A unique presentation of systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve in a patient with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and recurrent syncope: a case report.

Background: Systolic anterior motion (SAM) of the mitral valve is a hallmark feature of hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) and a primary cause of dynamic left ventricular outflow tract obstruction. This case report highlights an unusual presentation of SAM associated with acute haemodynamic collapse.

Case Summary: A 36-year-old male with HOCM presented with recurrent episodes of syncope.

Cardiac function evaluated by two-dimensional speckle tracking imaging in fetuses with congenital heart disease of ventricular afterload increase.

Aims: To study myocardial deformation in fetuses with ventricular afterload increase compared with gestational age-matched controls using speckle tracking echocardiography.

Methods And Results: Eighty-nine fetuses were retrospectively selected from the pregnancy screen by echocardiography. There are 41 fetuses with gestational age-matched normal heart served as the control group, 25 fetuses with congenital heart disease (CHD) leading to left ventricular (LV) afterload increase as group LVA and 23 fetuses with CHD leading to right ventricular(RV) afterload increases as group RVA.

Tumor-derived endomucin promotes colorectal cancer proliferation and metastasis.

Background: Endomucin (EMCN) is a type I transmembrane glycoprotein and a mucin-like component of the endothelial cell glycocalyx. The mechanism of EMCN action in colorectal cancer (CRC) remains unclear.

Aims: Our aim was to explore the role of EMCN in the progression of CRC.

Echocardiographic assessment of simultaneously measured left ventricular filling pressures in patients with normal left ventricular ejection fraction.

Background: Assessment of left ventricular (LV) diastolic function is part of routine echocardiographic examinations. Accuracy of the 2016 ASE/EACVI algorithm to detect LV diastolic dysfunction in patients with a normal LV ejection fraction (LVEF) has been examined but simultaneous measurements of LV pressures and echocardiographic parameters of diastolic function are sparse.

Methods: The accuracy of multiple echo parameters of diastolic dynamics and the 2016 guidelines were assessed by simultaneous transthoracic echocardiography and LV pressure recordings in 120 patients (derivation cohort) and 60 patients (validation cohort) with suspected coronary artery disease and normal LVEF.

Serial assessment of focal myocardial function after percutaneous coronary intervention for ST-elevation myocardial infarction: Value of layer-specific speckle tracking echocardiography.

Background: Ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) frequently follows successful PCI for STEMI and is recognized by multiple modalities. Multilayer speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) has the potential of detecting myocardial dysfunction in different myocardial layers. Our objective was to describe the changes in layer-specific myocardial function over the 24 hours after successful PCI for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).

Solitary neurofibroma of the heart.

Solitary neurofibroma of the heart is extremely unusual. Few reports of neurofibroma in the left ventricle have been published. In this case report, we present the results of transthoracic echocardiography, myocardial contrast echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, and histopathologic examination of a patient with a neurofibroma of the heart.

Echocardiographic strain in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and hypertensive left ventricular hypertrophy.

Background: The myocardial structure differs between secondary left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). We investigated left ventricular function of these two types of hypertrophy using multilayer strain analysis with two-dimensional echocardiography.

Methods: Transthoracic echocardiography (Vivid-E9) was performed in 240 patients with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF ≥50%) and with either HCM (n = 80, 63 men, age 49.

Junior medical student performed focused cardiac ultrasound after brief training to detect significant valvular heart disease.

Background: Focused cardiac ultrasound (FOCUS) examination using a portable device is increasingly used for bedside diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases. This is a 4-week pilot project aiming to teach medical students to perform FOCUS to detect valvular heart lesions.

Methods: Patients undergoing routine transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) were recruited by third year medical students who performed physical examination (PE) and FOCUS after 6-hour training to detect significant (moderate-to-severe) valvular lesions.

Subclinical left ventricular systolic dysfunction detected by two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography in patients with pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma and preserved ejection fraction.

Background: Excessive catecholamine leads to pressure overload and left ventricular (LV) remodeling. The goal of this study was to explore subclinical LV systolic dysfunction and the mechanism of preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in patients with pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma using two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography.

Methods: A total of 48 patients with pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma and preserved LVEF and 38 age- and gender-matched volunteers were studied.

Prognostic value of acoustic cardiography in patients with chronic heart failure.

Background: Rapid risk stratification in patients with heart failure is critically important but challenging. The aim of our study is to ascertain whether acoustic cardiography can identify heart failure (HF) patients at high risk for mortality.

Methods: A total of 474 HF patients were enrolled into our study (76±11years old).

Prevalence of atrial septal pouch and risk of ischemic stroke.

Background: It has been postulated that atrial septal pouch (ASP) may favor the stasis of blood and predispose to thromboembolic complications. We sought to evaluate the prevalence of ASP, and its association with ischemic stroke.

Methods: We retrospectively studied 500 patients, who underwent transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) due to clinical indications.

Automated quantification of mitral valve anatomy using anatomical intelligence in three-dimensional echocardiography.

Background: Quantitative analysis of mitral valve morphology with three-dimensional (3D) transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) provides anatomic information that can assist clinical decision-making. However, routine use of mitral valve quantification has been hindered by tedious workflow and high operator-dependence. The purpose of this paper was to evaluate the feasibility, accuracy and efficiency of a novel computer-learning algorithm using anatomical intelligence in ultrasound (AIUS) to automatically detect and quantitatively assess the mitral valve anatomy.

Abnormal mitral-aortic intervalvular coupling in mitral valve diseases: a study using real-time three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography.

Background: Mitral and aortic valves are coupled via fibrous tissue. This coupling is considered to be important for cardiac function before and after mitral valve surgery. The relationship between mitral-aortic coupling and different types of mitral regurgitation (MR) is not completely understood.

Evaluation of left ventricular function by three-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography in patients with myocardial bridging of the left anterior descending coronary artery.

Background: To understand the influence of myocardial bridging (MB) on left ventricular (LV) function, myocardial function was studied in patients with MB of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) using three-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE).

Methods: Left anterior descending coronary artery MB was diagnosed by coronary angiography in 82 subjects. Patients were divided into three groups according to the percentage of systolic narrowing of the compressed segment: 30% to 49% was defined as group I (24 patients), 50% to 74% as group II (28 patients), and ≥75% as group III (30 patients).