BACKGROUND Autoantibody-related congenital heart block (CHB) is an autoimmune condition in which trans placental passage of maternal autoantibodies cause damage to the developing heart conduction system of the foetus. CASE PRESENTATION We report a case of an Italian 31-year-old woman, in a good clinical status, referred to our Centre at 26 weeks of her first pregnancy, because of foetal brady...

conclusions the vibratory innocent murmur is associated with the presence of left ventricular false tendon and higher left ventricular outflow tract velocity. the presence of the left ventricular false tendon was somewhat associated with decreased early diastolic myocardial velocity. normal left ventricular systolic and diastolic function can be used as a reassurance in cases with the vibratory...

background: heart disease is the main cause of mortality and morbidity in patients with beta thalassemia, rendering its early diagnosis vital. we studied and compared echocardiographic findings in patients with beta thalassemia major, patients with beta thalassemia intermedia, and a control group. methods: eighty asymptomatic patients with thalassemia major and 22 asymptomatic cases with thalas...

Background: Mitral valve disease is the most common acquired heart disease in dogs. Mitral valve regurgitation (MR) due to endocardiosis is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in dog. Echocardiography as a non-invasive tool is routinely used to evaluate and diagnose different disorders in the heart. Objectives: The purpose of this study is to determine the efficacy of medical treatmen...

A murmur of mitral regurgitation in patients with congestive heart failure after an acute myocardial infarction suggests a surgically correctable cause of the heart failure. Six patients who presented in this manner and who later underwent surgery have been evaluated by two-dimensional echocardiography (2DE). The underlying anatomical cause of the mitral regurgitation was correctly identified a...

AIMS Biventricular (BiV) pacing and left univentricular (LUV) pacing can each produce clinical benefits in heart failure. The impact of modern refinements in pacing optimization on the relative benefits of these two modes is unknown. We aimed to compare these two modes in patients with heart failure, using Echo-based optimization of each pacing mode. METHODS AND RESULTS Paired data were colle...

AIMS There is controversy regarding the inclusion of patients with hypertension among cases of peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM), as the practice has contributed significantly to the discrepancy in reported characteristics of PPCM. We sought to determine whether hypertensive heart failure of pregnancy (HHFP) (i.e., peripartum cardiac failure associated with any form of hypertension) and PPCM hav...

UNLABELLED There have been numerous studies focusing on the assessment of left ventricular mechanical dyssynchrony. These studies are diverse in their purposes, which include more effectively predicting the response to cardiac resynchronization therapy, improving the guidance of the left ventricular lead position, and better prediction of outcome in patients with heart failure. This article rev...

background: severe and prolonged physical training is associated with morphological and physiological cardiac changes, often termed as the “athlete’s heart”. echocardiographic features peculiar to elite iranian athletes have not been previously described. the aim was to examine the echocardiographic characteristics of highly trained iranian athletes involved in three different sports.   methods...