• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
• /
• v.83 no.2
• /
• pp.444-449
• /
• 2022

Most cardiac tumors are metastases, and primary cardiac tumors are rare; even among primary cardiac tumors, primary cardiac neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are extremely rare. Herein, we report a case of a patient presenting a left atrial mass without past medical history. Because of the location and movement of the mass, as well as the patient's cerebral infarction episode, the mass was initially suspected to be a thrombus. However, the mass was surgically diagnosed as NET.

• Journal of Cardiovascular Imaging
• /
• v.31 no.1
• /
• pp.65-67
• /
• 2023

• Korean Journal of Radiology
• /
• v.22 no.10
• /
• pp.1619-1627
• /
• 2021

Objective: This study used cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to compare the characteristics of left ventricular remodeling in patients with primary aldosteronism (PA) with those of patients with essential hypertension (EH) and healthy controls (HCs). Materials and Methods: This prospective study enrolled 35 patients with PA, in addition to 35 age- and sex-matched patients with EH, and 35 age- and sex-matched HCs, all of whom underwent comprehensive clinical and cardiac MRI examinations. The analysis of variance was used to detect the differences in the characteristics of left ventricular remodeling among the three groups. Univariable and multivariable linear regression analyses were used to determine the relationships between left ventricular remodeling and the physiological variables. Results: The left ventricular end-diastolic volume index (EDVi) (mean ± standard deviation [SD]: 85.1 ± 13.0 mL/m² for PA, 75.9 ± 14.3 mL/m² for EH, and 77.3 ± 12.8 mL/m² for HC; p = 0.010), left ventricular end-systolic volume index (ESVi) (mean ± SD: 35.2 ± 9.8 mL/m² for PA, 30.7 ± 8.1 mL/m² for EH, and 29.5 ± 7.0 mL/m² for HC; p = 0.013), left ventricular mass index (mean ± SD: 65.8 ± 16.5 g/m² for PA, 56.9 ± 12.1 g/m² for EH, and 44.1 ± 8.9 g/m² for HC; p < 0.001), and native T1 (mean ± SD: 1224 ± 39 ms for PA, 1201 ± 47 ms for EH, and 1200 ± 44 ms for HC; p = 0.041) values were higher in the PA group compared to the EH and HC groups. Multivariable linear regression demonstrated that log (plasma aldosterone-to-renin ratio) was independently correlated with EDVi and ESVi. Plasma aldosterone was independently correlated with native T1. Conclusion: Patients with PA showed a greater degree of ventricular hypertrophy and enlargement, as well as myocardial fibrosis, compared to those with EH. Cardiac MRI T1 mapping can detect left ventricular myocardial fibrosis in patients with PA.

• Journal of Cardiovascular Imaging
• /
• v.31 no.3
• /
• pp.125-132
• /
• 2023

BACKGROUND: There is limited data on the residual echocardiographic findings including strain analysis among post-coronavirus disease (COVID) patients. The aim of our study is to prospectively phenotype post-COVID patients. METHODS: All patients discharged following acute COVID infection were systematically followed in the post-COVID-19 Recovery Clinic at Vancouver General Hospital and St. Paul's Hospital. At 4-18 weeks post diagnosis, patients underwent comprehensive echocardiographic assessment. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was assessed by 3D, 2D Biplane Simpson's, or visual estimate. LV global longitudinal strain (GLS) was measured using a vendor-independent 2D speckle-tracking software (TomTec). RESULTS: A total of 127 patients (53% female, mean age 58 years) were included in our analyses. At baseline, cardiac conditions were present in 58% of the patients (15% coronary artery disease, 4% heart failure, 44% hypertension, 10% atrial fibrillation) while the remainder were free of cardiac conditions. COVID-19 serious complications were present in 79% of the patients (76% pneumonia, 37% intensive care unit admission, 21% intubation, 1% myocarditis). Normal LVEF was seen in 96% of the cohort and 97% had normal right ventricular systolic function. A high proportion (53%) had abnormal LV GLS defined as < 18%. Average LV GLS of septal and inferior segments were lower compared to that of other segments. Among patients without pre-existing cardiac conditions, LVEF was abnormal in only 1.9%, but LV GLS was abnormal in 46% of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: Most post-COVID patients had normal LVEF at 4-18 weeks post diagnosis, but over half had abnormal LV GLS.

