Interventional echocardiography

BACKGROUND: Aortic regurgitation (AR) associated with detachment of the aortic valve commissure is extremely rare. We present a case of progressively worsening severe chronic AR due to detachment of the aortic valve commissure during hospitalization that was confirmed with multimodality imaging. CASE SUMMARY: A 50-year-old male with Marfan syndrome visited our hospital to receive treatment for cholelithiasis. Pre-operative examination revealed severe AR and aortic root aneurysm...

Left ventricular aneurysms (LVAs) represent a rare yet critical complication arising from late-presenting myocardial infarction (MI). Here, we present the case of an 88-year-old male with chest pressure, elevated troponin, B-type natriuretic peptide, and lactate. The electrocardiogram showed sinus tachycardia and an old right bundle branch block. The patient was started on heparin infusion, but progressively worsening hypotension necessitated transfer to the intensive care unit and the initiation of vasopressors...

BACKGROUND: We present a case of a pregnant patient with recurrent angina, in which her symptoms were initially attributed to coronary artery spasm. However, during follow-up, she was diagnosed as having pheochromocytoma, a rare neuroendocrine tumour. CASE SUMMARY: The 35-year-old patient was admitted to the hospital because of chest pain and elevated cardiac troponins after the use of MDMA. Physical examination, electrocardiogram, echocardiography, coronary angiogram, and cardiac MRI were normal...

BACKGROUND: Tricuspid regurgitation velocity (TRV), measured by echocardiography, is a surrogate marker for pulmonary hypertension. Limited pediatric studies have considered the association between TRV and surrogate markers of end-organ disease. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study that evaluated the prevalence of elevated TRV ≥2.5 m/s and its associations with renal and cerebrovascular outcomes in children with sickle cell disease (SCD) 1-21 years of age in two large sickle cell cohorts, the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) sickle cell cohort, and the Sickle Cell Clinical Research and Intervention Program (SCCRIP) cohort at St...

BACKGROUND: Premature aortic involvement and comprehensive management strategies in familial hypercholesterolemia familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), a rare autosomal dominant genetic disorder, poses significant challenges due to its propensity for elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, premature coronary heart disease, and vascular atherosclerosis. CASE PRESENTATION: Unraveling Cardiovascular Complexities: A Striking Familial Hypercholesterolemia. This case study delves into a remarkable instance of FH in a 16-year-old female who presented with chest pain and worsening dyspnea...

Background: The triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index is a marker of insulin resistance and is associated with cardiovascular mortality and morbidity. Left ventricular remodeling (LVR) after myocardial infarction (STEMI) is associated with poor prognosis. Methods: This retrospective study included 293 STEMI patients. Echocardiography was performed before discharge and 3 months after MI. Results: Compared with the non-LVR group, TyG index value was found to be higher in the LVR group (p < 0.001)...

BACKGROUND: Thirty-day outcomes with the investigational Intrepid transapical (TA) transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) system have previously demonstrated good technical success, but longer-term outcomes in larger cohorts need to be evaluated. OBJECTIVES: The authors sought to evaluate the 2-year safety and performance of the Intrepid TA-TMVR system in patients with symptomatic, ≥moderate-severe mitral regurgitation (MR) and high surgical risk...

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to construct a nomogram prediction model for prognostic assessment of patients with heart failure (HF) based on serological markers and echocardiography. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 200 HF patients admitted to the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University from January 2018 to January 2020 were selected as the research objects. According to the New York Heart Association (NYHA) cardiac function classification, they were divided into 3 groups, including 65 cases of grade II, 97 cases of grade III, and 38 cases of grade IV...

BACKGROUND: Dapagliflozin, a sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor, is an epochal oral antidiabetic drug that improves cardiorenal outcomes. However, the effect of early dapagliflozin intervention on left ventricular (LV) remodeling in patients with type 2 diabetes free from cardiovascular disease remains unclear. METHODS AND RESULTS: The ELUCIDATE trial was a prospective, open-label, randomized, active-controlled study that enrolled 76 patients with asymptomatic type 2 diabetes with LV ejection fraction ≥50%, randomized to the dapagliflozin 10 mg/day add-on or standard-of-care group...

