A Contemporary Review of Imaging in Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy.

Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) is a rare inherited disease characterized by fibrofatty replacement of the myocardium, associated with lethal arrhythmias and heart failure. ACM diagnosis is challenging, as it involves clinical, genetic, and multiparametric imaging assessments. Imaging plays a central role in evaluating ACM by targeting the intertwined morphofunctional and tissue abnormalities.

Left ventricle strain and T1 mapping evaluation in a mouse model with myocardial infarction.

Myocardial strain and T1 mapping offer precise evaluation of cardiac function and tissue characteristics. The aim of this study is to provide normative myocardial strain and T1 values in mice model along with their changes after myocardial infarction (MI) using a tailored acquisition and analysis protocol. Healthy mice had MRI before and after MI.

Are there pulmonary vein geometrical features associated with reconnection after pulsed field ablation of atrial fibrillation?

Background: Pulmonary vein (PV) isolation (PVI) using pulsed field ablation (PFA) is an emerging technique for the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF). However, the recurrence rate of AF remains significant, and the durability of PVI is insufficient.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the impact of anatomical and geometrical features of the PV ostia on the PVI durability.

Feasibility and Prognostic Value of Stress Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance in Patients With End-Stage Renal Disease.

Background: Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) are at high cardiovascular risk. The safety and prognostic value of stress cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) in ESRD patients remains unclear as data are lacking due to perceived contrast agent-related risk.

Objectives: The authors aimed to assess the safety and prognostic value of stress CMR in asymptomatic ESRD patients on waitlist for kidney transplantation.

Semi-supervised motion flow and myocardial strain estimation in cardiac videos using distance maps and memory networks.

Myocardial strain plays a crucial role in diagnosing heart failure and myocardial infarction. Its computation relies on assessing heart muscle motion throughout the cardiac cycle. This assessment can be performed by following key points on each frame of a cine Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) sequence.

Deep learning-based segmentation and strain analysis of left heart chambers from long-axis CMR images.

Aims: Feature tracking (FT) is increasingly used on dynamic cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) images for myocardial strain evaluation but often requires manual initialization, which is tedious and source of variability, especially on the challenging long-axis (LAX) images. Accordingly, we designed a pipeline combining deep learning (DL) with FT for left ventricular (LV) and left atrial (LA) longitudinal myocardial strain estimation.

Methods And Results: We studied a multivendor database of 684 individuals divided into: training = 845, tuning = 281, and testing = 116 LAX-CMR cine 2- and/or 4-chamber views.

Noninvasive quantification of aortic wave reflection timing indices in aging: a study combining MRI and applanation tonometry.

Objective: To study associations of newly proposed noninvasive central arterial wave reflection timing indices with age and reference indices of reflection magnitude, using superimposed MRI aortic flow and applanation tonometry carotid pressure waveforms.

Methods: Consecutively acquired MRI flow and tonometry pressure waveforms were superimposed in 113 volunteers [56 women, age: 43 ± 16 (19-81) years] free from overt cardiovascular disease except for hypertension, after registration and interpolation to averaged cardiac cycle duration using a custom interface to derive time to peak flow ( TQmax ) and pressure ( TPmax ). Conventional time to return of reflected pressure wave ( Ti ), augmentation index (AIx) and reflection magnitude (RM) were further measured and used as reference.

Performance of SCORE2, QRISK3 and PREVENT equations in systemic lupus erythematosus.

BackgroundAssessment of contemporary cardiovascular risk scores using clinically relevant endpoints is lacking in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).AimThis study aimed to assess and compare the performances of SCORE2, QRISK3 and PREVENT equations in SLE.MethodsSLE patients with no prior atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) who underwent a baseline cardiovascular risk assessment including coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring at the French national SLE reference center between 2014 and 2024 were retrospectively included.

Cardiac MRI-based Subclinical Cardiac Dysfunction during 2 Years after Breast Cancer Irradiation: The MEDIRAD EARLY-HEART Study.

Purpose To evaluate the relationship between cardiac radiation doses and subclinical changes in cardiac function using cardiac MRI during 2 years of follow-up in patients with breast cancer treated with radiation therapy without chemotherapy after lumpectomy. Materials and Methods This prospective multicenter study (NCT03297346) enrolled female individuals with breast cancer treated with radiation therapy between December 2017 and September 2019. Participants underwent cardiac MRI at baseline, 6 months, and 24 months.

Imaging features of desmoplakin arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy: A comparative cardiovascular magnetic resonance study.

Background: Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) related to Desmoplakin (DSP) mutations is a distinct condition associated with particularly severe outcomes, more frequent left ventricular (LV) involvement, including fibrosis, dysfunction, and inflammatory episodes. Whether DSP-ACM is associated with specific imaging features remains elusive. This study aims to provide a comprehensive description of cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) findings in patients with DSP-ACM and to compare them to RV-dominant ACM with LV involvement (LV+ right-dominant-ACM).