• Journal of KIISE:Software and Applications
• /
• v.36 no.10
• /
• pp.825-835
• /
• 2009

The advance in medical technology has decreased death rates from diseases such as tubercle, pneumonia, malnutrition, and hepatitis. However, death rates from cardiac diseases are still increasing. To prevent cardiac diseases and quantify cardiac function, magnetic resonance imaging not harmful to the body is used for calculating blood volumes and ejection fraction(EF) on routine clinics. In this paper, automatic left ventricle(LV) segmentation is presented to segment LV and calculate blood volume and EF, which can replace labor intensive and time consuming manual contouring. Radial threshold determination is designed to segment LV and blood volume and EF are calculated. Especially, basal slices which were difficult to segment in previous researches are segmented automatically almost without user intervention. On short axis cardiac MRI of 36 subjects, the presented algorithm is compared with manual contouring and General Electronic MASS software. The results show that the presented algorithm performs in similar to the manual contouring and outperforms the MASS software in accuracy.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.56 no.1
• /
• pp.42-48
• /
• 2023

Background: With recent advances in cardiac surgery through minimal access, mini-thoracotomy has emerged as an excellent alternative for cardiac myxoma resection. This study analyzed the surgical results of this approach, focusing on postoperative cerebral embolism and tumor recurrence. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 64 patients (mean age, 56.0±12.1 years; 40 women) who underwent myxoma resection through mini-thoracotomy from October 2008 to July 2020. We conducted femoral cannulation and antegrade cardioplegic arrest in all patients. Patient characteristics and perioperative data, including brain diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) findings, were collected. Medium-term echocardiographic follow-up was performed. Results: Thirteen patients (20.3%) had a history of preoperative stroke, and 7 (11.7%) had dyspnea with New York Heart Association functional class III or IV. Sixty-one cases (95.3%) had myxomas in the left atrium. The mean cardiopulmonary bypass and cardiac ischemic times were 69.0±28.6 and 34.1±15.0 minutes, respectively. Sternotomy conversion was not performed in any case, and 50 patients (78.1%) were extubated in the operating room. No early mortality or postoperative clinical stroke occurred. Postoperative DWI was performed in 32 (53%) patients, and 7 (22%) showed silent cerebral embolisms. One patient underwent reoperation for tumor recurrence during the study period; in that patient, a genetic study confirmed the Carney complex. Conclusion: Mini-thoracotomy for cardiac myxoma resection showed acceptable clinical and neurological outcomes. In the medium-term echocardiographic follow-up, reliable resection was proven, with few recurrences. This approach is a promising alternative for cardiac myxoma resection.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
• /
• v.40 no.2
• /
• pp.119-123
• /
• 2023

Although various imaging evaluation methods have been developed and utilized, thoracic radiography remains essential and is the top priority for diagnosing and managing cardiac diseases. Thoracic radiographic measurements associated with the vertebral heart scale (VHS) and caudal vena cava (CVC) can objectively diagnose cardiac disease in many animals. In particular, VHS measurement is primarily used to evaluate the dimensions of the heart size on thoracic radiographs and can measure cardiomegaly more objectively. Additionally, the value of the CVC compared with the aorta (Ao) and the length of vertebrae (VL) can be used as valuable parameters in right congestive heart failure. To describe the CVC/Ao and CVC/VL ratios in 10 long-tailed gorals (Naemorhedus caudatus) without subjective radiographic evidence of cardiac diseases. The VHS, CVC, Ao, and VL of gorals were measured in the right lateral (RL) view of the thoracic radiographs. In the RL view of 10 gorals, the VHS was 9.31 ± 0.55 vertebrae (v), the CVC/Ao ratio was 0.84 ± 0.13, and the CVC/VL ratio was 0.67 ± 0.09. Additionally, the thoracic morphology of gorals was determined to be intermediate (thoracic depth-to-width ratio, 1.04 ± 0.09, 0.75-1.25). This study confirmed that VHS was significantly correlated with CVC and Ao, and measuring and comparing each value would help diagnose cardiac diseases in gorals. The radiographic measurements in this study will allow veterinarians to diagnose several cardiac diseases in gorals.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
• /
• v.81 no.2
• /
• pp.302-309
• /
• 2020

