PURPOSE Left ventricular (LV) enlargement has been linked to sudden cardiac death among young athletes. This study aimed to model the effect of long-term incessant endurance training on LV dimensions in female adolescent runners. METHODS Japanese female adolescent competitive distance runners (n = 36, age: 15 years, height: 158.1 ± 4.6 cm, weight: 44.7 ± 6.1 kg, percent body fat: 17.0 ± 5.2%)...

BACKGROUND Conventional echocardiographic technique for assessment of volume status and cardiac contractility utilizes left ventricular end-diastolic area (LVEDA) and fractional area of change (FAC), respectively. Our goal was to find a technically reliable yet faster technique to evaluate volume status and contractility by measuring left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD) and fractiona...

Objective: To determine whether the process of reverse left ventricular remodelling in response to carvedilol is dependent on baseline heart rate (BHR), heart rhythm, or heart rate reduction (HRR) in response to carvedilol. Design: Retrospective analysis of serial echocardiograms in 257 patients with chronic systolic heart failure at baseline and at 12–18 months after starting carvedilol. Rever...

OBJECTIVE To determine whether the process of reverse left ventricular remodelling in response to carvedilol is dependent on baseline heart rate (BHR), heart rhythm, or heart rate reduction (HRR) in response to carvedilol. DESIGN Retrospective analysis of serial echocardiograms in 257 patients with chronic systolic heart failure at baseline and at 12-18 months after starting carvedilol. Rever...

BACKGROUND The prognostic values of the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and end-diastolic dimension (LVEDD) have primarily been shown among patients with chronic heart failure (HF), with little representation of patients with acute HF (AHF). Therefore, we investigated the value of these echocardiographic parameters in predicting clinical outcomes among patients in the Korean Heart Fai...

OBJECTIVE The purpose of our study is to investigate cirrhosis-related left ventricular remodeling and functional changes, further to analyze the correlations with model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score. METHODS A total of 89 cirrhotic patients were enrolled for study and subgrouped according to MELD score: ≤ 9, 10-19, and ≥ 20. Thirty healthy individuals were enrolled as controls. Al...

Abstract Background Patients with heart failure (HF) and reduced or mildly ejection fraction (HFrEF/HFmrEF) display variable grades of left ventricular (LV) dilation. LV end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD) volume (LVEDV) may not be concomitantly increased. The respective prognostic implications dilation have been explored. Purpose To assess the LVEDD LVEDV index (LVEDVi) in HFrEF/HFmrEF. Methods Dat...

OBJECTIVES We sought to study the relationship between left ventricular (LV) size and body composition in male endurance athletes and age-matched control subjects. BACKGROUND Endurance training is associated with increases in both left ventricular mass (LVM) and left ventricular end-diastolic dimension (LVEDD) in athletes. In other populations, LVM is independently predicted by fat-free mass ...

OBJECTIVE To determine ventricular remodeling (VR) and the role of clinical and functional variables in patients with normal cardiac function who underwent right ventricular apical pacing (RVAP). METHODS Among the 268 consecutive patients with standard pacemaker due to complete atrioventricular block (CAVB), those with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) < 55% and left ventricular end-d...

OBJECTIVES We sought to evaluate the course of cardiopulmonary function after transcatheter atrial septal defect (ASD) closure and to identify the physiopathologic mechanisms leading to this change. BACKGROUND Conflicting reports exist on cardiopulmonary functional improvement in asymptomatic adults after transcatheter closure of a secundum ASD. METHODS Thirty-two consecutive adults (13 mal...