IgG4-Related disease with diffuse myopericardial involvement- value of CMR: a case report and literature review of cardiac involvement.

BACKGROUND: IgG4-related disease is a fibro-inflammatory disorder with an unknown etiology, which can affect multiple organ systems, including the cardiovascular system. While most reported cases of cardiovascular involvement are primarily associated with the aorta, there have been sporadic reports of isolated cardiac involvement. CASE PRESENTATION: This paper presents a documented case of IgG4-related systemic disease with symptoms indicative of restrictive cardiomyopathy. Subsequent Cardiac Magnetic Resonance imaging revealed diffuse myopericardial involvement, characterized by pericardial thickening and enhancement, accompanied by subepicardial and myocardial infiltration. Considering the rarity of cardiac involvement in our case, we conducted a thorough review of the existing literature pertaining to various patterns of cardiac involvement in IgG4-related disease, as well as the diagnostic modalities that can be employed for accurate identification and assessment. CONCLUSIONS: This case report sheds light on the importance of recognizing and evaluating cardiac manifestations in IgG4-related systemic disease to facilitate timely diagnosis and appropriate management.

European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI) survey on Cardiovascular Multimodality Imaging in Acute Myocarditis.

AIMS: To assess the current role of cardiac imaging in the diagnosis, management, and follow-up of patients with acute myocarditis (AM) through an European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging survey. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 412 volunteers from 74 countries responded to the survey. Most participants worked in tertiary centres(56%). All participants had access to echocardiography, while 79% and 75% had access to cardiac computed tomography (CCTA) and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR), respectively. Less than half(47%) had access to myocardial biopsy and only 5% used this test routinely. CMR was performed within 7 days of presentation in 73% of cases. Non-ischemic late gadolinium enhancement (LGE,88%) and high-signal intensity in T2-weighted images(74%) were the most used diagnostic criteria for AM. CCTA was preferred to coronary angiography by 47% of participants to exclude coronary artery disease. Systematic prescription of beta-blockers and ACEi was reported by 38% and 32% of participants. Around a quarter of participants declared considering LGE burden as a reason to treat. Most participants (90%) reported performing a follow-up echocardiogram, while 63% scheduled a follow-up CMR. The main reason for treatment discontinuation was improvement of left ventricular ejection fraction(89%), followed by LGE regression(60%). In two-thirds of participants the decision to resume high-intensity sport was influenced by residual LGE. CONCLUSION: This survey confirms the high utilization of cardiac imaging in AM, but reveals major differences in how cardiac imaging is used and how the condition is managed between centres, underlining the need for recommendation statements in this topic.

Whole-exome sequencing revealed a likely pathogenic variant in NF1 causing neurofibromatosis type I and Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy.

BACKGROUND: Neurofibromatosis type I (NF1) is a genetic disorder characterized by the tumor's development in nerve tissue. Complications of NF1 can include pigmented lesions, skin neurofibromas, and heart problems such as cardiomyopathy. In this study, we performed whole-exome sequencing (WES) on an Iranian patient with NF1 to identify the genetic cause of the disease. METHODS: Following clinical assessment, WES was used to identify genetic variants in a family with a son suffering from NF1. No symptomatic manifestations were observed in other family members. In the studied family, in silico and segregation analysis were applied to survey candidate variants. RESULTS: Clinical manifestations were consistent with arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM). WES detected a likely pathogenic heterozygous missense variant, c.3277G > A:p.Val1093Met, in the NF1 gene, confirmed by PCR and Sanger sequencing. The patient's parents and brother had a normal sequence at this locus. CONCLUSIONS: Although there is no cure for NF1, genetic tests, such as WES, can detect at-risk asymptomatic family members. Furthermore, cardiac evaluation could also help these patients before heart disease development.

