Cardiac Imaging Update

Integration of coronary anatomy and myocardial perfusion imaging.

Nat Rev Cardiol. 2010 Mar 9;

Authors: Blankstein R, Di Carli MF,

Advances in cardiovascular imaging have resulted in the development of multiple noninvasive techniques to evaluate myocardial perfusion and coronary anatomy, each of which has unique strengths and limitations. For example, CT angiography can directly visualize the presence of atherosclerosis, but the hemodynamic effect of many lesions identified by this technique is unknown. Alternatively, myocardial perfusion imaging enables a physiological assessment, but it may underestimate the extent of atherosclerosis in patients with multivessel disease. Dual-modality simultaneous imaging or multimodal sequential imaging techniques facilitate integration of information on both myocardial perfusion and coronary anatomy, and thus have the potential to improve diagnostic and prognostic evaluation, which could translate into improved care of patients. This Review discusses the strengths and limitations of the currently available individual noninvasive techniques for imaging coronary anatomy and myocardial perfusion. Approaches to integration of these imaging modalities are described, followed by an exploration of the clinical utility and future directions of hybrid imaging.

PMID: 20212502 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Myocardial structure and function by echocardiography in relation to glucometabolic status in elderly subjects from 2 population-based cohorts: A cross-sectional study.

Am Heart J. 2010 Mar;159(3):414-420.e4

Authors: Leosdottir M, Willenheimer R, Plehn J, Borgquist R, Gudmundsson P, Harris TB, Launer LJ, Bjornsdottir H, Nilsson PM, Gudnason V

BACKGROUND: Left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction has been associated with impaired glucometabolic status. However, studies of older subjects are lacking. We examined associations between echocardiographic indices of LV diastolic function and LV mass index (LVMI) and glucometabolic status among middle-aged and elderly subjects free from heart disease, hypothesizing that the associations would be comparative to younger cohorts. METHODS: We examined the Age Gene/Environment Susceptibility Reykjavik Study (Iceland; n = 607, 76 +/- 6 years) and the Malm

Trends in echocardiography utilization in the Veterans Administration Healthcare System.

Am Heart J. 2010 Mar;159(3):477-483

Authors: Okrah K, Vaughan-Sarrazin M, Cram P

BACKGROUND: There is growing concern over the impact of accelerating use of diagnostic imaging services on health care spending. Echocardiography is an important cardiovascular imaging procedure, but little is known about trends in its use or utilization. We examine trends in the utilization of echocardiography in a national health care system. METHODS: We used administrative data from the Veterans Healthcare Administration (VA) from 2000 to 2007 to identify patients receiving regular medical care (VA users) or echocardiograms at the VA. We then examined the number of echocardiograms performed each year within the VA and echocardiogram utilization (rates per 1,000 VA users). We examined changes in echocardiogram use and utilization over time and potential overuse of echocardiography. RESULTS: The number of echocardiograms increased from 92,269 in 2000 to 195,767 in 2007 (a 112.2% increase). Alternatively, echocardiogram utilization remained relatively stable, increasing from 68.8 per 1,000 VA users in 2000 to 71.5 per 1,000 VA users in 2007 because the number of VA users increased by 104.2% over the study period. The mean number of scans per year in echocardiogram recipients remained constant at 1.1/y, and the proportion of recipients receiving multiple scans remained constant at <10%. CONCLUSIONS: Use of echocardiography in the VA increased dramatically between 2000 and 2007, but utilization rates increased only modestly. Our results suggest that, within the VA, growth in the use of echocardiography resulted from an increase in the number of patients receiving care from the VA on regular basis rather than the performance of a greater number of echocardiograms on a fixed patient population.

PMID: 20211312 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Nomograms for Aortic Root Diameters in Children Using Two-Dimensional Echocardiography.

Am J Cardiol. 2010 Mar 15;105(6):888-894

Authors: Gautier M, Detaint D, Fermanian C, Aegerter P, Delorme G, Arnoult F, Milleron O, Raoux F, Stheneur C, Boileau C, Vahanian A, Jondeau G

The evaluation of aortic root dilation is of major importance for the diagnosis and follow-up of patients with diverse diseases, including the Marfan syndrome. However, we noted that the available nomograms suggested a lower aortic root dilation rate in adults (75%) than in children (90%), when the opposite would have been expected. To establish new nomograms, we selected a population of 353 normal children. We took transthoracic echocardiographic measurements of the aortic root diameters at the level of the aortic annulus, sinuses of Valsalva, sinotubular junction, and ascending aorta according to the American Society of Echocardiography recommendations. All diameters correlated well with the height, weight, body surface area, and age (r = 0.75 to 0.84, p <0.0001). Covariance analysis adjusting for body surface area showed slightly larger diameters at the level of the sinuses of Valsalva in male children than in female children (+1 mm, p = 0.0002). Equations and derived nomograms were developed, giving the upper limit of normal (allowing simple recognition of aortic dilation) and the Z score (allowing fine quantification of dilation and differentiation of normal growth from pathologic dilation) for all 4 aortic root diameters (ie, aortic annulus, sinuses of Valsalva, sinotubular junction, and proximal ascending aorta) according to body surface area and gender. We applied the nomograms to 282 children with confirmed Marfan syndrome, of whom 65.2% presented with dilation of the sinuses of Valsalva. In conclusion, we propose equations to calculate the upper limit of normal and Z-score for aortic root diameters measured by 2-dimensional echocardiography, which should be useful tools for the diagnosis and follow-up of aortic root aneurysms in children.

PMID: 20211339 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Generator-produced rubidium-82 positron emission tomography myocardial perfusion imaging-From basic aspects to clinical applications.

J Cardiol. 2010 Mar;55(2):163-173

Authors: Yoshinaga K, Klein R, Tamaki N

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in modern industrialized countries with an aging population. This fact has fueled the need for innovative diagnostic testing intended to improve coronary artery disease (CAD) patient care. Detection of myocardial ischemia using myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) plays an important role for CAD diagnosis and the prediction of future risk of cardiovascular events. Positron emission tomography (PET) MPI has high diagnostic accuracy and can estimate regional myocardial blood flow (MBF) in patients with CAD. Rubidium-82 ((82)Rb) is a generator-produced PET myocardial perfusion tracer and has been widely used in North America in clinical practice. (82)Rb PET has recently become available in some cardiovascular centers in Europe and Japan. Clinical trials are expected in both regions. (82)Rb PET has high diagnostic accuracy and recent data have shown its prognostic value. Thus, (82)Rb PET would greatly contribute to CAD patients’ care. (82)Rb PET can also be used to quantify MBF. This review describes the current status of (82)Rb MPI from basic principles to clinical implications. This paper also highlights the recent development of MBF quantification using (82)Rb PET.

PMID: 20206068 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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