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Neck venous malformations and their potentially life-threatening complications are rarely reported in the available literature. Cases of aneurysmal or hypo-plastic jugular vein thrombosis associated with systemic embolization have not been frequently reported. We present the case of a 60-year-old male, without any known risk factors for thromboembolic disease, admitted for sudden onset dyspnea. The physical examination was remarkable for a right lateral cervical mass, expanding with Valsalva maneuver. Thoracic CT with contrast established the diagnosis of bilateral pulmonary embolism and raised the suspicion of superior vena cava and right atrial thrombosis. Bedside transthoracic echocardiography confirmed the presence of a large right atrial thrombus, with intermittent protrusion through the tricuspid valve. Systemic thrombolysis with Alteplase was initiated shortly after diagnosis, in parallel with unfractionated heparin, with complete resolution of the intracavitary thrombus documented by echocardiography. The patient showed significant improvement in symptoms and was later started on oral anticoagulation. Computed vascular tomography of the neck was performed before discharge, showing hypoplasia of the left internal jugular vein and aneurismal dilation of the contralateral internal jugular vein, without thrombosis. There were no identifiable systemic causes for thrombosis. Surgical resection of the aneurismal jugular vein was excluded, because of its potential to cause intracranial hypertension. The preferred therapeutic option in this case was long-term oral anticoagulation.

Despite the challenges associated with periprocedural imaging, transcatheter tricuspid valve interventions have shown important impact on outcomes. A comprehensive understanding of the anatomy of the right heart and surrounding structures is crucial. One way to optimize these interventions is by identifying the optimal fluoroscopic viewing angles along the S-curve of the tricuspid valve. Integration of chamber views using multimodality imaging (multislice computed tomography, fluoroscopy, and echocardiography) may increase operator confidence and reduce procedural duration, radiation exposure, contrast volume, and complication rates., Competing Interests: Funding Support and Author Disclosures The authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aims: To assess the accuracy of measuring the right atrial volume (RAV) using two-dimensional echocardiography (2DE) in a right ventricular focused (RVF) view compared to the conventional apical four-chamber (4Ch) view in patients with secondary tricuspid regurgitation (STR). We also compared the clinical correlates of the measures obtained using different methods., Methods and Results: The accuracy of RAV measurements obtained between 2DE-4Ch and RVF views in 384 patients with STR were compared using three-dimensional echocardiography (3DE) as a reference. We used the analysis of variance to test the differences among RAVs obtained from the different 2DE and 3DE acquisitions and the receiving operating characteristics (ROC) curves to evaluate the association with the composite endpoint of hospitalization for heart failure or death. Compared to 3DE, RAV was significantly more underestimated when measurements were obtained from 4Ch rather than RVF (-24 vs. -14%, respectively, P < 0.001 for both). RAV underestimation in 4Ch and RVF view was relatively larger in lower grades of STR (-28 vs. -17% in mild, -23 vs. -14% in moderate, and -19 vs. -11% in severe STR, P = 0.001), and in the atrial compared to ventricular (-28 vs. -22%; P = 0.002) STR. RAV measured by 3DE and RVF showed the highest area under the curve (AUC = 0.67 for 3DE vs. 0.64 for RVF, P = 0.05), while 4Ch was significantly less related to the outcomes (AUC: 0.61, P = 0.021 vs. 3DE RAV)., Conclusion: In patients with STR, the use of RVF view improved the accuracy of 2DE RAV measurement as compared to the conventional 4Ch-derived measurements., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest Dr. Muraru and Dr. Badano are members of the speaker bureaus of GE Healthcare and Philips Medical Systems, and received research grants from GE Healthcare, Philips Medical Systems, TomTec Imaging Systems, and ESaOTE SpA. The remaining authors have nothing to disclose., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.)

Background and Aims: Severe tricuspid regurgitation is associated with increased mortality rates, but benefit of its correction and ideal timing are not clearly determined. This study aimed to identify patient subsets who might benefit from the surgery., Methods: In TRIGISTRY, an international cohort study of consecutive patients with severe isolated functional tricuspid regurgitation (33 centres, 10 countries), survival rates up to 10 years were compared between patients who underwent isolated tricuspid valve surgery (repair or replacement) and those conservatively managed, overall and according to TRI-SCORE category (low: ≤3, intermediate: 4-5, and high: ≥6)., Results: One thousand and two hundred seventeen were managed conservatively, and 551 underwent isolated tricuspid valve surgery (200 repairs and 351 replacements). TRI-SCORE distribution was 33% low, 32% intermediate, and 35% high. At 10 years, survival rates were similar between surgical and conservative management [41% vs. 36%; hazard ratio (HR) .97; 95% confidence interval (CI) .88-1.08, P = .57]. Surgery improved survival compared with conservative management in the low TRI-SCORE category (72% vs. 44%; HR .27; 95% CI .20-.37, P < .0001), but not in the intermediate (36% vs. 37%; HR 1.17; 95%CI .98-1.40, P = .09) or high categories (20% vs. 24%; HR 1.06; 95% CI .91-1.25, P = .45). Both repair and replacement improved survival in the low TRI-SCORE category (84% and 61% vs. 44%; HR .11; 95% CI .06-.19, P < .0001, and HR .65; 95% CI .47-.90, P = .009). Repair showed benefit in the intermediate category (59% vs. 37%; HR .49; 95% CI .35-.68, P < .0001) while replacement was possibly harmful (25% vs. 37%; HR 1.43; 95% CI 1.18-1.72, P = .0002)., Conclusions: Higher survival rates were observed with repair than replacement and benefit of intervention declined as TRI-SCORE increased with no benefit of any type of surgery in the high TRI-SCORE category. These results emphasize the importance of timely intervention and patient selection to achieve the best outcomes and the need for randomized controlled trials., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Although the correction of the proximal isovelocity surface area (PISA) method has been shown to improve the accuracy of assessing the severity of secondary tricuspid regurgitation (STR), its clinical impact remains to be investigated., Objectives: To compare the association of the quantitative parameters of STR severity obtained from the corrected and conventional PISA methods with the outcome., Methods: We measured both conventional and corrected effective regurgitant orifice area [EROA vs. corrected EROA (EROAc)], regurgitant volume [RegVol vs. corrected RegVol (RegVolc)], and regurgitant fraction [RegFr vs. corrected RegFr (RegFrc)] in 519 consecutive patients (75±12 years, 44% men, 74% ventricular) with moderate and severe STR. The endpoint was a composite of heart failure hospitalization and death., Results: EROAc, RegVolc, and RegFrc were significantly larger than EROA, RegVol, and RegFr (P < 0.001 for all). After a follow-up of 19±15 months, 210 patients reached the endpoint. Using time-dependent ROC curves, the parameters obtained from the corrected PISA were more closely associated with outcomes at two years than those obtained with the conventional PISA: EROAc vs. EROA (p<0.001), RegVolc vs. RegVol (p=0.001), and RegFrc vs. RegFr (p<0.001) in ventricular STR. Conversely no significant differences were detected in atrial STR. After multivariable adjustment, both uncorrected and corrected EROA, RegVol, and RegFr were independently associated with the endpoint. Using the new 5-grade severity scheme, patients reclassified by corrected PISA method had a significantly higher rate of events compared to those not reclassified in with V-STR (p = 0.0086). Conversely, this relationship was not statistically significant in patients with atrial STR (p = 0.061) CONCLUSIONS: Correcting the PISA method provides larger quantitative parameters of STR severity that are more closely associated with outcomes in patients with ventricular STR., (Copyright © 2024 American Society of Echocardiography. