The assessment of myocardial function in the context of valvular heart disease remains highly challenging. The myocardium deforms simultaneously in 3 dimensions, and global left ventricular (LV) function parameters such as volume and ejection fraction may remain compensated despite the changes in myocardial deformation properties. Current guidelines recommend valve replacement/repair in the pre...

Introduction: Subclinical hypothyroidism is defined by the combination of an elevated thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level and a normal free thyroxine (T4L) level. Dilated cardiomyopathy characterized both dilation ventricles hypokinesia these ventricles. It predominantly involves left ventricle, but right ventricle frequently involved.We present two cases idiopathic dilated associated with ...

BACKGROUND The effect of menopausal hormone therapy (MHT)-previously known as hormone replacement therapy-on cardiovascular health remains unclear and controversial. This cross-sectional study examined the impact of MHT on left ventricular (LV) and left atrial (LA) structure and function, alterations in which are markers of subclinical cardiovascular disease, in a population-based cohort. MET...

BACKGROUND Although the association between coronary artery calcium (CAC) and future heart failure (HF) has been shown previously, the value of CAC progression in the prediction of HF has not been investigated. In this study, we investigated the association of CAC progression with subclinical left ventricular (LV) dysfunction and incident HF in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. METHO...

AIMS Left atrial (LA) structural and functional abnormalities may be subclinical phenotypes, which identify individuals at increased risk of adverse outcomes. METHODS AND RESULTS Maximum LA volume (LAmax) and LA emptying fraction (LAEF) were measured via cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in 1802 participants in the Dallas Heart Study. The associations of LAEF and LAmax indexed to body surfac...

BACKGROUND Obesity is associated with heart failure, but an effect of weight, independent of comorbidities, on cardiac structure and function is not well established. We sought whether body mass index (BMI) and insulin levels were associated with subclinical myocardial disturbances. METHODS AND RESULTS Transthoracic echocardiography, myocardial Doppler-derived systolic (sm) and early diastoli...

BACKGROUND Insulin resistance, as a key mediator of metabolic syndrome, is thought to be associated with pathogenesis of calcific aortic valve disease and altered left ventricular (LV) function and structure. However, in patients with aortic valve sclerosis (AVS), the association between insulin resistance and subclinical impairment of LV function is not fully elucidated. METHODS We studied 5...

Background Cushing’s disease (CD) has demonstrated subclinical myocardial involvement such as left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy and both diastolic and systolic impairment. Although myocardial fibrosis may play an important role in such myocardial alterations, the new T1 mapping techniques have not yet been used in CD to characterize the myocardium at baseline and to evaluate the effect of treat...

BACKGROUND Obesity increases cardiovascular risk. However, the extent to which various measures of body composition are associated with abnormalities in cardiac structure and function, independent of comorbidities commonly affecting obese individuals, is not clear. This study sought to examine the relationship between body mass index, waist circumference, and percent body fat with conventional ...

AIMS The UK Biobank is a large-scale population-based study utilising cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) to generate measurements of atrial and ventricular structure and function. This study aimed to quantify the association between modifiable cardiovascular risk factors and cardiac morphology and function in individuals without known cardiovascular disease. METHODS Age, sex, ethnicity (...