Because right ventricular (RV) dysfunction predicts a poor outcome in patients with congenital heart disease (CHD), regular monitoring of RV function is indicated. To date, cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging has been the reference method. A more practical, more accessible, and accurate tool would be preferred. We defined normality regarding ...

PURPOSE Treatment of breast cancer with trastuzumab is complicated by cardiotoxicity in up to 34% of the patients. In most patients, trastuzumab-induced cardiotoxicity (TIC) is reversible: left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) improves after trastuzumab withdrawal and with, or sometimes without, initiation of heart failure (HF) therapy. The reversibility of TIC, ...

AIMS: Midwall mechanics reveal systolic dysfunction in obese and hypertensive patients with concentric left ventricular (LV) geometry, which is frequently detected in subjects with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). Midwall mechanics have never been studied in these patients, who frequently experience heart failure (HF). METHODS AND RESULTS: We analysed midwall stress-shortening ...

OBJECTIVE: To examine operative outcomes after acute pulmonary embolectomy (APE), a recently adopted, more aggressive surgical approach. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively identified patients who underwent surgical APE from April 1, 2001, through March 31, 2009, and reviewed their clinical records for perioperative outcome. Operations were performed with normothermic cardiopulmonary ...

The risk of premature and progressive occlusive vascular disease is high in chronic uremic patients, and it accounts for more than 40% of the mortality in dialysis patients. End stage renal failure (ESRF) patients exhibit elevated plasma homocystein levels, about four fold as much as those in the controls, and ...

Background: In this subanalysis of the CASE-J, which was conducted to compare the effects of candesartan and amlodipine in Japanese high-risk hypertensive patients, the association of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) with renal function is clarified. Methods and Results: Patients were divided into 2 groups: 1,082 patients with LVH and 2,119 ...

Normotensive patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE) who have increased troponin levels and right ventricular (RV) dysfunction are thought to be at high risk of death, but the level of risk is unclear. We retrospectively evaluated outcome in 1,273 stable patients with PE who had echocardiographic evaluations of RV size ...

BACKGROUND: There are concerns whether there is a difference in clinical utility of pulmonary regurgitation (PR) fraction (PRF) and PR volume (PRV) in subgroups of patients with isolated PR and individuals with combined PR and right ventricular outflow tract obstruction (RVOTO). The aim of the study was to compare PRF ...

BACKGROUND: Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is a sympathetic neurotransmitter that acts on multiple receptors involved in cardiovascular remodelling and angiogenesis. Plasma levels of NPY are increased in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and are independently related to left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and incident cardiovascular events in these patients. OBJECTIVE: To ...

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the timing and magnitude of global and regional right ventricular (RV) function by means of speckle tracking-derived strain in normal subjects and patients with RV dysfunction. METHODS: Peak longitudinal systolic strain (PLSS) and time to PLSS in 6 RV segments (the ...

AIMS: To determine the relationship between galectin-3 concentrations and cardiac structure in patients with acute dyspnoea, and to evaluate the impact of galectin-3 independent of echocardiographic measurements on long-term mortality. METHODS AND RESULTS: One hundred and fifteen patients presenting to the emergency department with acute dyspnoea who had galectin-3 levels ...

BACKGROUND: The management strategy in patients presenting with pulmonary embolism at intermediate risk still remains controversial. Our aim was to determine the role of heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP) in this patient population. METHODS: One hundred one consecutive patients with confirmed pulmonary embolism and echocardiographic signs of right ventricular overload ...

BACKGROUND: Exercise echocardiography (EE) is recommended for patients with known/suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) and electrocardiogram (ECG) abnormalities. Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is associated with worse outcome and patients with LVH have frequently resting ECG abnormalities. We sought to assess the value of EE for predicting outcome in patients with ...

BACKGROUND: Increase in adrenomedullin (ADM) plasma levels in congestive heart failure (HF) patients is due to many cardiac and systemic factors, particularly to greater fluid retention and to activation of sympathetic nervous system. Aim of this study was to assess the role of plasma ADM levels in HF patients treated ...

BACKGROUND: Cardiac remodeling has been demonstrated in patients on hemodialysis and in predialysis patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Using functional echocardiographic parameters to study the association of hemodynamic status and predialysis CKD has not yet been established. METHODS: From November 2007 to September 2008, ninety-six patients (50 men and ...

INTRODUCTION: Current guidelines recommend cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) in patients with severe symptomatic heart failure, depressed left ventricular (LV) systolic function and a wide QRS complex (>or=120 ms). However, patients with heart failure having a narrow QRS complex might also benefit from CRT. DESIGN SETTING PATIENTS INTERVENTIONS: During the Predictors ...

This study was designed to evaluate the association between circulating biomarkers of collagen metabolism and elevated left-sided filling pressures (FPs), as assessed from elevated estimated pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (ePCWP), in hypertensive patients with heart failure with normal ejection fraction. Echocardiography was performed and ePCWP was calculated from the formula ...

