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Introduction. In healthcare, the need to pay more attention to the achievement of two objectives within the society arises: health promotion and prevention in terms of nutrition, good education, sport, and health education. Scientific evidence shows that adequate health standards must be learned since childhood through the help of parents and appropriate school projects. Parental intervention must be appropriate to support the responsibility of their children’s health. In oral health, it has been established for many years that there is a correlation between parental behaviors and lifestyles and children’s attitude. The aim of this study is to verify the close relation between behaviors, habits, lifestyles, and the knowledge of parents about their oral health and, consequently, their focus and care for their own children’s oral health. Furthermore, the awareness of parents about the importance and use of fluorine was to be determined. Materials and Methods. The study lasted 15 months and was conducted from April 2018 to July 2019: an anonymous 29-question questionnaire was administered to all parents who accompanied their children (aged between 3 and 12 years) going under treatment in the Pediatric Dentistry Unit of the University Hospital Policlinico Umberto I, Rome. Anamnestic data, sociodemographic context (e.g., educational level and occupation), oral health habits, and prevention of parents and children and fluoride knowledge were investigated. The study received ethical approval. 204 questionnaires were collected. The data gathered were recorded with a specifically designed computer program and collected and analyzed using a Microsoft Excel 10 database. Data were evaluated using standard statistical analysis software; descriptive statistics including mean ± SD values and percentage were calculated for each variable. The relationship between the age of parents, between mother or father and the parents’ degree of education levels, and the knowledge for their own children’s oral health was explored using the chi-square test of homogeneity and Fisher’s exact test ( P value of < 0.05 considered as statistically significant). Results. From the acquired data, it is possible to deduce that the major respondents were mothers aged from 36 to 45, while only a small part were fathers aged above 45 years. Questions related to parents’ oral hygiene habits were included in the questionnaire, and from the sample taken into consideration, it emerges that 64.7% of the respondents (67.1% mothers and 57.7% fathers) periodically attend a dental office for a checkup, 20.9% tend to postpone the treatment, and 15.2% go there just for emergency. Some of the questions showed that 80% of the interviewed subjects use fluoride toothpaste for their child’s oral hygiene. Conclusion. Prevention in childhood, in addition to being synonymous with monitoring the oral health of the child, means first of all to pay attention to parents who are the main behavioral reference. It emerged that there is no adequate knowledge about fluorine, especially when the subjects have a low educational level. A role of fundamental importance for the diffusion of adequate concepts in the field of oral hygiene is covered, according to the data received from the study carried out, by the dentist and dental hygienist.

Despite the lightning-fast advances in the management of SARS-CoV after 2 years of pandemic, COVID-19 continues to pose a challenge for fragile patients, who could benefit from early administration of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to reduce the risk of severe disease progression. We conducted a prospective study to evaluate effectiveness of mAbs against SARS-CoV-2 among patients at risk for severe disease progression, namely elderly and those with comorbidities, before the omicron variant surge. Patients were treated with either casirivimab/imdevimab, sotrovimab, and bamlanivimab/etesevimab. The rates and risk factos for clinical worsening, hospitalization, ICU admission and death (unfavourable outcomes) were evaluated. A stratified analysis according to the presence of SARS-CoV-2 IgG was also performed. Among 185 included patients, we showed low rates of unfavorable outcomes (9.2%), which were more frequent in patients with chronic kidney disease (aOR: 10.44, 95CI: 1.73-63.03; p600 ng/ml (aOR 21.74, 95CI: 1.18-397.70; p

