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Background Scar burden with late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) cardiac MRI (CMR) predicts arrhythmic events in patients with postinfarction in single-center studies. However, LGE analysis requires experienced human observers, is time consuming, and introduces variability. Purpose To test whether postinfarct scar with LGE CMR can be quantified fully automatically by machines and to compare the ability of LGE CMR scar analyzed by humans and machines to predict arrhythmic events. Materials and Methods This study is a retrospective analysis of the multicenter, multivendor CarDiac MagnEtic Resonance for Primary Prevention Implantable CardioVerter DebrillAtor ThErapy (DERIVATE) registry. Patients with chronic heart failure, echocardiographic left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of less than 50%, and LGE CMR were recruited (from January 2015 through December 2020). In the current study, only patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy were included. Quantification of total, dense, and nondense scars was carried out by two experienced readers or a Ternaus network, trained and tested with LGE images of 515 and 246 patients, respectively. Univariable and multivariable Cox analyses were used to assess patient and cardiac characteristics associated with a major adverse cardiac event (MACE). Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to compare model performances. Results In 761 patients (mean age, 65 years ± 11, 671 men), 83 MACEs occurred. With use of the testing group, univariable Cox-analysis found New York Heart Association class, left ventricle volume and/or function parameters (by echocardiography or CMR), guideline criterion (LVEF of ≤35% and New York Heart Association class II or III), and LGE scar analyzed by humans or the machine-learning algorithm as predictors of MACE. Machine-based dense or total scar conferred incremental value over the guideline criterion for the association with MACE (AUC: 0.68 vs 0.63, P = .02 and AUC: 0.67 vs 0.63, P = .01, respectively). Modeling with competing risks yielded for dense and total scar (AUC: 0.67 vs 0.61, P = .01 and AUC: 0.66 vs 0.61, P = .005, respectively). Conclusion In this analysis of the multicenter CarDiac MagnEtic Resonance for Primary Prevention Implantable CardioVerter DebrillAtor ThErapy (DERIVATE) registry, fully automatic machine learning-based late gadolinium enhancement analysis reliably quantifies myocardial scar mass and improves the current prediction model that uses guideline-based risk criteria for implantable cardioverter defibrillator implantation. ClinicalTrials.gov registration no.: NCT03352648 Published under a CC BY 4.0 license. Supplemental material is available for this article. ispartof: Radiology vol:307 issue:3 pages:e222239- ispartof: location:United States status: published

Introduction Primary cardiac lymphomas in immunocompetent patients are an uncommon malignancy, accounting for 1.3% of primary cardiac tumors, while metastases secondaries to extracardiac lymphomas are more common. Mean age at diagnosis is 63 years old. They mainly involve the right side of the heart, particularly right atrium. Symptoms of primary cardiac lymphoma are non-specific. Cardiac lymphoma typically follows an aggressive clinical course and the prognosis is poor, with more than 60% of patients dying within 2 months of diagnosis. Predictors of worse outcome are immune status, left ventricular involvement, arrhythmias and the presence of an extracardiac disease. Case report 48-year-old obese and hypertensive man, in therapy for OSAS. In February 2022 admission to the emergency department due to jugular pressure and mild exertion dyspnoea. Neck CT excluded inflammatory collections; echocardiography showed normal cavitary dimensions and biventricular systolic function, absence of major valvulopathies and circumferential pericardial effusion of n.d.d. with TD max 2.5 cm and partial collapse of the right atrium, for which started corticosteroid therapy. Chest CT showed mediastinal lymphadenopathy and persistence of pericardial effusion. In April, due to worsening dyspnoea, cardiac CT demonstated a solid mass at the passage from the superior vena cava to the right atrium (50×37×67 mm), leading to compression-infiltration phenomena on the superior vena cava, and thrombosis of the right mammary vein. Cardiac MR confirmed a voluminous expansive-infiltrative lesion, with an irregular lobular profile, projecting into the superior vena cava and extended to the right atrium. This mass appears very iperintensive in T2 stir sequences with an early contrast impregnation and uneven intralesional late enhancement (picture 1). With suspicion of lymphoma, after collegial discussion between thoracic surgeons, cardiologists, interventional radiologists and cardiac surgeons, a right transjugular radio- and echo-guided biopsy was performed to complete diagnostic iter; biopsy was positive for peripheral B lymphocyte-derived large-cell diffuse lymphoma with large necrotic and subnecrotic areas. Chemotherapy showed initial benefit,with a clear reduction in size of the cardiac mass and mediastinal lymphnodes at 2 months follow up, with regression of dyspnoea. Conclusions In our patient, despite an early lymphoma onset and a typical poor prognosis compared to literature, an early diagnostic-therapeutic iter, an immunocompetent status, the absence of extracardiac disease and a preserved left ventricular ejection fraction, ensured an immediate clinical benefit with an improvement of his quality of life.

Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging has progressively become part of the imaging methods recommended in patients with heart failure. CMR represents the gold standard for assessing volumes, function, biventricular kinetics and providing tissue characterization through scans with and without contrast medium. In patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy, CMR allows to search for viability, accurately estimate volumes and ejection fraction. It can assess scar extent for predicting response to cardiac resynchronization therapy and for establishing an indication for implanting a defibrillator in borderline cases. In patients with HFrEF and non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy, CMR helps to identify specific etiological subgroups and to estimate the arrhythmic risk beyond ejection fraction. In patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, CMR offers the possibility of diagnosing specific phenotypes, including sarcomeric hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, amyloidosis or Fabry disease, and adds prognostic information. Both clinical and scientific interest in this imaging method is constantly expanding; the clinicians dealing with heart failure cannot fail to know the technique, the indications and all the potential that CMR can offer.

Heart failure with improved ejection fraction (HFimpEF) represents a nosological entity that has recently been recognized and has little evidence from the literature. Available data indicate an increasing incidence of this patient group, consistent with the progressive improvement and implementation of medical therapy of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Furthermore, it is important to underline that the therapy itself should not be suspended after ejection fraction recovery, to avoid the recurrence of worse systolic dysfunction and patient outcomes. Only recently a randomized clinical study has been published, which enrolled also this patient subgroup, the DELIVER trial. Other data will soon become available, given the interest of the scientific community for this subgroup of patients, whose best management remains controversial. Since many studies suggest that the probability of myocardial recovery in HFrEF patients might be as high as 40%, depending on the case series taken into account, whereas the time to recovery might even be 12 months, the appropriate timing of device implantation, such as the defibrillator, in this setting deserves careful consideration.

Pharmacotherapy of chronic heart failure with mildly reduced (HFmrEF) and preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) remains challenging. We aimed to assess whether combined neuro-humoral modulation (NHM) (renin–angiotensin system inhibitors, betablockers, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists) was differentially associated with outcome according to phenotype and age groups. Between 1999 and 2018 we recruited in a nationwide cardiology registry 4707 patients (HFmrEF n = 2298, HFpEF n = 2409) from three age groups: 40%, triple NHM treatment increased over time and was associated with better patient outcomes.

Aims Right ventricular systolic dysfunction (RVSD) is an important determinant of outcomes in heart failure (HF) cohorts. While the quantitative assessment of RV function is challenging using 2D-echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) is the gold standard with its high spatial resolution and precise anatomical definition. We sought to investigate the prognostic value of CMR-derived RV systolic function in a large cohort of HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Methods and results Study cohort comprised of patients enrolled in the CarDiac MagnEtic Resonance for Primary Prevention Implantable CardioVerter DefibrillAtor ThErapy registry who had HFrEF and had simultaneous baseline CMR and echocardiography (n = 2449). RVSD was defined as RV ejection fraction (RVEF) Conclusion RV systolic dysfunction is an independent predictor of ACM in HFrEF, with a more pronounced prognostic value in select subgroups, likely reflecting the importance of RVSD in the early stages of HF progression.

We report a case of 62-years-old man with a previous history of squamocellular tumour at the jaw treated with cisplatin chemotherapy. Six years after the chemotherapy, a transthoracic echocardiography showed a large left atrial lateral wall mass causing mitral stenosis. The thoracic computed tomography angiography (CTA) scan confirmed the mass (66x88mm) with contrast enhancement and the coronary angiography defined it as a giant left circumflex aneurysm. The aneurysm was resected and bypass graft performed. The aetiology and the technique used to treat this aneurysm are worthy to be described.

