The Extent of Late Gadolinium Enhancement Can Predict Adverse Cardiac Outcomes in Patients with Non-Ischemic Cardiomyopathy with Reduced Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction: A Prospective Observational Study

Objective@#The clinical course of an individual patient with heart failure is unpredictable with left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) only. We aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR)-derived myocardial fibrosis extent and to determine the cutoff value for event-free survival in patients with non-ischemic cardiomyopathy (NICM) who had severely reduced LVEF. @*Materials and Methods@#Our prospective cohort study included 78 NICM patients with significantly reduced LV systolic function (LVEF < 35%). CMR images were analyzed for the presence and extent of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE). The primary outcome was major adverse cardiac events (MACEs), defined as a composite of cardiac death, heart transplantation, implantable cardioverter-defibrillator discharge for major arrhythmia, and hospitalization for congestive heart failure within 5 years after enrollment. @*Results@#A total of 80.8% (n = 63) of enrolled patients had LGE, with the median LVEF of 25.4% (19.8–32.4%). The extent of myocardial scarring was significantly higher in patients who experienced MACE than in those without any cardiac events (22.0 [5.5–46.1] %LV vs. 6.7 [0–17.1] %LV, respectively, p = 0.008). During follow-up, 51.4% of patients with LGE ≥ 12.0 %LV experienced MACE, along with 20.9% of those with LGE ≤ 12.0 %LV (log-rank p = 0.001). According to multivariate analysis, LGE extent more than 12.0 %LV was independently associated with MACE (adjusted hazard ratio, 6.71; 95% confidence interval, 2.54–17.74; p < 0.001). @*Conclusion@#In NICM patients with significantly reduced LV systolic function, the extent of LGE is a strong predictor for longterm adverse cardiac outcomes. Event-free survival was well discriminated with an LGE cutoff value of 12.0 %LV in these patients.

The Clinical Course of Tuberculous Pericarditis in Immunocompetent Hosts Based on Serial Echocardiography

Background and Objectives@#In East Asia, tuberculous pericarditis still occurs in immunocompetent patients. We aimed to investigate clinical course of tuberculous pericarditis and the trends of echocardiographic parameters for constrictive pericarditis. @*Methods@#We retrospectively analyzed medical records of patients with tuberculous pericarditis between January 2010 and January 2017 in Samsung Medical Center. Treatment consists of the standard 4-drug anti-tuberculosis regimen for 6 months with or without corticosteroids. We performed echocardiography at initial diagnosis, 1, 3 and 6 months later. @*Results@#Total 50 cases with tuberculous pericarditis in immunocompetent patients were enrolled. Echocardiographic finding at initial diagnosis divided into 3 groups: 1) pericardial effusion only (n=28, 56.0%), 2) effusive constrictive pericarditis (n=10, 20.0%) and 3) constrictive pericarditis (n=12, 24.0%). The proportion of patients with constrictive pericarditis decreased gradually over time. After 6 months, only 5 patients still had constrictive pericarditis. Out of the 28 patients who initially presented with effusion alone, only one patient developed constrictive pericarditis. Echocardiographic parameters representing constrictive pericarditis gradually disappeared over the follow up period. Ventricular interdependency improved significantly from 1 month follow-up, whereas septal bounce and pericardial thickening were still observed after 6 months without significant constrictive physiology. @*Conclusions@#Tuberculous pericarditis with pericardial effusion without constrictive physiology is unlikely to develop into constrictive pericarditis in immunocompetent hosts, if treated with optimal anti-tuberculous medication and steroid therapy. Even though there were hemodynamic feature of constrictive pericarditis, more than 80% of the patients were improved from constrictive pericarditis.

Concordant and Discordant Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging Delayed Hyperenhancement Patterns in Patients with Ischemic and Non-Ischemic Cardiomyopathy

