Open aortic arch repair without circulatory arrest by frozen elephant trunk in Ishimaru zone 0.

Background: Open arch surgery is technically demanding for the surgeon and surgically and biologically invasive for the patient, requiring a variably long period of hypothermic circulatory arrest.

Case Presentation: Here we present a case of an elderly patient with chronic renal failure and multiple splanchnic artery disease successfully treated for a rupturing pseudoaneurysm of the aortic arch with a technique that we developed for particularly frail patients. The procedure includes: triple supra-aortic vessel perfusion; distal thoracic aorta antegrade perfusion; balloon endo-clamping of the descending aorta; and anastomosis of an off-the-shelf hybrid arch prosthesis in Ishimaru zone 0.

Can prosthesis type influence the recurrence of infective endocarditis after surgery for native valve endocarditis? A propensity weighted comparison.

Objectives: Our goal was to investigate whether the incidence of valve-related adverse events might be different depending on the valve substitute after valve replacement for left-sided native valve endocarditis.

Methods: We assessed the long-term freedom from recurrence, reoperation and survival of 395 patients who had valve replacements for native valve endocarditis (314 mechanical vs 81 biological). Age <18 years, reoperation, prosthetic endocarditis, right valve involvement, valve repair and homograft implants were the main exclusion criteria.

Risk Stratification in Bicuspid Aortic Valve Aortopathy: Emerging Evidence and Future Perspectives.

The current management of aortic dilatation associated with congenital bicuspid aortic valve (bicuspid aortic valve aortopathy) is based on dimensional parameters (diameter of the aneurysm, growth of the diameter over time) and few other criteria. The disease is however heterogeneous in terms of natural and clinical history and risk of acute complications, ie aortic dissection. Dimensional criteria are now admitted to have limited value as predictors of such complications.

Bi-Atrial Function before and after Percutaneous Closure of Atrial Septum in Patients with and without Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation: A 2-D and 3-D Speckle Tracking Echocardiographic Study.

Our aim was to analyze atrial function with 2-D (2-D-STE) and 3-D (3-D-STE) speckle tracking echocardiography in patients with atrial septal devices and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF). One hundred sixteen patients and a subgroup of 22 patients who developed PAF after device insertion were studied. Left atrial and right atrial peak longitudinal strain and standard deviations of time to peak strain (TPS) were calculated using 2-D-STE.

Assessment of Biventricular Function by Three-Dimensional Speckle-Tracking Echocardiography in Secondary Mitral Regurgitation after Repair with the MitraClip System.

Background: The goal of this study was to determine changes in left ventricular (LV) and right ventricular (RV) function with three-dimensional (3D) speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE) after percutaneous mitral valve repair with the MitraClip system in high-risk surgical patients with moderate to severe or severe secondary mitral regurgitation (MR).

Methods: Thirty-two patients with MR undergoing MitraClip were prospectively included. Patients underwent two-dimensional (2D) and 3D transthoracic echocardiography before clip implantation and after 6-month follow-up.

Three-dimensional echocardiography and 2D-3D speckle-tracking imaging in chronic pulmonary hypertension: diagnostic accuracy in detecting hemodynamic signs of right ventricular (RV) failure.

Background: Our aim was to compare three-dimensional (3D) and 2D and 3D speckle-tracking (2D-STE, 3D-STE) echocardiographic parameters with conventional right ventricular (RV) indexes in patients with chronic pulmonary hypertension (PH), and investigate whether these techniques could result in better correlation with hemodynamic variables indicative of heart failure.

Methods And Results: Seventy-three adult patients (mean age, 53±13 years; 44% male) with chronic PH of different etiologies were studied by echocardiography and cardiac catheterization (25 precapillary PH from pulmonary arterial hypertension, 23 obstructive pulmonary heart disease, and 23 postcapillary PH from mitral regurgitation). Thirty healthy subjects (mean age, 54±15 years; 43% male) served as controls.

Early myocardial deformation changes in hypercholesterolemic and obese children and adolescents: a 2D and 3D speckle tracking echocardiography study.

Dyslipidemia and obesity are considered strong risk factors for premature atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and increased morbidity and mortality and may have a negative impact on myocardial function.Our purpose was to assess the presence of early myocardial deformation abnormalities in dyslipidemic children free from other cardiovascular risk factors, using 2-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2DSTE) and 3-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (3DSTE).We studied 80 consecutive nonselected patients (6-18 years of age) with hypercholesterolemia (low-density lipoprotein [LDL] cholesterol levels >95th percentile for age and sex).

Echocardiographic findings in simple and complex patent foramen ovale before and after transcatheter closure.

Aims: Percutaneous closure of patent foramen ovale (PFO) in cryptogenic cerebrovascular events is an alternative to medical therapy. The interpretation of residual shunts after implantation of different devices for PFO with different morphologies is controversial.

Methods And Results: Transcatheter PFO closure was performed in 123 patients with a history of ≥1 paradoxical embolism using three different devices: Amplatzer (n = 46), Figulla Occlutech (n = 41), and Atriasept Cardia (n = 36).

Right ventricular function in acute pulmonary embolism: a combined assessment by three-dimensional and speckle-tracking echocardiography.

Background: The aim of this study was to assess changes in right ventricular (RV) parameters determined by three-dimensional (3D) echocardiography and speckle-tracking echocardiography in patients with acute pulmonary embolism and RV dysfunction without systemic hypotension (submassive pulmonary embolism).

Methods: Sixty-six patients were prospectively studied at the onset of the acute episode and after median follow-up periods of 30 days and 6 months. Sixty-six controls were selected.