Risk stratification and management of women with cardiomyopathy/heart failure planning pregnancy or presenting during/after pregnancy: a position statement from the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology Study Group on Peripartum Cardiomyopathy.

This position paper focusses on the pathophysiology, diagnosis and management of women diagnosed with a cardiomyopathy, or at risk of heart failure (HF), who are planning to conceive or present with (de novo or previously unknown) HF during or after pregnancy. This includes the heterogeneous group of heart muscle diseases such as hypertrophic, dilated, arrhythmogenic right ventricular and non-classified cardiomyopathies, left ventricular non-compaction, peripartum cardiomyopathy, Takotsubo syndrome, adult congenital heart disease with HF, and patients with right HF. Also, patients with a history of chemo-/radiotherapy for cancer or haematological malignancies need specific pre-, during and post-pregnancy assessment and counselling.

The structural heart disease interventional imager rationale, skills and training: a position paper of the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging.

Percutaneous therapeutic options for an increasing variety of structural heart diseases (SHD) have grown dramatically. Within this context of continuous expansion of devices and procedures, there has been increased demand for physicians with specific knowledge, skills, and advanced training in multimodality cardiac imaging. As a consequence, a new subspecialty of 'Interventional Imaging' for SHD interventions and a new dedicated professional figure, the 'Interventional Imager' with specific competencies has emerged.

Training, competence, and quality improvement in echocardiography: the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging Recommendations: update 2020.

The primary mission of the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI) is 'to promote excellence in clinical diagnosis, research, technical development, and education in cardiovascular imaging'. Echocardiography is a key component in the evaluation of patients with known or suspected cardiovascular disease and is essential for the high quality and effective practice of clinical cardiology. The EACVI aims to update the previously published recommendations for training, competence, and quality improvement in echocardiography since these activities are increasingly recognized by patients, physicians, and payers.

Iatrogenic Iliac Arteriovenous Fistula Management after Lumbar Discectomy Surgeries: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Iatrogenic iliac arteriovenous fistula (IAVF) is an extremely rare complication after lumbar discectomy surgery (LDS), with potentially life-threatening consequences. An IAVF results from the close anatomic relation between the iliac vessels and the last lumbar vertebrae and the corresponding discs. We report the case of a 45-year-old woman who developed a large right IAVF 3 years after L4-L5-S1 laminectomy.

Multicentric Atrial Strain COmparison between Two Different Modalities: MASCOT HIT Study.

Two methods are currently available for left atrial (LA) strain measurement by speckle tracking echocardiography, with two different reference timings for starting the analysis: QRS (QRS-LASr) and P wave (P-LASr). The aim of MASCOT HIT study was to define which of the two was more reproducible, more feasible, and less time consuming. In 26 expert centers, LA strain was analyzed by two different echocardiographers (young vs senior) in a blinded fashion.

The year 2019 in the European Heart Journal - Cardiovascular Imaging: part II.

The European Heart Journal - Cardiovascular Imaging was launched in 2012 and has during these years become one of the leading multimodality cardiovascular imaging journal. The journal is now established as one of the top cardiovascular journals and is the most important cardiovascular imaging journal in Europe. The most important studies published in our Journal from 2019 will be highlighted in two reports.

Correction to: Multimodality imaging in takotsubo syndrome: a joint consensus document of the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI) and the Japanese Society of Echocardiography (JSE).

In the original publication of the article, the first and the second authors' names should be changed as follows.

Quality of life status determinants in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy as evaluated by the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire.

Purpose: The present study evaluated how heart failure (HF) negatively impacts health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) patients and explored the major clinical determinants associated with HRQoL impairment in this population.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional single-center study of health-related HRQoL that included 91 consecutive patients with HCM. Evaluation was performed based on a comprehensive protocol that included the recommended diagnostic studies, as well as administration of the translated validated version of the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) (CV Outcomes Inc) as a health status measure.

The year 2019 in the European Heart Journal-Cardiovascular Imaging: Part I.

The European Heart Journal-Cardiovascular Imaging was launched in 2012 and has during these years become one of the leading multimodality cardiovascular imaging journals. The journal is now established as one of the top cardiovascular journals and is the most important cardiovascular imaging journal in Europe. The most important studies published in our Journal in 2019 will be highlighted in two reports.

Multimodality imaging in takotsubo syndrome: a joint consensus document of the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI) and the Japanese Society of Echocardiography (JSE).

Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is a complex and still poorly recognized heart disease with a wide spectrum of possible clinical presentations. Despite its reversibility, it is associated with serious adverse in-hospital events and high complication rates during follow-up. Multimodality imaging is helpful for establishing the diagnosis, guiding therapy, and stratifying prognosis of TTS patients in both the acute and post-acute phase.

Reversible left ventricular diastolic dysfunction-Overview and clinical implications.

