{"title":"Left Atrial Mechanics and Atrioventricular Coupling in Hypertension With Supra-Normal Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction","authors":"Chong Liu, Wen-Jun Xu, Jia-Wei Tian","doi":"10.1111/echo.70079","DOIUrl":"10.1111/echo.70079","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objectives</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Supra-normal left ventricular ejection fraction (snLVEF) represents a heterogeneous group with distinct prognoses. Left atrial (LA) strain, measured by speckle tracking echocardiography (STE), is a validated prognostic indicator. This study aimed to evaluate LA and left ventricular (LV) mechanical strains in hypertensive patients with snLVEF.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This retrospective study included 101 patients (mean age 59.7 ± 8.4 years; 61.4% men) with primary arterial hypertension and preserved LVEF (≥50%). Patients were categorized into low-normal LVEF (lnLVEF; 50%–59%), mid-normal LVEF (mnLVEF; 60%–69%), and snLVEF (≥70%). LV global longitudinal strain (LVGLS) and LA strains during reservoir (LASr), conduit (LAScd), and contraction (LASct) phases were measured using STE.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Relative wall thickness was significantly higher in snLVEF patients compared to mnLVEF (<i>p</i> < 0.01), with no difference in LVGLS (<i>p</i> = 0.933). Compared to mnLVEF, snLVEF patients had reduced LASr and LAScd (both <i>p</i> < 0.01) but preserved LASct (<i>p</i> = 0.057). In contrast, lnLVEF patients showed greater reductions in all phasic LA strains (all <i>p</i> < 0.01). Loess regression revealed an inverted U-shaped relationship between LASr and LVEF, peaking at LVEF 65%–70%. The mitral E/e′<sub>mean</sub> ratio and LVGLS correlated moderately to strongly with LASr (<i>r</i> = −0.39 and <i>r</i> = −0.65, respectively; both <i>p</i> < 0.001).</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Hypertensive patients with snLVEF exhibit impaired LA reservoir and conduit functions while maintaining pump function, suggesting snLVEF may be an intermediate stage between mnLVEF and lnLVEF as hypertension progresses. Further studies are needed to explore the prognostic potential of LA strain in this population.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":50558,"journal":{"name":"Echocardiography-A Journal of Cardiovascular Ultrasound and Allied Techniques","volume":"42 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143015721","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Xiao-rong Su, Ai-lin Wang, Hong-xia Tie, Wen-rui Wu, Wen-dong Zhang, Ke-xiong Niu, Tian-gang Li
{"title":"Clinical Application of the Fetal HQ Technique in the Evaluation of Normal Fetal Cardiac Function at Different Gestational Weeks","authors":"Xiao-rong Su, Ai-lin Wang, Hong-xia Tie, Wen-rui Wu, Wen-dong Zhang, Ke-xiong Niu, Tian-gang Li","doi":"10.1111/echo.70078","DOIUrl":"10.1111/echo.70078","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objectives</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>To investigate the clinical value of fetal heart quantification (fetal HQ) in the evaluation of normal fetal heart size, morphology, and cardiac function at different gestational weeks.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Materials and Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>A total of 101 pregnant women diagnosed with a healthy fetus by fetal echocardiography from September 2021 to December 2023 were selected and classified into four different periods of gestational weeks: 20–28 weeks (25 cases), 29–32 weeks (26 cases), 33–36 weeks (26 cases), and 37–40 weeks (24 cases). Quantitative analyses were performed by automatically tracking the endocardium using fetal HQ software that comes with the Voluson E10 from GE. To investigate the correlation between four-chambered vesicle length end-diastolic (4CV LED), four-chambered vesicle transverse width end-diastolic (4CV TWED), global sphericity index (GSI), ejection fraction (EF), stroke volume (SV), cardiac output (CO), and gestation age (GA), and the variability of normal fetal cardiac morphology and cardiac function at different gestational weeks.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>A statistically significant difference was observed between 4CV LED and 4CV TWED in normal fetuses at different gestational weeks (<i>p</i> < 0.05), which exhibited a positive correlation with gestational week. Conversely, no significant correlation was identified between GSI and gestational week (<i>p</i> > 0.05). The mean GSI of 101 normal fetuses was found to be 1.25 ± 0.09. A comparative analysis of EF, SV, and CO in normal fetuses at different gestational weeks revealed statistically significant differences in SV and CO (<i>p</i> < 0.05), which gradually increased with gestational weeks, whereas there was no statistically significant difference in EF (<i>p</i> > 0.05).</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Fetal HQ represents a straightforward and dependable method for evaluating GSI and 24-segment SI of the left and right ventricles, which can provide a certain theoretical basis for the clinical quantitative evaluation of fetal cardiac geometry and cardiac function.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":50558,"journal":{"name":"Echocardiography-A Journal of Cardiovascular Ultrasound and Allied Techniques","volume":"42 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143015718","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Davide Marchetti, Michele Gallazzi, Giulia Nemola, Marco Stracqualursi, Blanca Prestini, Alessandro Masini, Maria Clara Alessandrello, Sara Belleggia, Pasquale Paolisso, Daniele Andreini, Edoardo Conte
