| 1. |
- Mantini, Cesare, et al.
(författare)
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A highly-detailed anatomical study of left atrial auricle as revealed by in-vivo computed tomography
- 2023
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Ingår i: Heliyon. - 2405-8440. ; 9:10
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The left atrial auricle (LAA) is the main source of intracardiac thrombi, which contribute significantly to the total number of stroke cases. It is also considered a major site of origin for atrial fibrillation in patients undergoing ablation procedures. The LAA is known to have a high degree of morphological variability, with shape and structure identified as important contributors to thrombus formation. A detailed understanding of LAA form, dimension, and function is crucial for radiologists, cardiologists, and cardiac surgeons. This review describes the normal anatomy of the LAA as visualized through multiple imaging techniques such as computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and echocardiography. Special emphasis is devoted to a discussion on how the morphological characteristics of the LAA are closely related to the likelihood of developing LAA thrombi, including insights into LAA embryology.
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| 2. |
- Bisaccia, Giandomenico, et al.
(författare)
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Cardiovascular Morbidity and Mortality Related to Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease : a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
- 2023
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Ingår i: Current Problems in Cardiology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0146-2806 .- 1535-6280. ; 48:6
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Whether non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a cardiovascular (CV) risk factor is debated. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the CV morbidity and mortality related to NAFLD in the general population, and to determine whether CV risk is comparable between lean and non-lean NAFLD phenotypes.METHODS AND RESULTS: We searched multiple databases, including PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library, for observational studies published through 2022 that reported the risk of CV events and mortality. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for all-cause mortality, CV mortality, myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, atrial fibrillation (AF), and major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) were assessed through random-effect meta-analysis. We identified 33 studies and a total study population of 10,592,851 individuals (mean age 53±8; male sex 50%; NAFLD 2,9%). Mean follow-up was 10±6 years. Pooled ORs for all-cause and CV mortality were respectively 1.14 (95%CI 0.78-1.67) and 1.13 (95%CI 0.57-2.23), indicating no significant association between NAFLD and mortality. NAFLD was associated with increased risk of MI (OR 1.6; 95%CI 1.5-1.7), stroke (OR 1.6; 95%CI 1.2-2.1), atrial fibrillation (OR 1.7; 95%CI 1.2-2.3) and MACCE (OR 2.3; 95%CI 1.3-4.2). Compared with non-lean NAFLD, lean NAFLD was associated with increased CV mortality (OR 1.50; 95%CI 1.1-2.0), but similar all-cause mortality and risk of MACCE.CONCLUSIONS: While NAFLD may not be a risk factor for total and CV mortality, it is associated with excess risk of non-fatal CV events. Lean and non-lean NAFLD phenotypes exhibit distinct prognostic profiles and should receive equitable clinical care.
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| 3. |
- De Innocentiis, Carlo, et al.
(författare)
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Athlete’s Heart : Diagnostic Challenges and Future Perspectives
- 2018
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Ingår i: Sports Medicine. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0112-1642 .- 1179-2035. ; 48:11, s. 2463-2477
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Distinguishing between adaptive and maladaptive cardiovascular response to exercise is crucial to prevent the unnecessary termination of an athlete’s career and to minimize the risk of sudden death. This is a challenging task essentially due to the substantial phenotypic overlap between electrical and structural changes seen in the physiological athletic heart remodeling and pathological changes seen in inherited or acquired cardiomyopathies. Stress testing is an ideal tool to discriminate normal from abnormal cardiovascular response by unmasking subtle pathologic responses otherwise undetectable at rest. Treadmill or bicycle electrocardiography, transthoracic echocardiography, and cardiopulmonary exercise testing are common clinical investigations used in sports cardiology, specifically among participants presenting with resting electrocardiographic abnormalities, frequent premature ventricular beats, or non-sustained ventricular arrhythmias. In this setting, as well as in cases of left ventricular hypertrophy or asymptomatic left ventricular dysfunction, stress imaging and myocardial tissue characterization by cardiovascular magnetic resonance show promise. In this review, we aimed to reappraise current diagnostic schemes, screening strategies and novel approaches that may be used to distinguish adaptive remodeling patterns to physical exercise from early phenotypes of inherited or acquired pathological conditions commanding prompt intervention.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Mantini, Cesare, et al.