OBJECTIVE: Chronic subdural hematomas (CSDH) are more common on the left hemisphere than on the right. We verified this left predilection of CSDH and tried to explain the reason for this discrepancy. METHODS: We investigated the laterality of CSDH in 182 patients who were treated from January 2005 to December ...

OBJECTIVE: To explore the diagnostic yield of transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), and assess the effect of echocardiographic findings on subsequent therapy. METHODS: In this retrospective study, we reviewed TTE reports and hospital records of patients diagnosed with a stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA), screening for potential cardiac sources of embolism ...

AIMS: To assess cardiac gene expression in peripheral blood cells of patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDCM) and its relationship to echocardiographic left ventricular (LV) function. METHODS AND RESULTS: A complete echocardiographic study and blood sampling were performed in 65 consecutive stable IDCM patients with LV ejection fraction (LVEF) 31.76 ...

AIMS: Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is currently limited to those with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) < or =35%. To evaluate whether patients with LVEF >35% might benefit from CRT, we performed a retrospective analysis of the predictors of response to CRT (PROSPECT) database. METHODS AND RESULTS: PROSPECT was a ...

BACKGROUND: The mechanism of sudden death in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is ventricular tachyarrhythmia emanating from myocyte disarray, fibrosis, and inhomogeneity in intramyocardial activation. Tissue synchronization imaging (TSI) allows the measurement of regional delay, while two-dimensional strain can be used to identify myocardial fibrosis. The aim of this study was to ...

BACKGROUND: Left-ventricular (LV) dyssynchrony could be measured by gated SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI). This study examined the relation between the degree of dyssynchrony and outcome in patients with implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICDs). METHODS AND RESULTS: We studied 70 patients with ICD and LV ejection fraction (EF) <.40 by gated ...

Introduction: Cardiovascular diseases are highly prevalent in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), and represent the major hazard for mortality in this population. Anomalies of left ventricular (LV) structure and function are very frequent too among CKD patients, and show a negative impact on cardiovascular prognosis. Methods: We searched PubMed ...

The objective of this study is to compare the validity of different product duration-based electrocardiographic criteria with the classical voltage criteria and to estimate the prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) for each criterion. Electro cardiographic criteria from 248 hypertensive patients attended in daily clinical practice were examined. Cornell and ...

OBJECT: To find out the incidence and importance of segmental wall motion abnormalities (SWMAs) of the left ventricle in noncoronary artery disease (CAD) and nontraumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) patients. METHODS: Nontraumatic SAH patients were evaluated with two-dimensional echocardiogram in addition to detailed clinical and investigative data. In echocardiogram, LV was ...

The authors present a 45-year-old female patient with symptoms of chronic right ventricular failure, which were interpreted by the patient as signs of pregnancy. Sudden deterioration of clinical status, which occurred after 8 months, prompted the patient to consult a physician. Transthoracic echocardiographic examination disclosed a massive saddle pulmonary embolism ...

OBJECTIVES: The goals of this study were to compare patterns of mechanical activation in patients with chronic right ventricular (RV) pacing with those with left bundle branch block (LBBB) using 2-dimensional and novel 3-dimensional speckle tracking, and to compare ejection fraction (EF) response and long-term survival after cardiac resynchronization therapy ...

BACKGROUND: Handgrip strength (HGS) is a marker of lean muscle mass. This study aims to test the hypothesis that a low HGS reflects a diseased cardiac status and predicts future risk of circulatory congestion in chronic peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. Methods. Two hundred and eighteen chronic PD patients were prospectively ...

Adiponectin, an adipocytokine, is secreted by adipocytes and mediates antihypertrophic and anti-inflammatory effects in the heart. Plasma concentrations of adiponectin are decreased in the presence of obesity, insulin resistance, and obesity-associated conditions such as hypertension and coronary heart disease. However, a paradoxical increase in adiponectin levels is observed in human ...

BACKGROUND: We sought to determine the reliability of electrocardiography (ECG) and chest radiography (CXR) in predicting left ventricular (LV) dysfunction in patients with suspected neuromuscular disorders (NMDs) undergoing preanesthetic evaluation for muscle biopsy. METHODS: In this retrospective study, 255 patients with a preliminary diagnosis of NMDs based on history, physical ...

AIMS: To determine prognostic significance of global left ventricular (LV) contractile reserve, defined by dobutamine-induced changes of Tei index (Delta Tei), in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). METHODS AND RESULTS: Thirty-eight patients with idiopathic DCM underwent high-dose (up to 40 microg/kg/min) dobutamine stress echocardiography. Prognostic value of different indices of ...

BACKGROUND: Intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography (IOTEE) is well established as a monitoring tool during ventricular septal defect (VSD) repair to ensure complete closure of the defect. Residual shunts detected by IOTEE are common. The predictive value of IOTEE findings on the long-term course of residual shunts is not well documented, especially ...

