Search

Background It remains unknown whether the presence of coronary microcirculatory dysfunction (CMD) correlates with its equivalent condition in the brain, cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD). The cerebral-coronary connection (C3), a prospective blinded study, investigated the prevalence of CMD in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and its association with CSVD and cognitive function. Methods and results Patients with documented CAD fulfilling inclusion criteria underwent physiological assessment of epicardial vessels and the microcirculation using intracoronary pressure and Doppler. Coronary microcirculation-related indices included coronary flow reserve (CFR) and hyperaemic microvascular resistance. Brain magnetic resonance imaging, transcranial Doppler (TCD), and neurocognitive examination were performed. Overall, 67 patients were included in the study (mean age 66 years, 73% female). Patients with abnormal CFR ( Conclusions Coronary microcirculatory dysfunction is frequent in patients with CAD and correlates with CSVD, abnormal cerebral flow haemodynamics, and significant cognitive impairment. These findings support the hypothesis that microvascular dysfunction in the heart and the brain are part of a single pathological process affecting microcirculation in patients with CAD. Clinical Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04131075.

La causa más frecuente en nuestro medio de taquicardia ventricular es, con mucha diferencia, la cardiopatía isquémica crónica. Sin embargo, también existe un grupo menos infrecuente y más heterogéneo de otras causas que hay que tener en cuenta en el diagnóstico diferencial. Una de las más típicas es la sarcoidosis. Presentamos un caso clínico de sarcoidosis cardíaca que es un buen ejemplo del patrón típico de la enfermedad en las pruebas de imagen.

Purpose Low-dose radiation therapy (LD-RT) has been shown to have an anti-inflammatory effect, and preliminary results suggest it is feasible to treat patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia. Materials and Methods We conducted a prospective, single-arm, phase 1/2 clinical trial enrolling patients aged ≥50 years, who were coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) positive, at phase 2 or 3 with lung involvement at imaging study and oxygen requirement. Patients received 100 cGy to total lungs in a single fraction. Primary outcome was radiologic response using severity and extension score on baseline computed tomography (CT), at days 3 and 7 after LD-RT. Secondary outcomes were toxicity using Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events v.5.0, duration of hospitalization, blood work evolution, and oxygen requirements using SatO2/FiO2 index (SAFI), at days 3 and 7 after LD-RT. Results Nine patients were included. Median age was 66 (interquartile range, 57-77). Severity score was stable or decreased in the third CT but was not statistically significant (P = .28); however, there were statistically significant changes in the extension score (P = .03). SAFI index significantly improved 72 hours and 1 week after LD-RT (P = .01). Inflammatory blood parameters decreased 1 week after RT compared with baseline; only lactate dehydrogenase decreased significantly (P = .04). Two patients presented grade 2 lymphopenia after RT and another (with baseline grade 3) worsened to grade 4. Overall, the median number of days of hospitalization was 59 (range, 26-151). After RT the median number of days in the hospital was 13 (range, 4-77). With a median follow-up after RT of 112 days (range, 105-150), 7 patients were discharged and 2 patients died, 1 due to sepsis and the other with severe baseline chronic obstructive pulmonary disease from COVID-19 pneumonia. Conclusions Our preliminary results show that LD-RT was a feasible and well-tolerated treatment, with potential clinical improvement. Randomized trials are needed to establish whether LD-RT improves severe pneumonia.

Myocardial strain analysis could provide additional information to left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (NIDC). Our aim was to analyze the feasibility of left ventricular strain evaluation using cardiac magnetic resonance feature tracking (FT) in NIDC, and to determine its clinical and prognostic impact.We retrospectively included consecutive patients with NIDC who underwent cardiac magnetic resonance. Left ventricular global longitudinal, circumferential and radial strain were obtained from standard cine sequences using FT analysis software. We evaluated their association with a composite endpoint (heart failure, implantable cardioverter-defibrillator in secondary prevention, or death).FT analysis could be performed in all of the 98 patients (mean age 68±13 years, 72% men). Intra- and interobserver concordance was good for global longitudinal and circumferential strain but was worse for radial strain. Global circumferential strain was independently associated (OR, 1.16; P=.045) with LVEF normalization during follow-up and was the only morphological parameter independently associated with the composite endpoint (OR, 1.15; P=.038). A cutoff value-8.2% was able to predict the incidence of this event during follow-up (log-rank 4.6; P=.032).Left ventricular strain analysis with FT is feasible and reproducible in NIDC. Global circumferential strain was able to predict LVEF recovery and the appearance of major cardiovascular events during follow-up.