{"title":"Utility of Cardiovascular CT in Ischemic Heart Disease","authors":"Davide Marchetti, Michele Gallazzi, Giulia Nemola, Marco Stracqualursi, Blanca Prestini, Alessandro Masini, Maria Clara Alessandrello, Sara Belleggia, Pasquale Paolisso, Daniele Andreini, Edoardo Conte","doi":"10.1111/echo.70032","DOIUrl":"10.1111/echo.70032","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Cardiac computed tomography angiography (CCTA) has acquired a pivotal role in modern cardiology. It represents the gold standard for noninvasive coronary imaging. Moreover, CCTA permits a comprehensive evaluation of atheromatic burden and plaque composition. This study aims to review the impact of CCTA across the different presentations of ischemic heart disease, from primary prevention to the evaluation of patients requiring revascularization.</p>","PeriodicalId":50558,"journal":{"name":"Echocardiography-A Journal of Cardiovascular Ultrasound and Allied Techniques","volume":"42 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11737472/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143015042","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Is Myocardial Work a Surrogate Marker for Functional Coronary Artery Stenosis or a Marker of Coronary Atherosclerosis?","authors":"Rita Pavasini","doi":"10.1111/echo.70073","DOIUrl":"10.1111/echo.70073","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":50558,"journal":{"name":"Echocardiography-A Journal of Cardiovascular Ultrasound and Allied Techniques","volume":"42 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142985478","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Association of Epicardial Adipose Tissue With Left Atrial Function in Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction","authors":"Hidekazu Tanaka","doi":"10.1111/echo.70072","DOIUrl":"10.1111/echo.70072","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":50558,"journal":{"name":"Echocardiography-A Journal of Cardiovascular Ultrasound and Allied Techniques","volume":"42 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142985436","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Understanding the Link Between Lipoprotein (A) and Thoracic Aortic Damage: A Step Toward to Improve Prevention","authors":"Elisa Gherbesi, Andrea Faggiano, Cesare Cuspidi","doi":"10.1111/echo.70074","DOIUrl":"10.1111/echo.70074","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":50558,"journal":{"name":"Echocardiography-A Journal of Cardiovascular Ultrasound and Allied Techniques","volume":"42 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142985481","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A Rare Quadruple Valve Infective Endocarditis Combined With Ventricular Septal Defect","authors":"Qiuyu Xiao, Shuzhen Wang, Feng Xiong","doi":"10.1111/echo.70076","DOIUrl":"10.1111/echo.70076","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Quadruple valve infective endocarditis is very rare and is often combined with congenital heart disease or other risk factors. The prognosis of this disease is poor and echocardiography is an important method of diagnosing this disease.</p>","PeriodicalId":50558,"journal":{"name":"Echocardiography-A Journal of Cardiovascular Ultrasound and Allied Techniques","volume":"42 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142962635","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Danilo Angotti, Gianluca Di Pietro, Sara Cimino, Sara Monosilio, Lucrezia Netti, Antonella Ciuffreda, Riccardo Improta, Marco Tocci, Paolo Severino, Emanuele Bruno, Riccardo Colantonio, Carmine Dario Vizza, Luciano Agati, Viviana Maestrini
{"title":"Prognostic Value of Advanced Echocardiographic Analysis for Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: A Systematic Review","authors":"Danilo Angotti, Gianluca Di Pietro, Sara Cimino, Sara Monosilio, Lucrezia Netti, Antonella Ciuffreda, Riccardo Improta, Marco Tocci, Paolo Severino, Emanuele Bruno, Riccardo Colantonio, Carmine Dario Vizza, Luciano Agati, Viviana Maestrini","doi":"10.1111/echo.70063","DOIUrl":"10.1111/echo.70063","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is the main treatment option for patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) and older age. Improved imaging techniques have enabled better patient selection, and the main role is played by echocardiography. Methods more sensitive than LVEF in assessing cardiac function, such as global longitudinal strain (GLS) and myocardial work (MW), have become widespread, and other methods, like hemodynamic forces (HDFs), might be promising.</p>\u0000 <p>The aim of this paper is to systematically review the parameters of GLS, MW, and HDF as predictors of reverse remodeling and their association with outcomes in patients with AS undergoing TAVI. In particular, the focus will be on the examination of the influence of TAVI on left atrial and ventricular function and right ventricular function.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":50558,"journal":{"name":"Echocardiography-A Journal of Cardiovascular Ultrasound and Allied Techniques","volume":"42 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142958240","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}