Aims The use of beta‐blocker therapy in cardiac amyloidosis (CA) is debated. We aimed at describing patterns of beta‐blocker prescription through a nationwide survey. Methods and results From 11 referral centres, we retrospectively collected data of CA patients with a first evaluation after 2016 (n = 642). Clinical characteristics at first and last evaluation were collected, with a focus on medical therapy. For patients in whom beta‐blocker therapy was started, stopped, or continued between first and last evaluation, the main reason for beta‐blocker management was requested. Median age of study population was 77 years; 81% were men. Arterial hypertension was found in 58% of patients, atrial fibrillation (AF) in 57%, and coronary artery disease in 16%. Left ventricular ejection fraction was preserved in 62% of cases, and 74% of patients had advanced diastolic dysfunction. Out of the 250 CA patients on beta‐blockers at last evaluation, 215 (33%) were already taking this therapy at first evaluation, while 35 (5%) were started it, in both cases primarily because of high‐rate AF. One‐hundred‐nineteen patients (19%) who were on beta‐blocker at first evaluation had this therapy withdrawn, mainly because of intolerance in the presence of heart failure with advanced diastolic dysfunction. The remaining 273 patients (43%) had never received beta‐blocker therapy. Beta‐blockers usage was similar between CA aetiologies. Patients taking vs. not taking beta‐blockers differed only for a greater prevalence of arterial hypertension, coronary artery disease, AF, and non‐restrictive filling pattern (P

Cardiomyopathies are a heterogeneous group of cardiac diseases for which diagnosis and treatment are not always simple. The diagnosis of cardiomyopathy, in particular the etiology, comes from an integration between symptoms and results collected by several instrumental exams. The brain storming for the diagnosis includes also the identification of the "red flags", i.e. the pathognomonic features for each etiology that can drive the choice of appropriate diagnostic tests and therapy. In this review, we provide a step by step approach in order to help cardiologists, not specifically dedicated to cardiomyopathies, to draw the diagnosis, therapy and follow-up. This approach will be accompanied by the consultation of other specialists to discuss together the results of the exams performed and to deepen extracardiac signs and symptoms.

Chronic heart failure (CHF) patients with intermediate cardiopulmonary capacity referred for heart transplantation are at "medium risk," and are not amenable to further stratification based solely on peak VO(2.) Accordingly, we analyzed whether time-related and/or non-time-related parameters could provide incremental prognostic information in CHF patients with intermediate cardiopulmonary capacity. METHODS: We analyzed 134 patients with a peak VO(2) of 10 to 18 ml/kg/min (age 54 +/- 9 years, 66% males) and a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of 27% +/- 8% who underwent an extensive clinical/instrumental (electrocardiogram, echocardiogram, cardiopulmonary exercise test) index evaluation; for all patients, an equivalent pre-study evaluation (performed >or=6 months before) was also available. RESULTS: Among index-evaluation parameters, systolic blood pressure (p < 0.001), LVEF (p = 0.036), and presence of severe mitral regurgitation (p = 0.006) independently predicted cardiac death/need for heart transplantation. Stable clinical condition from pre-study to index-evaluation accompanied by

In heart failure (HF), it is not known whether analysis of serial changes in prognostic parameters provides incremental information with respect to comprehensive isolated clinical and instrumental assessments.We analyzed time-related changes in a periodor =6 months in a broad panel of clinical and instrumental (electrocardiographic, echocardiographic, hemodynamic, and cardiopulmonary) parameters in 105 patients with HF (age, 53 +/- 10 years; 88% men; 55% New York Heart Association classification III-IV; EF, 24% +/- 6%).Among the time-related parameters, QRS widening (adjusted RR per 10 ms, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.10-1.48; P =.003) and peak oxygen uptake (pVO2) decrease (adjusted RR per mL/Kg/min, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.01-1.22; P =.034) provided independent, incremental information for predicting cardiac death/need for heart transplantation (CD/HT) with respect to the entire panel of isolated readings. The overall rate of CD/HT-free survival after 12 months was 60% +/- 5%. Patients who were clinically stable with QRS widening and pVO2 decrease values of10% had a better CD/HT event-free survival rate at 1 year (92% +/- 5% vs 50% +/- 6%; P.001).This study indicates that analysis of time-related changes in prognostic parameters provides relevant incremental prognostic information and may help in the risk stratification of patients with HF and the selection of candidates for HT. In particular, patients who were clinically stable and had QRS widening and a pVO2 decreases10% in a periodor =6 months appear to be characterized by a good prognosis and may not be suitable candidates for HT.

