A multicenter study on the comparability of myocardial strain values acquired with different CMR scanners and analyzed with different post-processing software: insights into the "Traveling Volunteers" study.

Purpose: Strain quantifies myocardial deformation. Despite its high diagnostic value, strain analyses using cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) feature tracking (FT) have not been fully implemented into clinical routine due to lack of information on reproducibility. The purpose of this study was to assess the comparability of cardiovascular magnetic resonance CMR FT strain and ejection fraction (EF) measurements, obtained from different MR scanners and analyzed using different software platforms.

Dual-energy CT liver fat fraction as prognostic imaging biomarker in critically ill patients.

Objectives: To analyze changes in the liver dual-energy CT fat fraction (liver DECT FF) at the intensive care unit (ICU), and its prognostic value.

Materials And Methods: Intubated ICU patients were retrospectively included, who received two clinical DECT (CT1 and CT2) within a minimum interval of 10 days between 11/2019 and 12/2022. The liver DECT FF was determined by combining two regions of interest (ROI) in the right and one ROI in the left liver lobe (minimum area 3.

How we scan cardiac anatomy and function using cardiovascular magnetic resonance: a practical video guide.

Aims: Fast Strain-encoding (fSENC) is a pulse sequence that enables the acquisition of cardiovascular magnetic resonance images within a few heartbeats and at free breathing to quantify myocardial strain, a deformation parameter of the heart muscle. Strain is gaining importance in heart failure diagnostics, but implementing fast strain-encoding into a routine magnetic resonance protocol has not been thoroughly explored from a practical viewpoint. This video manuscript aims to provide a simple guide for the acquisition of cardiovascular magnetic resonance exams in cardiac patients and to determine the scan-rescan reproducibility of segmental strain analyses.

Value of Spectral CT Techniques for the Assessment of Bone Marrow Infiltration in Multiple Myeloma: A Systematic Literature Review.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is the second most common hemato-oncological malignancy, characterized by the clonal proliferation of malignant plasma cells and bone marrow infiltration. The degree of bone marrow infiltration, which is crucial for diagnosis and treatment initiation, is determined through biopsy. While MRI and CT are considered standard imaging methods for detecting focal lesions and osteolytic changes, CT has limitations, particularly in detecting diffuse infiltration patterns without osteolysis.

Novel insights into cardiac structure, function, perfusion, and tissue characteristics in liver cirrhosis: a magnetic resonance analysis.

Objective: This study analyzed the impact of liver cirrhosis on cardiac structure, function, tissue characteristics, and stress perfusion using cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging.

Materials And Methods: Fifty patients with liver cirrhosis and 25 matched, healthy controls received a 3-T CMR exam. Left and right ventricular (LV, RV) and atrial (LA, RA) volumes and functions were analyzed, including ejection fraction (EF), and feature tracking strain analysis.

Impact of training data composition on the generalizability of convolutional neural network aortic cross-section segmentation in four-dimensional magnetic resonance flow imaging.

Background: Four-dimensional cardiovascular magnetic resonance flow imaging (4D flow CMR) plays an important role in assessing cardiovascular diseases. However, the manual or semi-automatic segmentation of aortic vessel boundaries in 4D flow data introduces variability and limits the reproducibility of aortic hemodynamics visualization and quantitative flow-related parameter computation. This paper explores the potential of deep learning to improve 4D flow CMR segmentation by developing models for automatic segmentation and analyzes the impact of the training data on the generalization of the model across different sites, scanner vendors, sequences, and pathologies.

Reduced dynamic changes in pulmonary artery compliance during isometric handgrip exercise in patients with heart failure.

Exercise intolerance is a debilitating symptom in heart failure (HF), adversely affecting both quality of life and long-term prognosis. Emerging evidence suggests that pulmonary artery (PA) compliance may be a contributing factor. This study aims to non-invasively assess PA compliance and its dynamic properties during isometric handgrip (HG) exercise in HF patients and healthy controls, using cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR).