Resumen Introduccion y objetivos El analisis de la deformacion miocardica puede aportar informacion adicional a la fraccion de eyeccion del ventriculo izquierdo (FEVI) en la miocardiopatia dilatada no isquemica (MDNI). El objetivo es analizar la factibilidad del estudio del strain del ventriculo izquierdo mediante feature tracking (FT) de cardiorresonancia magnetica en la MDNI y determinar su relevancia clinica y pronostica. Metodos Se incluyo retrospectivamente a los pacientes consecutivos con MDNI sometidos a cardiorresonancia magnetica. Se obtuvieron el strain global longitudinal, circunferencial y radial del ventriculo izquierdo de secuencias convencionales de cine mediante un software de analisis de FT. Se evaluo su asociacion con el evento combinado (insuficiencia cardiaca, implante de desfibrilador en prevencion secundaria y muerte). Resultados Se pudo realizar el FT en los 98 pacientes evaluados (edad, 68 ± 13 anos; el 72% varones). La concordancia intraobservador e interobservadores fue buena para el strain global longitudinal y circunferencial, y mas limitada para el radial. El strain global circunferencial se asocio de manera independiente (OR = 1,16; p = 0,045) con la normalizacion de la FEVI en el seguimiento y fue el unico parametro morfologico con asociacion independiente (OR = 1,15; p = 0,038) con el evento combinado. Un valor Conclusiones El analisis del strain del ventriculo izquierdo mediante FT es factible y reproducible en MDNI. El strain global circunferencial fue capaz de predecir la recuperacion de la FEVI y la aparicion de eventos cardiovasculares mayores en el seguimiento.

Aortic intramural hematoma (AIH) is an entity within the acute aortic syndrome. Combination of a priori probability, clinical history, laboratory blood test and imaging techniques are the basis for diagnosis of AIH. This review is focused on all aspects related to diagnosis of patients with AIH, from clinical to imaging and analytical.

To evaluate the results of low-dose radiation therapy (LD-RT) to lungs in the management of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia.We conducted a prospective phase I-II trial enrolling COVID-19 patients ≥50 years-old, with bilateral lung involvement at imaging study and oxygen requirement (oxygen saturation ≤93% on room air). Patients received 1 Gy to whole lungs in a single fraction. Primary outcome was a radiological response assessed as severity and extension scores at days +3 and +7. Secondary outcomes were toxicity (CTCAE v5.0), days of hospitalization, changes in inflammatory blood parameters (ferritin, lymphocytes, C-reactive protein, d-dimer and LDH) and SatOForty-one patients were included. Median age was 71 (IQR 60-84). Eighteen patients (44%) previously received an anti-COVID treatment (tocilizumab, lopinavir/ritonavir, remdesivir) and thirty-two patients (84%) received steroids during LD-RT. The extension score improved significantly (p = 0.02) on day +7. Mean baseline extension score was 13.7 (SD ± 4.9) with a score of 12.2 (±5.2) at day 3, and 12.4 ± 4.7 at day 7. No differences were found in the severity score. SAFI improved significantly on day +3 and +7 (p 0.01). Median SAFI on day 0 was 147 (IQR 118-264), 230 (IQR 120-343) on day +3 and 293 (IQR 121-353) on day +7. Significant decrease was found in C-reactive protein on day +7 (p = 0.02) and in lymphocytes counts on day +3 and +7 (p = 0.02). The median number of days in hospital after RT was 11 (range 4-78). With a median follow-up of 60 days after LD-RT, 26 (63%) patients were discharged, 11 (27%) died because of COVID respiratory failure and 4 (10%) died of other causes.LD-RT is a feasible and well-tolerated treatment that could lead to rapid clinical improvement. Large randomized trials would be required to establish the efficacy of LD-RT to treat COVID-19 pneumonia.

Background Cardiac computed tomography angiography (CCTA) has already shown its ability to evaluate late results of polymer-based bioresorbable scaffolds (BVS) in different clinical scenarios. Recently, magnesium-based BVS (Mg-BVS) has emerged as an interesting alternative to these previous platforms due to its lower risk of thrombosis. Nonetheless, there is no systematic data about characterization of magnesium BVS with CCTA. Purpose To study the feasibility of Mg-BVS assessment with CCTA and to evaluate in-scaffold wall tissue characterization during the follow-up. Methods In this multicentre work, CCTA was performed in patients with a previously implanted Mg-BVS as a supplementary follow-up assessment. All studies were done after the theoretical resorption time of the scaffolds. A central core laboratory with an independent level 3 expert in CCTA blinded to the clinical and angiographic results analysed the studies. For this purpose, a dedicated software for coronary analysis was used to quantify coronary stenosis and evaluate coronary wall (Figure). Results Eight patients (55±6 years-old; 87.5% male) with a previously implanted Mg-BVS from 3 different centres in Spain and Italy were included. The presentation was equally distributed (2, 25%) among stable and unstable angina, NSTEMI and STEMI. Target vessels included 5 left anterior descending (62.5%), 2 left circumflex (25%) and 1 right coronary arteries (12.5%). CTCA was performed 13 [11.3–20] months after BVS implantation. In spite of the blinding, all scaffolds were accurately located through identification of proximal and distal radiopaque markers. Concordance of CCTA Mg-BVS sizing was good for diameter (ICC 0.66; p=0.09) and excellent for length (ICC 0.98; p Conclusions This short series shows for the first time the ability of CCTA to correctly locate and evaluate patency of Mg-BVS. Moreover, the lack of metal struts allows a detailed coronary plaque evaluation at treated segments. These preliminary results suggest plaque stabilization and a good coronary vessel healing with this novel scaffold. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None. Mg-BVS in LCx with mixed plaque