Background: Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a socially relevant condition carrying an adverse prognosis. Systematic analysis is needed of the relationship between quality of life (QoL) – what patients are most interested in – and objective parameters of CHF severity – which largely determines physicians’ care. Methods: We prospectively investigated QoL, as ascertained by the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire, alongside all the currently used objective clinical/instrumental (electrocardiographic, echocardiographic, hemodynamic and functional capacity) indicators of disease severity in 106 consecutive CHF patients. Results: Besides persistence of sinus rhythm (p = 0.007), the only objective parameters that correlated with QoL were NYHA class (p < 0.001) and distance covered during the six minutes walking test (p < 0.001) (two indications of patients’ ability to attend to their daily needs). Presence of left bundle branch block was associated with a worse QoL only in patients with CHF due to ischemic heart disease (p = 0.032). All the other clinical/instrumental parameters showed no relation with QoL (p > 0.150 in all cases). Conclusions: Objective indicators of disease severity, which largely determine physicians’ care, appear to have little bearing on QoL, suggesting that current treatment for CHF fails to satisfy patients’ perceived needs. The possibility of cost-effective nonpharmaceutical therapeutic protocols (e.g. psychological interventions) specifically designed to improve patients’ QoL deserves investigation as a much needed new approach to the management of CHF.

Tako-tsubo syndrome is a clinical entity of transient left ventricular apical ballooning, frequently precipitated by a stressful event. The syndrome can be complicated by left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction and can be recurrent. Herewe describe a case of a 64 years old female who had two episodes of tako-tsubo syndrome characterized by a similar stressful event and similar clinical and instrumental characteristics. Apical ballooning syndrome (or Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy) is a clinical entity characterized by acute but rapidly reversible left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction. Recurrence of Tako-stubo syndrome is not frequent as well as LVOT obstruction, mitral regurgitation and shock. We describe a case of recurrent tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy with recurrence of LVOT obstruction and mitral regurgitation and complicated by cardiogenic shock. A 64 years old female with hypertension and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was admitted to the hospital in June 2005 with an acute recurrent chest pain. The patient was on cortisone from 24 h before because of an asthma exacerbation and she reported having also vomit and fright. The clinical symptom started in the morning but she had the first medical contact only in the evening. At the admission in intensive care unit (ICU) the patients was asymptomatic, the electrocardiogram (ECG) showed a 1.5 mm ST elevation from V3 to V6, DI, DII and aVL. Systolic blood pressure was 90 mm Hg, and an echocardiography exam showed an apical ballooning of the left ventricle with moderate mitral regurgitation secondary to left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction (Fig. 1). Promptly, glycoprotein inhibitors and heparine were started and coronary angiography was performed the day after. Ventriculography confirmed the apical ballooning and normal coronary artery. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was 35% (Fig. 2). The peak of plasma MB-creatinine kinase and of troponin I was 28.5 ng/mL and 6.9 ng/mL respectively. The systolic pressure remained stable at 90 mm Hg for four days with gradually recover until 110 mm Hg. The patient had no signs of congestive heart failure and was discharged after six days. Complete normalization of LVEF was documented at the follow-up. In December 2009 the woman was admitted in hospital for an exacerbation of her COPD. She was treated for eight days with cortisone, ipratropium, salmeterol and antibiotics with a good clinical response. During her stay she presented chest pain and the ECG showed a 2.5 mm STelevation fromV3 to V6, DI and aVL. The coronary angiography showed no obstructive coronary lesions and an apical ballooning aspect at the ventriculogram (Fig. 3). In ICU the patient developed a cardiogenic shock (initial systolic blood pressure of 90 mm Hg with rapid deterioration until 60 mm Hg). An urgent echocardiogram showed the apical ballooning with the concomitance of LVOT obstruction, systolic anterior motion of mitral valve and severe mitral regurgitation (Figs. 3 and 4). Peak dynamic intraventricular pressure gradient detected by echocardiography was 80 mm Hg. The LVEF was 25%. Urgently an intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) was placed and then she was treated with low-dose beta-blockers until restoration of good pressure and initial recovery of LVEF. After a period of seven days the IABP was removed: the LVEF was 35% and the peak dynamic pressure gradient was lower (12 mm Hg). The peak of plasma MB-creatinine kinase and troponin T was 18.07 μg/L and 0.55 μg/L respectively. She was discharged after other eight days with a good pressure, no sign of congestive heart failure, a LVEF of 48% and absence of sign of LVOT obstruction and mitral regurgitation. Normalization of LVEF was after documented. Tako-tsubo syndrome, which is also called stress cardiomyopathy or transient left ventricular apical ballooning syndrome, is a clinical entity frequently precipitated by a stressful event. Initially, the syndrome was described in Japanese and afterwards an increasing number of cases has been reported also in Caucasian [1,2]. The main features are the absence of coronary atherosclerosis disease and the reversibility of left ventricular dysfunction. Recurrence of Tako-tsubo syndrome is not frequent. The yearly recurrence rate is 2.9% over the first few years, subsequently decreasing to 1.3% per year [3,4]. The syndrome can be also complicated by LVOT obstruction as previously described [5]. The report described is a rare case of recurrent Tako-Tsubo syndrome with recurrence of similar clinical and instrumental signs. In both episodes the main common findings were hypotension and an echocardiographic aspect of LVOT obstruction, systolic anterior motion and secondary mitral regurgitation. The recurrent episode was much more severe with a cardiogenic shock requiring the IABP positioning. Furthermore the patients experienced in both cases the same physical stressful event.