Stress is a physiological response of the body to stressful life events but may not be when the individual is persistently exposed to the stress trigger, and it negatively affects certain physiological functions, thus triggering psychosomatic diseases. In literature, chronic stress and inadequate coping strategies are found to mediate the risk and development of periodontitis; mechanisms have therefore been proposed to explain the effects of stress on the periodontium. Since stress is a prevalent problem in modern life and given the importance of maintaining oral health, the present literature review aimed to estimate the association between stress and periodontal disease. The research question adopted is the following: “Are psychological stress and periodontal disease related?” The search was conducted in August 2022 and limited to articles in electronic databases from 2017 to 2022 in English, excluding reviews and literature reviews. From the electronic databases, a total of 532 articles were identified and became 306 after reviews and duplicates were removed. An additional bibliographic search was conducted through the same electronic databases, controlled terms and keywords including only systematic reviews, which were previously excluded. Through the bibliography cited in the systematic reviews, an additional 18 articles were identified, with a new total of 324. As a result of reading the title and abstract of these 324 articles, an additional 295 were excluded. Reading the full text of the remaining 29 studies, 2 articles were excluded due to non-adherence to the eligibility criteria. The remaining 27 results were included in our literature review. It has been suggested in the literature that adverse socioeconomic conditions elicit a stress response, which can trigger periodontal inflammation. Most of the 27 articles included in the study confirm and demonstrate a positive association between psychological stress and periodontal disease. Numerous studies have shown the mechanisms through which chronic stress negatively affects periodontal tissues. Therefore, in the light of the results obtained from this review, it is important that oral health professionals, also for general health purposes, consider stress factors among the risk factors of periodontal disease, its severity and decreased efficacy of treatments. It is therefore advisable to act preventively through the interception of chronic stress.

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are occupational illnesses concerned with different classes of professionals; dental hygienists are among those. The aim of this trial is to evaluate MSDs prevalence and significance of the symptoms in a sample of dental hygienists.A 20-question questionnaire was administered to a sample of dental hygienists, via social networks. The variables taken into consideration were personal data, hours of sport, working habits, years of professional activity, working hours and number of patients per week, presence or absence of pain.Data were evaluated using standard statistical analysis software, and an Excel database was created. Descriptive statistics were calculated for each variable. Group comparison was assessed by the chi-square test of homogeneity and Fisher's exact test. (p-value0.05 as significant).468 questionnaires were examined: 396 females (85%) and 72 males (15%). The prevailing age was between 25 and 35. Among them, 91% referred to be suffering or have suffered MSDs. The most relevant affected muscular areas are neck (30.6%), shoulder (25.0%) and lumbosacral region (23.3%); the remaining 21.1% is divided among the other regions. Association and statistical analysis among the different variables showed how presence of MSDs negatively influences absenteeism and work performance; further research regarding ergonomics, type of seat, stretching and workout prevention would be important to strengthen the results collected.Musculoskeletal disorders diffusion among dental hygienists is particularly high due to lack of information; the majority of interviewees showed very little awareness of it; this led to a lack of effort in facing or possibly preventing these pathologies.

Objective The relationships between oral health habits, dietary practices, and oral health status, as well as general health status, in the population of Italian women, are complex, with many mutual and interrelating factors. The purpose of this study is to investigate oral habits, oral status, and dietary habits of a sample of women in Italy, highlighting the links between nutrition and oral health and discussing how oral health care professionals can integrate nutrition counseling that aimed at improving the oral health of their patients into their practices. Materials and Methods In the period between February 2020 and July 2020, an anonymous questionnaire made up of 20 questions was administered to a randomized sample of 120 Italian women. Results Most of women declare good manual skills in oral hygiene (50%) but just less than half of them brushes their teeth more than three times a day. Statistically significant correlations were found between frequency of dental checkups and dental mobility (p = 0.036), and halitosis (p = 0.006), as well as between frequency of flossing and gum bleeding. Correlation between the type of diet and oral health status showed more halitosis (∼21%), sensitivity (∼26%), and xerostomia (∼53.3%) for vegetarian and vegan women. Conclusion More awareness need to be raised concerning oral hygiene habits, and regarding the importance of regular dental checkups. Brushing at least twice or three times a day needs to be encouraged and the valid support of dental aids has to be in the everyday domestic oral hygiene protocol, as scientific evidence demonstrates. Future clinical studies need to be performed on a more consistent number of vegetarian and vegan patients, to obtain more statistically significant results and support future research that will compare omnivorous, vegetarian, and vegan diets and their influence on oral health status.

Background: Extrusion, lateral luxation, and intrusion are among the most serious types of dental trauma. Only a few studies have specifically focused on extrusion; the present one was aimed at reporting a case of domestic traumatic dental injury to primary tooth and describing the measures taken in managing the trauma in order to avoid future consequences to the underlying permanent tooth germ. Case report: A 3.5-year-old boy reported a dental injury with extrusion and root fracture of deciduous tooth 5.1. After intraoral and radiographic evaluation, the element was repositioned and stabilized by an orthodontic flexible splint attached to the adjacent teeth. Several follow-up checkups were made and showed good healing of the tissues and physiological exfoliation of the tooth, with a healthy and unaffected corresponding central permanent incisor. Conclusion: This case report strengthens the importance of well-timed diagnosis and treatment and of regular follow-up of traumatized teeth as they may affect both dentitions with a negative impact on Oral Health-Related Quality of Life. Conservative treatment should be taken into consideration when possible, being in some cases more appropriate.