(författare)
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Aliased Flow Signal Planimetry by Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Grading Aortic Stenosis Severity : A Prospective Pilot Study
- 2021
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2297-055X. ; 8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is the standard technique for assessing aortic stenosis (AS), with effective orifice area (EOA) recommended for grading severity. EOA is operator-dependent, influenced by a number of pitfalls and requires multiple measurements introducing independent and random sources of error. We tested the diagnostic accuracy and precision of aliased orifice area planimetry (AOAcmr ), a new, simple, non-invasive technique for grading of AS severity by low-VENC phase-contrast cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging. Methods: Twenty-two consecutive patients with mild, moderate, or severe AS and six age-and sex-matched healthy controls had TTE and CMR examinations on the same day. We performed analysis of agreement and correlation among (i) AOAcmr; (ii) geometric orifice area (GOAcmr ) by direct CMR planimetry; (iii) EOAecho by TTE-continuity equation; and (iv) the “gold standard” multimodality EOA (EOAhybrid ) obtained by substituting CMR LVOT area into Doppler continuity equation. Results: There was excellent pairwise positive linear correlation among AOAcmr, EOAhybrid, GOAcmr, and EOAecho (p < 0.001); AOAcmr had the highest correlation with EOAhybrid (R2 = 0.985, p < 0.001). There was good agreement between methods, with the lowest bias (0.019) for the comparison between AOAcmr and EOAhybrid . AOAcmr yielded excellent intra-and inter-rater reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient: 0.997 and 0.998, respectively). Conclusions: Aliased orifice area planimetry by 2D phase contrast imaging is a simple, reproducible, accurate “one-stop shop” CMR method for grading AS, potentially useful when echocardiographic severity assessment is inconclusive or discordant. Larger studies are warranted to confirm and validate these promising preliminary results.
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| 6. |
- Renda, Giulia, et al.
(författare)
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Predictors of Mortality and Cardiovascular Outcome at 6 Months after Hospitalization for COVID-19
- 2022
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Ingår i: Journal of Clinical Medicine. - : MDPI AG. - 2077-0383. ; 11:3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Clinical outcome data of patients discharged after Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are limited and no study has evaluated predictors of cardiovascular prognosis in this setting. Our aim was to assess short-term mortality and cardiovascular outcome after hospitalization for COVID-19. A prospective cohort of 296 consecutive patients discharged after COVID-19 from two Italian institutions during the first wave of the pandemic and followed up to 6 months was included. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality. The co-primary endpoint was the incidence of the composite outcome of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE: cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, stroke, pulmonary embolism, acute heart failure, or hospitalization for cardiovascular causes). The mean follow-up duration was 6 ± 2 months. The incidence of all-cause death was 4.7%. At multivariate analysis, age was the only independent predictor of mortality (aHR 1.08, 95% CI 1.01–1.16). MACCE occurred in 7.2% of patients. After adjustment, female sex (aHR 2.6, 95% CI 1.05–6.52), in-hospital acute heart failure during index hospitalization (aHR 3.45, 95% CI 1.19–10), and prevalent atrial fibrillation (aHR 3.05, 95% CI 1.13–8.24) significantly predicted the incident risk of MACCE. These findings may help to identify patients for whom a closer and more accurate surveillance after discharge for COVID-19 should be considered.
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| 7. |
- Ricci, Fabrizio, et al.
(författare)
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Prognostic significance of noncardiac syncope in the general population : A systematic review and meta-analysis
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology. - : Wiley. - 1045-3873 .- 1540-8167. ; 29:12, s. 1641-1647
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introduction: Cardiac syncope heralds significantly higher mortality compared with syncope due to noncardiac causes or unknown etiology, commonly considered a benign event. A few epidemiologic studies have examined the outcome of noncardiac/unexplained syncope comparing individuals with and without syncope, but with controversial results. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to clarify whether history of noncardiac/unexplained syncope is associated with increased all-cause mortality in the general population. Methods and Results: Our systematic review of the literature published between January 1, 1966, and March 31, 2018 sought prospective, observational, cohort studies reporting summary-level outcome data about all-cause mortality in subjects with history of noncardiac/unexplained syncope compared with syncope-free participants. Adjusted hazard ratios were pooled through inverse variance random-effect meta-analysis to compute the summary effect size. Meta-regression models were performed to explore the effect of age, cardiovascular risk factors, or other potential confounders on the measured effect size. We identified four studies including 287 382 individuals (51.6% men; age, 64 ± 12 years): 38 843 with history of noncardiac/unexplained syncope and 248 539 without history of syncope. The average follow-up was 4.4 years. History of noncardiac/unexplained syncope was associated with higher all-cause mortality (pooled adjusted hazard ratio = 1.13; 95% confidence interval, 1.05 to 1.23). Meta-regression analysis showed a stronger positive relationship proportional to aging and increasing prevalence of diabetes and hypertension. Conclusions: This study-level meta-analysis showed that among older, diabetic and/or hypertensive individuals, history of noncardiac/unexplained syncope, even in the absence of an obvious cardiac etiology, is associated with higher all-cause mortality.
