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Prosthetic valve thrombosis (PVT) is a life-threatening valve dysfunction. In asymptomatic cases, as well as certain symptomatic patients with PVT, the results of the first-line imaging tool, transthoracic echocardiography, may be inconclusive in terms of illustrating the thrombus, which is necessary in order to select the proper treatment option. Hence, a differential diagnosis based on clinical presentation may be challenging, and multimodality imaging, including echocardiography, cine fluoroscopy, and cardiac computed tomography, is usually required to distinguish between PVT and other prosthesis-related pathologies, such as pannus, vegetation, and prosthesis-patient mismatch.

Objective: Effects of various conditions on coronary artery dimensions is an important research topic, and data regarding effect of aortic valvular diseases are limited. Aim of the present study was to investigate effects of aortic regurgitation (AR) and aortic stenosis (AS) on coronary artery dimensions. Methods: Coronary dimensions of 95 patients (35 with isolated AR, 30 with isolated AS, and 30 without any valvular disease) were calculated. Patients with severe coronary artery disease and concurrent moderate to severe additional valvular disease were excluded. Mean diameter of major coronary arteries was determined using quantitative coronary angiography. Results: The 3 study groups were similar in terms of baseline characteristics. Diameter of left main coronary artery was found to be greater in AR group than AS group (2.66+-0.57 mm/m2 vs 2.36+-0.49 mm/m2; p=0.015). Mean diameter of left anterior descending and left circumflex arteries were found to be similar in AR and AS groups, and greater than control group. Mean diameter of right coronary artery was found to be greater in AR group compared with controls; however, no significant difference was found in same measurement between AS group and controls. Conclusion: Present study findings indicate that coronary dimensions in AR group tend to be greater than AS group. Further studies investigating factors that affect coronary dimensions would be beneficial in order to demonstrate mechanisms and differences in AR and AS groups.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to assess cardiac autonomic function via indices of exercise heart rate recovery (HRR) in workers occupationally exposed to lead. Methods: A total of 98 lead-exposed workers and 98 healthy controls were enrolled. All underwent exercise testing and transthoracic echocardiography. HRR indices were calculated by subtracting 1st - (HRR1), 2nd- (HRR2), and 3rd-minute (HRR3) heart rates from maximal heart rate (HR). Exercisetest parameters– HRR in particular– were compared betweengroups, and correlation analysis of blood, 24-hour urine lead levels, and test parameters was performed. Results: Baseline demographic and clinical characteristics were found to be similar between groups. Mean HRR1 (26.2+-3.6 vs 29.0+-4.1 bpm, p

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate acute cardiac remodeling after transcatheter closure of atrial septal defect (ASD) in adult patients. Methods: This study included 19 patients (40.0+-13.51 mean age) with secundum ASD who underwent successful transcatheter closure. All patients received routine transthoracic echocardiography, including tissue Doppler left ventricle (LV) and right ventricle (RV) myocardial performance indices (MPI), mitral annular plane systolic excursion (MAPSE) and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) before ASD closure, on first day, and at first and third months after closure. Results: Left ventricle end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD) increased (37+-4 mm to 44+-5 mm, p

Objectives: Coronary artery fistula is an infrequent malformation, and the prevalence was reported as approximately 0.1-0.4% in previous studies. However, the number of studies about microfistulas from coronary arteries to the left ventricle is inadequate, especially in the Turkish population. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and clinical features of microfistulas in subjects undergoing coronary angiography for the assessment of coronary artery disease. Study design: In this retrospective study, we researched the cardiac catheterization laboratory database between January 2008 and July 2013. The presence of microfistulas was established according to the following criteria: 1) direct filling of the heart cavity during selective coronary injection without interposing 'capillary' phase or venous filling, and 2) visualization of small vessels interposed between the epicardial coronary vessels and the heart cavity and emptying into the heart. Results: Microfistulas were found in 12 (0.11%) of the 11403 coronary angiographies. There were 7 (58.3%) female patients (mean age, 70.2+-10.8 years), and contemporary severe coronary artery stenosis was noted in 2 (16.7%) patients. Chest pain was the most frequently encountered complaint, followed by dyspnea. Microfistulas originated from the left anterior descending artery (100%), circumflex artery (66.7%), and right coronary artery (58.3%). In addition, multiple microfistulas were seen in 6 (50%) patients, bilateral microfistulas in 3 (25%) patients and unilateral microfistula in 3 (25%) patients, and all of them terminated in the left ventricle. Conclusion: Our study found an overall incidence of microfistulas of 0.11%. Microfistula is a rare cardiac anomaly that sometimes causes cardiac symptoms; otherwise, it is detected during routine coronary angiography.