Vaccination against SARS-CoV2 represents a key weapon to prevent COVID-19, but lower response rates to vaccination have frequently been reported in solid organ transplant recipients. The aim of our study was to evaluate the rate of seroconversion to SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines in a cohort of kidney transplant recipients and the potential role of the different immunosuppressive regimens. We conducted an observational retrospective cohort study in kidney transplant patients vaccinated for COVID-19. For each patient, we evaluated IgG anti-S-RBD SARS-CoV-2 titers immediately before the administration of first COVID-19 vaccination dose, 20 days after the first dose and 40 days after the second dose. Moreover, we evaluated the type of immunosuppressive treatment and the incidence of vaccine breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infection. We enrolled 121 kidney transplant patients vaccinated for COVID-19. At the time of administration of the first vaccine dose, all patients had a negative antibody titer; only 4.1% had positive antibody titers 20 days after the first dose. More than half patients 62 (51%) had protective antibody titers 40 days after the second dose. A total of 18 Solid Organ Transplant Recipients (SOTRs) (14.9%) got a SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infection during the study period. With regard to immunosuppressive regimen, patients on mycophenolate-based regimen (48.7%) showed the lowest antibody response rates (27.5%) compared to other regimens. Our study confirms that kidney transplant patients show a poor response to two doses of COVID-19 vaccination. Moreover, in our study the use of mycophenolate is significantly associated with a non-response to COVID-19 m-RNA vaccines.

Purpose We assessed the impact of COVID-19 infection on cardiovascular events in patients with suspected or known coronary artery disease (CAD) referred to stress myocardial perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography (MPS). Methods A total of 950 consecutive patients with suspected or known CAD were submitted by referring physicians to stress MPS for assessment of myocardial ischemia between January 2018 and June 2019. All patients underwent stress-optional rest MPS. Perfusion defects were quantitated as % of LV myocardium and expressed as total perfusion defect (TPD), representing the defect extent and severity. A TPD ≥ 5% was considered abnormal. Results During a mean follow-up of 27 months (range 4–38) 31 events occurred. Moreover, 55 (6%) patients had a COVID-19 infection. The median time from index MPS to COVID-19 infection was 16 months (range 6–24). At Cox multivariable analysis, abnormal MPS and COVID-19 infection resulted as independent predictors of events. There were no significant differences in annualized event rate in COVID-19 patients with or without abnormal MPS (p = 0.56). Differently, in patients without COVID-19 the presence of abnormal MPS was associated with higher event rate (p

Prognosis in light-chain (AL) and transthyretin (ATTR) amyloidosis is influenced by cardiac involvement. ATTR amyloidosis has better prognosis than AL amyloidosis despite more amyloid infiltration, suggesting additional mechanisms of damage in AL amyloidosis.The aim of the study was to assess the presence and prognostic significance of myocardial edema in patients with amyloidosis.The study recruited 286 patients: 100 with systemic AL amyloidosis, 163 with cardiac ATTR amyloidosis, 12 with suspected cardiac ATTR amyloidosis (grade 1 onMyocardial T2 was increased in amyloidosis with the degree of elevation being highest in untreated AL patients (untreated AL amyloidosis 56.6 ± 5.1 ms; treated AL amyloidosis 53.6 ± 3.9 ms; ATTR amyloidosis 54.2 ± 4.1 ms; each p 0.01 compared with control subjects: 48.9 ± 2.0 ms). Left ventricular (LV) mass and extracellular volume fraction were higher in ATTR amyloidosis compared with AL amyloidosis while LV ejection fraction was lower (p 0.001). Histological evidence of edema was present in 87.5% of biopsy samples ranging from 5% to 40% myocardial involvement. Using Cox regression models, myocardial T2 predicted death in AL amyloidosis (hazard ratio: 1.48; 95% confidence interval: 1.20 to 1.82) and remained significant after adjusting for extracellular volume fraction and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (hazard ratio: 1.32; 95% confidence interval: 1.05 to 1.67).Myocardial edema is present in cardiac amyloidosis by histology and cardiovascular magnetic resonance T2 mapping. T2 is higher in untreated AL amyloidosis compared with treated AL and ATTR amyloidosis, and is a predictor of prognosis in AL amyloidosis. This suggests mechanisms additional to amyloid infiltration contributing to mortality in amyloidosis.

