A transparent grid for estimating peak Vcf directly from the echocardiograph recording is described. Estimates so obtained were compared with peak Vcf measurements made by an echocardiographic digitising technique and with the angiographic ejection fraction in 13 patients with normal left ventricular function and 17 patients with impaired left ventricular function. No patient had angiographic s...

We analyzed data from 68 consecutive patients with congestive cardiomyopathy to evaluate the prognostic significance of quantitative morphologic findings in left ventricular myocardium as compared with the prognostic significance of left ventricular hemodynamics. Left ventricular endomyocardial biopsy specimens were obtained from all patients during diagnostic heart catheterization. Myocardial ...

BACKGROUND Patients with Eisenmenger syndrome (ES) have better survival, despite similar pulmonary vascular pathology, compared with other patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is useful for risk stratification in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension, whereas it has not been evaluated in ES. We studied CMR together with other noninvasive me...

BACKGROUND Marfan syndrome (MFS) is an autosomal, dominantly inherited, connective tissue disorder usually caused by a mutation in the fibrillin-1 gene (FBN1). As fibrillin-1 is a component of the extracellular matrix of the myocardium, mutations in FBN1 may cause impairment of ventricular function. Furthermore, aortic elasticity is decreased in patients with MFS, which might also impair ventri...

Myxomas comprise 50% of all benign cardiac tumors in adults, with the right atrium as their second most frequent site of origin. Surgical resection is the only effective therapeutic option for patients with these tumors. The association between right atrial myxomas and severe left ventricular systolic dysfunction is extremely rare and makes treatment even more challenging. This was the case for...

BACKGROUND Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) can provide important structural information in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation. Although CMR is considered the standard of reference for measuring ventricular volumes and mass, the relationship between CMR findings of right ventricular (RV) function and outcomes after transcatheter aortic valve implantation has not ...

Eleven patients, with advanced chronic obstructive lung disease (COLD), received an infusion of the calcium antagonist felodipine at a rate of 0.9 mg/h. Pulmonary and systemic vascular resistances (PVR and SVR) at rest were reduced by 18% (p less than 0.05) and 33% (p less than 0.001), respectively. Cardiac output increased by 33%. The right ventricular and left ventricular ejection fractions (...

Background Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is the primary risk stratification tool used for therapeutic decision making related to device therapy. However, an influence of right ventricular dysfunction on cardiovascular events is becoming apparent. The incremental prognostic value of right ventricular ejection fraction (RVEF) on future arrhythmic events among those being considered fo...

conclusions chronic smoking caused left ventricular diastolic dysfunction. acute intake caused left and right ventricular diastolic dysfunction. changes persisted up to 30 minutes after smoking, although diastolic blood pressure returned to normal state. objectives the current study aimed to evaluate the acute and chronic effects of smoking on the left and right ventricular (rv) diastolic funct...

BACKGROUND In idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy, there are scarce data on the influence of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) assessed by cardiovascular magnetic resonance on left ventricular (LV) remodeling. METHODS AND RESULTS Fifty-eight consecutive patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy underwent baseline clinical, biohumoral, and instrumental workup. Medical therapy was optimized...