Preprocedural Screening Tool to Guide Nonpulmonary Vein Trigger Testing in First-Time Atrial Fibrillation Ablation.

Background: Patients undergoing first-time atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation can benefit from targeting non-pulmonary vein (PV) triggers. Preprocedural identification of high-risk individuals can guide planning of ablation strategy. This study aimed to create a preprocedural screening tool to identify patients at risk of non-PV triggers during first-time AF ablation.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Assessment of the Risk of Sudden Death in Cardiac Sarcoidosis: What Is Extensive or Significant Late Gadolinium Enhancement?

Background: Cardiac sarcoidosis involves a significant but difficult-to-define risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD). Current guidelines recommend consideration of an implantable cardioverter defibrillator for patients with extensive or significant myocardial late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) on cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. However, extensive/significant LGE is not defined.

Erythema nodosum in sarcoidosis. Relationship with extrathoracic involvement and prognostic significance.

Introduction: Only a few studies analysed the prognosis significance of erythema nodosum (EN) in sarcoidosis. Our objective was to analyze the prevalence of EN in sarcoidosis, its possible association of EN with extrathoracic sarcoidosis, and its prognostic significance.

Methods: Retrospective study including patients diagnosed with sarcoidosis at Bellvitge University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain, between 1980 and 2017.

Insights into thyroid and salivary gland cytopathology: highlights from a 45th ECC slide seminar.

Introduction: Thyroid and salivary gland cytopathology frequently present diagnostic challenges due to complex presentations, overlapping features between benign and malignant conditions, particularly with grey-zone entities and rare pathologies. To address these issues, the 45th European Congress of Cytology (ECC) held a slide seminar focused on challenging cases. This article reviews key findings from the six cases discussed, emphasizing the importance of a comprehensive diagnostic approach.

The textures of sarcoidosis: quantifying lung disease through variograms.

Sarcoidosis is a granulomatous disease affecting the lungs in over 90\% of patients. Qualitative assessment of chest CT by radiologists is standard clinical practice and reliable quantification of disease from CT would support ongoing efforts to identify sarcoidosis phenotypes. Standard imaging feature engineering techniques such as radiomics suffer from extreme sensitivity to image acquisition and processing, potentially impeding generalizability of research to clinical populations.

Ursodeoxycholic acid for the treatment of hepatic sarcoid: A pre-post pilot study.

Aim Of The Study: Sarcoidosis is characterized by noncaseating granulomas that can affect multiple organs. Due to the lack of prospective studies regarding treatment of hepatic sarcoidosis with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), we set out to evaluate its effects in a single-center, open-label, prospective, pre-post study.

Material And Methods: A total of 10 patients were screened from August 2018 to July 2020; seven met the criteria and were enrolled.

The predictive effects of adiponectin and irisin hormones on diagnosis and clinical involvement of Sarcoidosis.

Background: Sarcoidosis is a chronic disease of unknown etiology characterised by systemic non-caseating granulomas that can affect any organ in the body, especially the lungs and in which genetic and environmental factors are thought to play a role in its pathophysiology. Adipokines and myokines secreted from adipose and muscle tissue play a role in the pathogenesis or protection against many inflammatory and autoimmune diseases in which inflammation and immunity form the basis. In our study, we aimed to investigate the role of the irisin and adiponectin in sarcoidosis.

Cutaneous sarcoidosis: clinical and pathologic features, molecular pathogenesis, and treatment.

Sarcoidosis is a multisystem inflammatory disorder that most commonly affects the lungs, lymphatic system, eyes, and skin. Cutaneous involvement is present in approximately 20-30% of patients. Prednisone and corticotropin repositories are the only FDA-approved therapies for sarcoidosis.

Evaluation of efficacy and safety of rituximab in patients with progressive interstitial lung disease (ILD) with inflammatory component (EvER-ILD2): A multicentre double-blind placebo-controlled randomized trial.

Introduction: Progressive interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) are rare but severe diseases, with high mortality and morbidity, with no effective pharmacological treatment allowing for long-term remission, and therefore no clear therapeutic recommendations. Several ILDs present inflammatory components (ILDic), which may justify the use of anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive drugs, as first-step therapy. Except for systemic sclerosis (SSc)-ILD and sarcoidosis, the evidence in favor of this approach is very weak.

Giant Cell Myocarditis vs Cardiac Sarcoidosis: Reconsidering the Diagnosis With FDG PET Imaging.