The focus of this paper is the pediatric dental care of Cleft Lip and Palate (CLP) children and the role of the pediatric dentist in the CLP team. The management of children with cleft lip and palate presents many challenges and a multidisciplinary and prepared team is always required. Affected individuals present a multiplicity of problems: effective management involves a wide range of specialities. The value of a multidisciplinary team is widely known and mentioned in the literature, but very few papers focus on the role and the importance of the pediatric dentist. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to underline the role of the pediatric dentist as a member of the cleft lip and palate team which ranges from prenatal counseling, presurgical prevention and orthopedics, to post-treatment rehabilitation and restoration.

Background Extracellular volume (ECV) by T1 mapping requires the contrast agent distribution to be at equilibrium. This can be achieved either definitively with a primed contrast infusion (infusion ECV), or sufficiently with a delay postbolus (bolus-only ECV). For large ECV, the bolus-only approach measures higher than the infusion ECV, causing some uncertainty in diseases such as amyloidosis. Purpose To characterize the relationship between the bolus-only and current gold-standard infusion ECV in patients with amyloidosis. Study type Bolus-only and infusion ECV were prospectively measured. Population In all, 186 subjects with systemic amyloidosis attending our clinic and 23 subjects with systemic amyloidosis who were participating in an open-label, two-part, dose-escalation, phase 1 trial. Field strength Avanto 1.5T, Siemens Medical Solutions, Erlangen, Germany. Assessment Bolus-only and infusion ECV were measured in all subjects using shortened modified Look-Locker inversion recovery (ShMOLLI) T1 mapping sequence. Statistical tests Pearson correlation coefficient (r); Bland-Altman; receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Linear regression model with a fractional polynomial transformation. Results The difference between the bolus-only and infusion myocardial ECV increased as the average of the two measures increased, with the bolus-ECV measuring higher. For an average ECV of 0.4, the difference was 0.013. The 95% limits of agreement for the two methods, after adjustment for the bias, were ±0.056. However, cardiac diagnostic accuracy was comparable (bolus-only vs. infusion ECV area under the curve [AUC] = 0.839 vs. 0.836), as were correlations with other clinical cardiac measures, and, in the trial patients, the ability to track changes in the liver/spleen with therapy. Data conclusion In amyloidosis, with large ECVs, the bolus-only technique reads higher than the infusion technique, but clinical performance by any measure is the same. Given the work-flow advantages, these data suggest that the bolus-only approach might be acceptable for amyloidosis, and might support its use as a surrogate endpoint in future clinical trials. Level of evidence 1 Technical Efficacy: Stage 4 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2018;47:1677-1684.