A novel homozygous variant (c.5876T > C: p. Leu1959Pro) in DYSF segregates with limb-girdle muscular dystrophy: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Limb girdle muscular dystrophies (LGMDs) constitute a heterogeneous group of neuromuscular disorders with a very variable clinical presentation and overlapping traits. The clinical symptoms of LGMD typically appear in adolescence or early adulthood. Genetic variation in the dysferlin gene (DYSF) has been associated with LGMD. METHODS: We characterized a recessive LGMD in a young adult from consanguineous Irani families using whole-exome sequencing (WES) technology. Sanger sequencing was performed to verify the identified variant. Computational modeling and protein-protein docking were used to investigate the impact of the variant on the structure and function of the DYSF protein. RESULTS: By WES, we identified a novel homozygous missense variant in DYSF (NM_003494.4: c.5876T > C: p. Leu1959Pro) previously been associated with LGMD phenotypes. CONCLUSIONS: The identification and validation of new pathogenic DYSF variant in the present study further highlight the importance of this gene in LGMD.

A novel likely pathogenic homozygous RBCK1 variant in dilated cardiomyopathy with muscle weakness.

AIMS: Polyglucosan body myopathy 1 (PGBM1) is a type of glycogen storage disease where polyglucosan accumulation leads to cardiomyopathy and skeletal muscle myopathy. Variants of RBCK1 is related with PGBM1. We present a newly discovered pathogenic RBCK1 variant resulting in dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and a comprehensive literature review. METHODS AND RESULTS: Whole-exome sequencing (WES) was utilized to detect genetic variations in a 7-year-old girl considered the proband. Sanger sequencing was performed to validate the variant in the patient and all the available family members, whether affected or unaffected. The variant's pathogenicity was assessed by conducting a cosegregation analysis within the family with in silico predictive software. WES showed that the proband's RBCK1 gene contained a missense likely pathogenic homozygous nucleotide variant, c.598_599insT: p.His200LeufsTer14 (NM_001323956.1), in exon 8. The computational analysis supported the variant's pathogenicity. The variant was identified in a heterozygous form among all the healthy members of the family. Variants with changes in N-terminal part of the protein were more likely to manifest immunodeficiency and auto-inflammation than those with C-terminal protein modifications according to prior variations of RBCK1 reported in the literature. CONCLUSIONS: Our study offers novel findings indicating an RBCK1 variant in individuals of Iranian ancestry presenting with DCM leading to heart transplantation and myopathy without immunodeficiency or auto-inflammation.

Role of feature tracking cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in early detection of cardiac dysfunction in ß-thalassemia patients recovered from COVID-19: A cross-sectional study.

Background and Aims: ß-Thalassemia patients may have cardiac complications due to iron overload, which puts them at higher risk of cardiac complications induced by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) compared with the normal population. The present study aims to evaluate early cardiovascular complications following iron overload in ß-thalassemia patients who had early recovery from COVID-19 by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and feature-tracking technique. Methods: Thirty-two confirmed COVID-19-recovered ß-thalassemia cases were evaluated within 3 weeks to 3 months after a positive reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction COVID-19 test. Both the heart and liver of all patients were examined using cardiac MRI. Results: We analyzed 32 patients with mean age of 32.84 ± 6.45 years at baseline. Left ventricular global strain values were significantly associated with myocardial T2*. A cut-off value of -15.08% for global longitudinal strain (GLS) with sensitivity and specificity of 90% and 61.1% (p = 0.017), 32.33% for global radial strain (GRS) with sensitivity and specificity of 80% and 94.4% (p = 0.001) and -16.21 for global circumferential strain (GCS), with sensitivity and specificity of 80% and 89.9% (p = 0.013) may indicate cardiac iron overload. Conclusion: GLS, GRS, and GCS were significantly decreased in patients with myocardial T2* <20 ms (iron overload), while no significant change was observed in the right and left ventricular ejection fraction (RV- and LVEF). Cardiac MRI feature-tracking may be helpful in the early detection of cardiac complications resulting from iron overload in ß-thalassemia patients who had early recovery from COVID-19.

