Speckle tracking echocardiography in plasma cell disorders: The role of advanced imaging in the early diagnosis of AL systemic cardiac amyloidosis.

INTRODUCTION: Amyloid light-chain amyloidosis is a rare condition characterized by the abnormal production of immunoglobulin light chain that misshape and form amyloid fibrils. Over time, these amyloid deposits can accumulate slowly, causing dysfunction in organs and tissues. Early identification is crucial to ensure optimal treatment. We aim to identify a better marker of cardiac amyloidosis, using advanced echocardiography, to improve diagnosis and the timing of available treatments. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 108 consecutive hematological patients (32, 30% female and 76, 70% male) with a plasma cell disorder referred to our Cardiological center underwent ECG, first and second-level echocardiography (Speckle Tracking) and complete biochemical profile. The best predictors of ALCA (AUC ≥ 0.8) were included in a further analysis stratified by AL score. RESULTS: At ROC analysis, the best bio-humoral predictors for the diagnosis of ALCA were Nt-pro-BNP (AUC: 0.97; p < 0.01) and Hs-Tn (AUC: 0.87; p < 0.01). Regarding echocardiography, the best diagnostic predictors were left atrial stiffness (LAS) (AUC: 0.83; p < 0.01) for the left atrium; free wall thickness for the right ventricle (AUC: 0.82; <0.01); left ventricular global longitudinal strain (LVGLS) (AUC: 0.92; p < 0.01) and LVMi (AUC 0.80; p < 0.001) for the left ventricle; and AL-score (AUC 0.83 p < 0.01). In patients with AL-SCORE < 1, LAS (AUC 0.86 vs AUC 0.79), LVGLS (AUC 0.92 vs AUC 0.86) and LV mass (AUC 0.91 vs AUC 0.72) had better diagnostic accuracy than patients with higher AL-score (AL SCORE ≥ 1). CONCLUSION: Multi-parametric imaging approach with LVGLS and LAS may be helpful for detecting early cardiac involvement in AL amyloidosis.

The role of non-invasive imaging modalities in cardiac allograft vasculopathy: an updated focus on current evidences.

Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) is an obliterative and diffuse form of vasculopathy affecting almost 50% of patients after 10 years from heart transplant and represents the most common cause of long-term cardiovascular mortality among heart transplant recipients. The gold standard diagnostic technique is still invasive coronary angiography, which however holds potential for complications, especially contrast-related kidney injury and procedure-related vascular lesions. Non-invasive and contrast-sparing imaging techniques have been advocated and investigated over the past decades, in order to identify those that could replace coronary angiography or at least reach comparable accuracy in CAV detection. In addition, they could help the clinician in defining optimal timing for invasive testing. This review attempts to examine the currently available non-invasive imaging techniques that may be used in the follow-up of heart transplant patients, spanning from echocardiography to nuclear imaging, cardiac magnetic resonance and cardiac computed tomography angiography, weighting their advantages and disadvantages.

Risk stratification in cardiogenic shock: a focus on the available evidence.

Cardiogenic shock is a clinical syndrome which is defined as the presence of primary cardiac disorder that results in hypotension together with signs of organ hypoperfusion in the state of normovolaemia or hypervolaemia. It represents a complex life-threatening condition, characterized by a high mortality rate, that requires urgent diagnostic assessment as well as treatment; therefore, it is of paramount important to advocate for a thorough risk stratification. In fact, the early identification of patients that could benefit the most from more aggressive and invasive approaches could facilitate a more efficient resource allocation. This review attempts to critically analyse the current evidence on prognosis in cardiogenic shock, focusing in particular on clinical, laboratoristic and echocardiographic prognostic parameters. Furthermore, it focuses also on the available prognostic scores, highlighting the strengths and the possible pitfalls. Finally, it provides insights into future direction that could be followed in order to ameliorate risk stratification in this delicate subset of patients.

Cardiogenic shock and acute kidney injury: the rule rather than the exception.

Cardiogenic shock (CS) is a life-threatening condition of poor end-organ perfusion, caused by any cardiovascular disease resulting in a severe depression of cardiac output. Despite recent advances in replacement therapies, the outcome of CS is still poor, and its management depends more on empirical decisions rather than on evidence-based strategies. By its side, acute kidney injury (AKI) is a frequent complication of CS, resulting in the onset of a cardiorenal syndrome. The combination of CS with AKI depicts a worse clinical scenario and holds a worse prognosis. Many factors can lead to acute renal impairment in the setting of CS, either for natural disease progression or for iatrogenic causes. This review aims at collecting the current evidence-based acknowledgments in epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical features, diagnosis, and management of CS with AKI. We also attempted to highlight the major gaps in evidence as well as to point out possible strategies to improve the outcome.