Left ventricular aneurysms (LV A) are most commonly the result of a large transmural myocardial infarction, usually in the distribution of an occluded left anterior descending coronary artery. We investigated a case at Allegheny University Hospitals, Hahnemann Division, Philadelphia, PA, involving the use of the Abiomed BVS 5000 ventricular assist device (VAD) for LV A repair. The patient was s...

Noncompaction of the ventricular myocardium, also known as "spongy myocardium", is a rare congenital abnormality resulting from an arrest in the normal endomyocardial embryogenesis. The echocardiographic findings consist of multiple, prominent myocardial trabeculations and deep intratrabecular recesses in communication with the left ventricular cavity. This entity is a not well known cause of d...

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in the regulation of numerous physiological and pathological processes. However, little information is available with regard to miRNAs in the left ventricular myocardium of the renovascular angiotensin-dependent hypertensive rat. In this study, miRNA expression profiles in the left ventricular myocardium of two-kidney one-clip (2K1C) hypertensive rats were analyz...

To the Editor: Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (CE-MRI) is an important imaging modality for the evaluation of isolated left ventricular noncompaction (LVNC). The delayed gadolinium enhancement has been identified in both compacted and noncompacted myocardium, and it may correlate with the clinical severity of LVNC (1–3). However, little is known about the histological basis of myo...

The purpose of this study was to validate a semiautomatic method for quantitating the size of relative myocardial perfusion defects from single-photon emission computed tomographic (SPECT) images. We compared the size of the image defect in vivo, expressed as percent of involved left ventricle, as determined by this method with the anatomic size of the defect in vitro in 19 dogs. To test the me...

Selective COX-2 inhibitors are most widely used analgesic and anti-inflammatory drugs;however, its maximal use is highly associated with various serious abnormal cardiovascularevents. Beraprost sodium (BPS), prostacyclin analogue has been shown to vasodilatory,antiplatelates, anti-inflmmatory, and antioxidant activity. The objective of the present study wasto evaluate the effect of BPS on celec...

Serial microscopic sections of the left ventricular myocardium were examined in 12 autopsy specimens of hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Multiple ventriculocoronary arterial connections, thickwalled coronary arteries, prominent endocardial fibroelastosis, myofiber disarray and focal calcification/ scarring of the myocardium were noted in the cases with patent left ventricular inflow and obstruc...

Selective COX-2 inhibitors are most widely used analgesic and anti-inflammatory drugs;however, its maximal use is highly associated with various serious abnormal cardiovascularevents. Beraprost sodium (BPS), prostacyclin analogue has been shown to vasodilatory,antiplatelates, anti-inflmmatory, and antioxidant activity. The objective of the present study wasto evaluate the effect of BPS on celec...

It has been postulated that rotation of the left ventricular apex with respect to the base is a component of normal systolic function in humans, but it has been difficult to measure it noninvasively. Tagging is a new magnetic resonance imaging technique that labels specific areas of myocardium by selective radio-frequency excitation of narrow planes orthogonal to the imaging plane before acquir...