Isolated aspergillosis myocardial abscesses in a liver-transplant patient.

Cardiac abscess is an uncommon and fatal complication after transplantation. We report a case of an initially isolated aspergillosis myocardial abscess diagnosed by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI). At that time, there was no other biological evidence or other extracardiac manifestations.

Relationship between left ventricular sphericity and trabeculation indexes in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy: a cardiac magnetic resonance study.

Aims: To study the relationship between left ventricular (LV) trabeculations, volume, and sphericity in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR).

Methods And Results: Eighty-two patients with DCM were prospectively explored by CMR. The segmental trabeculation index (STI) was defined by the ratio of trabeculated layer thickness on compacted layer thickness per segment.

Diagnostic performance of computed tomography coronary angiography (from the Prospective National Multicenter Multivendor EVASCAN Study).

Computed tomographic coronary angiography (CTCA) has been proposed as a noninvasive test for significant coronary artery disease (CAD), but only limited data are available from prospective multicenter trials. The goal of this study was to establish the diagnostic accuracy of CTCA compared to coronary angiography (CA) in a large population of symptomatic patients with clinical indications for coronary imaging. This national, multicenter study was designed to prospectively evaluate stable patients able to undergo CTCA followed by conventional CA.

Early triage of emergency department patients with acute coronary syndrome: contribution of 64-slice computed tomography angiography.

Background: Multislice computed tomography coronary angiography (MSCT-CA) is feasible in the emergency department (ED) for ruling out obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD).

Aim: To investigate a diagnostic strategy using MSCT-CA for the early triage of patients presenting to the ED with acute chest pain suggestive of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), according to the medium-term incidence of clinical events.

Methods: We conducted a single-centre, prospective, observational cohort study in 123 patients with low-risk to intermediate-risk acute chest pain suggestive of ACS.

The role of stent-grafts in the management of aortic trauma.

Stent graft has resulted in major advances in the treatment of trauma patients with blunt traumatic aortic injury (TAI) and has become the preferred method of treatment at many trauma centers. In this review, we provide an overview of the place of stent grafts for the management of this disease. As a whole, TEVAR repair of TAIs offers a survival advantage and reduction in major morbidity, including paraplegia, compared with open surgery.

Serum bilirubin and platelet count: a simple predictive model for survival in patients with refractory ascites treated by TIPS.

Background & Aims: Refractory ascites in patients with cirrhosis is associated with poor survival. TIPS is more effective than paracentesis for the prevention of recurrence of ascites but increases the risk of encephalopathy while survival remains unchanged. A more accurate selection of the patients might improve these results.

[Management of aortic dissection. Stent grafts for who?].

Acute aortic syndrome (AAS) describes several life threatening aortic pathologies. Acute aortic syndrome include intramural haematoma, penetrating aortic ulcer and acute aortic dissection. Advances in both imaging and endovascular treatment has led to an increase in diagnosis and improved management of these often catastrophic pathologies.

Cardiac MRI in pulmonary artery hypertension: correlations between morphological and functional parameters and invasive measurements.

Objective: To compare cardiac MRI with right heart catheterisation in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) and to evaluate its ability to assess PH severity.

Materials And Methods: Forty patients were included. MRI included cine and phase-contrast sequences, study of ventricular function, cardiac cavity areas and ratios, position of the interventricular septum (IVS) in systole and diastole, and flow measurements.

Systemic sarcoidosis revealed by ventricular tachycardia: electrocardiography and MRI correspondence.

We describe a case presenting with ventricular tachycardia as the manifestation leading to the diagnosis of sarcoidosis. The ventricular tachyacardia's origin is correlated with granuloma localization on magnetic resonance imaging.

Surgical exclusion of a symptomatic circumflex coronary to right atrium fistula.

Coronary artery fistulas are rare and half of them are symptomatic. Diagnosis is confirmed by echocardiography and coronarography and can be precisely located by multislice CT-scan. We report the case of a 56-year-old female patient with congestive heart failure caused by a coronaro-cardiac fistula established between the proximal circumflex coronary artery and the right atrium.

Adenoid cystic carcinoma of the lung: interest of 18FDG PET/CT in the management of an atypical presentation.

Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is a common head and neck tumor originating from salivary glands but that can also exceptionally develop in the trachea and major bronchi. ACC is generally considered as a slow-growing, low-grade malignancy with prolonged clinical course. Metastases are very unusual and recurrences are more often local.

Idiopathic hemoptysis in pregnant women: a distinct entity?

In pregnant women, the reported cases of hemoptysis were most often mild and had an identified cause. Between November 2003 and January 2006, three pregnant women at 16-20 weeks gestation were admitted to our respiratory intensive care unit for massive hemoptysis. One of the women had experienced mild hemoptysis, considered as idiopathic, during her first pregnancy, with no recurrence until her second pregnancy.

Endovascular repair of traumatic rupture of the aortic isthmus: midterm results.

Objective: The endovascular management of aortic traumatic ruptures has been proposed as an alternative to classical surgical procedures. The aim of this work was to report the midterm results of the endovascular treatment of traumatic ruptures of the isthmic aorta.

Methods: Between January 1996 and July 2005, endovascular repair of blunt traumatic aortic ruptures was performed in 33 patients (mean age, 40 +/- 17 years).

Midterm results of endovascular treatment of atherosclerotic aneurysms of the descending thoracic aorta.

Objective: We sought to determine the midterm results of endovascular repair of atherosclerotic aneurysms of the thoracic descending aorta by using second-generation, commercially available stent grafts.

Methods: Between 1996 and 2005, 45 patients (mean age, 68 +/- 11 years) with aneurysms of the descending thoracic aorta underwent endovascular repair. Aortic dissections, penetrating ulcers, and traumatisms were excluded.

Late perforation of a thoracic aortic dacron graft by a metallic stent-graft component.

Purpose: To describe a case involving perforation of a previously placed aortic Dacron graft by the uncovered proximal stent of a thoracic stent-graft.

Case Report: A 76-year-old man with a surgically treated type A dissection presented with residual type B dissection. Thoracic stent-grafting of the entry site was performed successfully.

Pulmonary angiomyolipoma.

Extrarenal angiomyolipoma are benign lesions that have rarely been described in the thorax. We present the clinical, radiographic, and pathologic findings of a pulmonary angiomyolipoma in a 63-year-old woman who had no diagnosis of tuberous sclerosis or lymphangioleiomyomatosis. We believe that this report is one of the first descriptions of angiomyolipoma of the lung.

Diagnostic management of pulmonary embolism using clinical assessment, plasma D-dimer assay, complete lower limb venous ultrasound and helical computed tomography of pulmonary arteries. A multicentre clinical outcome study.

The objective of the study was to assess the clinical validity of a non-invasive diagnostic strategy for acute pulmonary embolism using clinical assessment combined with both ELISA D-dimer and complete lower limb ultrasound (US) examination of proximal and distal veins, before single-detector helical computed tomography (CT) of pulmonary arteries. We expected the strategy to have a high diagnostic exclusion power and to safely decrease the number of CT scans. This prospective, multicenter outcome study included 274 consecutive outpatients.

Improved clinical outcome using polytetrafluoroethylene-coated stents for TIPS: results of a randomized study.

Background & Aims: A 50% dysfunction rate at 1 year is one of the main drawbacks of the transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt procedure. Preliminary experimental and clinical studies suggest that the use of stents covered with polytetrafluoroethylene could tremendously decrease this risk.

Methods: Eighty patients with cirrhosis and uncontrolled bleeding (n = 23), recurrent bleeding (n = 25), or refractory ascites (n = 32) were randomized to be treated by transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunts with either a polytetrafluoroethylene-covered stent (group 1; 39 patients) or a usual uncovered prosthesis (group 2; 41 patients).

Mediastinal lymphadenopathy in congestive heart failure: a sequential CT evaluation with clinical and echocardiographic correlations.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency and evolution after treatment of mediastinal lymphadenopathy associated with congestive left heart failure on CT scans in correlation with clinical and echocardiographic findings. Thirty-one consecutive patients with subacute left heart failure underwent a clinical evaluation using the NYHA classification, a CT examination, and transthoracic echocardiography at the time of initial presentation (T1). After initiation of medical treatment (T2), follow-up CT scans were systematically obtained together with a clinical evaluation.