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) can have a significant impact on the health and mortality of a patient. Unfortunately, many patients with advanced right-sided heart failure are not referred for isolated tricuspid valve (TV) surgery in a timely manner. This delayed referral has resulted in a high in-hospital mortality rate and significant undertreatment. Fortunately, transcatheter TV intervention (TTVI) has emerged as a safe and effective alternative to surgery, successfully reducing TR severity and improving patients' quality of life. Current guidelines emphasize the importance of assessing TR severity and its impact on the right heart chambers for selecting the appropriate intervention. However, the echocardiographic assessment of both right chambers and TV anatomy, along with TR severity, poses specific challenges, leading to the underestimation of TR severity. Recently, three-dimensional echocardiography has become crucial to enhance the characterization of TR severity. Moreover, it is essential to evaluate residual TR after TTVI to gauge the intervention's success and predict the patient's prognosis. This review provides a thorough evaluation of the echocardiographic parameters used to assess TR severity before and after TTVI. It presents a critical analysis of the accuracy and reliability of these parameters, highlighting their strengths and limitations to establish standardized diagnostic criteria and treatment protocols for TR, which will inform clinical decision-making and improve patient outcomes., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest Dr. Muraru and Dr. Badano are members of the speaker bureaus of GE Healthcare and Philips Medical Systems and received research grants from GE Healthcare, Philips Medical Systems, TomTec Imaging Systems, and ESaOTE. The Department of Cardiology, Heart Lung Centre, Leiden University Medical Center, has received unrestricted research grants from Abbott Vascular, Alnylam, Bayer, Biotronik, Bioventrix, Boston Scientific, Edwards Lifesciences, GE Healthcare, Medtronic, Medis Medical Imaging Systems, Pie Medical, Pfizer, and Novartis. Dr. Ajmone Marsan has received speaker fees from Abbott Vascular, Philips Ultrasound, GE Healthcare, Pfizer, and Omron., (Copyright © 2024 American Society of Echocardiography. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) are gaining increasing importance as therapeutic strategy in advanced heart failure (HF), not only as bridge to recovery or to transplant but also as destination therapy. Even though long-term LVADs are considered a precious resource to expand the treatment options and improve clinical outcome of these patients, these are limited by peri-operative and post-operative complications, such as device-related infections, haemocompatibility-related events, device mis-positioning, and right ventricular failure. For this reason, a precise pre-operative, peri-operative, and post-operative evaluation of these patients is crucial for the selection of LVAD candidates and the management LVAD recipients. The use of different imaging modalities offers important information to complete the study of patients with LVADs in each phase of their assessment, with peculiar advantages/disadvantages, ideal application, and reference parameters for each modality. This clinical consensus statement sought to guide the use of multimodality imaging for the evaluation of patients with advanced HF undergoing LVAD implantation., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: E.D.: research and teaching facilities from General Electric Healthcare and Abbott structural. M.Ci.: investigator-initiated research grants to institution: Novartis and Abbott; advisory role, speaker honoraria, and travel grants: Abbott, Abiomed, and GE Healthcare. All other authors have no conflict of interest to declare related to this paper., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: The expansion of tricuspid valve (TV) interventions has underscored the need for accurate and reproducible three-dimensional (3D) transthoracic echocardiographic (TTE) tools for evaluating the tricuspid annulus and for 3D normal values of this structure. The aims of this study were to develop new semi-automated software for 3D TTE analysis of the tricuspid annulus, compare its accuracy and reproducibility against those of multiplanar reconstruction (MPR) reference, and determine normative values., Methods: Three-dimensional TTE images of 113 patients with variable degrees of tricuspid regurgitation were analyzed using the new semiautomated software and conventional MPR methodology (as the reference standard), each by three independent readers. For each measured parameter, intertechnique agreement was assessed using linear regression and Bland-Altman analyses, and interreader variability using intraclass correlation coefficients and coefficients of variation. Additionally, 3D TTE data sets of 789 subjects from the WASE (World Alliance Societies of Echocardiography) study were analyzed using this new software to determine normal values for each tricuspid annular (TA) parameter., Results: Semiautomated measurements showed excellent agreement with MPR reference values for all TA measurements: high correlations (all r values >0.8) and minimal biases. All measurements were more reproducible than with MPR: higher intraclass correlation coefficients (0.94-0.96 vs 0.82-0.90) and lower coefficients of variation (5%-12% vs 8%-18%). Sex- and age-related differences were identified in 3D normal values of most TA parameters. Dynamic analysis showed that TA parameters vary throughout the cardiac cycle, reaching minimal values at end-systole and maximum values in late diastole., Conclusions: Novel software for semiautomated analysis of TA geometry and dynamics provides accurate and reproducible measurements. Normal values of TA dimensions, parsed by sex and age, are reported., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest Ms. Blitz, Ms. Sauber, Mr. Calvarons, Mr. Degel, Dr. Rucki, Mr. Blankenhagen, and Dr. Schreckenberg are employees of Philips. These authors had no role in study design, conduct, analysis, and interpretation of the findings. Dr. Lang receives grants as a speaker from Philips. Drs. Cotella, Clement, and Tomaselli have received research grants from Philips for unrelated projects., (Copyright © 2024 American Society of Echocardiography. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This statement from the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI) of the ESC aims to address the fundamental principles that guide clinical research in the field of cardiovascular imaging. It provides clinical researchers, cardiology fellows, and Ph.D. students with a condensed, updated, and practical reference document to support them in designing, implementing, and conducting imaging protocols for clinical trials. Although the present article cannot replace formal research training and mentoring, it is recommended reading for any professional interested in becoming acquainted with or participating in clinical trials involving cardiovascular imaging., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Cardiac imaging plays a pivotal role in the diagnosis and management of cardiovascular diseases. In the burgeoning landscape of digital technology and social media platforms, it becomes essential for cardiac imagers to know how to effectively increase the visibility and the impact of their activity. With the availability of social sites like X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook, cardiac imagers can now reach a wider audience and engage with peers, sharing their findings, insights, and discussions. The integration of persistent identifiers, such as digital object identifiers (DOIs), facilitates traceability and citation of cardiac imaging publications across various digital platforms, further enhancing their discoverability. To maximize visibility, practical advice is provided, including the use of visually engaging infographics and videos, as well as the strategic implementation of relevant hashtags and keywords. These techniques can significantly improve the discoverability of cardiac imaging research through search engine optimization and social media algorithms. Tracking impact and engagement is crucial in the digital age, and this review discusses various metrics and tools to gauge the reach and influence of cardiac imaging publications. This includes traditional citation-based metrics and altmetrics. Moreover, this review underscores the importance of creating and updating professional profiles on social platforms and participating in relevant scientific communities online. The adoption of digital technology, social platforms, and a strategic approach to publication sharing can empower cardiac imaging professionals to enhance the visibility and impact of their research, ultimately advancing the field and improving patient care., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: None declared., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.)