Whole-exome sequencing reveals a likely pathogenic LMNA variant causing hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

OBJECTIVE: We studied the clinical and molecular features of a family with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). BACKGROUND: A very heterogeneous disease affecting the heart muscle, HCM is mostly caused by variants in the proteins of sarcomeres. The detection of HCM pathogenic variants can affect the handling of patients and their families. METHODS: Whole-exome sequencing (WES) was performed to assess the genetic cause(s) of HCM in a consanguineous Iranian family. RESULTS: Missense likely pathogenic variant c.1279C>T (p.Arg427Cys) within exon 7 of the LMNA gene (NM_170707) was found. The segregations were confirmed by polymerase chain reaction-based Sanger sequencing. CONCLUSIONS: Variant c.1279C>T (p.Arg427Cys) in the LMNA gene seemed to have been the cause of HCM in the family. A few LMNA gene variants related to HCM phenotypes have been recognized so far. Identifying HCM genetic basis confers significant opportunities to understand how the disease can develop and, by extension, how this progression can be arrested. Our study supports WES effectiveness for first-tier variant screening of HCM in a clinical setting.

Polymorphism of rs599839 in the PSRC1 gene is associated with coronary artery disease in an Iranian population.

Introduction: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading health complication worldwide because of its high prevalence and mortality. The association between CAD susceptibility and the rs599839 (C/T) polymorphism in the human proline and serine-rich coiled-coil (PSRC1) was reported in a genome-wide association study. To validate this association, we performed this case-control study to genotype the 1p13.3 (rs599839) locus in a sample of the Iranian population with CAD (stenosis≥70% in≥1 coronary artery). Methods: We performed an association analysis with PCR and Sanger sequencing of rs599839 (C/T) polymorphism and CAD risk in 280 CAD patients and 287 healthy controls defined as a coronary calcium score of zero and no noncalcified plaques in coronary computed tomography angiography. SPSS, version 16.0, was applied for statistical analysis. Results: The rs599839 (C/T) locus showed a significant association with CAD (P value<0.001). TT and CT genotypes were associated with CAD (P value<0.001). Furthermore, the dominant status (TT+CT vs. CC) was associated with an increased risk of CAD (OR, 9.14; 95% CI, 3.77 to 22.15; and P value<0.001). Conclusion: The study findings indicate strong evidence for rs599839 (C/T) association with CAD risk.

Arrhythmogenic left ventricular cardiomyopathy caused by a novel likely pathogenic DSP mutation, p.K1165Rfs*8, in a family with sudden cardiac death.

OBJECTIVE: We conducted an investigation into the clinical and molecular characteristics of Arrhythmogenic left ventricular cardiomyopathy (ALVC) caused by a novel likely pathogenic mutation in an Iranian pedigree with sudden cardiac death (SCD). BACKGROUND: ALVC is a genetically inherited myocardial disease characterized by the substitution of fibro-fatty tissue in the left ventricular myocardium, predominantly inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern and is commonly associated with genes involved in encoding desmosomal proteins, specifically Desmoplakin (DSP). METHODS: The patient and available family members underwent a comprehensive clinical assessment, including Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging, along with Whole-exome sequencing (WES). The identified variant was confirmed and segregated by Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Sanger sequencing in the family members. RESULTS: A novel likely pathogenic heterozygous variant, DSP (NM_004415.4), c.3492_3498del, p.K1165Rfs*8 was discovered in the proband. This variant is likely to be the primary reason for ALVC in this specific family. This variant was confirmed by Sanger sequencing and segregated in other affected members of the family. CONCLUSION: We identified a novel likely pathogenic variant in the DSP gene, which has been identified as the cause of ALVC in an Iranian family. Our investigation underscores the importance of genetic testing, specifically WES, for individuals suspected of ALVC and have a family history of SCD.

Left Ventricular Myocardial Dysfunction Evaluation in Thalassemia Patients Using Echocardiographic Radiomic Features and Machine Learning Algorithms.