Background and purpose The appearance of left ventricular reverse remodelling (LVRR) is associated with a better prognosis in patients with dilated non-ischemic cardiomyopathy (DCM). Our aim was to identify cardiac imaging parameters, including speckle tracking by transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and feature tracking by CMR, associated with LVRR in a prospective cohort of patients with DCM. Methods From 2014 to 2021, 182 patients with DCM and left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) LVRR was defined as an increase in LVEF ≥10 points or absolute LVEF ≥50%, associated with a reduction in left ventricular end- diastolic diameter ≥10%. Patients underwent multimodality imaging evaluation including CMR with a 1.5 Tesla scanner, and TTE. Cardiac mechanics, including global longitudinal strain (GLS), strain rate (SR) and mechanical dispersion (MD) were measured. Results Median age of our cohort was 62.3 (14.4) years, and 67.7% were male. Most patients (>90%) were treated with beta-blockers or RASS blockers, and 67% with mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists. 30% had cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) and 37% had ICD as primary prevention. Mean LVEF was 31.3%. During a mean follow-up period of 35.9 (35.4) months, 38.3% of patients had LVRR. Age and gender distribution were similar in both groups. Regarding cardiovascular risk factors and pharmacological treatment, no differences were found between patients with and without LVRR. Baseline CRT therapy was not associated with LVRR (22.6% vs 34.7%; p=0.249). However, there was a trend towards higher LVRR in those who received CRT during follow-up 18.8% vs 0%; p=0.069). Patients who experienced LVRR had lower basal LVEF (23.4% vs 29%; p Patients with LVRR had a lower cardiovascular mortality (3.3 vs 14.3%; p=0.117), lower mortality due to heart failure (0% vs 12.2%; p=0.046), less heart failure hospitalizations (20% vs 46.9%; p=0.016), and a lower incidence of ventricular tachyarrhythmias (3.3% vs 18.4%; p=0.051). Conclusions LVRR in patients with DCM receiving optimized medical therapy is associated with a better prognosis. Imaging parameters, including a lower basal LVEF, RVEF, GLS and higher MD, as well as LBBB echo pattern, were associated with a higher frequency of LVRR, and might help to identify patients who could benefit from CRT/and may be helpful to stratify patients's risk. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.

Background Left ventricular (LV) strain from echocardiography is a known useful predictor of LVEF recovery in non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (NIDCM). More recently, feature tracking (FT) has allowed LV myocardial deformation analysis using conventional cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) cine sequences. Purpose Our aim is to establish the correlation between LV strain values from CMR-FT at diagnosis and morphological parameters at baseline and during follow-up. Methods Consecutive patients with NIDCM who underwent CMR were retrospectively collected. All the studies were performed in a 1.5 Tesla magnet following a standard acquisition protocol of conventional SSFP cine sequences in long and short axis. Global longitudinal, circumferential and radial strain (GLS, GCS and GRS, respectively) were obtained with a dedicated FT software. Correlation with CMR morphological parameters at baseline were evaluated. Likewise, in the cases with follow-up echocardiogram association between FT LV strain and evolution of morphofunctional variables was explored. Results CMR-FT strain analysis was performed in 98 patients (age 68±13 years, 72% males) with NIDCM. They showed severe LV dilatation (LVEDVi= 133.6±33.4 mL/m2) and systolic dysfunction (LVEF= 29.5±9.6%) at baseline. Myocardial fibrosis was detected in 38.8% of the patients with late gadolium enhancement (LGE) sequence. All the basal CMR morphological characteristics were significantly correlated with FT strain analysis (Table), even more markedly for GCS. However, there was no association of baseline morphofunctional parameters with LGE. An echocardiogram was performed in 85.7% of the patients during the follow-up (2.4 [1.8–3.4] years), with an LVEF >50% in the 25.5% of the cases. These patients with preserved LVEF in the evolution showed better GCS (−9 vs −7.1%; p=0.019) at baseline, with no differences in the other FT LV strain parameters. Despite less fibrosis in LGE (16.1% vs 37.7%; p=0.037), none of the baseline morphofunctional CMR parameters (LVEF, LVEDVi...) were associated with systolic function restoration. In multivariate analysis, GCS was the only independent predictor (OR 1.16; p=0.045) of LVEF recovery among imaging variables. Conclusions All the FT derived LV strain values were correlated with the degree of basal morphofunctional involvement in NIDCM. Furthermore, GCS emerged as an independent imaging predictor of LV systolic function restoration in our series. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None. Table 1. Correlation between myocardial deformation values by feature tracking and morphofunctional variables in basal CMR.