Aims: Conventional echocardiographic parameters such as tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE), fractional area change (FAC), and free-wall longitudinal strain (FWLS) offer limited insights into the complexity of right ventricular (RV) systolic function, while 3D echocardiography-derived RV ejection fraction (RVEF) enables a comprehensive assessment. We investigated the discordance between TAPSE, FAC, FWLS, and RVEF in RV systolic function grading and associated outcomes., Methods: We analyzed two- and three-dimensional echocardiography data from 2 centers including 750 patients followed up for all-cause mortality. Right ventricular dysfunction was defined as RVEF <45%, with guideline-recommended thresholds (TAPSE <17 mm, FAC <35%, FWLS >-20%) considered., Results: Among patients with normal RVEF, significant proportions exhibited impaired TAPSE (21%), FAC (33%), or FWLS (8%). Conversely, numerous patients with reduced RVEF had normal TAPSE (46%), FAC (26%), or FWLS (41%). Using receiver-operating characteristic analysis, FWLS exhibited the highest area under the curve of discrimination for RV dysfunction (RVEF <45%) with 59% sensitivity and 92% specificity. Over a median 3.7-year follow-up, 15% of patients died. Univariable Cox regression identified TAPSE, FAC, FWLS, and RVEF as significant mortality predictors. Combining impaired conventional parameters showed that outcomes are the worst if at least 2 parameters are impaired and gradually better if only one or none of them are impaired (log-rank P < .005)., Conclusion: Guideline-recommended cutoff values of conventional echocardiographic parameters of RV systolic function are only modestly associated with RVEF-based assessment. Impaired values of FWLS showed the closest association with the RVEF cutoff. Our results emphasize a multiparametric approach in the assessment of RV function, especially if 3D echocardiography is not available., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest B.L., A.F., and A.K. report personal fees from Argus Cognitive, outside the submitted work. E.S. is an employee and shareholder of AstraZeneca and reports speaker honoraria from GE Healthcare and 123sonography, outside of the submitted work. All other authors report no competing interests that are directly or indirectly related to the work submitted for publication., (Copyright © 2024 American Society of Echocardiography. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Although cuff blood pressure measurement is a critical parameter to calculate myocardial work noninvasively, there is no recommendation about when and how to measure it. Accordingly, we sought to evaluate the effects of the timing during the echo study and the patient's position on the scanning bed during the cuff blood pressure measurement on myocardial work parameter calculations., Methods: One hundred one consecutive patients (44 women, 66 ± 14 years) undergoing clinically indicated echocardiography were prospectively enrolled. During the echocardiographic study, we measured the cuff blood pressure 4 times, using a fully automatic digital blood pressure monitor applied to the right and left arm in the same position throughout the study: BP1, before the start of the echo study, with the patient lying in the supine position; BP2, after positioning the patients on their left side to start the echo study; BP3, at the time of the acquisition of the 3 apical views (4- and 2-chamber and long-axis) used to measured left ventricular global longitudinal strain; and BP4, at the end of the echo study with the patient again in the supine position., Results: Systolic blood pressureat BP1 was 147 ± 21 mm Hg. Between BP1 and BP2, it dropped by 17 ± 9 mm Hg (P < .05). Systolic blood pressure at BP3 was significantly lower than BP2 (130 ± 20 mm Hg vs 122 ± 18 mm Hg, P < .05), and at BP4 was significantly lower than at BP1 (-9 ± 13 mm Hg, P < .05). The average global longitudinal strain was -16% ± 3%. Accordingly, the global work index was 1,929 ± 441 mm Hg% at BP1, dropped to 1,717 ± 421 at BP2, decreased to 1,602 ± 351 mm Hg% at BP3, and increased to 1,815 ± 386 mm Hg% at BP4 (P < .001)., Conclusions: The timing during the echocardiography study and the patient's position on the scanning bed are critical determinants of the measured cuff systolic blood pressure and the resulting values of myocardial work parameters., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest None., (Copyright © 2024 American Society of Echocardiography. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aims: We sought to investigate the association of left atrial strain with the outcome in a large cohort of patients with at least moderate aortic stenosis (AS)., Methods and Results: We analysed 467 patients (mean age 80.6 ± 8.2 years; 51% men) with at least moderate AS and sinus rhythm. The primary study endpoint was the composite of all-cause mortality and hospitalizations for heart failure. After a median follow-up of 19.2 (inter-quartile range 12.5-24.4) months, 96 events occurred. Using the receiver operator characteristic curve analysis, the cut-off value of peak atrial longitudinal strain (PALS) more strongly associated with outcome was <16% {area under the curve (AUC) 0.70 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.63-0.78], P < 0.001}. The Kaplan-Meier curves demonstrated a higher rate of events for patients with PALS < 16% (log-rank P < 0.001). On multivariable analysis, PALS [adjusted HR (aHR) 0.95 (95% CI 0.91-0.99), P = 0.017] and age were the only variables independently associated with the combined endpoint. PALS provided incremental prognostic value over left ventricular (LV) global longitudinal strain, LV ejection fraction, and right ventricular function. Subgroup analysis revealed that impaired PALS was also independently associated with outcome in the subgroups of paucisymptomatic patients [aHR 0.98 (95% CI 0.97-0.98), P = 0.048], moderate AS [aHR 0.92, (95% CI 0.86-0.98), P = 0.016], and low-flow AS [aHR 0.90 (95% CI 0.83-0.98), P = 0.020]., Conclusion: In our patients with at least moderate AS, PALS was independently associated with outcome. In asymptomatic patients, PALS could be a potential marker of sub-clinical damage, leading to better risk stratification and, potentially, earlier treatment., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: D.S. and L.B. are members of the speaker bureaus of GE healthcare and Philips Medical Systems, and received research grants from GE Healthcare, Philips Medical Systems, TomTec Imaging Systems, and ESaOTE SpA. The remaining authors have nothing to disclose., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Purpose To use unsupervised machine learning to identify phenotypic clusters with increased risk of arrhythmic mitral valve prolapse (MVP). Materials and Methods This retrospective study included patients with MVP without hemodynamically significant mitral regurgitation or left ventricular (LV) dysfunction undergoing late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) cardiac MRI between October 2007 and June 2020 in 15 European tertiary centers. The study end point was a composite of sustained ventricular tachycardia, (aborted) sudden cardiac death, or unexplained syncope. Unsupervised data-driven hierarchical k -mean algorithm was utilized to identify phenotypic clusters. The association between clusters and the study end point was assessed by Cox proportional hazards model. Results A total of 474 patients (mean age, 47 years ± 16 [SD]; 244 female, 230 male) with two phenotypic clusters were identified. Patients in cluster 2 (199 of 474, 42%) had more severe mitral valve degeneration (ie, bileaflet MVP and leaflet displacement), left and right heart chamber remodeling, and myocardial fibrosis as assessed with LGE cardiac MRI than those in cluster 1. Demographic and clinical features (ie, symptoms, arrhythmias at Holter monitoring) had negligible contribution in differentiating the two clusters. Compared with cluster 1, the risk of developing the study end point over a median follow-up of 39 months was significantly higher in cluster 2 patients (hazard ratio: 3.79 [95% CI: 1.19, 12.12], P = .02) after adjustment for LGE extent. Conclusion Among patients with MVP without significant mitral regurgitation or LV dysfunction, unsupervised machine learning enabled the identification of two phenotypic clusters with distinct arrhythmic outcomes based primarily on cardiac MRI features. These results encourage the use of in-depth imaging-based phenotyping for implementing arrhythmic risk prediction in MVP. Keywords: MR Imaging, Cardiac, Cardiac MRI, Mitral Valve Prolapse, Cluster Analysis, Ventricular Arrhythmia, Sudden Cardiac Death, Unsupervised Machine Learning Supplemental material is available for this article. © RSNA, 2024.

Aims: The European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI) Scientific Initiatives Committee performed a global survey on radiation exposure in interventional echocardiography. The survey aimed to collect data on local practices for radioprotection in interventional echocardiography and to assess the awareness of echocardiography operators about radiation-related risks., Methods and Results: A total of 258 interventional echocardiographers from 52 different countries (48% European) responded to the survey. One hundred twenty-two (47%) participants were women. Two-thirds (76%) of interventional echocardiographers worked in tertiary care/university hospitals. Interventional echocardiography was the main clinical activity for 34% of the survey participants. The median time spent in the cath-lab for the echocardiographic monitoring of structural heart procedures was 10 (5-20) hours/month. Despite this, only 28% of interventional echocardiographers received periodic training and certification in radioprotection and 72% of them did not know their annual radiation dose. The main adopted personal protection devices were lead aprons and thyroid collars (95% and 92% of use, respectively). Dedicated architectural protective shielding was not available for 33% of interventional echocardiographers. Nearly two-thirds of responders thought that the radiation exposure of interventional echocardiographers was higher than that of interventional cardiologists and 72% claimed for an improvement in the radioprotection measures., Conclusion: Radioprotection measures for interventional echocardiographers are widely variable across centres. Radioprotection devices are often underused by interventional echocardiographers, portending an increased radiation-related risk. International scientific societies working in the field should collaborate to endorse radioprotection training, promote reliable radiation dose assessment, and support the adoption of radioprotection shielding dedicated to interventional echocardiographers., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: Victoria Delgado received speaker fees from Edwards Lifesciences, GE Healthcare, JenaValve, Medtronic, Novartis and Philips and consulting fees from Edwards Lifesciences, MSD and Novo-Nordisk. Elena Galli received speakers’ fees from BMS. Luna Gargani received consulting fees from Caption Health and Sanofy and writing fees from Piccin. Nina Ajmone Marsan received speaker’s fees from GE Healthcare, Philips Ultrasound, Abbott Vascular, Omron, Pfizer. Denisa Muraru received speakers’ fees from GE Healthcare, Philips, Bristol-Myers Squibb. Steffen Petersen received consulting fees from Circle Cardiovascular Imaging, Inc., Calgary, Canada. Piotr Szymanski received speakers’ fees from Novartis and Samsung., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.)