Heart failure caused by iron deposits in the myocardium is the primary cause of mortality in beta-thalassemia major patients. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI) T2* is the primary screening technique used to detect myocardial iron overload, but inherently bears some limitations. In this study, we aimed to differentiate beta-thalassemia major patients with myocardial iron overload from those without myocardial iron overload (detected by T2*CMRI) based on radiomic features extracted from echocardiography images and machine learning (ML) in patients with normal left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF > 55%) in echocardiography. Out of 91 cases, 44 patients with thalassemia major with normal LVEF (> 55%) and T2* ≤ 20 ms and 47 people with LVEF > 55% and T2* > 20 ms as the control group were included in the study. Radiomic features were extracted for each end-systolic (ES) and end-diastolic (ED) image. Then, three feature selection (FS) methods and six different classifiers were used. The models were evaluated using various metrics, including the area under the ROC curve (AUC), accuracy (ACC), sensitivity (SEN), and specificity (SPE). Maximum relevance-minimum redundancy-eXtreme gradient boosting (MRMR-XGB) (AUC = 0.73, ACC = 0.73, SPE = 0.73, SEN = 0.73), ANOVA-MLP (AUC = 0.69, ACC = 0.69, SPE = 0.56, SEN = 0.83), and recursive feature elimination-K-nearest neighbors (RFE-KNN) (AUC = 0.65, ACC = 0.65, SPE = 0.64, SEN = 0.65) were the best models in ED, ES, and ED&ES datasets. Using radiomic features extracted from echocardiographic images and ML, it is feasible to predict cardiac problems caused by iron overload.

Coronary artery involvement in a patient with IgG4-related disease.

Immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a chronic fibro-inflammatory disorder of obscure etiology characterized by significant infiltration of IgG4-positive plasma cells toward several organs. Coronary artery involvement is rarely seen in IgG4-RD patients; thereby, we aim to outline the noninvasive imaging findings of this rare case. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) and coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) from a 15-year-old female diagnosed with IgG4-RD via histopathological assessment of orbital biopsy, were analyzed. CMR showed a severely reduced left ventricular ejection fraction and akinesia of the basal to mid-lateral, anterior, and septal walls. Inflammation of the basal to apical lateral wall and subendocardial infarction of the basal to apical lateral and mid inferoseptal walls were also evident. CCTA findings showed stenosis in branches of the left main artery (LM), left anterior descending artery (LAD), and right coronary artery (RCA), aortitis, and aortic wall thickening. After courses of proper treatment with prednisolone, Cellcept, and adalimumab, follow-up CMR showed significant improvement in LV systolic function and resolution of inflammation. Although IgG4-RD is an uncommon cause of coronary artery disease, it can cause lethal complications such as myocardial infarction. Hence, clinicians should be aware of cardiac complications in these patients.

Paediatric heart transplantation during the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran: single-centre experience.

AIMS: Transplant services were imposed to the multiple challenges of insufficient facilities and resources during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, each centre modified and altered its routine practice to maintain the service. We report our experience in Iran's single-centre paediatric heart transplantation unit during the 2 year pandemic in transplant rate and early transplant outcomes. METHODS AND RESULTS: We retrospectively reviewed all paediatric heart transplants performed at our centre between 19 February 2020 and February 2022. We studied the number and percentage of paediatric transplanted patients who developed COVID-19, in-hospital outcome, 30 day survival and left ventricular function during the first month of the follow-up visit. From February 2020 to February 2022, 59 transplants were performed compared with 62 patients from February 2018 to 2020. Compared with the year before the pandemic, the heart transplant rate was reduced by 34% in the first year of the pandemic; however, it bounced back in the second year with a 19% increase. The in-hospital mortality rate during the 2 year pandemic was (11.8%). One death occurred related to COVID-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome. The in-hospital COVID-19 infection rate was 11 patients (18%). In the 30 day follow-up, the overall 30 day survival rate was 88%, and the 30 day rejection rate was 10%. The mean left ventricular ejection fraction was (53.6 ± 4.9), the mean left ventricular global longitudinal strain was -16.9 ± 3.3, and the mean right ventricular global longitudinal strain was -17.0 ± 3.8 with no significant difference between patients with in-hospital COVID and other recipients (P = 0.1, P = 0.2 and P = 0.2). CONCLUSIONS: Throughout the pandemic, although we experienced a reduction in the transplant rate in the first year, with the increasing vaccination rate in health care and later in the general population, we continued to maintain our transplant rate by incorporating safety protocols and more resources.