Background & Aims: After heart transplantation, the effects of folate supplementation on total homocysteine plasma levels (THcy) and heart allograft vascular disease (AVD) remain unclear. Methods:Accordingly, we prospectively analyzed 48 heart transplant recipients referred for routine follow-up from July to September 1998 (age 54±11 years, 75% male, 35±27 months from transplant). Among these patients, 17 were treated with folate supplementation for 12 months (Group F), while 31 cross-matched for age, gender, serum creatinine and time from transplant (P>0.3 vs Group F for all) did not assume folate supplementation (Group NF). Routine coronary angiography for AVD detection was routinely obtained in every patient. Results: THcy overall increased during the study period (from 16.6±6.5 to 19.4±7.6 μmol/l, P Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that THcy increases over time in heart transplant recipients, and a strong trend toward higher THcy observed in the presence of AVD. Since folate supplementation appears to positively influence THcy, a favorable effect of folate on AVD can be hypothesized.

or detection of a new coronary lesion after a mean observation period of 2.8 1.0 years. A multivariate analysis (backward logistic regression) was performed including potential risk factors for CAVD (see below). Patients on dialysis were excluded. Results: Initially plasma homocysteine levels were elevated in the entire cohort (mean 19.3 8.3 mol/L) and ranged from 6.6 to 56.4 mol/L. A total number of 106 patients (57,9%) presented with CAVD at first angiography and progression was detected in 51 transplant recipients (28%). Patients with progressive CAVD presented with significantly higher plasma homocysteine levels (21.7 6.3 mol/L) at baseline investigation as compared to those with a stable course (17.4 7.7 mol/L) (p 0.001). These results were independent of parameters like gender, age, time after transplantation, dyslipoproteinemia, cyclosporine blood levels, initial indication for transplantation and severity of CAVD at baseline examination. Conclusions: Progress of cardiac allograft vasculopathy is strongly associated with elevated plasma homocysteine levels. The intervals of routine surveillance angiography should be shortened in patients with hyperhomocysteinemia and medical treatment to lower elevated homocysteine is recommended in these patients.