Background: In patients with secondary tricuspid regurgitation (STR), right atrial remodeling (RAR) is a proven marker of disease progression. However, the prognostic value of RAR, assessed by indexed right atrial volume (RAVi) and reservoir strain (RAS), remains to be clarified. Accordingly, the aim of our study is to investigate the association with outcome of RAR in patients with STR., Methods: We enrolled 397 patients (44% men, 72.7 ± 13 years old) with mild to severe STR. Complete two-dimensional and speckle-tracking echocardiography analysis of right atrial and right ventricular (RV) size and function were obtained in all patients. The primary end point was the composite of death from any cause and heart failure hospitalization., Results: After a median follow-up of 15 months (interquartile range, 6-23), the end point was reached by 158 patients (39%). Patients with RAS <13% and RAVi >48 mL/m 2 had significantly lower survival rates compared to patients with RAS ≥13% and RAVi ≤48 mL/m 2 (log-rank P < .001). On multivariable analysis, RAS <13% (hazard ratio, 2.11; 95% CI, 1.43-3.11; P < .001) and RAVi > 48 mL/m 2 (hazard ratio, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.01-2.18; P = .04) remained associated with the combined end point, even after adjusting for RV free-wall longitudinal strain, significant chronic kidney disease, and New York Heart Association class. Secondary tricuspid regurgitation excess mortality increased exponentially with values of 18.2% and 51.3 mL/m 2 for RAS and RAVi, respectively. In nested models, the addition of RAS and RAVi provided incremental prognostic value over clinical, conventional echocardiographic parameters of RV size and function and RV free-wall longitudinal strain., Conclusions: In patients with STR, RAR was independently associated with mortality and heart failure hospitalization. Assessment of RAR could improve risk stratification of patients with STR, potentially identifying those who may benefit from optimization of medical therapy and a closer follow-up., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest None., (Copyright © 2024 American Society of Echocardiography. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Competing Interests: RTH reports speaker fees from Abbott Structural, Baylis Medical, and Philips Healthcare. DM reports speaker fees from GE HealthCare, Philips Healthcare, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Janssen-Cilag. BRL is supported by the National Institutes of Health (grants R01AG073633 and R01HL164526) and has received speaker fees and investigator-initiated research grants from Edwards Lifesciences. VD received speaker fees from Edwards Lifesciences, Philips Healthcare, Novartis, and Medtronic, and consulting fees from Edwards Lifesciences and Novo Nordisk. MRD is supported by the British Heart Foundation (FS/SCRF/21/32010) and is the recipient of the Sir Jules Thorn Award for Biomedical Research 2015 (15/JTA); he has received speaker fees from Pfizer, Radcliffe Cardiology, Edwards, and Novartis, and consulting fees from Novartis, Jupiter Bioventures, Beren Therapeutics, and Silence Therapeutics.

Background: The assessment of ventricular secondary mitral regurgitation (v-SMR) severity through effective regurgitant orifice area (EROA) and regurgitant volume (RegVol) calculations using the proximal isovelocity surface area (PISA) method and the two-dimensional echocardiography volumetric method (2DEVM) is prone to underestimation. Accordingly, we sought to investigate the accuracy of the three-dimensional echocardiography volumetric method (3DEVM) and its association with outcomes in v-SMR patients., Methods: We included 229 patients (70 ± 13 years, 74% men) with v-SMR. We compared EROA and RegVol calculated by the 3DEVM, 2DEVM, and PISA methods. The end point was a composite of heart failure hospitalization and death for any cause., Results: After a mean follow-up of 20 ±11 months, 98 patients (43%) reached the end point. Regurgitant volume and EROA calculated by 3DEVM were larger than those calculated by 2DEVM and PISA. Using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, both EROA (area under the curve, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.68-0.81; P = .008) and RegVol (AUC, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.68-0.82; P = .02) measured by 3DEVM showed the highest association with the outcome at 2 years compared to PISA and 2DEVM (P < .05 for all). Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated a significantly higher rate of events in patients with EROA ≥ 0.3 cm 2 (cumulative survival at 2 years: 28% ± 7% vs 32% ± 10% vs 30% ± 11%) and RegVol ≥ 45 mL (cumulative survival at 2 years: 21% ± 7% vs 24% ± 13% vs 22% ± 10%) by 3DEVM compared to those by PISA and 2DEVM, respectively. In Cox multivariable analysis, 3DEVM EROA remained independently associated with the end point (hazard ratio, 1.02, 95% CI, 1.00-1.05; P = .02). The model including EROA by 3DEVM provided significant incremental value to predict the combined end point compared to those using 2DEVM (net reclassification index = 0.51, P = .003; integrated discrimination index = 0.04, P = .014) and PISA (net reclassification index = 0.80, P < .001; integrated discrimination index = 0.06, P < .001)., Conclusions: Effective regurgitant orifice area and RegVol calculated by 3DEVM were independently associated with the end point, improving the risk stratification of patients with v-SMR compared to the 2DEVM and PISA methods., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest Dr. Muraru and Dr. Badano are members of the speaker bureaus of GE Healthcare and Philips Medical Systems and received research grants from GE Healthcare, Philips Medical Systems, TomTec Imagng Systems, and ESaOTE SpA. The remaining authors have nothing to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 American Society of Echocardiography. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Atrial secondary tricuspid regurgitation (A-STR) is a distinct phenotype of secondary tricuspid regurgitation with predominant dilation of the right atrium and normal right and left ventricular function. Atrial secondary tricuspid regurgitation occurs most commonly in elderly women with atrial fibrillation and in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction in sinus rhythm. In A-STR, the main mechanism of leaflet malcoaptation is related to the presence of a significant dilation of the tricuspid annulus secondary to right atrial enlargement. In addition, there is an insufficient adaptive growth of tricuspid valve leaflets that become unable to cover the enlarged annular area. As opposed to the ventricular phenotype, in A-STR, the tricuspid valve leaflet tethering is typically trivial. The A-STR phenotype accounts for 10%-15% of clinically relevant tricuspid regurgitation and has better outcomes compared with the more prevalent ventricular phenotype. Recent data suggest that patients with A-STR may benefit from more aggressive rhythm control and timely valve interventions. However, little is mentioned in current guidelines on how to identify, evaluate, and manage these patients due to the lack of consistent evidence and variable definitions of this entity in recent investigations. This interdisciplinary expert opinion document focusing on A-STR is intended to help physicians understand this complex and rapidly evolving topic by reviewing its distinct pathophysiology, diagnosis, and multi-modality imaging characteristics. It first defines A-STR by proposing specific quantitative criteria for defining the atrial phenotype and for discriminating it from the ventricular phenotype, in order to facilitate standardization and consistency in research., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.)

