Multi-centre Investigation of Cardiac Diffusion Tensor Imaging in Healthy Volunteers by SCMR Cardiac Diffusion Special Interest Group NETwork (SIGNET).

Background: Cardiac diffusion tensor imaging (cDTI) is an emerging technique for microstructural characterization of the heart and has shown clinical potential in a range of cardiomyopathies. However, there is substantial variation reported for in vivo cDTI results across the literature, and sensitivity of cDTI to differences in imaging sites, scanners, acquisition protocols and post-processing methods remains incompletely understood.

Methods: SIGNET is a prospective multi-centre, observational study in travelling and non-travelling healthy volunteers.

Right Ventricular Dysfunction in Lung Disease/Hypoxia-Associated Pulmonary Hypertension.

Background: Limited data exist on right ventricular (RV) function in lung disease/hypoxia-associated pulmonary hypertension (PH). We aimed to clarify the presence, characteristics, and clinical significance of RV dysfunction in patients with lung disease/hypoxia-associated PH.

Methods: We analyzed data from 3 groups of patients: those with lung disease/hypoxia-associated PH, those without PH, and those with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).

Comparative evaluation of four reconstruction techniques for prostate T2-weighted MRI: Sensitivity encoding, compressed sensing, deep learning, and super-resolution.

Purpose: To evaluate and compare the image quality and lesion conspicuity of prostate T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) using four reconstruction methods: conventional Sensitivity Encoding (SENSE), compressed sensing (CS), model-based deep learning reconstruction (DL), and deep learning super-resolution reconstruction (SR).

Methods: This retrospective study included 49 patients who underwent multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) or biparametric MRI (bpMRI) for suspected prostate cancer. Axial T2WI was acquired using two protocols: conventional SENSE and CS-based acquisition.

Evaluation of artificial-intelligence-based liver segmentation and its application for longitudinal liver volume measurement.

Background: Accurate liver-volume measurements from CT scans are essential for treatment planning, particularly in liver resection cases, to avoid postoperative liver failure. However, manual segmentation is time-consuming and prone to variability. Advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), specifically convolutional neural networks, have enhanced liver segmentation accuracy.

The Impact of Model-based Deep-learning Reconstruction Compared with that of Compressed Sensing-Sensitivity Encoding on the Image Quality and Precision of Cine Cardiac MR in Evaluating Left-ventricular Volume and Strain: A Study on Healthy Volunteers.

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of model-based deep-learning reconstruction (DLR) compared with that of compressed sensing-sensitivity encoding (CS) on cine cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR).

Methods: Cine CMR images of 10 healthy volunteers were obtained with reduction factors of 2, 4, 6, and 8 and reconstructed using CS and DLR. The visual image quality scores assessed sharpness, image noise, and artifacts.

Reduced hemoglobin-corrected diffusing capacity in pulmonary arterial hypertension with preserved pulmonary function and morphology.

Background: The diffusing capacity and the transfer coefficient of the lung for carbon monoxide (D and K, respectively) are reduced in pulmonary arterial hypertension; however, the effect of pulmonary arterial hypertension alone on these parameters and their clinical impact remain unclear. We aimed to elucidate the exclusive impact of pulmonary arterial hypertension on these two parameters and examine their association with other parameters.

Methods: We retrospectively selected patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension with normal pulmonary function upon pulmonary function testing and with normal lung parenchyma upon chest computed tomography.

Serum Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide as a Novel Biomarker for Low-Voltage Areas in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation.

Background: Low-voltage areas in the left atrium predict atrial fibrillation recurrence after catheter ablation and are associated with adverse outcomes like death, heart failure, and stroke. Detecting low-voltage areas (LVAs) typically requires invasive procedures, highlighting the need for a simple, minimally invasive marker. Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), a neuropeptide released during parasympathetic stimulation, affects electrophysiological remodeling in atrial fibrillation.

Prevalence, incidence, and clinical features of cardiac involvement in patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis.

Background: The epidemiology and characteristics of cardiac involvement in patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis remain unclear. We aimed to determine the prevalence, incidence, and clinical features of cardiac sarcoidosis in patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis.

Methods: The characteristics of patients with biopsy-proven pulmonary sarcoidosis were retrospectively evaluated.

