Quantification of tricuspid regurgitation area by 3-dimensional color Doppler echocardiography considering different clinical settings.

PURPOSE: The precise assessment of tricuspid regurgitation (TR) using 2D imaging techniques may be associated with significant difficulties due to the nonround regurgitation area. Direct analysis of the regurgitation area by 3D color Doppler echocardiography at the vena contracta (3D VCA) has the potential to adequately quantify even complex TR. This study compared 3D VCA for quantification of the TR with the regurgitant area determined by proximal isovolumetric convergence method (PISA-EROA) considering different clinical settings. METHODS: In 95 patients with TR of different severity, the regurgitant orifice area was determined by 3D color Doppler echocardiography and by PISA-EROA. Using 3D color Doppler echocardiography, the regurgitant orifice area was determined three times in each patient considering 3 datasets. RESULTS: Mean 3D VCA was 0.27 ± 0.14, 0.27 ± 0.13, and 0.29 ± 0.14 cm2 , respectively, as determined by three separate measurements in each of the 95 patients. There was a mean relative deviation between the three measurements in each patient of 12.4 ± 14.9%. The regurgitant orifice area using the PISA method was 0.28 ± 0.14 cm2 . There was a mean difference of 0.07 cm2 (95% CI -0.124 to 0.138 cm2 ) between 3D VCA and PISA-EROA. The correlation between 3D VCA and PISA-EROA was r = .88 (P < .001). Considering a grading of TR severity in grade I (regurgitant area < 0.2 cm2 ), grade II (area 0.2-0.4 cm2 ), and grade III (area > 0.4 cm2 ), there was a good agreement between severity grade determined by 3D VCA and severity grade determined by PISA-EROA (kappa 0.71). CONCLUSION: The analysis of the VCA of a TR using 3D color Doppler echocardiography is an alternative method to determine the regurgitant severity with good agreement to the PISA method.

Image noise reduction technology allows significant reduction of radiation dosage in cardiac device implantation procedures.

BACKGROUND: Novel x-ray systems with real-time image noise reduction technology (INRT) to reduce radiation dose during fluoroscopy and cine acquisition have become available. This study evaluated the reduction of radiation dose in device implantation with INRT. METHODS: Radiation dose data from 132 consecutive new device implantation procedures (102 pacemaker [PM] or implantable cardioverter defibrillator [ICD] and 30 cardiac resynchronization therapy [CRT] devices) performed between January 2015 and December 2015 on an angiography system with INRT (Allura ClarityIQ) were collected. For comparison, radiation dose data from 147 consecutive device implantation procedures (121 PM/ICDs and 26 CRT devices) performed between June 2013 and September 2014 on a C-arm system with continuous and pulsed fluoroscopy option (4 frames/second) were evaluated. Total dose area product (DAP), fluoroscopy DAP, and cine DAP were evaluated. RESULTS: Patient age, gender and body weight, procedure, and fluoroscopy times were similar between systems. In PM/ICD cases, DAP of INRT and C-arm system was similar (423 ± 381 cGycm2  vs 417 ± 517 cGycm) due to pulsed fluoroscopy with the C-arm system (78% of time) and sparse use of cine. In CRT procedures requiring higher image quality (82% use of continuous fluoroscopy with C-arm system), DAP of INRT was significantly lower (1,544 ± 834 cGycm vs 7,252 ± 6,431 cGycm, P < 0.001) due to less fluoroscopy DAP (1,414 ± 757 cGycm vs 5,854 ± 6,767 cGycm) and less cine DAP (130 ± 106 cGycm vs 1,399 ± 1,342 cGycm). Considering all procedures, total DAP was reduced by 60% using INRT. CONCLUSION: Novel INRT results in a substantial lowering of radiation dose in device implantation, in particular, in complex CRT implantation procedures requiring high image quality.

Reducing Radiation Dose in Coronary Angiography and Angioplasty Using Image Noise Reduction Technology.

This study sought to quantitatively evaluate the reduction of radiation dose in coronary angiography and angioplasty with the use of image noise reduction technology in a routine clinical setting. Radiation dose data from consecutive 605 coronary procedures (397 consecutive coronary angiograms and 208 consecutive coronary interventions) performed from October 2014 to April 2015 on a coronary angiography system with noise reduction technology (Allura Clarity IQ) were collected. For comparison, radiation dose data from consecutive 695 coronary procedures (435 coronary angiograms and 260 coronary interventions) performed on a conventional coronary angiography system from October 2013 to April 2014 were evaluated. Patient radiation dosage was evaluated based on the cumulative dose area product. Operators and operator practice did not change between the 2 evaluated periods. Patient characteristics were collected to evaluate similarity of patient groups. Image quality was evaluated on a 5-grade scale in 30 patients of each group. There were no significant differences between the 2 evaluated groups in gender, age, weight, and fluoroscopy time (6.8 ± 6.1 vs 6.9 ± 6.3 minutes, not significant). The dose area product was reduced from 3195 ± 2359 to 983 ± 972 cGycm(2) (65%, p <0.001) in coronary angiograms and from 7123 ± 4551 to 2431 ± 1788 cGycm(2) (69%, p <0.001) in coronary interventions using the new noise reduction technology. Image quality was graded as similar between the evaluated systems (4.0 ± 0.7 vs 4.2 ± 0.6, not significant). In conclusion, a new x-ray technology with image noise reduction algorithm provides a substantial reduction in radiation exposure without the need to prolong the procedure or fluoroscopy time.

Quantitative bedside testing of troponin T: is it equal to laboratory testing? The Cardiac Reader Troponin T (CARE T) study.

The progressive evolution of cardiac marker testing in patients with acute coronary syndromes has extended their role into risk stratification and guidance of therapeutic regimen. To provide utilization of cardiac markers around the clock and facilitate the diagnostic work-up of patients with acute chest pain in the emergency room, a point-of-care system for quantitative troponin T and myoglobin testing in whole blood samples was developed. Aim of this multicenter study was to evaluate bedside quantitative determination of myoglobin and troponin T in chest pain patients in a clinical routine setting. Five hospitals in Germany were contributing to blood sampling and 741 patients were included four hours (median) after onset of cardiac pain. Comparison between the rapid test and the established laboratory-based method showed a sufficient agreement of results with a correlation of r = 0.89 (Y = 0.856x + 0.029) for troponin T and r = 0.912 (Y= +1.145x + 3.457) for myoglobin. Diagnostic sensitivity and prognostic power of the troponin T results obtained in the emergency unit were thoroughly equivalent to the laboratory-based method. The results show that the cardiac reader system represents a promising alternative to central laboratory testing with an accuracy sufficiently for rapid decision making in the emergency room. Myoglobin results in this study did not add supplementary information to the cardiac reader troponin result. However, point-of-care testing of troponin T is advantageous whenever marker results could positively effect initial triage decisions and interventional management choices.