Emerging clinical applications of strain imaging and three-dimensional echocardiography for the assessment of ventricular function in adult congenital heart disease

2024 Statement from Asia expert operators on transcatheter pulmonary valve replacement

Transcatheter pulmonary valve replacement (TPVR), also known as percutaneous pulmonary valve implantation, refers to a minimally invasive technique that replaces the pulmonary valve by delivering an artificial pulmonary prosthesis through a catheter into the diseased pulmonary valve under the guidance of X-ray and/or echocardiogram while the heart is still beating not arrested. In recent years, TPVR has achieved remarkable progress in device development, evidence-based medicine proof and clinical experience. To update the knowledge of TPVR in a timely fashion, and according to the latest research and further facilitate the standardized and healthy development of TPVR in Asia, we have updated this consensus statement. After systematical review of the relevant literature with an in-depth analysis of eight main issues, we finally established eight core viewpoints, including indication recommendation, device selection, perioperative evaluation, procedure precautions, and prevention and treatment of complications.

VALUE OF ECHOCARDIOGRAPHIC DIASTOLIC FUNCTION REACTIVITY UNDER EXERCISE LOAD

ABSTRACT Introduction: Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction is one of the important long-term survival and prognosis factors in patients with coronary heart disease. Objective: To evaluate the diastolic function of the left ventricle in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) using 3D speckle tracking echocardiography (3D-STE). Methods: Full volume images of four apical cavities were collected, and 4D Auto LVQ software was used for offline analysis to obtain longitudinal strain (GLS), circumferential strain (GCS), area strain (GAS) and radial strain (GRS) of the left ventricle as a whole (four three-dimensional strain indicators). Results: The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that the sensitivity and specificity of GLS in predicting left ventricular diastolic dysfunction were both 68% at −15.5%. The sensitivity and specificity of GCS for predicting left ventricular diastolic dysfunction at −17.5% were 76% and 81%, and those of GAS at −29.5% were 84% and 68%, respectively. Conclusions: The strain parameters of 3D-STE can be used to predict LVEDP in patients with coronary heart disease with normal left ventricular ejection fraction, and can be used as a new ultrasonic diagnostic index to evaluate left ventricular diastolic function in patients. Level of evidence II; Therapeutic studies - investigation of treatment results.

Überraschende Echobefunde als Erstdiagnose eines angeborenen Herzfehlers im Erwachsenenalter

Angeborene Herzfehler (AHF) werden teilweise erst im Erwachsenenalter diagnostiziert, entweder weil sie erst dann klinisch auffällig werden oder bei vorausgegangenen Untersuchungen übersehen wurden. Im Rahmen einer routinemäßigen transthorakalen Echokardiografie (TTE) können in der kardiologischen Praxis oder Klinik angeborene kardiale Anomalien leicht fehlgedeutet werden, da der Fokus in der Erwachsenenkardiologie überwiegend bei erworbenen Herzfehlern, einer Kardiomyopathie, Klappenerkrankungen oder einer systolischen oder diastolischen Dysfunktion liegt. Demgegenüber spielt eine thematische Auseinandersetzung mit AHF häufig eine nur untergeordnete Rolle, die Erwartungshaltung hinsichtlich angeborener kardialer Anomalien ist eher gering und die Sinne für mögliche AHF oft nicht geschärft. Dieser Artikel soll dazu beitragen, die Wahrscheinlichkeit des Erkennens eines AHF im Rahmen der TTE-Untersuchung zu erhöhen.

The challenges of an aging tetralogy of Fallot population

Introduction: Advancements in surgery and management have resulted in a growing population of aging adults with tetralogy of Fallot (TOF). As a result, there has been a parallel growth in late complications associated with the sequelae from the underlying cardiac anomalies as well as the surgical and other interventional treatments.Areas covered: Here, we review challenges related to an aging population of patients with TOF, particularly late complications, and highlight advances in management and key areas for future research. Pulmonary regurgitation, heart failure, arrhythmias, and aortic complications are some of these late complications. There is also a growing incidence of acquired cardiovascular disease, obesity, and diabetes associated with aging. Management of these late complications and acquired comorbidities continues to evolve as research provides insights into long-term outcomes from medical therapies and surgical interventions.Expert opinion: The management of an aging TOF population will continue to transform with advances in imaging technologies to identify subclinical disease and valve replacement technologies that will prevent and mitigate disease progression. In the coming years, we speculate that there will be more data to support the use of novel heart failure therapies in TOF and consensus guidelines on the management of refractory arrhythmias and aortic complications.

RETRACTED: Diagnosis of Early Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction by Layer-Specific Strain Echocardiography in Diabetic Rabbits

This article has been retracted: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (https://www.elsevier.com/about/our-business/policies/article-withdrawal). This article has been retracted at the request of the Editor. The authors have copied figures and text verbatim from another manuscript published by the first author and others in Med Ultrason, 18 (2016) 339–344; doi:10.11152/mu.2013.2066.183.qia. We apologize to readers of the journal for this incident.