Se presenta el caso de un paciente con historia de SCA reciente, que es diagnosticado de derrame pericárdico severo de aspecto hemático. En este artículo se expone la utilidad de la tomografía computarizada en la sospecha de la rotura cardíaca.

Background: Early identification of patients who fail to lung stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is vital as they can benefit from salvage therapy. Main guidelines recommend computed tomography (CT) to assess response and use of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/CT only when a local recurrence is suspected in CT. The pattern of radiation-induced lung injury caused by SBRT is different from changes seen after conventional radiation therapy in terms of extent, time of manifestation, and morphologic characteristics, and knowing this is crucial for proper monitoring of the tumor response. In certain cases, it may be difficult to differentiate response from progression or recurrence on CT and, in addition, some changes in CT take a long time to evolve before they are considered suspicious, making early diagnosis difficult. Metabolic changes often precede morphological changes, so 18F-FDG PET/CT quantitative and qualitative metabolic criteria can be useful in assessing early response and detecting relapses. However, the optimal practice for follow-up remains unclear and there is an active search for imaging markers for recurrent disease, including CT texture analysis, biomarker assays, new PET/CT isotopes, and magnetic resonance imaging. Aim: The aim of the study was to review the radiological changes that are objectified after pulmonary SBRT and the metabolic changes in 1F-FDG PET/CT, to assess the usefulness of following up patients with 18F-FDG PET/CT. Relevance for Patients: At present, the evaluation of response and diagnosis of relapse after SBRT are difficult and the incorporation of routine 18F-FDG PET/CT may have value in early diagnosis of relapse when the patient may still benefit from rescue treatment.

El conducto arterioso persistente es una cardiopatía congénita poco frecuente en el adulto y suele presentarse como anomalía única. Es importante para el cardiólogo clínico la identificación de los casos con ductus permeable cuyo cortocircuito izquierda-derecha resultante está causando sobrecarga de presiones en las cavidades cardíacas, así como hipertensión pulmonar por hiperaflujo. En estos casos está indicado el cierre, siendo en la actualidad la oclusión percutánea la primera línea de tratamiento, si la anatomía lo permite. El cierre quirúrgico en adultos implica un mayor riesgo debido a sus cambios anatómicos e histológicos, y se considera una opción de segunda línea.

Resumen Introduccion y objetivos Esta demostrado que la tomografia computarizada con multidetectores (TCMD) es una alternativa factible a la coronariografia invasiva ( C I). Sin embargo, se han indicado resultados contradictorios sobre el efecto de la puntuacion de calcio (PC) coronario en la precision diagnostica de la TCMD. El objetivo de este estudio es evaluar la concordancia entre la TCMD y la CI y evaluar la influencia de la PC en ella. Metodos Se incluyo a 266 pacientes consecutivos sometidos a evaluacion por TCMD de 64 cortes y por CI. Se utilizo el software habitual para la PC mediante el metodo Agatston. Un observador clasifico cualitativamente y de manera enmascarada las estenosis como leve, moderada o grave, y se compararon con los resultados obtenidos por la CI, utilizada como metodo de referencia. Resultados La media de edad de los pacientes era 65,4 ± 11,2 anos, y 188 (70,3%) eran varones. Se evaluo cualitativamente y se cuantifico por TCMD un total de 484 segmentos con estenosis coronaria al menos leve. Las mediciones no invasivas concordaban con la CI en 402 estenosis (el 83,05%; kappa = 0,684), sin diferencias significativas entre vasos y sin una influencia estadistica significativa de la PC en la concordancia (OR = 0,93; IC95%, 0,76-1,09; p = 0,21). La TCMD tuvo sensibilidad, especificidad, valor predictivo positivo y valor predictivo negativo altos en los analisis por segmento, por vaso y por paciente. Conclusiones La coronariografia no invasiva mediante TCMD mostro buena concordancia con la CI en la cuantificacion cualitativa de las estenosis coronarias, y la PC no tuvo un impacto significativo en esa concordancia.

El pericardio está formado por dos capas: el pericardio visceral, constituido por una sola capa de células mesoteliales, elastina y colágeno, adherido a la superficie epicárdica del corazón, y una capa parietal avascular y con amplia red de fibras de colágeno. En el ser humano esta fina estructura llega a medir normalmente hasta 2 mm de espesor. Su función es fundamentalmente mecánica adaptándose a los cambios de volumen de las cavidades cardíacas, aunque variaciones importantes de éstas o la afectación de su tejido, lo hace más rígido condicionando un comportamiento constrictivo. Son múltiples las patologías que pueden afectarlo, desde inflamación, trauma, radiación hasta infiltración tumoral.

