AIMS Two-dimensional echocardiographic (2DE) continuity-equation derived aortic valve area (AVA) in aortic stenosis (AS) relies on non-simultaneous measurement of left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) velocity and geometric assumptions of LVOT area, which can amplify error, especially in upper septal hypertrophy (USH). We hypothesized that real-time three-dimensional echocardiography (RT3DE) ca...

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES To determine whether the reproducibility of left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) area measurement is greater with three-dimensional echocardiographic (3D-echo) planimetry than with conventional 2D-echo. To determine the LVOT circularity index by means of 3D-echo. To determine the usefulness of measuring the LVOT area by 3D-echo for quantifying the severity of valvul...

BACKGROUND Nonsurgical septal reduction therapy (NSRT) decreases left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) gradient and improves symptoms in patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM). NSRT effects on LV/left ventricular diastolic function are currently unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS HOCM patients (n=29) had Doppler echocardiography at baseline and 6 months after NSRT to evaluate ...

A 67-YEAR-OLD FEMALE presented to the authors’ institution for an elective aortic valve replacement (AVR) in the setting of known aortic stenosis and progressive congestive heart failure symptoms. The patient had been followed as an outpatient with serial transthoracic echocardiograms (TTE) but suffered an acute episode of hemodynamic decompensation with respiratory failure requiring intubation...

PRECISE ANATOMICAL ANALYSIS OF STENOTIC LESIONS OF THE LEFT VENTRICULAR outflow tract (LVOT) in discrete subaortic membranous stenosis (DSS) and hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) is challenging due to their complex nature (1,2). In the present study, we clarified the difference of the geometry and dynamic change of LVOT area using en face views of the LVOT in 6 patients with DSS an...

The left ventral occipito-temporal cortex (LvOT) is thought to be essential for the rapid parallel letter processing that is required for skilled reading. Here we investigate whether rapid written word identification in skilled readers can be supported by neural pathways that do not involve LvOT. Hypotheses were derived from a stroke patient who acquired dyslexia following extensive LvOT damage...

BACKGROUND Solitary papillary muscle (PM) hypertrophy is an unique type of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), which is characterized by predominant papillary muscle hypertrophy sparing the rest of other left ventricular segments. It has recently drawn our attention about the mechanism of left ventricular mid-cavity obstruction and the influence of pressure gradient in the left ventricular outfl...

Coexistence of hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) and aberrant subclavian artery (arteria lusoria) presents a unique combination. We describe two female patients in whom both anomalies were confirmed by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR). Patient 1: A 57-year-old patient presented with New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III heart failure (HF). Transthoracic echocardiography revea...