introduction:  in order to assess echocardiographic left ventricular functional indices in patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma (dtc), after l-t4 withdrawal (short-term overt hypothyroidism) and during tsh suppressive therapy, we have evaluated cardiac hemodynamics in a single cohort study. methods: 24 patients with dtc were studied in two phases: 1: at least 4 weeks after l-t4 withdr...

BACKGROUND Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) is established for assessment of left ventricular (LV) systolic function but has not been widely used to assess diastolic function. This study tested performance of a novel CMR segmentation algorithm (LV-METRIC) for automated assessment of diastolic function. METHODS AND RESULTS A total of 101 patients with normal LV systolic function underwent CMR ...

BACKGROUND Non-invasive assessment of volume and function on the right ventricle (RV) for pulmonary hypertension (PH) is limited. METHODS AND RESULTS Patients with PH (n=23) underwent 3-dimensional (D) echocardiography (3DECHO), with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging to confirm its precision, and right heart catheterization. On linear regression analysis the RV end-systolic volume index (ESV...

BACKGROUND Previous studies comparing levosimendan vs. dobutamine have revealed that levosimendan is better in relieving symptoms. Echocardiographic studies have been done using second measurements immediately following a dobutamine infusion or while it was still being administered. The aim of our study was assessment of sustained effects of 24 h levosimendan and dobutamine infusions on left ve...

The aim of the present study was to compare the efficacy of 1 yr of sibutramine-induced weight loss versus continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment on sleep-disordered breathing, cardiac autonomic function and systemic blood pressure in obese patients with obstructive sleep apnoea. Subjects with a body mass index of > or =30 kg.m(-2) without previous treatment for obstructive sleep ...

OBJECTIVE Strenuous exercise variably modifies cardiovascular function. Only few data are available on intermediate levels of effort. We therefore planned a study in order to address the hypothesis that a half marathon distance would result in transient changes of cardiac mechanics, neural regulation and biochemical profile suggestive of a complex, integrated adaptation. METHODS We enrolled 3...

We hypothesized that left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction assessed by cardiac catheterization may be associated with increased risk for cardiovascular events. To test the hypothesis, we assessed diastolic function by cardiac catheterization (relaxation time constant (Tau) and end-diastolic pressure (EDP)) as well as Doppler echocardiography (early diastolic mitral annular velocity (e') a...

AIMS Previous studies provided evidence about left ventricular systolic and diastolic dysfunction in adults with Marfan syndrome (MFS). However, in the literature, data on right ventricular and bi-atrial diastolic function are limited. We aimed to investigate whether, in the absence of significant valvular disease, diastolic dysfunction is present not only in both ventricles but also in the atr...

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES Cardiac allograft vasculopathy affects both epicardial and microcirculatory coronary compartments. Magnetic resonance perfusion imaging has been proposed as a useful tool to assess microcirculation mostly outside the heart transplantation setting. Instantaneous hyperemic diastolic flow velocity-pressure slope, an intracoronary physiology index, has demonstrated a bet...

Aims: Patients who are hospitalized in coronary care unit are at risk for hemodynamic instability secondary to anxiety and stress. Aromatherapy may have positive effects on hemodynamic status and can help reduce blood pressure and heart rate. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of lavender aromatherapy on hemodynamic indices among patients with acute coronary syndrome. Methods: ...