Background Cardiac transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR) is an increasingly recognized cause of heart failure. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR), with late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) and T1 mapping, is emerging as a reference standard for diagnosis and characterization of cardiac amyloidosis. Objectives The authors used CMR with extracellular volume fraction (ECV) measurement to characterize cardiac involvement in relation to outcome in ATTR. Methods Subjects comprised 263 patients with cardiac ATTR corroborated by grade 2 to 3 99mTc-DPD (99mTc-3,3-diphosphono-1,2-propanodicarboxylic acid) cardiac uptake, 17 with suspected cardiac ATTR (grade 1 99mTc-DPD), and 12 asymptomatic individuals with amyloidogenic transthyretin (TTR) mutations. Fifty patients with cardiac light-chain (AL) amyloidosis acted as disease comparators. Results Unlike cardiac AL amyloidosis, asymmetrical septal left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) was present in 79% of patients with ATTR (70% sigmoid septum and 30% reverse septal contour), whereas symmetrical LVH was present in 18%, and 3% had no LVH. In patients with cardiac amyloidosis, the pattern of LGE was always typical for amyloidosis (29% subendocardial, 71% transmural), including right ventricular LGE (96%). During follow-up (19 ± 14 months), 65 patients died. ECV independently correlated with mortality and remained independent after adjustment for age, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide, ejection fraction, E/E′, and left ventricular mass (hazard ratio: 1.164; 95% confidence interval: 1.066 to 1.271; p Conclusions Asymmetrical hypertrophy, traditionally associated with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, was the commonest pattern of ventricular remodeling in ATTR. LGE imaging was typical in all patients with cardiac ATTR. ECV correlated with amyloid burden and was an independent prognostic factor for survival in this cohort of patients.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system reacts by damaging the central nervous system, specifically myelin and oligodendrocytes. It is the most debilitating neurological disease among young adults, causing personal, familiar, social, and professional limitations. Multiple sclerosis can cause disturbances in the orofacial district, due to a demyelination process on the nerves of the head and neck district. The aim of this study was to evaluate the oral health status, dysphagia, and quality of life of patients affected by MS. For this study, 101 patients aged between 12 and 70 (47 males, 54 females) affected by MS were selected, and three questionnaires were handed out and anonymously filled in by them: An oral hygiene test, DYMUS (DYsphagia in MUltiple Sclerosis), and IOHIP-14 (Italian version Oral Health Impact Profile). Through the analysis of the questionnaires it was possible to observe pathological conditions, such as gingival inflammation, xerostomia, dysphagia, neuralgia, and dysarthria. Through the analysis it was possible to outline how the roles of a medical team, composed of a dentist, otolaryngologist, and dental hygienist, are fundamental in coping with other medical figures, during the whole development of the diseases, as well as to prevent possible complications.

Objective The study evaluated the efficacy of tea tree oil for the treatment of gingivitis. Materials and Methods The tea tree oil was administered in the form of mouthwash and then compared with a mouthwash with chlorhexidine 0.12%. Both treatments were domestic and lasted for 14 days. Patients were chosen according to random criteria, aged between 18 and 60 years, and who showed a clinically evident gingivitis. In clinical evaluation, the following clinical criteria were taken into consideration: gingival index (GI), plaque index (PI), bleeding index (BI), probing depth (PD), the presence of dental dyschromia, and the presence of taste alteration. The subjects were evaluated before (T0) and after the treatment (T1), and the data collected for each patient were recorded on a periodontal chart. Results The comparison showed that tea tree oil offered a better improvement in the evaluation of PI, BOP, and PD; furthermore, it did not cause dental dyschromia and taste alteration. In group A, treated with tea tree oil, PI decreased from 53.25 to 5.50% and BI from 38.41 to 4.22%. In group B, treated with chlorhexidine PI decreased from 47.69 to 2.37% and BI from 32.93 to 6.28%. Instead, the subjects using chlorhexidine 0.12% blamed a distaste for the product that caused a slight taste alteration; 20% of them showed iatrogenic dental dyschromia. Conclusions The collected data showed the efficacy of both treatments. Although further research works will be necessary, this study showed that tea tree oil could be an effective nontoxic substitute for the therapy of gingivitis.

Systemic light-chain (AL) amyloidosis is characterized by interstitial deposition of aggregated misfolded monoclonal immunoglobulin light chains in the form of amyloid fibrils. Cardiac involvement is the main driver of prognosis. Brain natriuretic peptides and echocardiography are currently the

Extracellular volume (ECV) by TTo characterize the relationship between the bolus-only and current gold-standard infusion ECV in patients with amyloidosis.Bolus-only and infusion ECV were prospectively measured.In all, 186 subjects with systemic amyloidosis attending our clinic and 23 subjects with systemic amyloidosis who were participating in an open-label, two-part, dose-escalation, phase 1 trial.Avanto 1.5T, Siemens Medical Solutions, Erlangen, Germany.Bolus-only and infusion ECV were measured in all subjects using shortened modified Look-Locker inversion recovery (ShMOLLI) TPearson correlation coefficient (r); Bland-Altman; receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Linear regression model with a fractional polynomial transformation.The difference between the bolus-only and infusion myocardial ECV increased as the average of the two measures increased, with the bolus-ECV measuring higher. For an average ECV of 0.4, the difference was 0.013. The 95% limits of agreement for the two methods, after adjustment for the bias, were ±0.056. However, cardiac diagnostic accuracy was comparable (bolus-only vs. infusion ECV area under the curve [AUC] = 0.839 vs. 0.836), as were correlations with other clinical cardiac measures, and, in the trial patients, the ability to track changes in the liver/spleen with therapy.In amyloidosis, with large ECVs, the bolus-only technique reads higher than the infusion technique, but clinical performance by any measure is the same. Given the work-flow advantages, these data suggest that the bolus-only approach might be acceptable for amyloidosis, and might support its use as a surrogate endpoint in future clinical trials.1 Technical Efficacy: Stage 4 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2018;47:1677-1684.