A multi-modal computational fluid dynamics model of left atrial fibrillation haemodynamics validated with 4D flow MRI.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is characterized by rapid and irregular contraction of the left atrium (LA). Impacting LA haemodynamics, this increases the risk of thrombi development and stroke. Flow conditions preceding stroke in these patients are not well defined, partly due the limited resolution of 4D flow magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Mineralocorticoid axis activity and cardiac remodeling in patients with ACTH-dependent Cushing's syndrome.

Background: Arterial hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy and remodeling are independent cardiovascular risk factors in patients with Cushing's syndrome. Changes in the renin-angiotensin system and in the mineralocorticoid axis activity could be involved as potential mechanisms in their pathogenesis, in addition to cortisol excess.

Methods: In this ancillary study of our previous study prospectively investigating patients with ACTH-dependent Cushing's syndrome by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (NCT02202902), 11 patients without any interfering medication were cross-sectionally compared to 20 control subjects matched for age, sex and body mass index.

Diagnostic and prognostic value of quantitative cardiac magnetic resonance imaging biomarkers in systemic lupus erythematosus: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare CMR imaging biomarkers between SLE patients and matched controls.

Materials And Methods: Electronic databases were systematically searched from inception until November 2023. All studies reporting CMR imaging data in SLE patients were included.

New atrio-ventricular indices derived from conventional cine MRI correlate with functional capacity in patients with asymptomatic primary mitral regurgitation.

Mitral regurgitation (MR) is associated with morphological and functional alterations of left atrium (LA) and ventricle (LV), possibly inducing LA-LV misalignment. We aimed to: (1) characterize angulation between LA and mitral annulus from conventional cine MRI data and feature-tracking (FT) contours, (2) assess their associations with functional capacity in MR patients, as assessed by oxygen consumption (peak-VO) and minute ventilation to carbon dioxide production (VE/VCO) slope, in comparison with MRI LA/LV strain indices. Thirty-two asymptomatic primary MR patients (56 [40; 66] years, 12 women) underwent cardiac MRI resulting in LA/LV conventional FT-derived strain indices.

The epicardial adipose tissue confined in the atrioventricular groove can be used to assess atrial adipose tissue and atrial dysfunction in cardiac magnetic resonance imaging.

Aims: The growing interest in epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) as a biomarker of atrial fibrillation is limited by the difficulties in isolating EAT from other paracardial adipose tissues. We tested the feasibility and value of measuring the pure EAT contained in the atrioventricular groove (GEAT) using cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging in patients with distinct metabolic disorders.

Methods And Results: CMR was performed on 100 patients from the MetaCardis cohort: obese ( = 18), metabolic syndrome (MSD) ( = 25), type-2 diabetes (T2D) ( = 42), and age- and gender-matched healthy controls ( = 15).

Estimate of the hydraulic force in the aging heart: a cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging study.

Background: Coupling between left ventricle (LV) and left atrium (LA) plays a central role in the process of cardiac remodeling during aging and development of cardiac disease. The hydraulic force (HyF) is related to variation in size between LV and LA. The objectives of this study were to: (1) derive an estimate of left atrioventricular HyF using cine- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in healthy subjects with a wide age range, and (2) study its relationship with age and conventional diastolic function parameters, as estimated by reference echocardiography.

Four-dimensional flow cardiovascular magnetic resonance aortic cross-sectional pressure changes and their associations with flow patterns in health and ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm.

Background: Ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm (ATAA) is a silent and threatening dilation of the ascending aorta (AscAo). Maximal aortic diameter which is currently used for ATAA patients management and surgery planning has been shown to inadequately characterize risk of dissection in a large proportion of patients. Our aim was to propose a comprehensive quantitative evaluation of aortic morphology and pressure-flow-wall associations from four-dimensional (4D) flow cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) data in healthy aging and in patients with ATAA.

Association between Biomarkers of Inflammation and 10-Year Changes in Aortic Stiffness: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.

. Chronic inflammation is associated with incident cardiovascular events. We study the association between biomarkers of inflammation and subclinical vascular dysfunction measured as proximal aortic stiffness.

Increase in intracellular and extracellular myocardial mass in patients with acromegaly: a cardiac magnetic resonance imaging study.

Background: Acromegaly is associated with an increased left ventricular (LV) mass, as reported in echo-based and, more recently, in a few cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies. One possible explanation for this increased LV mass could be water retention and subsequent myocardial edema.

Methods: In this prospective cross-sectional study, 26 patients with active acromegaly before and after treatment and 31 controls of comparable age and sex were investigated using cardiac MRI.

Is increased myocardial triglyceride content associated with early changes in left ventricular function? A H-MRS and MRI strain study.

Background: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and obesity induce left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. The underlying pathophysiological mechanisms remain unclear, but myocardial triglyceride content (MTGC) could be involved.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine which clinical and biological factors are associated with increased MTGC and to establish whether MTGC is associated with early changes in LV function.