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The diagnosis of ischemic (ICM) and non-ischemic cardiomyopathy (NICM) is conventionally determined by the presence or absence of coronary artery disease (CAD) in the setting of a reduced left systolic function. However the presence of CAD may not always indicate that the actual left ventricular (LV) dysfunction mechanism is ischemia, as other non-ischemic etiologies can be responsible. We investigated patterns of myocardial fibrosis using delayed hyperenhancement (DHE) on cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) in ICM and NICM. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Patients with systolic heart failure who underwent a CMR were prospectively analyzed. The heart failure diagnosis was based on the modified Framingham criteria and LVEF <35%. LV dysfunction was classified as ICM or NICM based on coronary anatomy. RESULTS: A total of 101 subjects were analyzed; 34 were classified as ICM and 67 as NICM. The DHE pattern was concordant with the conventional diagnosis in 27 (79.4%) of the patients with ICM and 62 (92.5%) of the patients with NCIM. A discordant NICM DHE pattern was present in 8.8% of patients with ICM, and an ICM pattern was detected 6.0% of the patients with NICM. Furthermore, 11.8% of the patients with ICM and 1.5% of those with NICM demonstrated a mixed pattern. CONCLUSION: A subset of patients conventionally diagnosed with ICM or NICM based on coronary anatomy demonstrated a discordant or mixed DHE pattern. CMR-DHE imaging can be helpful to determine the etiology of heart failure in patients with persistent LV systolic dysfunction.

A Rare Case of Iatrogenic Deep Neck Infection Secondary to Hypopharyngeal Injury Caused by the Transesophageal Echocardiography

Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is considered relatively safe but semi-invasive. The hypopharyngeal and esophageal injury is infrequent complication of TEE but could be serious, even life-threatening. We present a case of a 74-year-old man who experienced a deep neck infection secondary to hypopharyngeal injury following TEE. The diagnosis was made because of the subcutaneous emphysema developed 3 hours after TEE. In spite of antibiotics therapy with prolonged fasting, a right parapharyngeal and retropharyngeal abscess was developed 5 days later. With ultrasound-guided drainage of abscess and continuous antibiotic treatment, infection was controlled. The patent underwent mitral valve repair after 14 days of antibiotic therapy. The patient recovered uneventfully. For cardiologists performing TEE, it is required to know complications and their risk factors to minimize hypopharyngeal and esophageal injury.

Screening for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm during Transthoracic Echocardiography in Patients with Significant Coronary Artery Disease

PURPOSE: Coronary artery disease (CAD) shares several risk factors with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). We evaluated the prevalence during transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and risk factors of AAA in patients with CAD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 1300 CAD patients were screened from August 2009 to May 2010, and measurement of abdominal aorta size was feasible in 920 patients (71%) at the end of routine TTE. An AAA was defined as having a maximal diameter of > or =30 mm. RESULTS: Of the 920 patients, 22 (2.4% of the study population) were diagnosed with AAA; of these AAA patients, 86% were male, and 82% were over 65 years-old. Abdominal aortic size was weakly correlated with aortic root diameter (r=0.22, p<0.01). Although the proportions of male gender, hypertension, and dyslipidemia were higher in AAA patients, such differences were not statistically significant. Advanced age [odds ratio (OR)=1.07; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.01-1.12; p<0.01], smoking (OR=3.44; 95% CI: 1.18-10.04; p=0.02), and peripheral arterial disease (OR=5.88; 95% CI: 1.38-25.05; p=0.01) were found to be associated with AAA. CONCLUSION: Although prevalence of AAA is very low in the Asian population, the prevalence of AAA in Asian CAD patients is higher than the general population. Therefore, opportunistic examination of the abdominal aorta during routine TTE could be effective, especially for male CAD patients over 65 years with a history of smoking or peripheral arterial disease.

Diastolic Function in Patients with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: Evaluation Using the Phase-contrast MRI Measurement of Mitral Valve and Pulmonary Vein Flow Velocities

PURPOSE: Diastolic dysfunction is a common problem in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). The purpose of this study was to assess the role of MRI in the assessment of diastolic function using mitral valve and pulmonary vein flow velocities in HCM patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: Phase-contrast MRI (mitral valve and pulmonary vein) and transthoracic echocardiography was successfully performed for 59 HCM patients (44 men and 15 women; mean age, 51 years). Forty-nine patients had a diastolic dysfunction; grade 1 (n = 20), grade 2 (n = 27), and grade 3 (n = 2) using echocardiography, and ten patients had normal diastolic function. The transmitral inflow parameters (E, A, and E/A ratios) obtained by MRI showed positive correlation with the same parameters measured by echocardiography (Pearson's r values were 0.47, 0.60, and 0.75 for E, A, E/A, respectively, all P < 0.001). With the flow information of the pulmonary vein from cardiac MRI, pseudo-normalized pattern (n = 8) could be distinguished from true normal filling pattern (n = 17), and the diastolic function grades by cardiac MRI showed moderate agreement with those of echocardiography (kappa value = 0.45, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Assessment of left ventricle diastolic function is feasible using phase-contrast MRI in HCM patients. Analysis of pulmonary vein flow velocity on MRI is useful for differentiating pseudo-normal from normal diastolic function in HCM patients.