This cross-sectional study aimed to describe the functional and structural cardiac abnormalities that occur across a spectrum of cardiac amyloidosis burden and to identify the strongest cardiac functional and structural prognostic predictors in amyloidosis using cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) and echocardiography.Cardiac involvement in light chain and transthyretin amyloidosis is the main driver of prognosis and influences treatment strategies. Numerous measures of cardiac structure and function are assessed by multiple imaging modalities in amyloidosis.A total f 322 subjects (311 systemic amyloidosis and 11 transthyretin gene mutation carriers) underwent comprehensive CMR and transthoracic echocardiography. The probabilities of 11 commonly measured structural and functional cardiac parameters being abnormal with increasing cardiac amyloidosis burden were evaluated. Cardiac amyloidosis burden was quantified using CMR-derived extracellular volume. The prognostic capacities of these parameters to predict death in amyloidosis were assessed using Cox proportional hazards models.Left ventricular mass and mitral annular plane systolic excursion by CMR along with strain and E/e' by echocardiography have high probabilities of being abnormal at low cardiac amyloid burden. Reductions in biventricular ejection fractions and elevations in biatrial areas occur at high burdens of infiltration. The probabilities of indexed stroke volume, myocardial contraction fraction, and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) being abnormal occur more gradually with increasing extracellular volume. Ninety patients (28%) died during a median follow-up of 22 months (interquartile range: 10 to 38 months). Univariable analysis showed that all imaging markers studied significantly predicted outcome. Multivariable analysis showed that TAPSE (hazard ratio: 1.46; 95% confidence interval: 1.16 to 1.85; p 0.01) and indexed stroke volume (hazard ratio: 1.24; 95% confidence interval: 1.04 to 1.48; p 0.05) by CMR were the only independent predictors of mortality.Specific functional and structural abnormalities characterize different burdens of cardiac amyloid deposition. In a multimodality imaging assessment of a large cohort of amyloidosis patients, CMR-derived TAPSE and indexed stroke volume are the strongest prognostic cardiac functional markers.

Background The prognosis and treatment of the 2 main types of cardiac amyloidosis, immunoglobulin light chain (AL) and transthyretin (ATTR) amyloidosis are substantially influenced by cardiac involvement. ATTR amyloidosis has better prognosis than AL despite more amyloid infiltration. This paradox suggests additional mechanisms of damage in AL amyloidosis. The aim of this study was to assess the presence and ?prognostic significance of oedema in a large population of patients with cardiac amyloidosis and compare findings among those with TTR and AL types. Methods and results 286 patients (100 with systemic AL amyloidosis (including 49 patients scanned prior to commencing chemotherapy), 163 with cardiac ATTR amyloidosis, 12 with suspected cardiac ATTR amyloidosis (grade 1 on 99mTc-DPD) and 11 asymptomatic individuals with amyloidogenic transthyretin(TTR) mutations), and 30 healthy volunteers were recruited. All subjects underwent CMR with T1 and T2 mapping, and ECV quantification. Left ventricular(LV) mass and ECV were higher in ATTR compared to AL whilst LV ejection fraction(EF) was significantly lower(p Conclusion Patients with AL amyloidosis have a worse prognosis compared to ATTR despite having less cardiac amyloid infiltration. T2 was significantly higher in untreated AL amyloidosis consistent with oedema, and was an independent predictor of prognosis. The higher ECV in ATTR was consistent with higher amyloid infiltration. These findings highlight the unique role of CMR with multiparametric mapping for characterising the cardiac effects of systemic amyloidosis and risk stratification in this population.

