Cardiac masses diagnosis and treatment are a true challenge,although they are infrequently encountered in clinical practice.They encompass a broad set of lesions that include neoplastic(primary and secondary),non-neop...Cardiac masses diagnosis and treatment are a true challenge,although they are infrequently encountered in clinical practice.They encompass a broad set of lesions that include neoplastic(primary and secondary),non-neoplastic masses and pseudomasses.The clinical presentation of cardiac tumors is highly variable and depends on several factors such as size,location,relation with other structures and mobility.The presumptive diagnosis is made based on a preliminary non-invasive diagnostic work-up due to technical difficulties and risks associated with biopsy,which is still the diagnostic gold standard.The findings should always be interpreted in the clinical context to avoid misdiagnosis,particularly in specific conditions(e.g.,infective endocarditis or thrombi).The modern multi-modality imaging techniques has a key role not only for the initial assessment and differential diagnosis but also for management and surveillance of the cardiac masses.Cardiovascular magnetic resonance(CMR)allows an optimal non-invasive localization of the lesion,providing multiplanar information on its relation to surrounding structures.Moreover,with the additional feature of tissue characterization,CMR can be highly effective to distinguish pseudomasses from masses,as well as benign from malignant lesions,with further differential diagnosis of the latter.Although histopathological assessment is important to make a definitive diagnosis,CMR plays a key role in the diagnosis of suspected cardiac masses with a great impact on patient management.This literature review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of cardiac masses,from clinical and imaging protocol to pathological findings.展开更多
Among five types of pulmonary hypertension,chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension(CTEPH)is the only curable form,but prompt and accurate diagnosis can be challenging.Computed tomography and nuclear medicine-bas...Among five types of pulmonary hypertension,chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension(CTEPH)is the only curable form,but prompt and accurate diagnosis can be challenging.Computed tomography and nuclear medicine-based techniques are standard imaging modalities to non-invasively diagnose CTEPH,however these are limited by radiation exposure,subjective qualitative bias,and lack of cardiac functional assessment.This review aims to assess the methodology,diagnostic accuracy of pulmonary perfusion imaging in the current literature and discuss its advantages,limitations and future research scope.展开更多
BACKGROUND In severe cases of coronary artery disease,percutaneous coronary intervention provide promising results.The stent used could be a drug-eluting stent(DES)or a titanium-nitride-oxide coated stent(TiNOS).AIM T...BACKGROUND In severe cases of coronary artery disease,percutaneous coronary intervention provide promising results.The stent used could be a drug-eluting stent(DES)or a titanium-nitride-oxide coated stent(TiNOS).AIM To compare the 5-year effectiveness and safety of the two stent types.METHODS The following systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted in accordance with the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis guidelines,and PubMed/MEDLINE,Scopus,and Cochrane Central were searched from inception till August 2023.Primary outcomes were major adverse cardiac events(MACE),cardiac death,myocardial infarction(MI),cardiac death or MI,and ischemia-driven total lesion revascularization(ID-TLR).RESULTS Four randomized controlled trials(RCT),which analyzed a sum total of 3045 patients with acute coronary syndrome(ACS)after a median follow-up time of 5 years were included.Though statistically insignificant,an increase in the ID-TLR was observed in patients receiving TiNOSs vs DESs.In addition,MI,cardiac death and MI,and definite stent thrombosis(DST)were significantly decreased in the TiNOS arm.Baseline analysis revealed no significant results with meta-regression presenting non-ST elevated MI(NSTEMI)as a statistically significant covariate in the outcome of MACE.CONCLUSION TiNOS was found to be superior to DES in terms of MI,cardiac death or MI,and DST outcomes,however,the effect of the two stent types on ID-TLR and MACE was not significant.A greater number of studies are required to establish an accurate comparison of patient outcomes in TiNOS and DES.展开更多
Until recently, computed tomography coronary angiography was restricted to the anatomical assessment of coronary stenosis, whereas the functional significance of coronary lesions remained outside of its scope. Neverth...Until recently, computed tomography coronary angiography was restricted to the anatomical assessment of coronary stenosis, whereas the functional significance of coronary lesions remained outside of its scope. Nevertheless, the kinetics of iodinated contrast is similar to gadolinium-diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid used in contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging, allowing assessment of myocardial perfusion and viability by cardiac computed tomography.展开更多
AIM:To explore whether computer tomography coronary angiography(CTCA) using iterative reconstruction(IR) leads to significant radiation dose reduction without a significant loss in image interpretability compared to c...AIM:To explore whether computer tomography coronary angiography(CTCA) using iterative reconstruction(IR) leads to significant radiation dose reduction without a significant loss in image interpretability compared to conventional filtered back projection(FBP).METHODS:A consecutive series of 200 patients referred to our institution to undergo CTCA constituted the study population.Patients were sequentially assigned to FBP or IR.All studies were acquired with a 256-slice CT scanner.A coronary segment was considered interpretable if image quality was adequate for evaluation of coronary lesions in all segments ≥ 1.5 mm.RESULTS:The mean age was 56.3±9.6 years and165(83%) were male,with no significant differences between groups.Most scans were acquired using prospective ECG triggering,without differences between groups(FBP 84%vs IR 82%;P=0.71).A total of 3198(94%) coronary segments were deemed of diagnostic quality.The percent assessable coronary segments was similar between groups(FBP 91.7%±4.0% vs IR92.5% ± 2.8%; P=0.12).Radiation dose was significantly lower in the IR group(2.8±1.4 mSvvs 4.6±3.0mSv;P<0.0001).Image noise(37.8±1.4 HUvs 38.2±2.4 HU; P=0.20) and signal density(461.7±51.9HU vs 462.2±51.2 HU; P=0.54) levels did not differ between FBP and IR groups,respectively.The IR group was associated to significant effective dose reductions,irrespective of the acquisition mode.CONCLUSION:Application of IR in CTCA preserves image interpretability despite a significant reduction in radiation dose.展开更多
