Myocardial scar characteristics based on cardiac magnetic resonance imaging is associated with ventricular tachyarrhythmia in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy.

Objectives: We hypothesized that myocardial scar characterization using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) may be associated with the occurrence of ventricular tachyarrhythmia (VT), appropriate implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) therapy and mortality.

Background: Since a minority of patients with prophylactic ICD implantation receive appropriate ICD therapy, there is a need for more effective risk stratification for primary prevention in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy.

Methods And Results: In 99 patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy, CMR was performed prior to ICD implantation.

Reliability of radiographic findings and the relation to etiologic agents in community-acquired pneumonia.

In a clinical setting the chest radiograph is the reference standard in establishing the diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). This study aimed to assess interobserver reliability (IR) of radiographic findings and the relationship to different causative pathogens in CAP. Chest radiographs of 192 patients with pneumonia, obtained from a database, were reviewed by 2 radiologists and 1 respiratory physician without specific clinical information.