This study aims to examine the right and left ventricular functions in patients with idiopathic right bundle branch block (RBBB) and compare them to those in a healthy control group. Our findings show that idiopathic RBBB significantly affects the longitudinal strain and synchronization of both the left and right ventricles.

This study showed that adjunctive isoproterenol in dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) with or without atropine increases the number of diagnostic studies with no significant increase in side effects or mortality. The most common side effects of combined infusion were nausea, premature ventricular contractions, hypertension, and hypotension.

Apical sparing phenomenon was more remarkable in transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (TTR-CM) than amyloid cardiomyopathy (AL-CM). There was a significant difference in the relationship of apical sparing phenomenon with hypertrophy between TTR-CM and AL-CM.

The assessment of left atrial size and mechanics, with speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE) or magnetic-resonance feature tracking (CMR-FT), is very informative on preclinical stages of nonischemic cardiomyopathies (NICM), the stage of disease progression and for prognostication. In this article, we highlight the studies that investigated the value of these parameters .

We reported a 3-year-old girl with cyanosis. The patient was diagnosed with an obstructive Chiari network, which is an unrecognized cause of cyanosis. Echocardiography was used to diagnose this disease and provide additional information on flow and pressure gradients.

The images presented show heterotaxy (right atrial isomerism), mitral and pulmonary valve atresia, single ventricle physiology, non-confluent branch pulmonary arteries supplied by ipsilateral ductus, and a large VSD. Non-confluent branch pulmonary arteries which are supplied by bilateral ducts are a rare cardiac anomaly which is illustrated by multimodality imaging in this patient.

Cardiac hemangiomas (CH) arise predominantly from the epicardium and their location in the right ventricular outflow tract is uncommon; we report a unique case of RVOT cardiac hemangioma. Urgent operative intervention resulted in immediate relief and was associated with an uneventful recovery.

Right panels: Linear regression between ΔLVEF and Δtotal SV (upper panel), and ΔEa and Δtotal SV (lower panel). Left panel: Pressure–volume loops before and after TEER according to acute reduction in LVEF. Ea, arterial elastance; LVEF, left ventricular ejection fraction; SV, stroke volume; TEER, transcatheter mitral valve edge-to-edge repair.

AI algorithms are utilized in various areas of cardiac computed tomography, such as coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring, coronary stenosis evaluation, atherosclerotic plaque assessment, CT-derived fractional flow reserve (FFRct), myocardial computed tomography perfusion (CTP), and epicardial adipose tissue analysis. Implementing AI in clinical practice can alleviate the radiologists’ workload and improve diagnostic accuracy, risk stratification, and outcome prediction. .

Photon-counting detector computed tomography (PCD-CT) represents a big leap forward in non-invasive cardiac assessment over conventional standard resolution energy-integrating detector (EID)-CTs. This new detector technology enables ultrahigh-resolution (UHR) imaging at resolutions of up to 0.2 mm. Additional filtering of electronic noise and photon energy discrimination allow PCD-CT to image patients with a high calcium burden, assess in-stent patency, improve stenosis quantification and accuracy, as well as the visualization of small diameter vessels. .

Left ventricular strain analysis by four contemporary strain software (A) TomTec, (B) EchoPAC, (C) VVI, and (D) Epsilon, and table of means and lower limits of normal (with 95% confidence intervals) of left ventricular global longitudinal strain (LVGLS) in healthy subjects.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a disease characterized by pathologically increased pressure in the pulmonary arteries, possibly associated in specific clinical contexts with cardiomyopathies, pathologies characterized by structural and functional anomalies of the myocardium. The diagnostic work-up of these patients includes the use of computed tomography (CT) and cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR), two imaging techniques that provide also information useful for therapeutic management and prognostic evaluation. The aim of this review is to describe the most relevant cardiothoracic findings of uncommon pathologies characterized by associated PH and cardiomyopathy, namely sarcoidosis, systemic sclerosis (SSc), and chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Reduced left atrial strain metrics are more specific and sensitive than conventional demographics and standard echocardiography in predicting post-operative atrial fibrillation. Preoperative LA imaging might aid with identifying patients undergoing lung resection who are high-risk and benefit from prophylactic therapy.

(1) Coronary CTA multiplanar reformat showing severe stenosis by a noncalcified plaque in the right coronary artery (RCA). (2) Cardiac MRI (CMR) short-axis and four-chamber views of the left ventricle (LV) show midwall linear late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) in the LV septum corresponding to FDG-avid uptake on cardiac PET CT. (3) CMR in a young woman with shortness of breath shows LGE in mass-like hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (arrow), previously undiagnosed. Coronary CTA and CMR are vital and complementary tools in the diagnosis, risk stratification, prognosis, and therapeutic decision making of ischemic and nonischemic cardiomyopathies.

The main roles of different cardiac MR sequences and cardiac CT in the approach to cardiomyopathies in clinical practice. AFD, Anderson–Fabry disease; ARVC, arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy; CMR, cardiac magnetic resonance; DCM, dilated cardiomyopathy; ECV, extracellular volume; HCM, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy; MACE, major adverse cardiovascular events; STIR, short Tau inversion recovery.

The pathogenesis and progression of myocardial inflammation involve a multiphase process driven by genetic, epigenetic, autoimmune, and environmental factors. Inflammation establishes a self-perpetuating “vicious cycle”, causing progressive myocardial damage. In AM, direct causative agents and indirect autoimmune mechanisms are reflected in T2 and T1 criteria of the LLC. While most patients recover fully, some develop localized fibrotic scarring or diffuse fibrotic replacement, evidenced by subepicardial/mid-wall LGE or increased native T1 mapping and ECV values. In a minority, inflammation may persist or recur, leading to progressive fibrotic scarring. Finally, chronic inflammatory processes can result in progression toward DCM. AM, acute myocarditis; DCM, dilated cardiomyopathy; ECV, extra-cellular volume; I-CMP, inflammatory cardiomyopathy; LGE, late gadolinium enhancement; LLC, Lake-Louise criteria.

In the recent years, cardiac computed tomography (CCT) emerged as a valuable alternative to cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) for the characterization of myocardial fibrosis, particularly focal and interstitial type enabling CCT to complement or substitute CMR in specific clinical scenarios. This review highlights the key technical aspects and the clinical scenarios where myocardial characterization in CT is beneficial.

Cardiac CTA (CCTA) has great value in the clinical evaluation of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a genetic cardiac disease that can potentially cause sudden cardiac death. CCTA should be used as a primary imaging tool in HCM assessment given its multifaceted role, including in-depth evaluation of the cardiac function and anatomy in addition to its utility in preplanning before HCM-related therapeutic intervention. Abbreviations: AO = aorta, IVS = interventricular septum, LA = left atrium, LAD = left anterior descending artery, LCX = left circumflex, LV = left ventricle, RCV = right ventricle.

In patients with heart failure and LVEF < 50%, left ventricular outflow tract-velocity time integral (LVOT-VTI) had the best reproducibility compared to other parameters describing forward flow. The parameter was also associated with cardiovascular mortality in multivariate Cox analysis. The combination of impaired LVOT-VTI with TAPSE/PASP showed the worst survival.

ICE-guided radiofrequency catheter ablation is safe and effective in the treatment of atrial fibrillation, and it has potential advantages in terms of ablation time, radiation exposure, complication occurrence, and patient prognosis.