Giant cell myocarditis (GCM) and cardiac sarcoidosis share clinical and histologic features, but whether they represent separate processes or lie on an inflammatory cardiomyopathy spectrum is unclear. We present a case of cardiogenic shock thought to be secondary to biopsy-proven GCM with a subsequent post-transplant diagnosis of sarcoidosis through 18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography and biopsy.

Infiltrative Myocardial T-Cell Lymphoma.

We report a unique case involving cardiac manifestation of T-cell lymphoma and associated risk management of ventricular arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death. A 39-year-old woman presented with a syndrome consistent with fever in a returned traveler, ultimately diagnosed with stage IV peripheral T-cell lymphoma involving the myocardium with ventricular tachycardia. Management of risk of sudden cardiac death was complicated by hematological management with an antibody-drug conjugate chemotherapy regimen and later autologous stem cell transplant.

Ambiguous Clinical Presentations and Imaging Findings in Genetic Dilated Cardiomyopathy.

This case series underscores the crucial role of genetic testing and a multidisciplinary approach to the management of genetic dilated cardiomyopathy. It also highlights the importance of distinguishing dilated cardiomyopathies from other cardiomyopathies to personalize patient care.

[Surgical treatment of secondary trigeminal neuralgia].

Objective: To present a case series analysis of surgical treatment of patients with secondary trigeminal neuralgia.

Material And Methods: The treatment of 8 patients with secondary trigeminal neuralgia who underwent surgery since 2021 was analyzed. All records, neuroimaging archive, and follow-up observations were reviewed.

Cardiac CT, MRI, and PET in 2023: Exploration of Key Articles across Imaging and Multidisciplinary Journals.

In this review, the authors examine recent advancements in noninvasive cardiac imaging, focusing on cardiac CT, MRI, and PET, reviewing key publications from imaging and multidisciplinary journals from 2023. The authors discuss the increasing adoption of photon-counting CT and its applications in coronary and structural imaging, and explore various aspects of plaque and functional assessment, emphasizing their clinical implications. Radiation exposure analysis from the SCOT-HEART (Scottish Computed Tomography of the Heart) trial is also discussed.

End-stage heart failure and heart transplant in cardiac sarcoidosis: a case series.

Background: Diagnosing cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) is challenging. Immunosuppressive therapies are less effective in end-stage disease, and often heart transplant (HT) is the only available option. We present a series of advanced CS cases, requiring HT, along with a review of the literature evidence in this field.

Nationwide Cross-Sectional Analysis of Mortality Trends in Patients with Sarcoidosis and Non-Ischemic Cardiovascular Disease-The Impact of Gender, Ethnicity, Geographical Location, and COVID-19 Pandemic.

The epidemiological data regarding mortality rates of adults with sarcoidosis and non-ischemic cardiovascular disease (CVD) are limited. A retrospective observational analysis was conducted to identify trends and disparities related to sarcoidosis and non-ischemic cardiovascular disease mortality among the adult US population from 1999 to 2022. We used the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) WONDER database to extract death certificate data for the adult US population (≥25 years).

Role of Multimodality Imaging in Cardiac Sarcoidosis: A Retrospective Single-Center Experience.

Cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) is a rare entity characterized by granulomatous infiltration of the myocardium, which can lead to myocardial fibrosis, conduction abnormalities, and the development of heart failure, thereby elevating the risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD). While endomyocardial biopsy (EMBx) is regarded as the gold standard for diagnosis, its low sensitivity and inherent procedural risks may limit its practical application. This study retrospectively explored the role of advanced imaging modalities, specifically cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) and fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET), in the diagnosis and management of CS within a single center.

The Association Between Sarcoidosis and Malignancy: A Comprehensive Population-Based Cohort Study.

Sarcoidosis is a multisystem granulomatous disorder with a variable clinical course and complications. The relationship between sarcoidosis and malignancies remains unclear, including specific malignancy associations with sarcoidosis and whether the association is short-term, long-term, or a result of misdiagnoses or coincidence. This study investigated the association between sarcoidosis and malignancy by analyzing the varying intervals between the diagnoses of these two conditions to clarify their inter-relationship.

Combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema and lung transplantation: current evidence and future directions.

Background: Combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema (CPFE) patients generally have a poorer prognosis compared to those with either pulmonary fibrosis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)/emphysema alone, as demonstrated by several studies. Our study aimed to identify undiagnosed CPFE cases within a lung transplantation cohort initially diagnosed with interstitial lung fibrosis or COPD/emphysema. It was hypothesized that the patient cohort might contain overlooked CPFE cases, and CPFE patients would exhibit a higher incidence of pre-transplant pulmonary hypertension and post-transplant chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD).