prognostic potential is limited. We hypothesized that LA reverse remodelling (LARR) after ADHF therapy would be associated with better clinical outcomes.

CT findings in a patient with Coronavirus Disease-19-associated acute pericarditis.

Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19)-associated acute pericarditis is a rare complication. Several cases have been reported, but those reports have not discussed any imaging findings. Here, we report a case of a 76-year-old female diagnosed with COVID-19-associated pericarditis without pneumonia, and present image findings of the patient's contrast-enhanced CT.

Intraoperative Trifecta Valve Malfunction.

The Trifecta valve has been reported to have valve dysfunction months to years after operation. However there were no reports of intraoperative valve dysfunction. A 73-year-old man with aortic stenosis underwent aortic valve replacement using a 21-mm Trifecta valve with Glide Technology (Trifecta GT; Abbot).

Dapagliflozin Influences Ventricular Hemodynamics and Exercise-Induced Pulmonary Hypertension in Type 2 Diabetes Patients - A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: This prospective randomized multicenter open-label trial evaluated whether sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor (SGLT2-i) improves left ventricular (LV) pump function and suppresses elevation of LV filling pressure (LVFP) and right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP) during exercise in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients.

Methods and results: Based on HbA1c and LV ejection fraction, 78 patients with poorly controlled T2DM were randomly assigned to D-group (dapagliflozin 5 mg/day add-on) or C-group (conventional therapy add-on). Physical examination, home and office blood pressure examination, blood tests, and echocardiography at rest and during ergometer exercise were performed at baseline and at 1.

Impact of depression on masked hypertension and variability in home blood pressure in treated hypertensive patients.

This study was conducted to determine the effects of depression and/or insomnia on masked hypertension (MHT) compared with other types of HT and on variability in home-measured blood pressure (HBP) and clinic BP (CBP). Three hundred and twenty-eight hypertensives (132 women) aged 68±10 years were classified into four BP types: controlled HT (CHT), white-coat HT, MHT and sustained HT (SHT), based on CBP (140/90 mm Hg) and morning HBP (135/85 mm Hg) measurements. A score of ⩾16 on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) was defined as depression.

Reversible T-wave inversions and neurogenic myocardial stunning in a patient with recurrent stress-induced cardiomyopathy.

A 72-year-old female was diagnosed as a stress-induced cardiomyopathy from apical ballooning pattern of left ventricular dysfunction without coronary artery stenosis after the mental stress. ECG showed the transient T-wave inversions after the ST-segment elevations. By the mental stress after 1 year, she showed a transient dysfunction with similar ECG changes again.

Anxiety disorder is associated with nocturnal and early morning hypertension with or without morning surge: ambulatory blood pressure monitoring.

Background: Nocturnal and early morning hypertension are both significant risk factors for cardiovascular events. It remains unclear whether anxiety disorder affects nocturnal blood pressure (BP), early morning BP, or BP pattern in hypertensive patients.

Methods And Results: One hundred and twenty consecutive hypertensive outpatients (77 men and 43 women; mean age, 66±11 years) were divided into 2 groups based on Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) score: a control group (n=78; HADS ≤10) and an anxiety group (42 patients; HADS ≥11).

Effect of systemic blood pressure on microcollateral circulation evaluated by real-time contrast echocardiography.

Background: In acute myocardial infarction, residual collateral-derived myocardial blood flow (CBF) within the ischemic area is one of the major determinants of infarct size. Management of systemic blood pressure (sBP) related to maintain collateral circulation is still difficult. The aim of this study was to reveal the influence of sBP on the rescue of area at risk by collateral circulation.

Brief communications: visualization of coronary arteries in rats by 3-dimensional real-time contrast echocardiography.

Angiogenesis is under intense investigation to advance the treatment of various ischemic diseases. Small animals, such as mice and rats, are often used for this purpose. However, evaluating the structure of coronary arteries in small animals in situ is not easy.

Three-dimensional reconstruction of coronary arteriole plexus image by contrast echocardiography using a high-frequency transducer.

Objective: This study was established to examine the efficacy of a high-frequency liner probe for visualizing fine anatomy of coronary microcirculation.

Methods: The vessel size and its velocity-time integral at the anterior wall in dogs by real-time contrast echocardiography with high-frequency liner probe and pulse Doppler methods, and the coronary flow volume, were measured before and after adenosine triphosphate injection. A 3-dimensional (3D) image was reconstructed by the built-in 3D system using intermittent flash echocardiographic images.

Quantitative assessment of microcollateral recruitment during coronary occlusion using real-time intravenous myocardial contrast echocardiography.

Background: Residual collateral-derived myocardial blood flow (MBF) (A x beta) is important to protect against myocardial ischemia after acute coronary occlusion.

Methods: Recruitment of microcollateral was assessed in 22 dogs with left circumflex coronary artery occlusion by analysis of MBF and regional wall thickening (WT) using real-time myocardial contrast echocardiography.

Results: Video intensity and WT at the center of risk area were significantly lower than those at the border of risk area.

Predicting prognosis based on the shape of the left ventricular cavity in dilated cardiomyopathy: analysis using rate of improvement in the circle index.

Purpose: To elucidate the relation between a quantitative measure of the shape of the left ventricular cavity, cardiac function, and prognosis in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).

Methods: The hearts of 20 healthy individuals and 18 patients with DCM were evaluated. Participants were aged 48.

Improved septal contraction and coronary flow velocity after cardiac resynchronization therapy elucidated by strain imaging and pulsed wave Doppler echocardiography.

Objectives: The effects of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) with various atrioventricular conduction delay settings were investigated on cardiac hemodynamic changes involved in coronary flow velocity using color and pulsed wave Doppler modalities and myocardial regional contractility using a novel echocardiographic technique (strain imaging).

Methods: Seven patients with advanced heart failure (left ventricular ejection fraction < 35%) and left bundle branch block(QRS > or = 140 msec) were treated with CRT. Color and pulsed wave Doppler imaging were performed from the apical four-chamber view to examine the cardiac functions such as stroke volume, cardiac output, mitral regurgitant volume and coronary flow velocity.

Adenosine triphosphate stress myocardial contrast echocardiography detects coronary artery stenosis with greater sensitivity than wall-motion abnormality measurements.

Background: Although stress myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) can be used to detect coronary stenosis, its efficacy relative to other methods, such as detection of wall-motion abnormalities, remains unknown. Thus, the goal of this study was to compare the sensitivity of MCE versus wall-motion abnormality detection in the assessment of coronary artery stenosis.

Method: Nine dogs with severe but nonflow limiting stenosis in the circumflex coronary artery underwent evaluation with real-time MCE along the short-axis view during infusion of Optison.

Myocardial blood flow parameters derived from contrast replenishment using harmonic power Doppler imaging are underestimated by ultrasound signal attenuation.

The effect of ultrasound signal attenuation on myocardial blood flow parameters derived from contrast replenishment was evaluated using harmonic gray-scale (HGS) and harmonic power Doppler (HPD) imaging. In vitro experiments were performed in a flow model, whereas in vivo experiments were performed in 5 open-chest dogs. In each study, intermittent HGS and HPD images were acquired at various pulsing intervals during contrast infusion.