ObjectiveThe incidence of aortitis in patients with thoracic aortic diseases is not well established. The aim of this study was to analyse the frequency and clinical course of patients with aortitis in a surgical series.Methods320 consecutive patients with ascending aorta/aortic arch aneurysm or acute aortic syndrome who underwent surgery from 2012 to 2017 in a single tertiary referral hospital were retrospectively reviewed. Epidemiological data, clinical course and variables related to diagnosis, treatment and follow-up were collected from patients with histologically proven aortitis.ResultsFrom 320 examined aortic samples, 279 (87.2%) thoracic aneurysms and 41 acute aortic syndromes (12.8%), 9 (2.8%) were aortitis: 3 cases of Takayasu’s arteritis, 3 of IgG4-related aortitis, 2 of giant cell, and 1 classified as idiopathic. Median age at surgery was 53.4 (51–69.2) years and six cases were female. Seven patients presented with non-specific symptoms and the diagnosis was made at pathology. Surgery was elective in eight patients and emergent in one case of IgG4-related aortitis. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/CT (18F-FDG PET/CT) was performed for disease extension study and as a monitoring technique during the follow-up of five patients, with just one case performed presurgically. All the patients with IgG4-related disease showed extrathoracic aortic involvement. There were no deaths, neither in-hospital nor during the 1.7 years of median follow-up.ConclusionsIn surgically treated thoracic aorta pathology, the frequency of aortitis is low; IgG4-related disease is among the most common aetiologies with a frequency similar to other types of aortitis, such as Takayasu’s and giant cell arteritis, and clinical manifestations are non-specific making presurgical diagnosis difficult. 18F-FDG PET/CT allows a better assessment of disease extension and therapeutic response. Surgery can be successfully performed and corticosteroid therapy ensures a good mid-term follow-up.

La inflamación del miocardio, vírica o no, recibe el nombre de miocarditis. Este cuadro supone un reto para el médico clínico en su práctica habitual, ya que es fundamental realizar un diagnóstico diferencial correcto con otros cuadros que puede emular. La biopsia endomiocárdica ha sido clásicamente la técnica de referencia en el diagnóstico de esta entidad, aunque actualmente la cardio-RM es la técnica más empleada para valorar este tipo de pacientes. Se presenta un caso de un paciente con miocarditis aguda con el que se pretende enfatizar el papel protagonista de la cardio-RM como prueba de imagen de elección.

La obstrucción microvascular y la hemorragia intramiocárdica son manifestaciones del daño por reperfusión que se encuentran con frecuencia en pacientes con oclusión aguda coronaria tratados con terapia de revascularización. Ambas se relacionan con el remodelado y función ventricular a largo plazo, así como el pronóstico. Se presenta un caso representativo de estas lesiones y su caracterización mediante diferentes técnicas de imagen cardíaca.

La enfermedad de Kawasaki es la primera causa de aneurismas coronarios en niños y la segunda, después de la aterosclerosis, en adultos(1). En líneas generales, los aneurismas coronarios son una entidad infrecuente y aunque la mayoría suelen ser asintomáticos, un pequeño porcentaje pueden desencadenar eventos cardíacos mayores e incluso la muerte. Por esta razón, ciertos casos seleccionados requieren un seguimiento estrecho y la instauración de medidas terapéuticas, medidas que deben ser cuidadosamente analizadas respecto al riesgo/beneficio que se le aportará al paciente y para las cuales, en la actualidad, no existe evidencia científica basada en ensayos clínicos ni metanálisis.

Functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) is frequent in left ventricular (LV) dilatation/dysfunction. Echocardiographic predictors of FMR are known. However, cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) predictors of FMR have not been fully addressed. The aim of the study was to evaluate CMR mitral valve (MV) parameters associated with FMR in ischemic and non ischemic LV dysfunction. 80 patients with LV ejection fraction bellow 45% and/or left ventricular dilatation of ischemic and non ischemic etiology were included. Cine-MR images (steady state free-precession) were acquired in a short-axis and 4 chambers views where MV evaluation was performed. Delayed enhancement was performed as well. Significant FMR was established as more than mild MR according to the echocardiographic report. Mean age was 59 years, males 79%. FMR was detected in 20 patients (25%) Significant differences were noted in LV functional parameters and in most MV parameters according to the presence of significant FMR. However, differences were noted between ischemic and non ischemic groups. In the first, differences in most MV parameters remained significant while in the non ischemic, only systolic and diastolic interpapillary muscle distance (1.60 vs. 2.19 cm, P = 0.001; 2. 51 vs. 3.04, P = 0.008) were predictors of FMR. FMR is associated with a more severe LV dilatation/dysfunction in the overall population. CMR MV parameters are associated with the presence of significant FMR and are different between ischemic and non ischemic patients. CMR evaluation of these patients may help in risk stratification as well as in surgical candidate selection.