Feature tracking cardiac magnetic resonance imaging to assess cardiac manifestations of systemic diseases.

Feature-tracking cardiac magnetic resonance (FT-CMR), with the ability to quantify myocardial deformation, has a unique role in the evaluation of subclinical myocardial abnormalities. This review aimed to evaluate the clinical use of cardiac FT-CMR-based myocardial strain in patients with various systemic diseases with cardiac involvement, such as hypertension, diabetes, cancer-therapy-related toxicities, amyloidosis, systemic scleroderma, myopathies, rheumatoid arthritis, thalassemia major, and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We concluded that FT-CMR-derived strain can improve the accuracy of risk stratification and predict cardiac outcomes in patients with systemic diseases prior to symptomatic cardiac dysfunction. Furthermore, FT-CMR is particularly useful for patients with diseases or conditions which are associated with subtle myocardial dysfunction that may not be accurately detected with traditional methods. Compared to patients with cardiovascular diseases, patients with systemic diseases are less likely to undergo regular cardiovascular imaging to detect cardiac defects, whereas cardiac involvement in these patients can lead to major adverse outcomes; hence, the importance of cardiac imaging modalities might be underestimated in this group of patients. In this review, we gathered currently available data on the newly introduced role of FT-CMR in the diagnosis and prognosis of various systemic conditions. Further research is needed to define reference values and establish the role of this sensitive imaging modality, as a robust marker in predicting outcomes across a wide spectrum of patients.

Cardiac magnitude resonance findings of a patient with Kawasaki-giant coronary aneurysm and active myocarditis.

Kawasaki disease is the most common vasculitis in children which can result in myocarditis in the acute phase and coronary artery aneurysms, as a major complication, in the sub-acute to chronic phase. We present a case of Kawasaki disease in the sub-acute phase with its features in cardiac MRI manifesting concomitant active myocarditis and giant coronary artery aneurysms.

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection in a patient with recent COVID-19 infection: A case report.

We report a spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) case in a lady with a history of recent COVID-19 and without any known predisposing factors. We also highlight the value of CMR as a noninvasive tool for tissue characterization, which can also be more applicable during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Use of Feature Tracking Technique for the Quantification of Ventricular Strain Pattern in Patients with Ebstein's Anomaly: A Case-Control Study.

Background: Ebstein's anomaly (EA) is a congenital heart disorder characterized by abnormal function of the tricuspid valve. There are several ways to study tissue composition using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). One of the most accurate methods is strain calculation using the feature tracking (FT) technique. Due to the novelty of the FT technique in cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging, there is a lack of comprehensive guidelines to conduct FT-MRI and to present a quantitative report. The current study is aimed to evaluate the FT technique in EA patients and to compare the obtained numerical values with those of healthy individuals. Methods: A total of 33 individuals were enrolled in a study conducted in 2018-2019 at Shahid Rajaei Hospital, Tehran, Iran. Radial, longitudinal, and circumferential strain patterns of the left and right ventricles were determined in both the patients and the controls using the FT technique. Data were analyzed using SPSS software, version 22.0. Results: The results showed a significantly lower left ventricular (LV) radial strain in EA patients compared to the control group (P=0.002). In addition, the right ventricular (RV) global longitudinal strain (GLS) in EA patients was significantly lower than in the controls (P=0.001). Other parameters (LV global longitudinal strain, RV radial strain, LV circumferential strain, and RV circumferential strain) did not differ significantly between the two groups. Conclusion: Determination of strain patterns using cardiac MRI is a promising method for the diagnosis of EA. Markers such as LV longitudinal strain and RV-GLS are the most suitable parameters for the early diagnosis of heart dysfunction.

Novel homozygous stop-gain pathogenic variant of PPP1R13L gene leads to arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy.

