PURPOSE To develop a technique based on image noise distribution for automated endocardial border detection from cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) images throughout the cardiac cycle, validate it, and test its clinical utility. MATERIALS AND METHODS Images obtained in 36 patients were analyzed using custom software to obtain left ventricular (LV) volume throughout the cardiac cycle, end-systol...

BACKGROUND In patients with non-obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and preserved left ventricular (LV) systolic function, diastolic dysfunction is one of the major factors contributing to limited exercise capacity. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging has become a useful tool in diagnosis, risk stratification and treatment monitoring in patients with HCM. AIM To assess t...

OBJECTIVES To determine the frequency, associated clinical factors, and prognostic significance of left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction in systemic sclerosis (SSc). METHODS We studied 153 consecutive patients with SSc and divided the study sample into those with and without LV diastolic dysfunction using established age-based normal cut-offs for lateral tissue Doppler early mitral annu...

BACKGROUND Ectopic accumulation of fat accompanies visceral obesity with detrimental effects. Lipid oversupply to cardiomyocytes leads to cardiac steatosis, and in animal studies lipotoxicity has been associated with impaired left ventricular (LV) function. In humans, studies have yielded inconclusive results. The aim of the study was to evaluate the role of epicardial, pericardial and myocardi...

Increased arterial stiffness and wave reflection have been reported in heart failure with normal ejection fraction (HFNEF) and in asymptomatic left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction, a precursor of HFNEF. It is unclear whether women, who have higher frequency of HFNEF, are more vulnerable than men to the deleterious effects of arterial stiffness on LV diastolic function. We investigated, i...

Increased arterial stiffness and wave reflection have been reported in heart failure with normal ejection fraction (HFNEF) and in asymptomatic left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction, a precursor of HFNEF. It is unclear whether women, who have higher frequency of HFNEF, are more vulnerable than men to the deleterious effects of arterial stiffness on LV diastolic function. We investigated, i...

OBJECTIVE Patients with symptoms of heart failure and preserved left ventricular (LV) systolic function are commonly encountered in clinical practice especially in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. We hypothesized that adiposity might influence LV diastolic function through systemic inflammation in this specific group. METHODS We designed a cross-sectional study in 173 prevalent PD patients....

OBJECTIVES this study evaluated early diastolic filling dynamics using a semiautomated objective analysis of filling velocities obtained from color M-mode echocardiography. BACKGROUND diastolic function can be evaluated from color M-mode echocardiography by measuring the early diastolic flow propagation velocity (Vp) from the slope of a single linear approximation of an isovelocity contour. H...

OBJECTIVES This study was designed to determine the effects of obesity on left ventricular (LV) structure and function in young obese women. BACKGROUND Severe prolonged obesity in older adults results in increased plasma volume, eccentric LV hypertrophy, and systolic and diastolic dysfunction. Obese women are at increased risk for the development of heart failure. However, the effects of the ob...

BACKGROUND Regression of left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy with normalization of diastolic function has been reported in patients with aortic stenosis late after aortic valve replacement (AVR). The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect of AVR on LV function and structure in chronic aortic regurgitation early and late after AVR. METHODS AND RESULTS Twenty-six patients were in...