Cardiac Hypertrophy: A Comprehensive Review from Prenatal Life to Young Adulthood.

Myocardial hypertrophy (MH) represents a complex and heterogeneous condition in the pediatric and young adult population. While rare in children, MH encompasses a wide spectrum of physiological and pathological entities, ranging from transient hypertrophy in the infants of diabetic mothers to progressive genetic hypertrophic cardiomyopathies (HCM) with significant morbidity and mortality. Differential diagnosis is critical, as many phenocopies-including metabolic, mitochondrial, and syndromic diseases-can mimic HCM.

Effect of SGLT2 inhibitors on cardiac structure and function assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background And Aim: Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) improve outcomes in patients with heart failure (HF) but underlying mechanisms remain incompletely understood. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) is key in evaluating cardiac structure and function, enabling accurate assessment of reverse remodeling. Aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the effects of SGLT2i on cardiac remodeling evaluated by CMR changes.

Echocardiographic Assessment of Cardiac Function in Mouse Models of Heart Disease.

Echocardiography is a cornerstone technique for evaluating cardiac function in preclinical research using murine models. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the echocardiographic approaches employed to assess ventricular function in mouse models of heart disease, highlighting methodological principles, technical challenges, and the translational relevance of findings. Various echocardiographic modalities enable the precise evaluation of systolic and diastolic function.

How to behave with paediatric myocarditis: imaging methods and clinical considerations.

Paediatric myocarditis is a challenging and heterogeneous condition, with varied clinical presentations ranging from mild symptoms to life-threatening complications such as heart failure, arrhythmias, and sudden cardiac death. Effective management hinges on early diagnosis, appropriate treatment, and ongoing monitoring, which can be significantly enhanced through multimodal imaging techniques. This review emphasizes the crucial role of advanced imaging in the diagnosis, prognostication, and management of paediatric myocarditis.

Multimodality Imaging Approach to Infective Endocarditis: Current Opinion in Patients with Congenital Heart Disease.

Although advances in medical and surgical management have significantly improved clinical outcomes, infective endocarditis (IE) remains a significant threat to patients with congenital heart disease (CHD). The complexity of cardiac anatomy, the presence of prosthetic materials, and the emergence of novel pathogens pose unique diagnostic challenges in this specific population. However, the use of personalized imaging, integrating the strengths of each modality, has the potential to refine the diagnostic process, thereby optimizing diagnostic accuracy, guiding therapeutic decisions, and, ultimately, improving patient clinical outcomes.

Early hemodynamic impact of SGLT2 inhibitors in overweight cardiometabolic heart failure: beyond fluid offloading to vascular adaptation- a preliminary report.

Background: Heart failure (HF) is increasingly recognized as a heterogeneous cardiometabolic disorder, often in the context of overweight/obesity independently from diabetes. Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) reduce HF hospitalizations and cardiovascular mortality across ejection fraction (EF) categories, yet their early hemodynamic effects in cardiometabolic HF, and with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) in particular, remain underexplored.

Methods: A prospective, single-center study included 20 consecutive HF patients receiving SGLT2i alongside optimized therapy.

Feasibility and Role of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance in Intensive and Acute Cardiovascular Care.

Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) is established as a key imaging modality in a wide range of cardiovascular diseases and has an emerging diagnostic and prognostic role in selected patients presenting acutely. Recent technical advancements have improved the versatility of this imaging technique, which has become quicker and more detailed in both functional and tissue characterization assessments. Information derived from this test has the potential to change clinical management, guide therapeutic decisions, and provide risk stratification.

CarDiac magnEtic Resonance for prophylactic Implantable cardioVerter defibrillAtor ThErapy in Non-Dilated Left Ventricular Cardiomyopathy: a sub-study from the DERIVATE registry.

Aims: Accurate risk stratification for patients with non-dilated left ventricular cardiomyopathy (NDLVC) remains challenging due to lack of dedicated clinical trials. This post hoc analysis aims to delineate the arrhythmic risk and assess the incremental value of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging in the CarDiac magnEtic Resonance for prophylactic Implantable-cardioVerter defibrillAtor ThErapy (DERIVATE) study cohort meeting the NDLVC diagnostic criteria.

Methods And Results: Patients with NDLVC from the DERIVATE registry were identified in the absence of left ventricular (LV) dilatation and in the presence of non-ischaemic LV scarring ('fibrotic NDLVC') or isolated LV systolic dysfunction (LV ejection fraction < 50%) without fibrosis ('hypokinetic NDLVC').