OBJECTIVES Left ventricle trabeculae (LVT) are frequently seen in different cardiac diseases. Normal reference values of LVT in different cardiac conditions are not known. The aim of the study was to quantify with cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR), LVT mass (LVTM) and LVTM percentage (LVTM%) in different heart diseases and to evaluate their influence on left ventricular morphological and functional parameters. METHODS Fifty-nine patients (14 controls, 17 ischemic cardiomyopathy, 15 nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy, 7 valvular heart disease and 6 with left ventricle hypertrophy) were enrolled. Cine-MR images were acquired with steady-state free-precession sequence in a short-axis view. LVTM was calculated as the difference between LVM excluding/including trabecuale from the blood cavity. LVTM% was calculated as the percentage of the whole left ventricle mass excluding trabeculae from the blood cavity. RESULTS Mean age was 47.60 +/- 22.03 years; male 62.7%. Mean LVTM was of 33.38 +/- 16.1 g with mean LVTM% of 19.22 +/- 6.5%. Significant differences between groups for both parameters with P values of 0.02 were obtained. Nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy showed the highest degree of LVTM (44.73 +/- 16.0 g) and LVTM% (23.26 +/- 6%). Significant differences were noted in left ventricular morphological and functional parameters with inclusion/exclusion of LVT in the myocardial mass. CONCLUSIONS Reference values and differences of LVTM and LVTM% in various cardiac conditions are given for the first time. Quantification of these parameters with CMR may be clinically useful in the differential diagnosis between left ventricular noncompaction and other cardiac diseases. Exclusion of LVT from myocardium alters left ventricular morphological and functional parameters, which have significant clinical importance.

las nuevas tecnicas de imagen han permitido identificar, en la aorta el origen de embolias arteriales. La mayoria de estos trombos se localizan en aneurismas o estan adheridos a lesiones arterioscleroticas de aorta abdominal. Los trombos en aorta toracica son mucho menos frecuentes, especialmente en aortas aparentemente normales. En consecuencia, la historia natural y el tratamiento optimo de estas lesiones no estan bien definidos. El objetivo de este articulo es describir las caracteristicas clinicas, el tratamiento y la evolucion de 3 pacientes con trombosis de la aorta toracica y embolias arteriales. Se revisa la literatura disponible en relacion con esta afeccion y se aborda el diagnostico diferencial de estas lesiones.

With the advent of new imaging techniques, the aorta has been increasingly identified as a source of arterial embolism. The majority of thrombi occur in aneurysms or are adherent to atherosclerotic lesions in the abdominal aorta. Thrombi in the thoracic aorta are much less common, particularly in apparently normal aortas. Consequently, the natural history and optimal treatment of these lesions are not well-defined. The aim of this article was to describe the clinical characteristics, treatment, and outcome in 3 patients with thoracic aorta thrombosis and arterial embolism. Currently available literature on this pathology is reviewed and the differential diagnosis of these lesions is discussed.

Objetivo Mostrar la forma de presentacion y los hallazgos radiologicos del neumotorax catamenial. Material y metodo Se revisaron las pruebas de imagen (radiografia simple, tomografia computarizada [TC] y resonancia magnetica [RM]) de 6 mujeres de entre 28 y 44 anos que presentaron neumotorax recurrentes asociados a la menstruacion. A todas se les realizo cirugia por videotoracoscopia (VTS) y en tres de ellas fue necesaria la realizacion de una toracotomia debido a la recurrencia del neumotorax. Resultados En tres casos se realizo TC, encontrando nodulos pleurales en dos casos, uno de ellos confirmado en la RM. Histologicamente se demostro endometriosis pleural en un unico caso. Se identificaron agujeros diafragmaticos y bullas en 5 de las 6 pacientes. Discusion Los sintomas mas frecuentes del neumotorax catamenial son el dolor toracico, la disnea y la hemoptisis. La localizacion mas frecuente es el lado derecho (90%). Los hallazgos radiologicos son neumotorax, hemotorax o hidroneumotorax. La TC y la RM pueden ayudar en la identificacion de lesiones pleurales no visibles en la radiografia simple que suponen un hallazgo muy frecuente en la cirugia. Conclusion El diagnostico de neumotorax catamenial debe sospecharse en mujeres en edad fertil con historia de neumotorax recidivantes coincidentes con la menstruacion. La TC y la RM pueden ayudar a identificar lesiones sospechosas de endometriosis.

El hematoma intramural (HIA) forma parte del espectro de lesiones del sindrome aortico agudo. Hay multiples aspectos no bien conocidos acerca de su historia natural y del tratamiento optimo. El objetivo de este articulo es describir las caracteristicas clinicas, radiologicas y el seguimiento de un grupo de pacientes con HIA que recibieron tratamiento anticoagulante durante el ingreso. Se recogio informacion de forma prospectiva en todos los pacientes con el diagnostico de HIA y se analizo a los que recibieron tratamiento anticoagulante durante la fase aguda de la enfermedad. Las indicaciones de dicho tratamiento fueron variadas. En todos ellos se comprobo una regresion progresiva del HIA a pesar del tratamiento anticoagulante recibido.