INTRODUCTION: Patients with left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) and LV dyssynchrony may respond to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). However, right ventricular dysfunction (RVD) is a predictor of decreased survival in patients with LVD, and its influence on clinical response to CRT is unknown. The purpose of this study was to examine ...

BACKGROUND: Preclinical diastolic dysfunction (PDD) has been defined as subjects with normal systolic function, diastolic dysfunction but no symptoms of heart failure (HF). The clinical phenotype and natural history of the syndrome remains poorly defined. This study's objective was to determine the clinical phenotype and progression to HF in a ...

BACKGROUND: Inflammation has been associated with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) and anemia in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) which may lead to left ventricular impairment via myocardial hypertrophy and/or ischemia. We therefore sought to investigate serum levels of sFas in uremic patients and its correlation with known markers of ...

The treatment of patients with chronic heart failure and those with asymptomatic left ventricular (LV) dysfunction has focused primarily on patients with LV enlargement and a low ejection fraction (EF). Little attention has been paid to those with a normal chamber size and a low EF. We sought to examine ...

Abstract Background Livedoid vasculopathy (LV) is a chronic idiopathic disease characterized by painful purpuric macules on lower extremities. Its exact aetiology remains uncertain, but thrombotic and microcirculatory phenomena have been implicated as possible pathogenic factors. Objectives To assess prospectively the frequency of thrombophilia and to verify the effectiveness of anticoagulant ...

Fabry disease (FD) is an X-chromosomal inherited lysosomal storage disease resulting in intracellular storage of globotriaosylceramide. Cardiac involvement is most frequently manifested as left ventricular hypertrophy. However, patients with FD may also have from various conduction abnormalities particularly affecting atrioventricular (AV) conduction. The present study was designed to analyze primarily ...

BACKGROUND: According to American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines, isolated aortic valve replacement (AVR) is a class III indication for patients with asymptomatic chronic severe aortic regurgitation (AR), left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF) greater than 50%, LV end-diastolic dimension less than 70 mm, and LV end-systolic dimension less ...

AIMS: We hypothesized that a very advanced stage of dilated cardiomyopathy is associated with lower response to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). METHODS AND RESULTS: A consecutive cohort of 147 patients was studied before device implantation and at 12 months follow-up. All patients were in NYHA functional class III-IV and had ...

INTRODUCTION: The clinical benefit of thrombolytic treatment over heparin in patients with pulmonary embolism without hemodynamic compromise remains controversial. In these patients bolus tenecteplase has the potential to provide an effective and safe thrombolysis. METHODS: We evaluated the effect of tenecteplase on right ventricle dysfunction (RVD) assessed by echocardiography in ...

BACKGROUND: A number of trials have demonstrated the effect of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) on functional improvement and reversed left ventricle remodeling. Meeting contemporary guidelines approximately 30- 40% of patients do not respond to CRT (non-responders). AIM: To quantify the predictive ability of basal QRS width and basal echocardiographic parameters ...

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the efficiency of early filling (E) and early diastolic mitral annular velocity (E') ratio (E/E' ratio) assessed by tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) on early detection of diastolic left ventricular (LV) dysfunction in systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients without congestive heart failure (CHF) symptoms. METHODS: Thirty-five Korean SSc patients ...

BACKGROUND: The presence of small areas of necrosis has been occasionally reported immediately following apical ballooning syndrome (ABS). However, their persistence at later stages and impact on long-term prognosis are currently unknown. METHODS: Twenty consecutive patients admitted for ABS between 2004 and 2007 were prospectively evaluated. Demographic, clinical, angiographic, and ...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) in carcinoid heart disease (CHD). We prospectively enrolled 56 consecutive patients with proved digestive endocrine tumor and carcinoid syndrome. All patients underwent serial conventional, contrast, and TDI echocardiographic studies. The end point was all-cause ...

The number of adolescents and young adults with congenital heart defects, including ventricular septal defect (VSD), increases continuously. We evaluated the mid-term outcome of small and unclosed perimembranous VSDs (pmVSDs). All patients with a known unrepaired pmVSD at 16 years of age were selected from our database. The clinical, electrocardiographic, ...

BACKGROUND: Functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) may occur in patients with reduced or preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and has been associated with excess valvular tenting only in patients with reduced LVEF. This study aimed at identifying the predictors of FMR and to determine whether or not they are different ...

BACKGROUND: Tako-tsubo syndrome is a transient cardiomyopathy usually precipitated by an acute emotional or physiological stress. Our study objectives were to review and analyze the impact of emotional stress on clinical variables, echocardiographic characteristics, and short-term outcomes in patients with tako-tsubo syndrome. METHODS: Retrospective chart review. RESULTS: Eleven patients presented ...

BACKGROUND: Cheyne-Stokes respiration (CSR) is common in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) and is associated with poor prognosis. The aim of this study was to analyse the characteristics of CSR in patients with varying degrees of impaired left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). METHODS: A total of 104 patients with ...