Speckle Tracking Imaging in Normal Stress Echocardiography.

Objectives: Exercise stress echocardiography is a widely used modality for the diagnosis and follow-up of patients with coronary artery disease. During the last decade, speckle tracking imaging has been used increasingly for accurate evaluation of cardiac function. This work aimed to assess speckle-tracking imaging parameters during nonischemic exercise stress echocardiography.

30-day outcome after percutaneous coronary angioplasty in nonagenarians: feasibility and specific considerations in different clinical settings.

Background: Nonagenarians have been systematically excluded from randomized trials dealing with invasive coronary strategies, resulting in a lack of evidence-based guidelines regarding the optimal approach in this population.

Aim: To describe the clinical and procedural characteristics and outcomes of patients 90 years of age or older who were treated with percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI).

Methods: We evaluated the 30-day outcomes of patients 90 years or older who underwent PCI at our institution, comparing the ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) subgroup with the non-STEMI/unstable angina (UA) and stable angina (SA) subgroups, who had been referred for coronary angiography.

A 37-year-old man with recurrent fainting: a short communication.

The possible influence of the oesophageal diseases on the heart is well known. Deglutition syncope and pre-syncope have been described in relation to arrhythmias or mechanical problems. We report here a case of recurrent pre-syncope in a patient after gastric banding.

Application of HRV-CD for estimation of life expectancy in various clinical disorders.

Background: Low heart rate variability (HRV) was found in various medical conditions including heart failure and acute myocardial infarction. Decreased HRV in these conditions predicted poor prognosis.

Methods: HRV was estimated in 133 unselected inpatients with relevant clinical bedside conditions by non-linear analysis derived from chaos theory, which calculates the correlation dimension (CD) of the cardiac electrophysiologic system (HRV-CD).

Percutaneous coronary intervention of unprotected left main coronary artery in the emergent/urgent setting.

Background: Treatment of unprotected left main coronary disease by percutaneous interventions, even in the urgent setting, is still not an approved indication. However, the evolution of transcatheter technology and supporting devices, along with greater skill in high-volume centers, led the interventional community to deal with these cases. This study aimed to investigate whether the percutaneous approach in this cohort could be a viable alternative to coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery in the urgent setting.

Anomalous origin of left main coronary artery: the value of myocardial scintigraphic and spiral computed tomography scans.

Anomalous origin of the left main coronary artery (LMCA) from the right sinus of the Valsalva or the proximal right coronary artery (RCA) is one of the most clinically important anomalies of coronary circulation. We report the case of a patient with chest pain and abnormal thallium myocardial perfusion scan in whom the anomaly was first detected on invasive coronary arteriography. The exact anatomic course of anomalous LMCA was confirmed using contrast enhanced computed tomography.

Optimization of myocardial perfusion after primary coronary angioplasty following an acute myocardial infarction. Beyond TIMI 3 flow.

Unlabelled: Primary angioplasty has become the preferred therapeutic modality in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Despite restoration of antegrade epicardial flow by mechanical reperfusion therapy, angiographically assessed microvascular function and myocardial reperfusion (blush) allows for the stratification of patients with epicardial TIMI 3 flow into different strata of survival. Despite this fact, the best approach to achieving good myocardial blush has not yet been established.

Coronary stent implantation without balloon predilatation: a single-center experience.

OBJECTIVE: Assessment of safety and efficacy of coronary stent deployment, without balloon predilatation. BACKGROUND: With newer high-performance balloon-premounted stents it has become more common to attempt coronary stent deployment without balloon pre- or postdilatation. METHODS: During 1998 524 coronary angioplasties were performed in the authors' institute, of which 279 resulted in coronary stenting.

Minimal heparinization in coronary angioplasty--how much heparin is really warranted?

The purpose of the study was to assess the results of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), performed with a single intravenous bolus of 2,500 U of heparin, in a nonemergency PTCA cohort. Three hundred of 341 consecutive patients (87.9%) undergoing PTCA were prospectively enrolled in the study.

Conservative treatment for Brucella endocarditis.

Endocarditis is the most devastating complication of brucellosis. The accepted treatment for Brucella endocarditis (BE) is a combination of valve replacement and antibiotics. Conservative antibiotic treatment alone is not recommended by most authors, as it is considered ineffective, risking fatality.

Malignant lymphoma with primary cardiac manifestations: a case report.

This case report describes a 29-year-old black patient presenting with right heart failure secondary to massive lymphomatous cardiac involvement. Additional sites of involvement included mesenteric lymph nodes and the small bowel. Malignant lymphoma with primary cardiac manifestations is very rare and follows an aggressive course.

[Do exercise-induced chest pain and left bundle branch block always indicate coronary artery disease?].

The development of intermittent left bundle branch block (LBBB) and of chest pain on exercise stress testing, usually considered indicative of coronary artery disease, does not always indicate occlusive coronary artery disease (OCAD). In this specific entity, neither the echocardiogram nor radionuclide angiography is accurate in predicting true OCAD. 2 of 6 patients with rate-dependent LBBB and chest pain on exertion but without angiographic evidence of OCAD are reported.

Multiple intracavitary cardiac masses; an uncommon presentation of African Burkitt's lymphoma.

A 29-yr-old patient is described, who presented with rapid general deterioration and right heart failure. Two-dimensional echocardiography revealed massive intracardiac tumor involving the right atrium, the right ventricle and the left atrium. At histology the diagnosis of Burkitt's lymphoma was made.