Sex-specific ventricular morphology, function, and tissue characteristics in arterial hypertension: a magnetic resonance study of the Hamburg city health cohort.

Objective: To determine the influence of arterial hypertension (AHT), sex, and the interaction between both left- and right ventricular (LV, RV) morphology, function, and tissue characteristics.

Methods: The Hamburg City Health Study (HCHS) is a population-based, prospective, monocentric study. 1972 individuals without a history of cardiac diseases/ interventions underwent 3 T cardiac MR imaging (CMR).

Fat quantification in dual-layer detector spectral CT: How to handle iron overload, varying tube voltage and radiation dose Indices.

Objectives: Opposed to other spectral CT techniques, fat quantification in dual-layer detector CT (dlCT) has only recently been developed. The impact of concomitant iron overload and dlCT-specific protocol settings such as the dose right index (DRI), a measure of image noise and tube current, on dlCT fat quantification was unclear. Further, spectral information became newly available <120 kV.

Dual-Energy CT muscle fat fraction as a new imaging biomarker of body composition and survival predictor in critically ill patients.

Objective: To analyze changes in the muscular fat fraction (FF) during immobilization at the intensive care unit (ICU) using dual-energy CT (DECT) and evaluate the predictive value of the DECT FF as a new imaging biomarker for morbidity and survival.

Methods: Immobilized ICU patients (n = 81, 43.2% female, 60.

Prognostic Relevance of Ischemic Late Gadolinium Enhancement in Apparently Healthy Endurance Athletes: A Follow-up Study Over 5 years.

Background: In many cardiac diseases, myocardial scar tissue detected by late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) is a risk factor for cardiac arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death. Previous studies in athletes reported an increased risk for cardiac events in this group of ostensibly healthy subjects. However, the currently available longitudinal studies on this topic included fairly old marathon runners with a mean age of 57 ± 6 years or represent a case-control study in athletes with preexisting ventricular arrhythmia.

Long-term cardiotoxicity in germ cell cancer survivors after platinum-based chemotherapy: cardiac MR shows impaired systolic function and tissue alterations.

Objectives: Long-term toxicities of germ cell cancer (GCC) treatment are of particular importance in young men with a life expectancy of several decades after curative treatment. This study aimed to investigate the long-term effects of platinum-based chemotherapy on cardiac function and myocardial tissue in GCC survivors by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging.

Methods: Asymptomatic GCC survivors ≥ 3 years after platinum-based chemotherapy and age-matched healthy controls underwent CMR assessment, including left ventricular (LV) and right ventricular (RV) ejection fraction (EF), strain analysis, late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) imaging, and T1/T2 mapping.

Contrast-enhanced cardiac MRI is superior to non-contrast mapping to predict left ventricular remodeling at 6 months after acute myocardial infarction.

Objectives: Parametric mapping constitutes a novel cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) technique enabling quantitative assessment of pathologic alterations of left ventricular (LV) myocardium. This study aimed to investigate the clinical utility of mapping techniques with and without contrast agent compared to standard CMR to predict adverse LV remodeling following acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

Materials And Methods: A post hoc analysis was performed on sixty-four consecutively enrolled patients (57 ± 12 years, 54 men) with first-time reperfused AMI.

Differentiation of acute non-ST elevation myocardial infarction and acute infarct-like myocarditis by visual pattern analysis: a head-to-head comparison of different cardiac MR techniques.

Objectives: Parametric cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) techniques have improved the diagnosis of pathologies. However, the primary tool for differentiating non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) from myocarditis is still a visual assessment of conventional signal-intensity-based images. This study aimed at analyzing the ability of parametric compared to conventional techniques to visually differentiate ischemic from non-ischemic myocardial injury patterns.

Left ventricular myocardial strain responding to chronic pressure overload in patients with resistant hypertension evaluated by feature-tracking CMR.

Objectives: The study aimed to investigate the alterations of myocardial deformation responding to long-standing pressure overload and the effects of focal myocardial fibrosis using feature-tracking cardiac magnetic resonance (FT-CMR) in patients with resistant hypertension (RH).