Left ventricular 12 segmental strain imaging predicts response to cardiac resynchronization therapy / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>The number of non-responders to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) exposes the need for better patient selection criteria for CRT. This study aimed to identify echocardiographic parameters that would predict the response to CRT.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Forty-five consecutive patients receiving CRT-D implantation for heart failure (HF) were included in this prospective study. New York Heart Association (NYHA) class, 6-minute walk distance, electrograph character, and multi echocardiographic parameters, especially in strain patterns, were measured and compared before and six months after CRT in the responder and non-responder groups. Response to CRT was defined as a decrease in left ventricular endsystolic volume (LVESV) of 15% or more at 6-month follow up.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Twenty-two (48.9%) patients demonstrated a response to CRT at 6-month follow-up. Significant improvement in NYHA class (P < 0.01), left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV) (P < 0.01), and 6-minute walk distance (P < 0.01) was shown in this group. Although there was an interventricular mechanical delay determined by the difference between left and right ventricular pre-ejection intervals ((42.87 ± 19.64) ms vs. (29.43 ± 18.19) ms, P = 0.02), the standard deviation of time to peak myocardial strain among 12 basal, mid and apical segments (Tε-SD) ((119.97 ± 43.32) ms vs. (86.62 ± 36.86) ms, P = 0.01) and the non-ischemic etiology (P = 0.03) were significantly higher in responders than non-responders, only the Tε-SD (OR = 1.02, 95% CI = 1.01 - 1.04, P = 0.02) proved to be a favorable predictor of CRT response after multivariate Logistic regression analysis.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The left ventricular 12 segmental strain imaging is a promising echocardiographic parameter for predicting CRT response.</p>

Plasma N-Terminal Pro-B-Type Natriuretic Peptide Is Predictive of Perioperative Cardiac Events in Patients Undergoing Vascular Surgery

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Identification of patients at high risk for perioperative cardiac events (POCE) is clinically important. This study aimed to determine whether preoperative measurement of plasma N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) could predict POCE, and compared its predictive value with that of conventional cardiac risk factors and stress thallium scans in patients undergoing vascular surgery. METHODS: Patients scheduled for non-cardiac vascular surgery were prospectively enrolled. Clinical risk factors were identified, and NT-proBNP levels and stress thallium scans were obtained. POCE was the composite of acute myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure including acute pulmonary edema, and primary cardiac death within 5 days after surgery. A modified Revised Cardiac Risk Index (RCRI) was proposed and compared with NT-proBNP; a positive result for ischemia and a significant perfusion defect (> or = 3 walls, moderate to severely decreased, reversible perfusion defect) on the thallium scan were added to the RCRI. RESULTS: A total of 365 patients (91% males) with a mean age of 67 years had a median NT-proBNP level of 105.1 pg/mL (range of quartile, 50.9 to 301.9). POCE occurred in 49 (13.4%) patients. After adjustment for confounders, an NT-proBNP level of > 302 pg/mL (odds ratio [OR], 5.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.1 to 10.3; p < 0.001) and a high risk by the modified RCRI (OR, 3.9; 95% CI, 1.6 to 9.3; p = 0.002) were independent predictors for POCE. Comparison of the area under the curves for predicting POCE showed no statistical differences between NT-proBNP and RCRI. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative measurement of NT-proBNP provides information useful for prediction of POCE as a single parameter in high-risk patients undergoing noncardiac vascular surgery.

Comparison of Transthoracic Echocardiography With N-Terminal Pro-Brain Natriuretic Peptide as a Tool for Risk Stratification of Patients Undergoing Major Noncardiac Surgery

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The role of preoperative transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) for the risk stratification has not been well investigated yet. We compared the predictive power of TTE with N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), a representative biomarker that predicts perioperative cardiovascular risk, and investigated whether these tests have incremental value to the clinically determined risk. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We evaluated the Revised Cardiac Risk Index (RCRI), TTE, and NT-proBNP in 1,923 noncardiac surgery cases. The primary endpoint was a perioperative major cardiovascular event (PMCE), which was defined by any single or combined event of secondary endpoints including myocardial infarction, development of pulmonary edema, or primary cardiovascular death within 30 days after surgery. RESULTS: All echocardiographic parameters including left ventricular ejection fraction, regional wall motion score index, and transmitral early diastolic velocity/tissue Doppler mitral annular early diastolic velocity (E/E') were predictive of PMCE (c-statistics=0.579+/-0.019 to 0.589+/-0.015), but none of these parameters were better than the clinically determined RCRI (c-statistics=0.594+/-0.019) and were inferior to NT-proBNP (c-statistics=0.748+/-0.019, p<0.001). The predictive power of RCRI {adjusted relative risk (RR)=1.4} could be improved by addition of echocardiographic parameters (adjusted RR=1.8, p<0.001), but not to that extent as by addition of NT-proBNP to RCRI (adjusted RR=3.7, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: TTE was modestly predictive of perioperative cardiovascular events but was not superior to NT-proBNP. Moreover, it did not have incremental value to the clinically determined risk. The results of our study did not support the use of routine echocardiography before noncardiac surgery.

