Publications by authors named "Valentina Ardizzone"

Introduction: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence and prognosis of structural heart disease (SHD) among competitive athletes with negative T waves without pathological findings at transthoracic echocardiogram.

Methods: From a prospective register of 450 athletes consecutively evaluated during a second-level cardiological examination, we retrospectively identified all subjects with the following inclusion criteria: (1) not previously known cardiovascular disease; (2) negative T waves in leads other than V1-V2; (3) normal transthoracic echocardiogram. Patients underwent cardiac MRI and CT.

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Background: Chronic heart valve regurgitation induces left ventricular (LV) volume overload, leading to the development of hypertrophy and progressive dilatation of the ventricle to maintain physiological cardiac output. In order to prevent potential irreversible LV structural changes, the identification of the best timing for treatment is pivotal.

Objective: To assess the presence and extent of fibrosis in myocardial tissue in asymptomatic patients with valvular heart disease (VHD) and preserved LV dimensions and function undergoing cardiac surgery.

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Background And Aims: Previous studies have shown that circulating chromogranin A (CgA) increases in patients with chronic systolic heart failure (HF). Aim of the present study is to evaluate the potential role of circulating vasostatin-1 (VS-1), a cardioregulatory fragment of CgA, as prognostic marker in patients with chronic HF.

Materials And Methods: The plasma levels of CgA and VS-1 were determined in 80 patients with chronic systolic HF.

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