Intramural aortic hematoma is one of a group of conditions covered by the term acute aortic syndrome. Many aspects of its natural history remain poorly understood, and the best treatment is not known. The aim of this study was to describe the clinical and radiological characteristics and follow-up of a group of patients with intramural aortic hematoma who received anticoagulant therapy during hospitalization. We selected a prospective cohort of patients with a diagnosis of intramural aortic hematoma and carried out an analysis of those who received anticoagulation treatment during the acute phase of the illness. Patients received anticoagulation for a range of different reasons. In all patients, the intramural aortic hematoma was observed to undergo gradual regression despite anticoagulation therapy.

Hemoptysis can be a life-threatening condition that warrants urgent investigation and intervention. Common causes include bronchiectasis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, tuberculosis, and malignancy. Computed tomography angiography is an accurate imaging modality for assessment of hemoptysis. The bronchial arteries are the source of bleeding in most cases of hemoptysis, and bronchial artery embolization is the treatment of choice. The aim of this article is to summarize the pathophysiology, causes, initial management, and diagnostic approach of hemoptysis. Endovascular treatment of hemoptysis, technique, embolic materials, outcomes, complications, and follow-up of patients are discussed.

Thoracic aortic dissection is a life-threatening disease with a high mortality rate and an elevated incidence of early and long-term complications. Advances in surgical treatment of ascending (Stanford type A) aortic dissection have helped improve patient survival, but follow-up imaging is critically important for the identification of postsurgical complications. Gadolinium-enhanced three-dimensional (3D) magnetic resonance (MR) angiography, along with multisection computed tomography, is the technique of choice for this purpose. For accurate assessment of 3D MR angiograms, it is important to know what surgical procedure was performed and to be familiar with the appearance of the normal postsurgical anatomy. A thorough understanding of potential postsurgical complications also is essential. Some complications (eg, formation of a periprosthetic hematoma or pseudoaneurysm, stenosis in a graft anastomosis) may derive from the prosthesis. Complications also may occur in the remnant of the native aorta, where persistent dissection distal to the prosthesis is common and may result in false channel thrombosis or aneurysmatic dilatation with collapse of the true lumen. Residual dissection that involves the supra-aortic trunks or the visceral aortic branches may produce neurologic effects or renal and mesenteric ischemia, respectively.

Objective: To analyze the initial thoracic involvement by CT in a consecutive series of patients with lymphoma. Material and methods: A retrospective analysis was made of thoracic CT studies made at the time of diagnosis of 259 patients with lymphoma. Mediastinal, pulmonary, pleural, pericardial and chest wall involvement was assessed by CT. Results: Of 259 patients (129 men y 130 women), 56 had Hodgkin's disease (HD) and 203 had non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Forty-two percent (42.5%, 110/259) of the patients had chest involvement on CT: 33 of 56 patients with HD (58.9%) and 77 of 203 patients with NHL (37.9%). All the patients with thoracic HD and 71.4% of patients with thoracic NHL had mediastinal lymph node involvement. Of the patients with thoracic involvement, 12.1% (4/33) of the patients with HD and 23.3% (18/77) of the patients with NHL had pulmonary involvement. Conclusions: Thoracic involvement on CT was more frequent in HD. Mediastinal lymph node involvement was the most common finding, fundamentally in HD. Pulmonary disease always occurred in the presence of mediastinal lymph node involvement in HD, but could occur as an isolated finding in NHL.

Radiation therapy plays a fundamental role in the local treatment of many tumours. For routine clinical practice, it is important to recognise the imaging characteristics of the different radiation complications, avoiding diagnostic errors. Heterotopic calcification of the chest wall is an unusual complication with characteristic radiological findings which allow its diagnosis. The differential diagnosis should be done with tuberculous involvement of the thoracic wall, osteoradionecrosis and radiation-induced sarcoma. We present a patient with heterotopic calcification in the right lateral thoracic wall for breast carcinoma radiation that has few references in the literature.

The purpose of this study was to assess the value of transthoracic fine-needle aspiration in the diagnosis of mycobacterial infection as the cause of focal lung opacities. Six hundred twelve fine-needle aspiration biopsies were performed from 1985 to 1997 in 587 patients with solitary or multiple lung opacities. Initial procedures, including sputum analysis and bronchoscopy, had been nondiagnostic. Fluoroscopic or computed tomography guidance was used, and a pathologist was present. A diagnosis of mycobacterial infection was established when acid-fast bacilli were demonstrated in the aspirate. In 487 patients, a malignant cause was confirmed, and six other patients had carcinoid tumor. Of 94 nonmalignant opacities, 24 (26%) were determined to have a mycobacterial cause. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy detected acid-fast bacilli in 15 of 24 cases (sensitivity, 62.5%; specificity, 100%). Radiologic findings included upper lobe involvement (17 of 24 cases), single opacities (12 of 24 cases), satellite nodules (4 of 12 cases with single opacities), irregular borders (19 of 24), eccentric calcification (2 of 24), and cavitation (8 of 24). The authors conclude that fine-needle aspiration biopsy must be processed for acid-fast bacilli when nonmalignant cytologic findings result, even if the results of sputum smears, cultures, and bronchoscopy are negative.

