Left Ventricular Stroke Work Index as a Predictor of Aortic Stenosis After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation.

Purpose: Evaluation of left ventricular (LV) myocardial contractility to predict outcome in aortic stenosis (AS) is challenging because global longitudinal strain (GLS) does not take afterload into account. We thus tested prognostic value of an echocardiographic index of LV external work, stroke work index (SWI) in AS patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI).

Methods: We evaluated 1583 patients who underwent TAVI from database of a multicenter retrospective study.

Impact of party balloon inflation manoeuvre during saline contrast transthoracic echocardiography for patent foramen ovale detection: INFLATE-PFO registry.

Aims: Paradoxical embolism from a patent foramen ovale (PFO) can cause cryptogenic stroke. Agitated saline contrast transthoracic echocardiography (ASC-TTE), with the Valsalva manoeuvre (VM), is crucial for diagnosing PFO. However, the VM is associated with false-negative outcomes.

Clinical effect of three-dimensional left ventricular mechanical dyssynchrony and cardiac sympathetic denervation in systolic heart failure risk-stratified by left ventricular ejection fraction and QRS duration.

Background: The left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and QRS duration (QRSd) are prognostic factors in patients with systolic heart failure (HF). However, no study has evaluated the prognosis was evaluated by adding three-dimensional left ventricular mechanical dyssynchrony (LVMD) and cardiac sympathetic dysfunction.

Results: In 1011 consecutive patients with HF having LVEF < 50%, LVMD was evaluated as the phase SD of the regional onset-of-mechanical contraction phase angles on a phase histogram created by Fourier phase analysis applied to regional time-activity curves obtained by gated myocardial perfusion.

Echocardiographic Features of Wild-Type Transthyretin Cardiac Amyloidosis From J-Case: Multicenter Survey in Japan.

Background: Wild-type transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis (ATTRwt-CA) occurs at a high prevalence in older patients with left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy. However, detecting ATTRwt-CA using echocardiography is challenging.

Objectives: This study identified echocardiographic findings characterizing ATTRwt-CA compared with monoclonal immunoglobulin light chain cardiac amyloidosis (CA) and hereditary transthyretin CA.

Impairment of Cognitive Function Increases Mortality Risk in Relation to Cardiac Sympathetic Denervation and Renal Dysfunction in Patients With Systolic Heart Failure.

Background: In contrast to the well-known prognostic values of the cardiorenal linkage, it remains unclear whether impaired cognitive function affects cardiac prognosis in relation to cardiac sympathetic innervation and renal function in patients with heart failure (HF).

Methods And Results: A total of 433 consecutive HF patients with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) <50% underwent the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and a neuropsychological test for screening of cognition impairment or subclinical dementia. Following metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) scintigraphy, patient outcomes with a primary endpoint of lethal cardiac events (CEs) were evaluated for a mean period of 14.

Guidance for performance, utilization, and education of cardiac and lung point-of-care ultrasonography from the Japanese Society of Echocardiography.

In recent years, bedside ultrasound examinations have been used in many clinical departments and are called point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS). Regarding POCUS in the cardiac field, a protocol called focus (focused) cardiac ultrasound (FoCUS) has been developed in Europe and the United States, is being used clinically, and an educational syllabus has been created. According to them, FoCUS is defined as a point-of-care cardiac ultrasound examination using standardized limited sections and protocols.

Non-invasive assessment of left ventricular filling pressure in aortic stenosis.

Background: The assessment of left ventricular (LV) filling pressure (FP) is important for the management of aortic stenosis (AS) patients. Although, it is often restricted for predict LV FP in AS because of mitral annular calcification and a certain left ventricular hypertrophy. Thus, we tested the predictive ability of the algorithm for elevated LV FP in AS patients and also applied a recently-proposed echocardiographic scoring system of LV FP, visually assessed time difference between the mitral valve and tricuspid valve opening (VMT) score.

Mural infective endocarditis with a mass on the fossa ovalis in the right atrium.

Infective endocarditis (IE) is a life-threatening disease that affects the endocardial surface of the heart. Although heart valves are commonly involved in IE, in rare cases, vegetation is attached to the cardiac walls without valvular endocardial involvement, which is referred to as mural IE. In this case, a 60-year-old female presented with a seven-day history of fever associated with worsening pain in the right shoulder and left hip.

Echocardiographic estimation of right ventricular diastolic stiffness based on pulmonary regurgitant velocity waveform analysis in precapillary pulmonary hypertension.

Right ventricular (RV) diastolic stiffness is an independent predictor of survival and is strongly associated with disease severity in patients with precapillary pulmonary hypertension (PH). Therefore, a fully validated echocardiographic method for assessing RV diastolic stiffness needs to be established. This study aimed to compare echocardiography-derived RV diastolic stiffness and invasively measured pressure-volume loop-derived RV diastolic stiffness in patients with precapillary PH.

The Clinical Utility of Noninvasive Forrester Classification in Acute Heart Failure from PREDICT Study.

The Forrester classification plays a crucial role in comprehending the underlying pathophysiology of heart failure (HF) and is employed to categorize the severity and predict the outcomes of patients with acute HF. Our objective was to assess the predictive value of the Forrester classification, based on noninvasive hemodynamic measurements obtained through Doppler echocardiography at admission, in forecasting the short-term prognosis posthospitalization of patients with acute HF. Patients were recruited for the Prospect trial to elucidate the utility of EchocarDIography-based Cardiac ouTput in acute heart failure (PREDICT) study, a multicenter, prospective study conducted in Japan.

Paradoxical increase in global longitudinal strain by handgrip exercise despite left ventricular diastolic dysfunction.

Background: Although global longitudinal strain (GLS) is recognized as a sensitive marker of intrinsic left ventricular (LV) dysfunction, its afterload dependency has also been pointed. We hypothesized that decrease in GLS during handgrip exercise could be more sensitive marker of intrinsic myocardial dysfunction.

Methods: Handgrip exercise-stress echocardiography was performed in 90 cardiovascular disease patients with preserved LV ejection fraction.