Strong evidence supports a pathophysiological link between left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) and symptoms in many patients with heart failure, including those with normal LV ejection fraction. Thus, echocardiographic assessment of LV diastolic function is currently recommended when evaluating patients with dyspnea of suspected or known cardiac origin. Beyond the well-established role in the diagnostic algorithm of heart failure, LVDD is an independent predictor of cardiovascular events in various patient cohorts and in the general population.

Multimodality imaging in takotsubo syndrome: a joint consensus document of the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI) and the Japanese Society of Echocardiography (JSE).

Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is a complex and still poorly recognized heart disease with a wide spectrum of possible clinical presentations. Despite its reversibility, it is associated with serious adverse in-hospital events and high complication rates during follow-up. Multimodality imaging is helpful for establishing the diagnosis, guiding therapy, and stratifying prognosis of TTS patients in both the acute and post-acute phase.

Evaluation of Left Atrial Size and Function: Relevance for Clinical Practice.

Left atrial (LA) structural and functional evaluation have recently emerged as powerful biomarkers for adverse events in a variety of cardiovascular conditions. Moreover, noninvasive evaluation of LA pressure has gained importance in the characterization of the hemodynamic profile of patients. This review describes the methodology, benefits and pitfalls of measuring LA size and function by echocardiography and provides a brief overview of the prognostic utility of newer echocardiographic metrics of LA geometry and function (i.

Global evaluation of echocardiography in patients with COVID-19.

Aims: To describe the cardiac abnormalities in patients with COVID-19 and identify the characteristics of patients who would benefit most from echocardiography.

Methods And Results: In a prospective international survey, we captured echocardiography findings in patients with presumed or confirmed COVID-19 between 3 and 20 April 2020. Patient characteristics, indications, findings, and impact of echocardiography on management were recorded.

Multimodality imaging in cardiac amyloidosis: a primer for cardiologists.

Amyloidosis is a systemic infiltrative disease, in which unstable proteins misfold, form aggregates and amyloid fibrils which can deposit in various organs: heart, kidneys, liver, gastrointestinal tract, nervous system structures, lungs, or soft tissue. Cardiac amyloidosis (CA) diagnosis requires awareness, high level of clinical suspicion and expertise in integrating clinical, electrocardiographic, and multimodality imaging data. The overall scenario is complex and no single test emerges over the others, but different techniques are useful at various stages of the diagnostic workup.

The role of echocardiography for diagnosis and prognostic stratification in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most frequent cardiac disease with genetic substrate, affecting about 0.2-0.5% of the population.

Role of advanced left ventricular imaging in adults with aortic stenosis.

This review focuses on the available data regarding the utility of advanced left ventricular (LV) imaging in aortic stenosis (AS) and its potential impact for optimising the timing of aortic valve replacement. Ejection fraction is currently the only LV parameter recommended to guide intervention in AS. The cut-off value of 50%, recommended for decision-making in asymptomatic patients with AS, is currently under debate.

Demographic and Clinical Characteristics of the Full 2015-2018 Cohort of Romanian Fabry Disease Patients.

Background: Fabry disease (FD) is a rare genetic lysosomal disease with an estimated prevalence of 1:100000. Mutations on the GLA gene lead to alpha-galactosidase deficiency and multiorgan involvement due to sphingolipid accumulation. Our aim was to present and analyze the demographic and clinical characteristics of the Fabry patients in Romania.

Clinical characteristics in patients with hereditary amyloidosis with Glu54Gln transthyretin identified in the Romanian population.

Background: In Romania, 23 patients have been diagnosed with hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTRh), 18 of whom have the Glu54Gln mutation. This retrospective cohort included all patients with Glu54Gln-mutated ATTRh who were diagnosed in Romania from 2005 to 2018.

Results: Of 18 patients, 10 were symptomatic, five were asymptomatic carriers and three died during the study.

Giant Aortic Syphilitic Aneurysm of The Ascending Aorta with Erosion in the Chest Wall: Case Report.

Since the discovery of penicillin, the incidence of tertiary syphilis dramatically has decreased. However, cases of cardiovascular complications of syphilis still are present. Ascending aortic aneurysms are some of the most devastating complications.

Mitral Valve Replacement with Thymectomy in a Patient with Ocular Myasthenia Gravis: Case Report.

Patients diagnosed with ocular myasthenia gravis (MG) and mitral valve disease represent a significant perioperative management problem, especially for the anaesthesiologist, due to complex inter-actions between the disease, drugs to treat the disease, and anaesthetic agents, such as neuromuscu-lar blocking agents (NMBAs). This paper describes the successful management of a 31-year-old female with mitral valve stenosis and ocular MG who was diagnosed with MG 4 years prior to the indication for cardiac surgery. Preoperatively, the patient was under treatment with Pyridostigmine and Prednisone.