Intracardiac fluid dynamic analysis: available techniques and novel clinical applications.

There is a growing interest in the potential use of intracardiac fluid dynamic analysis to better understand cardiac mechanics and identify novel imaging biomarkers of cardiovascular disease. Abnormalities of vortex formation and shape may in fact play a critical role in cardiac function, affecting both efficiency and myocardial workload. Recent advances in imaging technologies have significantly improved our ability to analyze these dynamic flow patterns in vivo, offering new insights into both normal and pathological cardiac conditions.

Understanding Vascular Calcification in Chronic Kidney Disease: Pathogenesis and Therapeutic Implications.

Vascular calcification (VC) is a biological phenomenon characterized by an accumulation of calcium and phosphate deposits within the walls of blood vessels causing the loss of elasticity of the arterial walls. VC plays a crucial role in the incidence and progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD), leading to a significant increase in cardiovascular mortality in these patients. Different conditions such as age, sex, dyslipidemia, diabetes, and hypertension are the main risk factors in patients affected by chronic kidney disease.

Cardiomyopathies: The Role of Non-Coding RNAs.

Cardiomyopathies are the structural and functional disorders of the myocardium. Etiopathogenesis is complex and involves an interplay of genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors eventually leading to myocardial abnormalities. It is known that non-coding (Nc) RNAs, including micro (mi)-RNAs and long non-coding (lnc) RNAs, play a crucial role in regulating gene expression.

Changes of intracardiac flow dynamics measured by HyperDoppler in patients with aortic stenosis.

Aims: Assessment of intracardiac flow dynamics has recently acquired significance due to the development of new measurement methods based on echocardiography. Recent studies have demonstrated that cardiac abnormalities are associated with changes in intracardiac vortical flows. Yet, no previous study assessed the impact of aortic stenosis (AS) on intracardiac vortices.

Importance of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Applied to Congenital Heart Diseases in Pediatric Age: A Narrative Review.

Congenital heart diseases (CHDs) represent a heterogeneous group of congenital defects, with high prevalence worldwide. Non-invasive imaging is essential to guide medical and surgical planning, to follow the patient over time in the evolution of the disease, and to reveal potential complications of the chosen treatment. The application of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI) in this population allows for obtaining detailed information on the defects without the necessity of ionizing radiations.

Repaired Tetralogy of Fallot: Have We Understood the Right Timing of PVR?

Despite many advances in surgical repair during the past few decades, the majority of tetralogy of Fallot patients continue to experience residual hemodynamic and electrophysiological abnormalities. The actual issue, which has yet to be solved, is understanding how this disease evolves in each individual patient and, as a result, who is truly at risk of sudden death, as well as the proper timing of pulmonary valve replacement (PVR). Our responsibility should be to select the most appropriate time for each patient, going above and beyond imaging criteria used up to now to make such a clinically crucial decision.

The mechanics of congenital heart disease: from a morphological trait to the functional echocardiographic evaluation.

Advances in pediatric cardiac surgery have resulted in a recent growing epidemic of children and young adults with congenital heart diseases (CHDs). In these patients, congenital defects themselves, surgical operations and remaining lesions may alter cardiac anatomy and impact the mechanical performance of both ventricles. Cardiac function significantly influences outcomes in CHDs, necessitating regular patient follow-up to detect clinical changes and relevant risk factors.

Non-Invasive Imaging Assessment in Patients with Aortic Coarctation: A Contemporary Review.

Coarctation of the aorta (CoA) is a congenital abnormality characterized by a narrowing of the aortic lumen, which can lead to significant morbidity and mortality if left untreated. Even after repair and despite significant advances in therapeutic management, these patients have overall reduced long-term survival due to the consequences of chronic afterload increase. Cardiovascular imaging is key from the first diagnosis to serial follow-up.

Multimodality Imaging Assessment of Tetralogy of Fallot: From Diagnosis to Long-Term Follow-Up.

Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) is the most common complex congenital heart disease with long-term survivors, demanding serial monitoring of the possible complications that can be encountered from the diagnosis to long-term follow-up. Cardiovascular imaging is key in the diagnosis and serial assessment of TOF patients, guiding patients' management and providing prognostic information. Thorough knowledge of the pathophysiology and expected sequalae in TOF, as well as the advantages and limitations of different non-invasive imaging modalities that can be used for diagnosis and follow-up, is the key to ensuring optimal management of patients with TOF.