98%
921
2 minutes
20
Background: Although the fetal sphericity index (SI) and fractional shortening (FS) of 24 transverse segments have been previously reported after the 20th gestational week, there have been no reports during the first and early second trimester.
Objective: This study aimed to clarify the SI and FS of 24 transverse segments in normal fetuses before the 20th gestational week.
Methods: A total of 101 normal fetuses aged between 12 and 20 gestational weeks were examined. The displacement of the ventricular endocardium during the cardiac cycle was computed using speckle-tracking software (GE Healthcare, Milwaukee, WI). We analyzed the length of 24 end-diastolic lateral segments and the end-diastolic basal (seg1-6)- middle (Seg7-15)-apical (Seg16-24) distribution from the base to the apex of each ventricle, according to the method described by DeVore et al. The SI and FS were computed for each of the 24 segments by dividing the mid-basal-apical length by the transverse size.
Results: The SI for each segment was independent of the gestational age. The SI of the right ventricle was significantly lower than that of the left ventricle for segments 1-14, suggesting that the right ventricle was more spherical than the left ventricle in the basal segment only. The FS of the right ventricle was significantly lower than that of the left ventricle in segments 1 to 2 and 13 to 24.
Conclusion: The morphology of the ventricles before 20 weeks of gestation differs from that between 20 and 40 weeks of gestation. This difference may be related to myocardial densification or performance.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jum.16516 | DOI Listing |
JACC Case Rep
September 2025
Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan.
Background: Cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) usually affects the left ventricle and presents with nonspecific features like conduction abnormalities and ventricular arrhythmias. However, right ventricle (RV)-dominant involvement has been increasingly reported, making diagnosis difficult.
Case Summary: A 55-year-old man presented with palpitations.
Radiology
September 2025
Department of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
Background MRI-derived arrhythmogenic substrate, including late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) and extracellular volume fraction (ECV), is indicative of sudden cardiac death (SCD) risk in nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). The relative prognostic value of LGE and ECV remains unclear. Purpose To evaluate the performance of LGE and T1 mapping in predicting SCD in patients with DCM and to explore clinical implementation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJTCVS Open
August 2025
Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, Children's National Heart Institute, Children's National Hospital, Washington, DC.
Objectives: We sought to review the outcomes of patients with Ebstein anomaly (EA) after the Fontan operation.
Methods: Patients with EA were identified from a large binational registry about the Fontan operation. Data were collected from hospital records, registry data, and clinical correspondence.
JTCVS Open
August 2025
The State Key Laboratory of Nonlinear Mechanics, Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Objectives: Left ventricular vortex dynamics play a crucial role in cardiac function but are significantly altered by mitral valve diseases or surgical interventions. Such hemodynamic changes may lead to maladaptive intracardiac vortices, potentially triggering pathways associated with progressive left ventricular remodeling and thrombosis. This study assessed left ventricular hemodynamics under both physiological and pathological conditions using a biohybrid in vitro platform, aiming to analyze the impact of these conditions on cardiac function.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJTCVS Open
August 2025
Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Calif.
Objective: Patients with heterotaxy-associated congenital heart disease often require multiple operations, which may have a cumulative effect on their outcomes. This study aimed to define the cardiac surgical course in a large cohort and identify longitudinal risk factors for death/transplant.
Methods: All patients with heterotaxy-associated congenital heart disease who underwent cardiac surgery at one institution from 2005 to 2022 were retrospectively reviewed.