BACKGROUND Measurement of biomarkers of vascular inflammation is advocated for the risk stratification for coronary heart disease (CHD). OBJECTIVES To systematically explore the added value of biomarkers of vascular inflammation for cardiovascular prognostication on top of clinical risk factors. METHODS We systematically explored published reports in MEDLINE for cohort studies on the prognostic value

OBJECTIVES This study sought to assess the predictive value of wall shear stress (WSS) for colocalized ascending aorta (AAo) growth rate (GR) in patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV). BACKGROUND BAV is associated with AAo dilation, but there is limited knowledge about possible predictors of aortic dilation in BAV patients with BAV. An increased WSS has been related to aortic wall damage in patients

OBJECTIVES The REPAIR (Right vEntricular remodeling in Pulmonary ArterIal hypeRtension) study evaluated the effect of macitentan on right ventricular (RV) and hemodynamic outcomes in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), using cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) and right heart catheterization (RHC). BACKGROUND RV failure is the primary cause of death in PAH. CMR is regarded as the most

OBJECTIVES We hypothesized that quantitative computed tomography (QCT) imaging would reveal subclinical increases in lung congestion in patients with heart failure and preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and that this would be related to pulmonary vascular hemodynamic abnormalities. BACKGROUND Gross evidence of lung congestion on physical examination, laboratory tests, and radiography is typically

OBJECTIVES This study sought to develop a deep learning (DL) framework to automatically analyze echocardiographic videos for the presence of valvular heart diseases (VHDs). BACKGROUND Although advances in DL have been applied to the interpretation of echocardiograms, such techniques have not been reported for interpretation of color Doppler videos for diagnosing VHDs. METHODS We developed a 3-stage

OBJECTIVES This study sought to assess the relationship between mean vs peak calcified plaque density and their impact on calculating coronary artery calcium (CAC) scores and to compare the corresponding differential prediction of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality. BACKGROUND The Agatston CAC score is quantified per lesion as the product of plaque

OBJECTIVES To analyze the ability of machine-learning (ML)-based computed tomography (CT)-derived fractional flow reserve (CT-FFR) to further improve the diagnostic performance of coronary CT angiography (cCTA) for ruling out significant coronary artery disease (CAD) during pre-transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) evaluation in patients with a high pre-test probability for CAD. BACKGROUND

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to determine the risk factors for and prognostic implications of progressive right ventricular systolic dysfunction (RVD) in adults with congenitally corrected transposition of great arteries. BACKGROUND There are no effective therapies for RVD; hence the need to identify and modify risk factors for progressive RVD. METHODS RV systolic function was assessed

OBJECTIVES The authors sought to elucidate the prognostic value of cardiac sympathetic nerve dysfunction as evaluated using iodine-123-labeled metaiodobenzylguanidine (123I-MIBG) single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging in patients with heart failure (HF) with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (HFpEF). BACKGROUND Cardiac sympathetic nerve dysfunction assessed by 123I-MIBG

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to compare the incremental prognostic value of coronary computed tomography (CT) angiography (CCTA)-derived machine learning fractional flow reserve CT (ML-FFRct) versus that of ischemia detected on single-photon emission-computed tomography (SPECT) myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) on incident cardiovascular outcomes. BACKGROUND SPECT MPI and ML-FFRct are noninvasive

OBJECTIVES We assessed the relationship between exposure to air pollutants and mechanisms of coronary instability evaluated by optical coherence tomography (OCT) in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). BACKGROUND Air pollution is an emerging key player in determining the residual risk of coronary events. However, pathophysiological mechanisms linking air pollution and coronary events have been

OBJECTIVES This study aimed to compare the current 5 investigation strategies to defer cardiac testing in patients with stable chest pain. BACKGROUND For the clinical management of stable chest pain, the identification of patients unlikely to benefit from further cardiac testing is important, but the most appropriate investigation strategy is unknown. METHODS A total of 4,207 patients referred to coronary