Mitral annulus calcification is a common degenerative disorder in the elderly, being more prevalent in patients with renal failure and in women. Caseous calcification is a rare variant characterized by a putty-like material surrounded by a calcified envelope. This disease is considerated a benign lesion; however, due to its active chronic inflammatory …

SUMMARYAntibodies recognizing anionic phospholipids have been described in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and other autoimmune diseases. Recent studies have shown that some of these antibodies may recognize a cardiolipin-binding protein (apolipoprotein H) rather than phospholipids. A similar possibility is conceivable for other cardiolipin-binding proteins that are targets of autoantibodies. In this study we have addressed whether this might be the case for histones, a set of highly cationic and widely distributed proteins that react in a well known autoantibody system. Our results indicate that: (i) histones bind to anionic phospholipids (cardiolipin and phosphatidylserine) with high avidity, but not to zwitterionic phospholipids (phosphatidylcholine); (ii) monoclonal and polyclonal antihistone antibodies recognize histones bound to cardiolipin; (iii) the addition of histones to serum samples containing antihistone antibodies often enhances their anticardiolipin reactivity. In addition, we have found that antihistone-producing hybridomas derived from MKL-lpr mice may show anticardiolipin activity due to the presence of histones in the cell culture supernatants with the resultant formation of immune complexes. Taken together, the results suggest a potential role for histones in the anticardiolipin activity detected in sera containing antihistone antibodies. These histone-phospholipid interactions should be taken into account when evaluating the pathogenic effects of antihistone antibodies or other autoantibodies reacting with nuclear components (e.g. nucleosomes) containing histones.

Resumen El sindrome de Lemierre es una sepsis por anaerobios secundaria a una infeccion faringoamigdalina que se complica con una tromboflebi-tis supurada de la vena yugular ipsilateral y embolismos septicos. Las pruebas de imagen son importantes para la confirmacion del diagnostico. En la radiografia de torax pueden observarse lesiones nodulares perifericas cavitadas, mal definidas. La tomografia computari-zada (TC) es util para confirmar dichas lesiones pulmonares, que son sugerentes de embolos septicos. La ecografia-Doppler cervical es fundamental para demostrar la trombosis de la vena yugular interna. Presentamos un paciente con clinica y hallazgos radiologicos carac-teristicos de Sindrome de Lemierre.

Fundamento Localizacion de nodulos pulmonarescon arpon guiado por tomografiacomputarizada previa a cirugia videotoracoscopica. Pacientes y metodos Se coloco un arponguiado por tomografia computarizada en 22nodulos pulmonares tinendo la pleura visceralcon azul de metileno. Inmediatamentese realizo cirugia videotoracoscopica. Resultados Se localizaron y resecaron correctamentetodos los nodulos, sin complicacionessignificativas. Conclusion La localizacion con arpon y azulde metileno, en casos seleccionados de nodulospulmonares perifericos, permite la resecciontoracoscopica de lesiones de dificilacceso.

With the advent of new imaging techniques, the aorta has been increasingly identified as a source of arterial embolism. The majority of thrombi occur in aneurysms or are adherent to atherosclerotic lesions in the abdominal aorta. Thrombi in the thoracic aorta are much less common, particularly in apparently normal aortas. Consequently, the natural history and optimal treatment of these lesions are not well-defined. The aim of this article was to describe the clinical characteristics, treatment, and outcome in three patients with thoracic aorta thrombosis and arterial embolism. Currently available literature on this pathology is reviewed and the differential diagnosis of these lesions is discussed.

Murine monoclonal antibodies (mAb) reacting with affinity-purified anti-histone antibodies (AHA) from serum of a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were obtained. One of them, 8B3, was initially considered to recognize idiotypic (Id) determinants in AHA since (a) it reacted with AHA but not with control IgG; (b) this reactivity could be inhibited using affinity-purified AHA, but not with control IgG or whole serum; (c) affinity-isolated 8B3 + antibodies showed antihistone activity and not other activities tested so far; (d) antihistone activity due to 8B3 + , but not that of 8B3 − from the same serum, could be fully inhibited by the presence of 8B3 mAb in the antihistone assay and (e) serum levels of 8B3 reactivity were higher than normal in SLE patients with AHA (56%), in contrast with SLE patients without AHA (6%). From these results it was deduced that 8B3 defined a cross-reactive Id shared by a subset of AHA in SLE patients. However, the present results suggest that (a) 8B3 mAb did not recognize AHA or Ig, but did recognize a 55 kDa histone-binding protein; (b) this 55 kDa protein was present free at low concentration in all human sera, but also associated with IgG in 8B3 + SLE sera and (c) these complexes are responsible for the false positive results in the antihistone assay as shown for DNA/anti-DNA complexes. Thus, mAbs recognizing the non-Ig moiety of circulating immune complexes may resemble anti-Id antibodies with features of the so-called epibodies. These immune complexes may be responsible for false positive results and caution should be exercised in the interpretation of results.