文摘Cardiac masses diagnosis and treatment are a true challenge,although they are infrequently encountered in clinical practice.They encompass a broad set of lesions that include neoplastic(primary and secondary),non-neoplastic masses and pseudomasses.The clinical presentation of cardiac tumors is highly variable and depends on several factors such as size,location,relation with other structures and mobility.The presumptive diagnosis is made based on a preliminary non-invasive diagnostic work-up due to technical difficulties and risks associated with biopsy,which is still the diagnostic gold standard.The findings should always be interpreted in the clinical context to avoid misdiagnosis,particularly in specific conditions(e.g.,infective endocarditis or thrombi).The modern multi-modality imaging techniques has a key role not only for the initial assessment and differential diagnosis but also for management and surveillance of the cardiac masses.Cardiovascular magnetic resonance(CMR)allows an optimal non-invasive localization of the lesion,providing multiplanar information on its relation to surrounding structures.Moreover,with the additional feature of tissue characterization,CMR can be highly effective to distinguish pseudomasses from masses,as well as benign from malignant lesions,with further differential diagnosis of the latter.Although histopathological assessment is important to make a definitive diagnosis,CMR plays a key role in the diagnosis of suspected cardiac masses with a great impact on patient management.This literature review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of cardiac masses,from clinical and imaging protocol to pathological findings.
文摘Among five types of pulmonary hypertension,chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension(CTEPH)is the only curable form,but prompt and accurate diagnosis can be challenging.Computed tomography and nuclear medicine-based techniques are standard imaging modalities to non-invasively diagnose CTEPH,however these are limited by radiation exposure,subjective qualitative bias,and lack of cardiac functional assessment.This review aims to assess the methodology,diagnostic accuracy of pulmonary perfusion imaging in the current literature and discuss its advantages,limitations and future research scope.
文摘BACKGROUND In severe cases of coronary artery disease,percutaneous coronary intervention provide promising results.The stent used could be a drug-eluting stent(DES)or a titanium-nitride-oxide coated stent(TiNOS).AIM To compare the 5-year effectiveness and safety of the two stent types.METHODS The following systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted in accordance with the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis guidelines,and PubMed/MEDLINE,Scopus,and Cochrane Central were searched from inception till August 2023.Primary outcomes were major adverse cardiac events(MACE),cardiac death,myocardial infarction(MI),cardiac death or MI,and ischemia-driven total lesion revascularization(ID-TLR).RESULTS Four randomized controlled trials(RCT),which analyzed a sum total of 3045 patients with acute coronary syndrome(ACS)after a median follow-up time of 5 years were included.Though statistically insignificant,an increase in the ID-TLR was observed in patients receiving TiNOSs vs DESs.In addition,MI,cardiac death and MI,and definite stent thrombosis(DST)were significantly decreased in the TiNOS arm.Baseline analysis revealed no significant results with meta-regression presenting non-ST elevated MI(NSTEMI)as a statistically significant covariate in the outcome of MACE.CONCLUSION TiNOS was found to be superior to DES in terms of MI,cardiac death or MI,and DST outcomes,however,the effect of the two stent types on ID-TLR and MACE was not significant.A greater number of studies are required to establish an accurate comparison of patient outcomes in TiNOS and DES.
文摘Until recently, computed tomography coronary angiography was restricted to the anatomical assessment of coronary stenosis, whereas the functional significance of coronary lesions remained outside of its scope. Nevertheless, the kinetics of iodinated contrast is similar to gadolinium-diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid used in contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging, allowing assessment of myocardial perfusion and viability by cardiac computed tomography.
文摘AIM:To explore whether computer tomography coronary angiography(CTCA) using iterative reconstruction(IR) leads to significant radiation dose reduction without a significant loss in image interpretability compared to conventional filtered back projection(FBP).METHODS:A consecutive series of 200 patients referred to our institution to undergo CTCA constituted the study population.Patients were sequentially assigned to FBP or IR.All studies were acquired with a 256-slice CT scanner.A coronary segment was considered interpretable if image quality was adequate for evaluation of coronary lesions in all segments ≥ 1.5 mm.RESULTS:The mean age was 56.3±9.6 years and165(83%) were male,with no significant differences between groups.Most scans were acquired using prospective ECG triggering,without differences between groups(FBP 84%vs IR 82%;P=0.71).A total of 3198(94%) coronary segments were deemed of diagnostic quality.The percent assessable coronary segments was similar between groups(FBP 91.7%±4.0% vs IR92.5% ± 2.8%; P=0.12).Radiation dose was significantly lower in the IR group(2.8±1.4 mSvvs 4.6±3.0mSv;P<0.0001).Image noise(37.8±1.4 HUvs 38.2±2.4 HU; P=0.20) and signal density(461.7±51.9HU vs 462.2±51.2 HU; P=0.54) levels did not differ between FBP and IR groups,respectively.The IR group was associated to significant effective dose reductions,irrespective of the acquisition mode.CONCLUSION:Application of IR in CTCA preserves image interpretability despite a significant reduction in radiation dose.