Planimetric Measurement of the Regurgitant Orifice Area Using Multidetector CT for Aortic Regurgitation: a Comparison with the Use of Echocardiography

OBJECTIVE: This study compared the area of the regurgitant orifice, as measured by the use of multidetector-row CT (MDCT), with the severity of aortic regurgitation (AR) as determined by the use of echocardiography for AR. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, 45 AR patients underwent electrocardiography-gated 40-slice or 64-slice MDCT and transthoracic or transesophageal echocardiography. We reconstructed CT data sets during mid-systolic to enddiastolic phases in 10% steps (20% and 35-95% of the R-R interval), planimetrically measuring the abnormally opened aortic valve area during diastole on CT reformatted images and comparing the area of the aortic regurgitant orifice (ARO) so measured with the severity of AR, as determined by echocardiography. RESULTS: In the 14 patients found to have mild AR, the ARO area was 0.18+/-0.13 cm2 (range, 0.04-0.54 cm2). In the 15 moderate AR patients, the ARO area was 0.36 +/- 0.23 cm2 (range, 0.09-0.81 cm2). In the 16 severe AR patients, the ARO area was 1.00 +/- 0.51 cm2 (range, 0.23-1.84 cm2). Receiver-operator characteristic curve analysis determined a sensitivity of 85% and a specificity of 82%, for a cutoff of 0.47 cm2, to distinguish severe AR from less than severe AR with the use of CT (area under the curve = 0.91; 95% confidence interval, 0.84-1.00; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Planimetric measurement of the ARO area using MDCT is useful for the quantitative evaluation of the severity of aortic regurgitation.

Progression Rate of Aortic Valve Stenosis in Korean Patients

BACKGROUND: Although there were studies about ethnic differences in aortic valve thickness and calcification that they may play a role in aortic valvular stenosis (AVS) progression, few studies about the progression rate of AVS in Asian population have been reported. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the progression rate of AVS in Korean patients. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 325 patients (181 men, age: 67 +/- 13 years) with AVS who had 2 or more echocardiograms at least 6 months apart from 2003 to 2008. The patients with other significant valvular diseases or history of cardiac surgery were excluded. The progression rate of AVS was expressed in terms of increase in maximum aortic jet velocity per year (meter/second/year). RESULTS: Baseline AVS was mild in 207 (64%), moderate in 81 (25%), and severe in 37 (11%). There were no significant differences among the three groups in terms of age, gender, hypertension, smoking, and hypercholesterolemia. The mean progression rate was 0.12 +/- 0.23 m/s/yr and more rapid in severe AVS (0.28 +/- 0.36 m/s/yr) when compared to moderate (0.14 +/- 0.26 m/s/yr) and mild AVS (0.09 +/- 0.18 m/s/yr) (p < 0.001). The progression rate in bicuspid AVS was significantly higher than other AVS (0.23 +/- 0.35 vs. 0.11 +/- 0.20 m/s/yr, p = 0.002). By multivariate analysis, initial maximum aortic jet velocity (Beta = 0.175, p = 0.003), bicuspid aortic valve (Beta = 0.127, p = 0.029), and E velocity (Beta = -0.134, p = 0.018) were significantly associated with AVS progression. CONCLUSION: The progression rate of AVS in Korean patients is slower than that reported in Western population. Therefore, ethnic difference should be considered for the follow-up of the patients with AVS.

Therapeutic Strategies for Diastolic Dysfunction: A Clinical Perspective

Diastolic dysfunction, which is increasingly viewed as being influential in precipitating heart failure and determining prognosis, is often unrecognized and has therapeutic implications distinct from those that occur with systolic dysfunction. In this review, several therapeutic modalities including pharmacologic, nonpharmacologic, and surgical approaches for primary diastolic dysfunction and heart failure will be discussed.