Background and Aims: Benefit of tricuspid regurgitation (TR) correction and timing of intervention are unclear. This study aimed to compare survival rates after surgical or transcatheter intervention to conservative management according to a TR clinical stage as assessed using the TRI-SCORE., Methods: A total of 2,413 patients with severe isolated functional TR were enrolled in TRIGISTRY (1217 conservatively managed, 551 isolated tricuspid valve surgery, and 645 transcatheter valve repair). The primary endpoint was survival at 2 years., Results: The TRI-SCORE was low (≤3) in 32%, intermediate (4-5) in 33%, and high (≥6) in 35%. A successful correction was achieved in 97% and 65% of patients in the surgical and transcatheter groups, respectively. Survival rates decreased with the TRI-SCORE in the three treatment groups (all P < .0001). In the low TRI-SCORE category, survival rates were higher in the surgical and transcatheter groups than in the conservative management group (93%, 87%, and 79%, respectively, P = .0002). In the intermediate category, no significant difference between groups was observed overall (80%, 71%, and 71%, respectively, P = .13) but benefit of the intervention became significant when the analysis was restricted to patients with successful correction (80%, 81%, and 71%, respectively, P = .009). In the high TRI-SCORE category, survival was not different to conservative management in the surgical and successful repair group (61% and 68% vs 58%, P = .26 and P = .18 respectively)., Conclusions: Survival progressively decreased with the TRI-SCORE irrespective of treatment modality. Compared to conservative management, an early and successful surgical or transcatheter intervention improved 2-year survival in patients at low and, to a lower extent, intermediate TRI-SCORE, while no benefit was observed in the high TRI-SCORE category., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

More than 500 000 cardiovascular implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) are implanted in the European Society of Cardiology countries each year. The role of cardiovascular imaging in patients being considered for CIED is distinctly different from imaging in CIED recipients. In the former group, imaging can help identify specific or potentially reversible causes of heart block, the underlying tissue characteristics associated with malignant arrhythmias, and the mechanical consequences of conduction delays and can also aid challenging lead placements. On the other hand, cardiovascular imaging is required in CIED recipients for standard indications and to assess the response to device implantation, to diagnose immediate and delayed complications after implantation, and to guide device optimization. The present clinical consensus statement (Part 1) from the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging, in collaboration with the European Heart Rhythm Association, provides comprehensive, up-to-date, and evidence-based guidance to cardiologists, cardiac imagers, and pacing specialists regarding the use of imaging in patients undergoing implantation of conventional pacemakers, cardioverter defibrillators, and resynchronization therapy devices. The document summarizes the existing evidence regarding the use of imaging in patient selection and during the implantation procedure and also underlines gaps in evidence in the field. The role of imaging after CIED implantation is discussed in the second document (Part 2)., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: I.S.: Speaker fees and software support from GE Healthcare; J.-U.V.: Speaker fees from and collaboration with GE Healthcare and Philips Ultrasound; D.M.: Collaboration with GE Healthcare; L.E.S.: Collaboration with GE Healthcare; N.A.M.: Speaker fees from GE Healthcare and Abbott Vascular and member of Medical Advisory Board of Philips Ultrasound; O.A.S. is the co-inventor of the ‘Method for myocardial segment work analysis’ and has filed patent on ‘Estimation of blood pressure in the heart’ and has one speaker fee from GE Healthcare; and E.D.: Collaboration with GE Healthcare and Abbott vascular; and H.B., K.H.H., J.L., M.B., J.-N.D., E.B., and M.R.D.: None declared., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) improve quality of life and prolong survival, but there are additional considerations for cardiovascular imaging after implantation-both for standard indications and for diagnosing and guiding management of device-related complications. This clinical consensus statement (part 2) from the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging, in collaboration with the European Heart Rhythm Association, provides comprehensive, up-to-date, and evidence-based guidance to cardiologists, cardiac imagers, and pacing specialists regarding the use of imaging in patients after implantation of conventional pacemakers, cardioverter defibrillators, and cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) devices. The document summarizes the existing evidence regarding the role and optimal use of various cardiac imaging modalities in patients with suspected CIED-related complications and also discusses CRT optimization, the safety of magnetic resonance imaging in CIED carriers, and describes the role of chest radiography in assessing CIED type, position, and complications. The role of imaging before and during CIED implantation is discussed in a companion document (part 1)., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: I.S.: speaker fees and software support from GE Healthcare; J.-U.V.: speaker fees from and collaboration with GE Healthcare and Philips Ultrasound; H.B.: none; D.M.: collaboration with GE Healthcare; L.E.S.: collaboration with GE Healthcare; K.H.H.: none; J.L.: none; M.B.: none; J.-N.D.: none; N.A.M.: speaker fees from GE Healthcare and Abbott Vascular and member of Medical Advisory Board of Philips Ultrasound; E.B.: none; C.M.: speaker fees for Abbott St Jude Medical; M.R.D.: none; O.A.S. is the co-inventor of the ‘Method for myocardial segment work analysis’ and has filed patent on ‘Estimation of blood pressure in the heart’, one speaker fee from GE Healthcare; E.D.: collaboration with GE Healthcare and Abbott vascular., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Imaging plays an integral role in all aspects of managing heart disease and cardiac imaging is a core competency of cardiologists. The adequate delivery of cardiac imaging services requires expertise in both imaging methodology-with specific adaptations to imaging of the heart-as well as intricate knowledge of heart disease. The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging have developed and implemented a successful education and certification programme for all cardiac imaging modalities. This programme equips cardiologists to provide high quality competency-based cardiac imaging services ensuring they are adequately trained and competent in the entire process of cardiac imaging, from the clinical indication via selecting the best imaging test to answer the clinical question, to image acquisition, analysis, interpretation, storage, repository, and results dissemination. This statement emphasizes the need for competency-based cardiac imaging delivery which is key to optimal, effective and efficient, patient care., (This article has been co-published with permission in the European Heart Journal, European Heart Journal – Cardiovascular Imaging, and European Heart Journal – Imaging Methods and Practice. © 2023 the European Society of Cardiology The articles are identical except for minor stylistic and spelling differences in keeping with each journal's style. Either citation can be used when citing this article.)