BACKGROUND: Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) is a heritable cardiac disease with two main features: electric instability and myocardial fibro-fatty replacement. There is no defined treatment except for preventing arrhythmias and sudden death. Detecting causative mutations helps identify the disease pathogenesis and family members at risk. We used whole-exome sequencing to determine a genetic explanation for an ACM-positive patient from a consanguineous family. METHODS: After clinical analysis, cardiac magnetic resonance, and pathology, WES was performed on a two-year-old ACM proband. Variant confirmation and segregation of available pedigree members were performed by PCR and Sanger sequencing. The PPP1R13L gene was also analyzed for possible causative variants and their hitherto reported conditions. RESULTS: We found a novel homozygous stop-gain pathogenic variant, c.580C > T: p.Gln194Ter, in the PPP1R13L gene, which was confirmed and segregated by PCR and Sanger sequencing. This variant was not reported in any databases. CONCLUSIONS: WES is valuable for the identification of novel candidate genes. To our knowledge, this research is the first report of the PPP1R13L c.580C > T variant. The PPP1R13L variant was associated with ACM as confirmed by cardiac magnetic resonance and pathology. Our findings indicate that PPP1R13L should be included in ACM genetic testing to improve the identification of at-risk family members and the diagnostic yield.

Giant cell myocarditis following COVID-19 successfully treated by immunosuppressive therapy.

It has been shown that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), can lead to multi-organ impairment including cardiac involvement and immunological problems. Acute myocarditis is one of serious and fatal complications of COVID-19. In this case report, we present a 46-year-old lady with a history of lichen planus dermatitis who has developed a rapidly progressive heart failure after an episode of COVID-19. The pathologic examination of her endomyocardial biopsy specimens was compatible with GCM, and she was successfully treated with a combined immunosuppressive therapy regimen.

Multimodality imaging in the diagnostic approach to a patient with carcinoid heart disease involving four heart valves.

Carcinoid heart disease is a rare condition that occurs in less than half of patients with carcinoid syndrome. The disease mainly affects right-sided heart valves; however, in 5%-10%, it can also involve left-sided valves. This case illustrates the most complicated form of the disease involving four heart valves.

Prevalence of Structural Heart Diseases Detected by Handheld Echocardiographic Device in School-Age Children in Iran: The SHED LIGHT Study.

Background: Structural heart disease (SHD) has great impacts on healthcare systems, creating further public health concerns. Proper data are scant regarding the magnitude of the affected population by SHD. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of SHD among children and adolescents in an Iranian population. Methods: In this population-based study, a multistage cluster-random sampling was used to choose schools from the Tehran urban area. All students were examined using a handheld Vscan device by echocardiographer, and the results were concurrently supervised and interpreted by cardiologists. All the major findings were reevaluated in hospital clinics. Results: Of 15,130 students (6-18 years, 52.2% boys) who were examined, the prevalence of individuals with congenital heart disease (CHD) and cardiomyopathy was 152 (10.046 per 1,000 persons) and 9 (0.595 per 1,000 persons), respectively. The prevalence of definite and borderline rheumatic heart disease (RHD) was 30 (2 per 1,000 persons) and 113 (7.5 per 1,000 persons), correspondingly. Non-rheumatic valvular heart disease (VHD) was also detected in 465 (30.7 per 1,000 persons) students. Of all the pathologies, only 39 (25.6%) cases with CHD and 1 (0.007%) cases with RHD had already been diagnosed. Parental consanguinity was the strongest predictor of CHD and SHD (odds ratio [OR]: 1.907, 95% CI, 1.358 to 2.680; P < 0.001 and OR, 1.855, 95% CI, 1.334 to 2.579; P < 0.001, respectively). The female sex (OR, 1.262, 95% CI, 1.013 to 1.573; P = 0.038) and fathers' low literacy (OR, 1.872, 95% CI, 1.068 to 3.281; P = 0.029) were the strongest predictors of non-rheumatic VHD and RHD, correspondingly. Conclusions: The implementation of echocardiographic examinations for detecting SHD among young population is feasible which detected SHD prevalence in our population comparable to previous reports. Further studies are required to delineate its economic aspects for community-based screening.