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| 8. |
- Tana, Claudio, et al.
(författare)
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Cardiovascular risk in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease : Mechanisms and therapeutic implications
- 2019
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Ingår i: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. - : MDPI AG. - 1661-7827 .- 1660-4601. ; 16:17
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- New evidence suggests that non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has a strong multifaceted relationship with diabetes and metabolic syndrome, and is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular events, regardless of traditional risk factors, such as hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and obesity. Given the pandemic-level rise of NAFLD—in parallel with the increasing prevalence of obesity and other components of the metabolic syndrome—and its association with poor cardiovascular outcomes, the question of how to manage NAFLD properly, in order to reduce the burden of associated incident cardiovascular events, is both timely and highly relevant. This review aims to summarize the current knowledge of the association between NAFLD and cardiovascular disease, and also to discuss possible clinical strategies for cardiovascular risk assessment, as well as the spectrum of available therapeutic strategies for the prevention and treatment of NAFLD and its downstream events.
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| 9. |
- Tana, Claudio, et al.
(författare)
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Prognostic Significance of Chest Imaging by LUS and CT in COVID-19 Inpatients : The ECOVID Multicenter Study
- 2022
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Ingår i: Respiration. - : S. Karger AG. - 0025-7931 .- 1423-0356. ; 101:2, s. 122-131
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Point-of-care lung ultrasound (LUS) score is a semiquantitative score of lung damage severity. High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) is the gold standard method to evaluate the severity of lung involvement from the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Few studies have investigated the clinical significance of LUS and HRCT scores in patients with COVID-19. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic yield of LUS and of HRCT in COVID-19 patients. Methods: We carried out a multicenter, retrospective study aimed at evaluating the prognostic yield of LUS and HRCT by exploring the survival curve of COVID-19 inpatients. LUS and chest CT scores were calculated retrospectively by 2 radiologists with >10 years of experience in chest imaging, and the decisions were reached in consensus. LUS score was calculated on the basis of the presence or not of pleural line abnormalities, B-lines, and lung consolidations. The total score (range 0-36) was obtained from the sum of the highest scores obtained in each region. CT score was calculated for each of the 5 lobes considering the anatomical extension according to the percentage parenchymal involvement. The resulting overall global semiquantitative CT score was the sum of each single lobar score and ranged from 0 (no involvement) to 25 (maximum involvement). Results: One hundred fifty-three COVID-19 inpatients (mean age 65 ± 15 years; 65% M), including 23 (15%) in-hospital deaths for any cause over a mean follow-up of 14 days were included. Mean LUS and CT scores were 19 ± 12 and 10 ± 7, respectively. A strong positive linear correlation between LUS and CT scores (Pearson correlation r = 0.754; R = 0.568; p < 0.001) was observed. By ROC curve analysis, the optimal cut-point for mortality prediction was 20 for LUS score and 4.5 for chest CT score. According to Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, in-hospital mortality significantly increased among COVID-19 patients presenting with an LUS score ≥20 (log-rank 0.003; HR 9.87, 95% CI: 2.22-43.83) or a chest CT score ≥4.5 (HR 4.34, 95% CI: 0.97-19.41). At multivariate Cox regression analysis, LUS score was the sole independent predictor of in-hospital mortality yielding an adjusted HR of 7.42 (95% CI: 1.59-34.5). Conclusion: LUS score is useful to stratify the risk in COVID-19 patients, predicting those that are at high risk of mortality.
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