The European Heart Journal-Cardiovascular Imaging with its over 10 years existence is an established leading multi-modality cardiovascular imaging journal. Pertinent publications including original research, how-to papers, reviews, consensus documents, and in our journal from 2022 have been highlighted in two reports. Part I focuses on cardiomyopathies, heart failure, valvular heart disease, and congenital heart disease and related emerging techniques and technologies., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: S.E.P. provides consultancy to Circle Cardiovascular Imaging, Inc., Calgary, Alberta, Canada. V.D. received speaker fees from Edwards Lifesciences, GE Healthcare, Philips, and Novartis and provided consultancy to MSD, Novo Nordisk, and Edwards Lifesciences. M.R.D. has received speaker fees from Pfizer, Radcliffe Cardiology, Bristol Myers Squibb, Edwards, and Novartis. He has received consultancy fees from Novartis, Jupiter Bioventures, Beren, and Silence Therapeutics. M.W. is founder and director of MycardiumAI. None of the other authors have conflict of interest to declare., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Echocardiographic surrogates of right ventricle-to-pulmonary artery (RV-PA) coupling have been reported to be associated with outcomes in patients with secondary tricuspid regurgitation (STR). However, pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP) is difficult to estimate using echocardiography in patients with severe STR. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the predictive power of a surrogate of RV-PA coupling obtained using right ventricular (RV) volumes measured on three-dimensional echocardiography., Methods: One hundred eight patients (mean age, 73 ± 13 years; 61% women) with moderate or severe STR were included., Results: At a median follow-up of 24 months (interquartile range, 2-48 months), 72 patients (40%) had reached the composite end point of death of any cause and heart failure hospitalization. RV-PA coupling was computed as the ratio between RV forward stroke volume (SV) (i.e., RV SV - regurgitant volume) and RV end-systolic volume (ESV). RV forward SV/ESV was significantly more related to the composite end point than RV ejection fraction (area under the curve, 0.85 [95% CI, 0.78-0.93] vs 0.73 [95% CI, 0.64-0.83], respectively; P = .03). A value of 0.40 was found to best correlate with outcome. On multivariate Cox regression, RV forward SV/ESV, tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion/PASP, and RV free wall longitudinal strain/PASP were all independently associated with the occurrence of the composite end point when added to a group of parameters including STR severity (severe vs moderate), atrial fibrillation, pulmonary arterial hypertension, right atrial volume, RV end-diastolic volume, and RV free wall longitudinal strain. RV forward SV/ESV < 0.40 (HR, 3.36; 95% CI, 1.49-7.56; P < .01) carried higher related risk than RV free wall longitudinal strain/PASP < -0.42%/mm Hg (HR, 3.1; 95% CI, 1.26-7.84; P = .01) and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion/PASP < 0.36 mm/mm Hg (HR, 2.69; 95% CI, 1.29-5.58; P = .01). RV ejection fraction did not correlate independently with prognosis when added to the same group of variables., Conclusions: RV forward SV/ESV is associated with the risk for death and heart failure hospitalization in patients with STR., (Copyright © 2023 American Society of Echocardiography. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Among patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), a distinct hemodynamic phenotype has been recently described, ie, latent pulmonary vascular disease (HFpEF-latentPVD), defined by exercise pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) >1.74 WU., Objectives: This study aims to explore the pathophysiological significance of HFpEF-latentPVD., Methods: The authors analyzed a cohort of patients who had undergone supine exercise right heart catheterization with cardiac output (CO) measured by direct Fick method, between 2016 and 2021. HFpEF-latentPVD patients were compared with HFpEF control patients., Results: Out of 86 HFpEF patients, 21% qualified as having HFpEF-latentPVD, 78% of whom had PVR >2 WU at rest. Patients with HFpEF-latentPVD were older, with a higher pretest probability of HFpEF, and more frequently experienced atrial fibrillation and at least moderate tricuspid regurgitation (P < 0.05). PVR trajectories differed between HFpEF-latentPVD patients and HFpEF control patients (P interaction  = 0.008), slightly increasing in the former and reducing in the latter. HFpEF-latentPVD patients displayed more frequent hemodynamically significant tricuspid regurgitation during exercise (P = 0.002) and had more impaired CO and stroke volume reserve (P < 0.05). Exercise PVR was correlated with mixed venous O 2 tension (R 2  = 0.33) and stroke volume (R 2  = 0.31) in HFpEF-latentPVD patients. The HFpEF-latentPVD patients had had higher dead space ventilation during exercise and higher PaCO 2 (P < 0.05), which correlated with resting PVR (R 2  = 0.21). Event-free survival was reduced in HFpEF-latentPVD patients (P < 0.05)., Conclusions: The results suggest that when CO is measured by direct Fick, few HFpEF patients have isolated latent PVD (ie, normal PVR at rest, becoming abnormal during exercise). HFpEF-latentPVD patients present with CO limitation to exercise, associated with dynamic tricuspid regurgitation, altered ventilatory control, and pulmonary vascular hyperreactivity, portending a poor prognosis., Competing Interests: Funding Support and Author Disclosures This study was funded by the Italian Ministry of Health 5 x 1000. Dr Baratto is the recipient of a research grant from the European Society of Cardiology. Dr Vachiéry is the holder of the Actelion Research Chair on Pulmonary Hypertension in his department. Dr Fudim was supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (K23HL151744), the American Heart Association (20IPA35310955), Doris Duke, Bayer, Bodyport, and Verily; and has been the recipient of consulting fees from Abbott, Alio Health, Alleviant, Audicor, AxonTherapies, Bayer, Bodyguide, Bodyport, Boston Scientific, Cadence, Coridea, CVRx, Daxor, Deerfield Catalyst, Edwards LifeSciences, EKO, Feldschuh Foundation, Fire1, Gradient, Impulse Dynamics, Intershunt, Medtronic, NIMedical, NXT Biomedical, Pharmacosmos, PreHealth, ReCor, Shifamed, Splendo, Sumacor, SyMap, Verily, Vironix, Viscardia, and Zoll. All other authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Pulmonary artery wedge pressure (PAWP) during exercise, as a surrogate for left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic pressure (EDP), is used to diagnose heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). However, LVEDP is the gold standard to assess LV filling, end-diastolic PAWP (PAWP ED ) is supposed to coincide with LVEDP and mean PAWP throughout the cardiac cycle (PAWP M ) better reflects the haemodynamic load imposed on the pulmonary circulation. The objective of the present study was to determine precision and accuracy of PAWP estimates for LVEDP during exercise, as well as the rate of agreement between these measures., Methods: 46 individuals underwent simultaneous right and left heart catheterisation, at rest and during exercise, to confirm/exclude HFpEF. We evaluated: linear regression between LVEDP and PAWP, Bland-Altman graphs, and the rate of concordance of dichotomised LVEDP and PAWP ≥ or < diagnostic thresholds for HFpEF., Results: At peak exercise, PAWP M and LVEDP, as well as PAWP ED and LVEDP, were fairly correlated (R 2 >0.69, p<0.01), with minimal bias (+2 and 0 mmHg respectively) but large limits of agreement (±11 mmHg). 89% of individuals had concordant PAWP and LVEDP ≥ or <25 mmHg (Cohen's κ=0.64). Individuals with either LVEDP or PAWP M ≥25 mmHg showed a PAWP M increase relative to cardiac output (CO) changes (PAWP M /CO slope) >2 mmHg·L -1 ·min -1 ., Conclusions: During exercise, PAWP is accurate but not precise for the estimation of LVEDP. Despite a good rate of concordance, these two measures might occasionally disagree., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: None declared., (Copyright ©The authors 2023.)

Background: Although the assessment of left atrial (LA) mechanics has been reported to refine atrial fibrillation (AF) risk prediction, it doesn't completely predict AF recurrence. The potential added role of right atrial (RA) function in this setting is unknown. Accordingly, this study sought to evaluate the added value of RA longitudinal reservoir strain (RASr) for the prediction of AF recurrence after electrical cardioversion (ECV)., Methods: We retrospectively studied 132 consecutive patients with persistent AF who underwent elective ECV. Complete two-dimensional and speckle-tracking echocardiography analyses of LA and RA size and function were obtained in all patients before ECV. The end point was AF recurrence., Results: During a 12-month follow-up, 63 patients (48%) showed AF recurrence. Both LASr and RASr were significantly lower in patients experiencing AF recurrence than in patients with persistent sinus rhythm (LASr, 10% ± 6% vs 13% ± 7%; RASr, 14% ± 10% vs 20% ± 9%, respectively; P < .001 for both). Right atrial longitudinal reservoir strain (area under the curve = 0.77; 95% CI, 0.69-0.84; P < .0001) was more strongly associated with the recurrence of AF after ECV than LASr (area under the curve = 0.69; 95% CI, 0.60-0.77; P < .0001). Kaplan-Meier curves showed that patients with both LASr ≤ 10% and RASr ≤ 15% had a significantly increased risk for AF recurrence (log-rank, P < .001). However, at multivariable Cox regression, RASr (hazard ratio, 3.26; 95% CI, 1.73-6.13; P < .001) was the only parameter independently associated with AF recurrence. Right atrial longitudinal reservoir strain was more strongly associated with the occurrence of AF relapse after ECV than LASr, and LA and RA volumes., Conclusion: Right atrial longitudinal reservoir strain was independently and more strongly associated than LASr with AF recurrence after elective ECV. This study highlights the importance of assessing the functional remodeling of both the RA and LA in patients with persistent AF., (Copyright © 2023 American Society of Echocardiography. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Right heart failure (RHF) is associated with a dismal prognosis in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH). Exercise right heart catheterization may unmask right heart maladaptation as a sign of RHF. We sought to (1) define the normal limits of right atrial pressure (RAP) increase during exercise; (2) describe the right heart adaptation to exercise in PH owing to heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (PH-HFpEF) and in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH); and (3) identify the factors associated with right heart maladaptation during exercise., Methods and Results: We analyzed rest and exercise right heart catheterization from patients with PH-HFpEF and PAH. Right heart adaptation was described by absolute or cardiac output (CO)-normalized changes of RAP during exercise. Individuals with noncardiac dyspnea (NCD) served to define abnormal RAP responses (>97.5th percentile). Thirty patients with PH-HFpEF, 30 patients with PAH, and 21 patients with NCD were included. PH-HFpEF were older than PAH, with more cardiovascular comorbidities, and a higher prevalence of severe tricuspid regurgitation (P < .05). The upper limit of normal for peak RAP and RAP/CO slope in NCD were >12 mm Hg and ≥1.30 mm Hg/L/min, respectively. PH-HFpEF had higher peak RAP and RAP/CO slope than PAH (20 mm Hg [16-24 mm Hg] vs 12 mm Hg [9-19 mm Hg] and 3.47 mm Hg/L/min [2.02-6.19 mm Hg/L/min] vs 1.90 mm Hg/L/min [1.01-4.29 mm Hg/L/min], P < .05). A higher proportion of PH-HFpEF had RAP/CO slope and peak RAP above normal (P < .001). Estimated stressed blood volume at peak exercise was higher in PH-HFpEF than PAH (P < .05). In the whole PH cohort, the RAP/CO slope was associated with age, the rate of increase in estimated stressed blood volume during exercise, severe tricuspid regurgitation, and right atrial dilation., Conclusions: Patients with PH-HFpEF display a steeper increase of RAP during exercise than those with PAH. Preload-mediated mechanisms may play a role in the development of exercise-induced RHF., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None, (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Normal values for three-dimensional (3D) right ventricular (RV) size and function are not well established, as they originate from small studies that involved predominantly white North American and European populations, did not use RV-focused views, and relied on older 3D RV analysis software. The World Alliance Societies of Echocardiography study was designed to generate reference ranges for normal subjects around the world. The aim of this study was to assess the worldwide capability of 3D imaging of the right ventricle and report size and function measurements, including their dependency on age, sex, and ethnicity., Methods: Healthy subjects free of cardiac, pulmonary, and renal disease were prospectively enrolled at 19 centers in 15 countries, representing six continents. Three-dimensional wide-angle RV data sets were obtained and analyzed using dedicated RV software (TomTec) to measure end-diastolic volume (EDV), end-systolic volume (ESV), stroke volume, and ejection fraction (EF). Results were categorized by sex, age (18-40, 41-65, and >65 years) and ethnicity., Results: Of the 2,007 subjects with attempted 3D RV acquisitions, 1,051 had adequate image quality for confident measurements. Upper and lower limits for body surface area-indexed EDV, ESV, and EF were 48 and 95 mL/m 2 , 19 and 43 mL/m 2 , and 44% and 58%, respectively, for men and 42 and 81 mL/m 2 , 16 and 36 mL/m 2 , and 46% and 61%, respectively, for women. Men had significantly larger EDVs, ESVs, and stroke volumes (even after body surface area indexing) and lower EFs than women (P < .05). EDV and ESV did not show any meaningful differences among age groups. Three-dimensional RV volumes were smallest in Asians., Conclusions: Reliability of 3D RV acquisition is low worldwide, underscoring the importance of future improvements in imaging techniques. Sex and race must be taken into consideration in the assessment of both RV volumes and EF., (Copyright © 2023 American Society of Echocardiography. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aims: The HFA-PEFF algorithm (Heart Failure Association-Pre-test assessment, Echocardiography and natriuretic peptide score, Functional testing in cases of uncertainty, Final aetiology) is a three-step algorithm to diagnose heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). It provides a three-level likelihood of HFpEF: low (score < 2), intermediate (score 2-4), or high (score > 4). HFpEF may be confirmed in individuals with a score > 4 (rule-in approach). The second step of the algorithm is based on echocardiographic features and natriuretic peptide levels. The third step implements diastolic stress echocardiography (DSE) for controversial diagnostic cases. We sought to validate the three-step HFA-PEFF algorithm against a haemodynamic diagnosis of HFpEF based on rest and exercise right heart catheterization (RHC)., Methods and Results: Seventy-three individuals with exertional dyspnoea underwent a full diagnostic work-up following the HFA-PEFF algorithm, including DSE and rest/exercise RHC. The association between the HFA-PEFF score and a haemodynamic diagnosis of HFpEF, as well as the diagnostic performance of the HFA-PEFF algorithm vs. RHC, was assessed. The diagnostic performance of left atrial (LA) strain < 24.5% and LA strain/E/E' < 3% was also assessed. The probability of HFpEF was low/intermediate/high in 8%/52%/40% of individuals at the second step of the HFA-PEFF algorithm and 8%/49%/43% at the third step. After RHC, 89% of patients were diagnosed as HFpEF and 11% as non-cardiac dyspnoea. The HFA-PEFF score resulted associated with the invasive haemodynamic diagnosis of HFpEF (P < 0.001). Sensitivity and specificity of the HFA-PEFF score for the invasive haemodynamic diagnosis of HFpEF were 45% and 100% for the second step of the algorithm and 46% and 88% for the third step of the algorithm. Neither age, sex, body mass index, obesity, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or paroxysmal atrial fibrillation influenced the performance of the HFA-PEFF algorithm, as these characteristics were similarly distributed over the true positive, true negative, false positive, and false negative cases. Sensitivity of the second step of the HFA-PEFF score was non-significantly improved to 60% (P = 0.08) by lowering the rule-in threshold to >3. LA strain alone had a sensitivity and specificity of 39% and 14% for haemodynamic HFpEF, increasing to 55% and 22% when corrected for E/E'., Conclusions: As compared with rest/exercise RHC, the HFA-PEFF score lacks sensitivity: Half of the patients were wrongly classified as non-cardiac dyspnoea after non-invasive tests, with a minimal impact of DSE in modifying HFpEF likelihood., (© 2023 The Authors. ESC Heart Failure published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Society of Cardiology.)

Anomalies of the tricuspid valve (TV) are associated with worsened prognosis in congenital heart disease (CHD). Here, we present a descriptive study examining changes in TV morphology in two CHD conditions-repaired tetralogy of Fallot (rTOF) and hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLSH), using three-dimensional echocardiography. Full volume acquisitions of the TV and right ventricle (RV) were performed from an RV-focused apical view using ECG gating over 2-5 consecutive cardiac cycles using 3D echocardiography, from which TV annulus and leaflet parameters were quantified. A total of 40 rTOF patients (age 14 ± 9.8 years), 40 HLHS patients (age1.0 ± 1.5 years) and 80 age and gender matched controls were included. Among leaflet parameters, antero-posterior and posterior-septal TV coaptation heights were smaller in rTOF (p < 0.001) vs. control. Conversely, only the short-axis TV height was different in HLHS vs. controls (HLHS 1.6 ± 0.4 cm vs. control 1.4 ± 0.3 cm). TV leaflet parameters tended to be larger in HLHS, while leaflet coaptation distances were similar between groups. We demonstrate that 3D echocardiography for assessment of the TV is feasible in rTOF and HLHS patients and identifies unique differences in TV morphology. Future studies should clarify the clinical significance of TV morphology in these patient populations., (© 2023. This is a U.S. Government work and not under copyright protection in the US; foreign copyright protection may apply.)