Exploratory analysis of the accuracy of echocardiographic parameters for the assessment of right ventricular function and right ventricular-pulmonary artery coupling.

Echocardiography is a widely used modality for the assessment of right ventricular (RV) function; however, few studies have comprehensively compared the accuracy of echocardiographic parameters using invasively obtained reference values. Therefore, this exploratory study aimed to compare the accuracy of echocardiographic parameters of RV function and RV-pulmonary artery (PA) coupling. We calculated four indices of RV function (end-systolic elastance [Ees] for systolic function [contractility], for relaxation, and and end-diastolic elastance [Eed] for stiffness), and an index of RV-PA coupling (Ees/arterial elastance [Ea]), using pressure catheterization, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, and a single-beat method.

Deep learning to assess right ventricular ejection fraction from two-dimensional echocardiograms in precapillary pulmonary hypertension.

Background: Precapillary pulmonary hypertension (PH) is characterized by a sustained increase in right ventricular (RV) afterload, impairing systolic function. Two-dimensional (2D) echocardiography is the most performed cardiac imaging tool to assess RV systolic function; however, an accurate evaluation requires expertise. We aimed to develop a fully automated deep learning (DL)-based tool to estimate the RV ejection fraction (RVEF) from 2D echocardiographic videos of apical four-chamber views in patients with precapillary PH.

Comparison of Echo-Planar Imaging and Compressed Sensing in the Estimation of Flow Metrics from Aortic 4D Flow MR Imaging: A Healthy Volunteer Study.

Purpose: Prolonged scanning of time-resolved 3D phase-contrast MRI (4D flow MRI) limits its routine use in clinical practice. An echo-planar imaging (EPI)-based sequence and compressed sensing can reduce the scan duration. We aimed to determine the impact of EPI for 4D flow MRI on the scan duration, image quality, and quantitative flow metrics.

Echocardiographic estimation of right ventricular diastolic stiffness based on pulmonary regurgitant velocity waveform analysis in precapillary pulmonary hypertension.

Right ventricular (RV) diastolic stiffness is an independent predictor of survival and is strongly associated with disease severity in patients with precapillary pulmonary hypertension (PH). Therefore, a fully validated echocardiographic method for assessing RV diastolic stiffness needs to be established. This study aimed to compare echocardiography-derived RV diastolic stiffness and invasively measured pressure-volume loop-derived RV diastolic stiffness in patients with precapillary PH.

Differences in blood flow dynamics between balloon- and self-expandable valves in patients with aortic stenosis undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

Background: The differences in pre- and early post-procedural blood flow dynamics between the two major types of bioprosthetic valves, the balloon-expandable valve (BEV) and self-expandable valve (SEV), in patients with aortic stenosis (AS) undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), have not been investigated. We aimed to investigate the differences in blood flow dynamics between the BEV and SEV using four-dimensional flow cardiovascular magnetic resonance (4D flow CMR).

Methods: We prospectively examined 98 consecutive patients with severe AS who underwent TAVR between May 2018 and November 2021 (58 BEV and 40 SEV) after excluding those without CMR because of a contraindication, inadequate imaging from the analyses, or patients' refusal.

Prognostic Value of Liver Fibrotic Markers in Patients With Heart Failure.

Several liver fibrotic markers are associated with prognosis in patients with heart failure (HF). However, the optimal markers for outcome prediction remain unclear. This study aimed to simultaneously investigate the prognostic value of liver fibrotic markers and the associations between these markers and clinical parameters in patients with HF without organic liver disease.

Clinical utility of single-shot echo-planar diffusion-weighted imaging using L1-regularized iterative sensitivity encoding in prostate MRI.

We investigated the ability of echo-planar imaging with L1-regularized iterative sensitivity encoding-based diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) to improve the image quality and reduce the scanning time in prostate magnetic resonance imaging. We retrospectively analyzed 109 cases of prostate magnetic resonance imaging. We compared variables in the quantitative and qualitative assessments among 3 imaging groups: conventional parallel imaging-based DWI (PI-DWI) with an acquisition time of 3 minutes 15 seconds; echo-planar imaging with L1-regularized iterative sensitivity encoding-based DWI (L1-DWI) with a normal acquisition time (L1-DWINEX12) of 3 minutes 15 seconds; and L1-DWI with a half acquisition time (L1-DWINEX6) of 1 minute 45 seconds.