Native T1 adds independent value for cardiovascular risk assessment beyond global longitudinal strain in an all-comers real-world clinical patient population.

Aims: Deformation imaging remains underused for cardiovascular risk assessment. As tissue characterization has now been recognized as an additional assessment tool, we sought to investigate the significance of native T1 and extracellular volume (ECV) in an unselected clinical routine population.

Methods And Results: The single-centre, prospective cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) registry included patients referred for clinical CMR.

Serial cardiac magnetic resonance imaging to assess myocardial inflammation in PET-positive cardiac sarcoidosis under immunomodulatory therapy: a retrospective observational study.

Objective: To evaluate changes in cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) tissue characteristics in patients with active cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) confirmed by positron emission tomography (PET)-CT undergoing immunomodulatory therapy (IMT), and to explore their potential use for inflammation monitoring.

Design: Retrospective observational cohort study.

Setting: Tertiary care referral centre in Germany.

Transcriptional changes of the extracellular matrix in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension govern right ventricle remodeling and recovery.

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) leads to progressive right ventricular (RV) dysfunction. Pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA) is an established treatment for these patients; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying RV remodeling and recovery remain poorly understood. Here we show that RNA sequencing and histological analysis of RV free wall and septal biopsies from patients with CTEPH reveal extracellular matrix enrichment and cytoskeletal remodeling before PEA.

Predictors of Diagnostic Inaccuracy of Detecting Coronary Artery Stenosis by Preprocedural CT Angiography in Patients Prior to Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation.

The diagnostic performance of preprocedural CT angiography in detecting coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients scheduled for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has been reported. However, data on predictors of diagnostic inaccuracy are sparse. We sought to investigate clinical characteristics and imaging criteria that predict the inaccurate assessment of coronary artery stenosis based on pre-TAVI-CT.

Patient-Reported Long-Term Outcome of Balloon Pulmonary Angioplasty for Inoperable CTEPH.

Background: Balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) is a promising interventional treatment for inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). Evidence in favor of BPA is growing, but long-term data remain scarce. The Cambridge Pulmonary Hypertension Outcome Review (CAMPHOR) is validated for the assessment of patients with pulmonary hypertension within three domains: symptoms, activity, and quality of life (QoL).

Native T2 Predicts Myocardial Inflammation Irrespective of a Patient's Volume Status.

Myocardial inflammation and edema are major pathological features in myocarditis. Myocardial tissue water content and myocardial edema can be quantified via T2 mapping. Thus, cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) is the noninvasive gold standard for diagnosing myocarditis.

Evaluation of diagnostic accuracy of dual-energy computed tomography in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension compared to V/Q-SPECT and pulmonary angiogram.

Purpose: The relevance of dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) for the detection of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) still lies behind V/Q-SPECT in current clinical guidelines. Therefore, our study aimed to assess the diagnostic accuracy of DECT compared to V/Q-SPECT with invasive pulmonary angiogram (PA) serving as the reference standard.

Methods: A total of 28 patients (mean age 62.

Echocardiographic pressure-strain loop-derived stroke work of the right ventricle: validation against the gold standard.

Aims: Commercially available integrated software for echocardiographic measurement of stroke work (SW) is increasingly used for the right ventricle, despite a lack of validation. We sought to assess the validity of this method [echo-based myocardial work (MW) module] vs. gold-standard invasive right ventricular (RV) pressure-volume (PV) loops.

Value of Right and Left Ventricular T1 and T2 Blood Pool Mapping in Patients with Chronic Thromboembolic Hypertension before and after Balloon Pulmonary Angioplasty.

Background: Parametric imaging has taken a steep rise in recent years and non-cardiac applications are of increasing interest. Therefore, the aim of our study was to assess right (RV) and left ventricular (LV) blood pool T1 and T2 values in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) compared to control subjects and their correlation to pulmonary hemodynamic.

Methods: 26 patients with CTEPH (mean age 64.

Native T1 is predictive of cardiovascular death/heart failure events and all-cause mortality irrespective of the patient's volume status.

Background: Native T1 has become a pivotal parameter of tissue composition that is assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR). It characterizes diseased myocardium and can be used for prognosis estimation. Recent publications have shown that native T1 is influenced by short-term fluctuations of volume status due to hydration or hemodialysis.

Riociguat and balloon pulmonary angioplasty improve prognosis in patients with inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary Hypertension.

Background: The combination of riociguat and interventional balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) is currently used to treat patients with inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of this combination therapy on the prognosis of inoperable CTEPH patients by comparing the long-term survival rates of patients undergoing combination therapy with riociguat and BPA with those of inoperable patients from the first international CTEPH registry who did not receive specific treatment.

Methods: Between March 2014 and August 2019, 138 technically inoperable patients were included in the present prospective, observational cohort study when they were treated with riociguat and BPA at a single CTEPH referral center.

Exercise MR-proANP unmasks latent right heart failure in CTEPH.

Objective: The present study was designed to investigate the dynamics of right atrial pressure (RAP) and mid-regional pro-atrial natriuretic peptide (MR-proANP) during physical exercise in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) and to determine whether these parameters might serve as a tool to measure exercise-dependent atrial stress as an indicator of right heart failure.

Methods: This prospective observational cohort study included 100 CTEPH patients who underwent right heart catheterization during physical exercise (eRHC). Blood samples for MR-proANP measurement were taken prior, during, and after eRHC.

Complications of balloon pulmonary angioplasty for inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension: Impact on the outcome.