AIMS: Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is an important complication of reperfusion therapy for acute myocardial infarction, extremely compromising the cardiac benefits of revascularization, however, specific and efficient treatment for cardiac I/R injury is still lacking. Isthmin-1 (ISM1) is a novel adipokine, and plays indispensable roles in regulating glycolipid metabolism and cell survival. The present study aims to investigate the potential role and molecular mechanism of ISM1 in cardiac I/R injury using gain- and loss-of-function approaches...

AIMS: The European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI) Scientific Initiatives Committee performed a global survey on radiation exposure in interventional echocardiography. The survey aimed to collect data on local practices for radioprotection in interventional echocardiography and to assess the awareness of echocardiography operators about radiation-related risks. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 258 interventional echocardiographers from 52 different countries (48% European) responded to the survey...

Scimitar Syndrome is part of a complex spectrum of congenital cardiovascular anomalies related to anomalous pulmonary venous return. Depending on the extent of involvement, treatment can be either expectant or surgical. Prognosis and survival have been controversial, with some results supporting early surgical management. This research aims to disclose the outcomes and describe the management, clinical and imaging characteristics of patients diagnosed with Scimitar Syndrome treated in a tertiary referral healthcare center...

The presented case report demonstrates the successful operative treatment of a patient with thymic carcinoma located in the anterior mediastinum, infiltrating the vena cava, and affecting the upper lobe of the left lung. Our multidisciplinary approach, incorporating various operative techniques, proved effective in treating this type of pathology. The Clinic for Thoracic Surgery at UMHAT Kaspela, Plovdiv admitted a 72-year-old female patient due to complaints related to her cardiovascular and respiratory systems...

BACKGROUND: Fetal two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2D-STE) is an emerging technique for assessing fetal cardiac function by measuring global longitudinal strain. Alterations in global longitudinal strain may serve as early indicator of pregnancy complications, making 2D-STE a potentially valuable tool for early detection. Early detection can facilitate timely interventions to reduce fetal and maternal morbidity and mortality. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of performing 2D-STE at 16 weeks gestational age...

OBJECTIVE: To assess the intraoperative use of 3-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography (3D TEE) in cardiac surgical centers, the authors created a survey aimed at evaluating the availability of equipment and the use of 3D TEE for specific surgical and interventional procedures and single-image modalities. The respondents were asked to identify the perceived impact on patient management and current limitations to its routine use. DESIGN: A multiple choice 25-question online survey submitted to the members of the European Association of Cardiothoracic Anesthesia and Intensive Care (EACTAIC) on December 6, 2021, and closed on January 31, 2022...

BACKGROUND: Various mitral repair techniques have been described. Though these repair techniques can be highly effective when performed correctly in suitable patients, limited quantitative biomechanical data are available. Validation and thorough biomechanical evaluation of these repair techniques from translational large animal in vivo studies in a standardized, translatable fashion are lacking. We sought to evaluate and validate biomechanical differences among different mitral repair techniques and further optimize repair operations using a large animal mitral valve prolapse model...

This study employed evidence mapping to systematically sort out the clinical studies about the treatment of premature ventricular contractions with Chinese patent medicines and to reveal the distribution of evidence in this field. The articles about the treatment of premature ventricular contractions with Chinese patent medicines were searched against PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang, and VIP with the time interval from January 2016 to December 2022. Evidence was analyzed and presented by charts and graphs combined with text...

We repaired a left anomalous aortic origin of coronary artery (AAOCA) using coronary ostium translocation/re-implantation. Re-repair was required due to suboptimal flow pattern in postoperative transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), confirmed with coronary angiography. We emphasize the importance of early recognition, diagnosis and intervention to deal with a problem with the coronary repair.

The crista terminalis is an anatomical structure localized on the posterolateral wall of the right atrium (RA). We performed a systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis concerning cases of unusual prominent crista terminalis mimicking RA mass. Moreover, we described the differential diagnosis of cardiac masses with the use of echocardiography, computed tomography, and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR). We also emphasize the potential importance of this structure in electrophysiological procedures, including its role in exaggerated arrhythmias...

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