Noninvasively-determined Diastolic Stiffness is Abnormal during Exercise, but not at Rest, in Patients with Apical Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

BACKGROUDN: The ratio of mitral inflow (E) and annular velocity (E') to stroke volume (E/E'/SV) has been used as an index of diastolic elastance (Ed). However, its change during exercise has not been evaluated. We hypothesized that Ed values obtained during exercise would be abnormal in patients with apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (ApHCM). METHODS: Ed was measured at rest and during graded supine bicycle exercise (25 Watts, 3 minute increments) in 15 patients with ApHCM (12 male; mean age, 57 years) and in 15 age- and gender-matched control subjects. RESULTS: Ed was not significantly different at rest and during 25 W of exercise. However, Ed was significantly higher at 50 W of exercise in patients with ApHCM compared to control subjects (0.21+/-0.05 vs. 0.15+/-0.04 cm/s, p=0.0059). There was significant positive correlation between the magnitude of change in proBNP levels during exercise and the change of Ed from rest to 50 W of exercise (r2=0.69, p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: Noninvasively-determined Ed was similar at rest and during mild exercise between patients with ApHCM and control subjects. However, Ed was significantly higher during moderate exercise in ApHCM patients, suggesting a dynamic change in LV stiffness during exercise in these patients.

Noninvasively-determined Diastolic Stiffness is Abnormal during Exercise, but not at Rest, in Patients with Apical Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

BACKGROUDN: The ratio of mitral inflow (E) and annular velocity (E') to stroke volume (E/E'/SV) has been used as an index of diastolic elastance (Ed). However, its change during exercise has not been evaluated. We hypothesized that Ed values obtained during exercise would be abnormal in patients with apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (ApHCM). METHODS: Ed was measured at rest and during graded supine bicycle exercise (25 Watts, 3 minute increments) in 15 patients with ApHCM (12 male; mean age, 57 years) and in 15 age- and gender-matched control subjects. RESULTS: Ed was not significantly different at rest and during 25 W of exercise. However, Ed was significantly higher at 50 W of exercise in patients with ApHCM compared to control subjects (0.21+/-0.05 vs. 0.15+/-0.04 cm/s, p=0.0059). There was significant positive correlation between the magnitude of change in proBNP levels during exercise and the change of Ed from rest to 50 W of exercise (r2=0.69, p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: Noninvasively-determined Ed was similar at rest and during mild exercise between patients with ApHCM and control subjects. However, Ed was significantly higher during moderate exercise in ApHCM patients, suggesting a dynamic change in LV stiffness during exercise in these patients.

Echocardiographic Evaluation of Constrictive Pericarditis

No abstract available.

The Pathophysiology and Diagnostic Approaches for Diastolic Left Ventricular Dysfunction: A Clinical Perspective

Heart failure with a normal ejection fraction is interchangeably termed diastolic heart failure. This condition is often unrecognized and it does have diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic implications that are distinct from those conditions with systolic dysfunction. It is clinically important to understand and assess the diastolic function to reliably manage the patients suffering with heart failure. With the results of randomized trials for this distinct clinical syndrome, as well as the probability of better diagnostic testing in the future, physicians will in a better position not only to diagnose diastolic dysfunction or heart failure, but also to manage it more effectively. In this review, the physiology of the diastole and how to evaluate the abnormalities of the diastolic function will be discussed.

Feasibility Study of Dobutamine Stress Transesophageal Echocardiography

Transesophageal echocardiography(TEE) was performed during pharmacologic stress with dobutamine for evaluation of coronary artery disease in 15 patients (12 men, 3 women ; mean age, 70 years) with inadequate transthoracic echocardiographic images. In five patients, additional indications for TEE were present. Dobutamine was administered according to a standard protocol with a maximum dose of 40microg/kg per minute. Angina and an increase in simple ventricular ectopy were noted in one patient each, but no other complication or side effect was noted. Images (midesophageal four-and two-chamber views ad transgastric short-and long-axis views) were satisfactory for interpretation in 14 patients. In one patient, the apex could not be optimally visualized. Five patients (33%) had resting wall motion abnormalities. Wall motion abnormality developed in three patients(20%) and worsened in two(13%). Dobutamine stress TEE findings were normal in eight patients. Coronary angiography in two patients revealed significant stenosis corresponding to stress-induced wall motion abnormalities. Dobutamine stress TEE is a safe, feasible, well-toerated alternative to conventional stress echocardiography for detecting myocardial ischemia.