Fabry disease is a rare X-linked metabolic disorder that is characterized by the accumulation of glycosphingolipids in various organs, resulting from the deficiency of alpha-galactosidase A. Cardiac involvement is relatively common; myocardial inflammation, left ventricular hypertrophy, and myocardial fibrosis secondary to abnormal lipid deposition in myocytes are often observed. Hence, the diagnosis of cardiac involvement is crucial for evaluating patient prognosis. Cardiac MRI is the standard technique for measuring the function, volume, and mass of the ventricles. It is also useful for myocardial tissue characterizations. The evaluation of native myocardial T1 values can facilitate early diagnosis of cardiac involvement, while measurements of left ventricular myocardial mass can be used to monitor treatment outcomes, in patients with Fabry disease. Consequently, cardiac MRI can provide useful information for diagnosing, monitoring, and treating patients with Fabry disease.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
• /
• v.4 no.1
• /
• pp.1-15
• /
• 1987

Magnetic Resonance (M.R.) is rapidly emerging technique that provides high quality images and potentially provides much more diagnostic information than do conventional imaging modalities. M.R.I. is conceptually quite different from currently used imaging methods. The complex nature of M.R.I. allows a great deal of flexibility in image product ion and available information, and key points are as follows. 1. M.R.I. offers a non-invasive technique with which to gene rate in vivo human images without ionizing radiation and with no known adverse biological effects. 2. Imaging mechanism of M.R.I. is quite different from conventional imaging modality and for more accurate diagnostic application, It is necessary for physician to understand imaging mechanism of M.R.I. 3. M.R. makes available basic chemical parameters that may provide to be useful for diagnostic medical imaging and more specific pathophysiologic information which are not available by alternate techniques. 4. M.R. can be produced by number of different methods. This flexibility allows the imaging technique to be applicated for particular clinical purpose. Multiplanar and three dimensional imaging may extend the imaging process beyond the single section available with current CT. 5. Future directions include efforts to; a. Further development of hard ware b. More fasternning scan time c. Respiratory and cardiac gated imaging d. Imaging of additional nuclei except hydrogen e. Further development of contrast media f. M.R. in vivo spectroscopy g. Real time M.R. imaging.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• /
• v.21 no.1
• /
• pp.20-27
• /
• 2017

Purpose: To evaluate quantification results of single breath-hold (SBH) magnetic resonance (MR) cine imaging compared to results of conventional multiple breath-hold (MBH) technique for left ventricular (LV) function in patients with cardiac arrhythmia. Materials and Methods: MR images of patients with arrhythmia who underwent MBH and SBH cine imaging at the same time on a 1.5T MR scanner were retrospectively reviewed. Both SBH and MBH cine imaging were performed with balanced steady state free precession. SBH scans were acquired using temporal parallel acquisition technique (TPAT). Fifty patients ($65.4{\pm}12.3years$, 72% men) were included. End-diastolic volume (EDV), end-systolic volume (ESV), stroke volume (SV), ejection fraction (EF), myocardial mass, and LV regional wall motion were evaluated. Results: EF, myocardial mass, and regional wall motion were not significantly different between SBH and MBH acquisition techniques (all P-values > 0.05). EDV, ESV, and SV were significant difference between the two techniques. These parameters for SBH cine imaging with TPAT tended to lower than those in MBH. EF and myocardial mass of SBH cine imaging with TPAT showed good correlation with values of MBH cine imaging in Passing-Bablok regression charts and Bland-Altman plots. However, SBH imaging required significantly shorter acquisition time than MBH cine imaging ($15{\pm}7sec$ vs. $293{\pm}104sec$, P < 0.001). Conclusion: SBH cine imaging with TPAT permits shorter acquisition time with assessment results of global and regional LV function comparable to those with MBH cine imaging in patients with arrhythmia.