Methods: Consecutive RH patients were prospectively recruited and underwent CMR at a single institution. FT-CMR analyses based on cine images were applied to measure left ventricular (LV) peak systolic global longitudinal (GLS), radial (GRS), and circumferential strain (GCS).

[Routine computed tomography body composition analysis-experience in intensive care patients].

The assessment of the nutritional status of patients in the intensive care unit is recommended in current guidelines and should include the assessment of muscle status. A suitable method is the analysis of routine computed tomography (CT) scans, which are frequently performed in critically ill patients. With the help of special software, individual CT slices are processed and various parameters such as muscle area, muscle density or even the percentage of adipose tissue are displayed and quantified.

Cardiac magnetic resonance feature tracking global and segmental strain in acute and chronic ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

Strain is an important imaging parameter to determine myocardial deformation. This study sought to 1) assess changes in left ventricular strain and ejection fraction (LVEF) from acute to chronic ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and 2) analyze strain as a predictor of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE). 32 patients with STEMI and 18 controls prospectively underwent cardiac magnetic resonance imaging.

Left ventricular diastolic filling patterns in competitive triathletes with and without myocardial fibrosis by cardiac magnetic resonance time-volume analysis.

Purpose: To investigate the influence of myocardial fibrosis on left ventricular (LV) diastolic filling patterns in triathletes compared to sedentary controls by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging.

Method: 101 male triathletes (43 ± 11 years) and 28 controls (41 ± 10 years) were recruited and underwent 1.5 T CMR including cine SSFP series, late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) imaging and T1 mapping.

3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging in patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices: a single centre experience.

Aims: Three Tesla (T) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides critical imaging information for many conditions. Owing to potential interactions of the magnetic field, it is largely withheld from patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs). Therefore, we assessed the safety of 3T MRI in patients with '3T MRI-conditional' and 'non-3T MRI-conditional' CIEDs.

[Cardiooncology-usefulness of cardiac MRI : Inflammation, fibrosis, outcome].

Background: With rapidly increasing survival chances of cancer patients, the potential side effects of cancer therapeutics are increasingly relevant and a potentially lifelong issue. If cardiotoxic effects are not detected at a reversible stage, this might result in irreversible heart failure.

Objectives: This article will portray the current state of knowledge on the use of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (cardiac MRI) in the field of cardio-oncology.

Brief Research Report: Quantitative Analysis of Potential Coronary Microvascular Disease in Suspected Long-COVID Syndrome.

Background: Case series have reported persistent cardiopulmonary symptoms, often termed long-COVID or post-COVID syndrome, in more than half of patients recovering from Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19). Recently, alterations in microvascular perfusion have been proposed as a possible pathomechanism in long-COVID syndrome. We examined whether microvascular perfusion, measured by quantitative stress perfusion cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR), is impaired in patients with persistent cardiac symptoms post-COVID-19.

COVID-19 vs. Classical Myocarditis Associated Myocardial Injury Evaluated by Cardiac Magnetic Resonance and Endomyocardial Biopsy.

Despite the ongoing global pandemic, the impact of COVID-19 on cardiac structure and function is still not completely understood. Myocarditis is a rare but potentially serious complication of other viral infections with variable recovery, and is, in some cases, associated with long-term cardiac remodeling and functional impairment. To assess myocardial injury in patients who recently recovered from an acute SARS-CoV-2 infection with advanced cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) and endomyocardial biopsy (EMB).

Loxapine in patient with clozapine-resistant psychosis.

Clozapine is recognized as the drug of choice for treatment-refractory schizophrenia, but use may be limited because of strict monitoring requirements and adverse effects including severe neutropenia, seizures, and myocarditis. Loxapine is a first-generation antipsychotic with similarities to clozapine in both structure and receptor binding. This case describes a 57-year-old male with a history of severe paranoid schizophrenia despite treatment with clozapine and other psychotropic agents, who experienced clinical improvement after a cross titration from clozapine to loxapine.