OBJECTIVES The present study investigated the determinants of left atrial (LA) strain in all phases of the cardiac cycle. BACKGROUND LA strain by speckle-tracking echocardiography allows the assessment of LA function in each phase of the cardiac cycle. However, its determinants and its relation with left ventricular (LV) function have not yet been fully described. METHODS The authors performed a retrospective

Contrast ultrasound has a variety of applications in cardiovascular medicine, both in diagnosing cardiovascular disease as well as providing prognostic information. Visualization of intravascular contrast microbubbles is based on acoustic cavitation, the characteristic oscillation that results in changes in the reflected ultrasound waves. At high power, this acoustic response generates sufficient shear

COVID-19 is associated with myocardial injury caused by ischemia, inflammation, or myocarditis. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is the noninvasive reference standard for cardiac function, structure, and tissue composition. CMR is a potentially valuable diagnostic tool in patients with COVID-19 presenting with myocardial injury and evidence of cardiac dysfunction. Although COVID-19-related myocarditis

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to investigate the diagnostic value of simultaneous hybrid cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) for detection and differentiation of active (aCS) from chronic (cCS) cardiac sarcoidosis. BACKGROUND Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) CMR and FDG-PET are both established imaging techniques for the detection

Applications of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) assist both health care providers and patients in cardiovascular education, complementing traditional learning methods. Interventionalists have successfully used VR to plan difficult procedures and AR to facilitate complex interventions. VR/AR has already been used to treat patients, during interventions in rehabilitation programs and

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to determine whether left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and right ventricular ejection fraction (RVEF) and left ventricular mass (LVM) measurements made using 3 fully automated deep learning (DL) algorithms are accurate and interchangeable and can be used to classify ventricular function and risk-stratify patients as accurately as an expert. BACKGROUND Artificial

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to explore the association between mechanical dyssynchrony of the left ventricle before cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) and improvement of mitral regurgitation (MR) after CRT. BACKGROUND MR is very frequent among patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and conduction delay. METHODS Echocardiograms (pre-CRT and 12 ± 3.8 months thereafter) of 314 patients with

OBJECTIVES We sought to identify patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot (rTOF) at high risk of death and malignant ventricular arrhythmia (VA). BACKGROUND To date there is no robust risk stratification scheme to predict outcomes in adults with rTOF. METHODS Consecutive patients were prospectively recruited for late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) to define right

OBJECTIVES This study aimed to evaluate the ability of coronary artery calcium (CAC) as an initial diagnostic tool to rule out obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) in a very large registry of patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with acute chest pain (CP) who were at low to intermediate risk for acute coronary syndrome (ACS). BACKGROUND It is not yet well established whether CAC

OBJECTIVES In this international, multicenter study, using third-generation dual-source computed tomography (CT), we investigated the diagnostic performance of dynamic stress CT myocardial perfusion imaging (CT-MPI) in addition to coronary CT angiography (CTA) compared to invasive coronary angiography (ICA) and invasive fractional flow reserve (FFR). BACKGROUND CT-MPI combined with coronary CTA integrates

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study is to examine the prognostic value of T1 mapping and the extracellular volume (ECV) fraction in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). BACKGROUND Patients with DCM with functional left ventricular remodeling have poorer prognoses. Noninvasive assessment of myocardial fibrosis using T1 mapping and the ECV fraction may improve risk stratification of patients with

OBJECTIVES This study aimed to investigate the pancoronary plaque vulnerability (including culprit and nonculprit lesions) and layered phenotype in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) vs non-STEMI (NSTEMI). BACKGROUND Pancoronary vulnerability should account for distinct clinical manifestations of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Layered plaque is indicative of previous

OBJECTIVES This study sought to identify homogenous echocardiographic phenotypes in community-based cohorts and assess their association with outcomes. BACKGROUND Asymptomatic cardiac dysfunction leads to a high risk of long-term cardiovascular morbidity and mortality; however, better echocardiographic classification of asymptomatic individuals remains a challenge. METHODS Echocardiographic phenotypes