Background: Balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) is an emerging interventional treatment for inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) that targets subsegmental branches of the pulmonary artery. As the reported complication rates are high, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of certain complications on the outcome after treatment.

Methods: From March 2014 to December 2019, a total of 235 patients with inoperable CTEPH underwent BPA.

Prognostic Power of Pulmonary Arterial Compliance Is Boosted by a Hemodynamic Unloading Test With Glyceryl Trinitrate in Heart Failure Patients With Post-capillary Pulmonary Hypertension.

Background: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is an established risk factor in patients with heart failure (HF). However, right heart catheterisation (RHC) and vasoreactivity testing (VRT) are not routinely recommended in these patients.

Methods: The primary objective of the present study was to explore the impact of VRT using sublingual glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) on transplant/ventricular assist device-free survival in HF patients with post-capillary PH.

Does Age Matter? Pulmonary Endarterectomy in the Elderly Patient with CTEPH.

Background: The gold standard treatment of patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA). Little is known about the influence of advanced age on surgical outcome. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the impact of patient's age on postoperative morbidity, mortality, and quality of life in a German referral center.

Application and Validation of the Tricuspid Annular Plane Systolic Excursion/Systolic Pulmonary Artery Pressure Ratio in Patients with Ischemic and Non-Ischemic Cardiomyopathy.

The main aim of this study was to assess the prognostic utility of TAPSE/PASP as an echocardiographic parameter of maladaptive RV remodeling in cardiomyopathy patients using cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging. Furthermore, we sought to compare TAPSE/PASP to TAPSE. The association of the echocardiographic parameters TAPSE/PASP and TAPSE with CMR parameters of RV and LV remodeling was evaluated in 111 patients with ischemic and non-ischemic cardiomyopathy and cut-off values for maladaptive RV remodeling were defined.

Cardiac biomarkers as indicators of right ventricular dysfunction and recovery in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension patients after balloon pulmonary angioplasty therapy - a cardiac magnetic resonance imaging cohort study.

Background: In chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, right heart failure determines outcome. Balloon pulmonary angioplasty therapy allows right heart recovery, which can be monitored by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. This study evaluates whether cardiac biomarkers (NT-proBNP, MR-proANP, sST2, and PAPP-A) are associated with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging findings prior to and after balloon pulmonary angioplasty therapy.

Noninvasive prediction of pulmonary hemodynamics in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension by electrocardiogram-gated computed tomography.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to investigate the potential of electrocardiogram (ECG)-gated computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) as a predictor of disease severity in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH).

Method: Forty-five CTEPH patients with a mean age of 63.8 years±12.

Exercise Hemodynamic Profiling Is Associated With Outcome in Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Mitral Valve Repair.

[Figure: see text].

Exercise hemodynamics in heart failure patients with preserved and mid-range ejection fraction: key role of the right heart.

Objective: We sought to explore whether classification of patients with heart failure and mid-range (HFmrEF) or preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) according to their left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) identifies differences in their exercise hemodynamic profile, and whether classification according to an index of right ventricular (RV) function improves differentiation.

Background: Patients with HFmrEF and HFpEF have hemodynamic compromise on exertion. The classification according to LVEF implies a key role of the left ventricle.

Prospective validation of an acoustic-based system for the detection of obstructive coronary artery disease in a high-prevalence population.

Recent guidelines recommend a risk-adjusted, non-invasive work-up in patients presenting with chest discomfort to exclude coronary artery disease (CAD). However, a risk-adjusted diagnostic approach remains challenging in clinical practice. An acoustic detection device for analyzing micro-bruits induced by stenosis-generated turbulence in the coronary circulation has shown potential for ruling out CAD in patients with low-to-intermediate likelihood.

Balloon pulmonary angioplasty in the treatment of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension: recent advances and future perspectives.

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension constitutes a significant late sequela of pulmonary embolism. It is defined by precapillary pulmonary hypertension with mismatched perfusion defects and pulmonary arterial lesions after at least 3 months of effective anticoagulation. Symptomatic patients who do not have pulmonary hypertension yet fulfill all other criteria are diagnosed with chronic thromboembolic disease.

Mid-regional pro-atrial natriuretic peptide and copeptin as indicators of disease severity and therapy response in CTEPH.

Background: Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) leads to right heart failure. Pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA) or balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) restore pulmonary haemodynamics and allow cardiac recovery. This study examined the relationship of copeptin and mid-regional pro-atrial natriuretic peptide (MR-proANP) levels to disease severity and therapy response.

Galectin-3, GDF-15, and sST2 for the assessment of disease severity and therapy response in patients suffering from inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.

Purpose: This study examined sST2, GDF-15, and galectin-3 as indicators of disease severity and therapy response in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH).

Methods: This study included 57 inoperable CTEPH patients who underwent balloon pulmonary angioplasty and 25 controls without cardiovascular disease. Biomarker levels were examined in relation to advanced hemodynamic impairment [tertile with worst right atrial pressure (RAP) and cardiac index], hemodynamic therapy response [normalized hemodynamics (meanPAP ≤25 mmHg, PVR ≤3 WU and RAP ≤6 mmHg) or a reduction of meanPAP ≥25%; PVR ≥ 35%, RAP ≥25%].

Pregnancy-associated plasma protein A - a new indicator of pulmonary vascular remodeling in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension?

Background: In chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) impaired pulmonary hemodynamics lead to right heart failure. Natriuretic peptides reflect hemodynamic disease severity. Pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) might address another aspect of CTEPH - chronic tissue injury and inflammation.