Background Cardiac transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR amyloidosis) is an increasingly recognised cause of heart failure. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) with late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) and T1 mapping is emerging as a reference standard for diagnosis and characterisation of cardiac amyloid. Objectives We used CMR with extracellular volume fraction (ECV) measurement to characterise cardiac involvement in relation to outcome in ATTR amyloidosis. Methods Subjects comprised 263 patients with cardiac ATTR amyloidosis corroborated by grade 2–3 99mTc-DPD cardiac uptake, 17 with suspected cardiac ATTR amyloidosis (grade 1 99mTc-DPD) and 12 asymptomatic individuals with amyloidogenic transthyretin (TTR) mutations. Fifty patients with cardiac AL amyloidosis acted as disease controls. Results In contrast to AL amyloidosis, asymmetric septal hypertrophy was present in 79% of ATTR patients (70% sigmoid septum and 30% reverse septal curvature), whilst symmetric left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) was present in only 18%; 3% of patients has no LVH. In patients with cardiac amyloidosis, the pattern of LGE was always typical for amyloidosis (29% subendocardial, 71% transmural) including right ventricular LGE (96%). 65 patients died during follow-up (19±14 months). ECV independently correlated with mortality and remained independent after adjustment for age, N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide, ejection fraction, E/E’ and left ventricular mass index (hazard ratio, 1.164; 95% confidence interval, 1.066–1.271; p Conclusions Asymmetric hypertrophy, traditionally associated with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, is the commonest pattern of ventricular remodelling in ATTR amyloidosis. LGE imaging is typical in all patients with cardiac ATTR amyloidosis. ECV correlates with amyloid burden and provides incremental information on outcome even after adjustment for known prognostic factors.

Background Cardiac involvement is the main driver of outcome in systemic amyloidosis, but the relationship between amyloid deposits and cellular injury is not well understood. The simple explanation of physical, mechanical replacement of parenchymal tissue seems insufficient, and preliminary studies support the hypothesis that myocardial hypoperfusion could contribute to cell damage in amyloidosis. The aim of this study was: 1) To assess feasibility of fully automated pixel-wise rest myocardial blood flow (MBF) mapping in cardiac amyloidosis during routine clinical scans; 2) To assess the prevalence of myocardial hypoperfusion and correlation with amyloid deposits and disease severity. Methods Patients (n=56) with systemic amyloidosis and healthy volunteers (n=16) were recruited. All subjects underwent CMR at 1.5T (Siemens) with standard SSFP cine imaging, Phase Sensitive Inversion Recovery Reconstruction Late Gadolinium Enhancement (PSIR-LGE), T1 mapping, Extracellular Volume (ECV) mapping and rest MBF mapping. Results The pixel-wise MBF maps for all slices were generated automatically in all patients within 2.5 min after image acquisition. Myocardial perfusion was globally reduced in patients with cardiac amyloidosis compared to healthy volunteers (0.66±0.26 ml/min/g vs 0.84±0.19 ml/min/g, p Conclusions Myocardial perfusion can be measured in cardiac amyloidosis during routine clinical scans with fully automated MBF mapping. Myocardial hypoperfusion at rest is highly prevalent in subjects with cardiac amyloidosis, and correlates with the degree of amyloid infiltration and disease severity.

Background Cardiac involvement in immunoglobulin light chain (AL) amyloidosis is the major determinant of survival; Cardiac response to chemotherapy is conventionally assessed by serum brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and echocardiography, but neither quantify amyloid burden. The aim of this study was to evaluate cardiac AL amyloid serially using cardiovascular MR (CMR) including extracellular volume measurement (ECV), which is the site of the amyloid deposits. Methods 31 patients with cardiac AL amyloidosis who had chemotherapy were studied serially using ECG, echocardiography, 123I-labelled serum amyloid P component (SAP) scintigraphy, NT-proBNP measurements and CMR with T1 mapping and ECV measurements (mean interval 20±11 months). Nineteen patients achieved a complete or very good partial haematological response (CR n=10; VGPR n=9). Twelve patients attained a partial response (PR) or no response (NR). Results At follow-up (mean 20±11 months), the amyloid burden had decreased substantially in 6 of the 10 (60%) attaining a CR, 6 of the 9 (67%) in VGPR and 1 of the 8 (13%) in PR. Changes in the ECV consistent with regression of amyloid were concordant with the changes in native T1, reduction in amyloid volume and in 5 patients with changes in late gadolinium enhancement pattern (figure 1). Overall there was significant reduction in NT-proBNP concentration, LV mass, left atrial area and improvement in diastolic function in patients whose amyloid burden decreased. Regression of cardiac amyloid by CMR correlated with regression of amyloid in other organs measured by SAP scintigraphy.