Background: Left ventricular (LV) circumferential strain has received less attention than longitudinal deformation, which has recently become part of routine clinical practice. Among other reasons, this is because of the lack of established normal values. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to establish normative values for LV circumferential strain and determine sex-, age-, and race-related differences in a large cohort of healthy adults., Methods: Complete two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiograms were obtained in 1,572 healthy subjects (51% men), enrolled in the World Alliance Societies of Echocardiography Normal Values Study. Subjects were divided into three age groups (<35, 35-55, and >55 years) and stratified by sex and by race. Vendor-independent semiautomated speckle-tracking software was used to determine LV regional circumferential strain and global circumferential strain (GCS) values. Limits of normal for each measurement were defined as 95% of the corresponding sex and age group falling between the 2.5th and 97.5th percentiles. Intergroup differences were analyzed using unpaired t tests., Results: Circumferential strain showed a gradient, with lower magnitude at the mitral valve level, increasing progressively toward the apex. Compared with men, women had statistically higher magnitudes of regional and global strain. Older age was associated with a stepwise increase in GCS despite an unaffected ejection fraction, a decrease in LV volume, and relatively stable global longitudinal strain in men, with a small gradual decrease in women. Asian subjects demonstrated significantly higher GCS magnitudes than whites of both sexes and blacks among women only. In contrast, no significant differences in GCS were found between white and black subjects of either sex. Importantly, despite statistical significance of these differences across sex, age, and race, circumferential strain values were similar in all groups, with variations of the order of magnitude of 1% to 2%. Notably, no differences in GCS were found among brands of imaging equipment., Conclusion: This study established normal values of LV regional circumferential strain and GCS and identified sex-, age-, and race-related differences when present., (Copyright © 2022 American Society of Echocardiography. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Right ventricular (RV) size and function assessed by multimodality imaging are associated with outcomes in a variety of cardiovascular diseases. Understanding RV anatomy and physiology is essential in appreciating the strengths and weaknesses of current imaging methods and gives these measurements greater context. The adaptation of the right ventricle to different types and severity of stress, particularly over time, is specific to the cardiovascular disease process. Multimodality imaging parameters, which determine outcomes, reflect the ability to image the initial and longitudinal RV response to stress. This paper will review the standard and novel imaging methods for assessing RV function and the impact of these parameters on outcomes in specific disease states., Competing Interests: Funding Support and Author Disclosures Dr Hahn has received speaker fees from Abbott Structural, Baylis Medical, Edwards Lifesciences, and Philips Healthcare. Dr Delgado has received speaker fees from Edwards Lifesciences, Medtronic, Novartis, and Philips; and has received consulting fees from Edwards Lifesciences and Novo Nordisk. Dr Burkhoff is an employee of HeartWare International; is a consultant to Sensible Medical (founder of PVLoops LLC) and Corvia (hemodynamic core lab director); and has received grant support from Abiomed. Dr Muraru has received research support and speaker fees from and consults for GE Healthcare; and has received research support from TomTec Imaging Systems. Dr Pinney has received consulting fees from Abbott, CareDx, Medtronic, Procyrion, and TransMedics. All other authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose., (Copyright © 2023 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) non-invasive evaluation is limited in patients with mitral valve (MV) stenosis, prosthesis, and surgical repair. This study aimed to assess the left atrial expansion index (LAEI) measured through transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) as a novel parameter for estimating PCWP in these challenging cardiac conditions. We performed a retrospective, cross-sectional study, including chronic cardiac patients receiving within 24 h a clinically indicated right heart catheterization (RHC) and transthoracic echocardiographic (TTE) exam. PCWP measured during RHC was used as the reference. TTE measurements were performed offline, blinded to RHC results. LAEI was calculated as LAEI = [(LAmaxVolume-LAminVolume)/LAminVolume] × 100. We included 167 patients (age = 73 ± 11.5 years; PCWP = 18 ± 7.7 mmHg) with rheumatic mitral valve (MV) stenosis (16.2%), degenerative MV stenosis (51.2%), MV prosthesis (18.0%), and MV surgical repair (13.8%). LAEI correlated logarithmically with PCWP, and the log-transformed LAEI (lnLAEI) showed a good linear association with PCWP (r = - 0.616; p < 0.001). lnLAEI was an independent PCWP determinant, providing added predictive value over conventional clinical (age, atrial fibrillation, heart rate, MV subgroups) and echocardiographic variables (LVEF, MV effective orifice area, MV mean gradient, net atrioventricular compliance, and pulmonary arterial systolic pressure). lnLAEI identified PCWP > 12 mmHg with AUC = 0.870, p < 0.001; and PCWP > 15 mmHg with AUC = 0.797, p < 0.001, with an optimal cut-off of lnLAEI < 3.69. The derived equation PCWP = 36.8-5.5xlnLAEI estimated the invasively measured PCWP ± 6.1 mmHg. In this cohort of patients with MV stenosis, prosthesis, and surgical repair, lnLAEI resulted in a helpful echocardiographic parameter for PCWP estimation., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

Background: Although increased left ventricular (LV) mass is associated with adverse outcomes, measured values vary widely depending on the specific technique used. Moreover, the impact of sex, age, and race on LV mass remains controversial, further limiting the clinical use of this parameter. Accordingly, the authors studied LV mass using a variety of two-dimensional and three-dimensional echocardiographic techniques in a large population of normal subjects encompassing a wide range of ages., Methods: Transthoracic echocardiograms obtained from 1,854 healthy adult subjects (52% men) enrolled in the World Alliance Societies of Echocardiography (WASE) Normal Values Study, were divided into three age groups (young, 18-35 years; middle aged, 36-55 years; and old, >55 years). LV mass was obtained using five conventional techniques, including linear and two-dimensional methods, as well as direct three-dimensional measurement. All LV mass values were indexed to body surface area, and differences according to sex, age, and race were analyzed for each technique., Results: LV mass values differed significantly among the five techniques. Three-dimensional measurements were considerably smaller than those obtained using the other techniques and were closer to magnetic resonance imaging normal values reported in the literature. For all techniques, LV mass in men was significantly larger than in women, with and without body surface area indexing. These technique- and sex-related differences were larger than measurement variability. In women, age differences in LV mass were more pronounced and depicted significantly larger values in older age groups for all techniques, except three-dimensional echocardiography, which showed essentially no differences. LV mass was overall larger in black subjects than in white or Asian subjects., Conclusions: Significant differences in LV mass values exist across echocardiographic techniques, which are therefore not interchangeable. Sex-, race-, and age-related differences underscore the need for separate population specific normal values., (Copyright © 2022 American Society of Echocardiography. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aims: Aortic valve area (AVA) used for echocardiographic assessment of aortic stenosis (AS) has been traditionally interpreted independently of sex, age and race. As differences in normal values might impact clinical decision-making, we aimed to establish sex-, age- and race-specific normative values for AVA and Doppler parameters using data from the World Alliance Societies of Echocardiography (WASE) Study., Methods and Results: Two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiographic studies were obtained from 1903 healthy adult subjects (48% women). Measurements of the left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) diameter and Doppler parameters, including AV and LVOT velocity time integrals (VTIs), AV mean pressure gradient, peak velocity, were obtained according to ASE/EACVI guidelines. AVA was calculated using the continuity equation. Compared with men, women had smaller LVOT diameters and AVA values, and higher AV peak velocities and mean gradients (all P < 0.05). LVOT and AV VTI were significantly higher in women (P < 0.05), and both parameters increased with age in both sexes. AVA differences persisted after indexing to body surface area. According to the current diagnostic criteria, 13.5% of women would have been considered to have mild AS and 1.4% moderate AS. LVOT diameter and AVA were lower in older subjects, both men and women, and were lower in Asians, compared with whites and blacks., Conclusion: WASE data provide clinically relevant information about significant differences in normal AVA and Doppler parameters according to sex, age, and race. The implementation of this information into clinical practice should involve development of specific normative values for each ethnic group using standardized methodology., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: M.S., M.B. and N.H. are employees of TOMTEC Imaging Systems. No other direct conflicts of Interest related to this study have been reported by any of the authors., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Both secondary tricuspid regurgitation (STR) and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) are relevant public health problems in the elderly population, presenting with potential overlaps and sharing similar risk factors. However, the impact of severe STR on hemodynamics and cardiorespiratory adaptation to exercise in HFpEF remains to be clarified., Aim: To explore the impact of STR on exercise hemodynamics and cardiorespiratory adaptation in HFpEF., Methods: We analyzed invasive hemodynamics and gas-exchange data obtained at rest and during exercise from HFpEF patients with severe STR (HFpEF-STR), compared with 1:1 age-, sex-, and body mass index (BMI)- matched HFpEF patients with mild or no STR (HFpEF-controls)., Results: Twelve HFpEF with atrial-STR (mean age 72 years, 92% females, BMI 28 Kg/m 2 ) and 12 HFpEF-controls patients were analyzed. HFpEF-STR had higher ( p < 0.01) right atrial pressure than HFpEF-controls both at rest (10 ± 1 vs. 5 ± 1 mmHg) and during exercise (23 ± 2 vs. 14 ± 2 mmHg). Despite higher pulmonary artery wedge pressure (PAWP) at rest in HFpEF-STR than in HFpEF-controls (17 ± 2 vs. 11 ± 2, p = 0.04), PAWP at peak exercise was no more different (28 ± 2 vs. 29 ± 2). Left ventricular transmural pressure and cardiac output (CO) increased less in HFpEF-STR than in HFpEF-controls (interaction p -value < 0.05). This latter was due to lower stroke volume (SV) values both at rest (48 ± 9 vs. 77 ± 9 mL, p < 0.05) and at peak exercise (54 ± 10 vs. 93 ± 10 mL, p < 0.05). Despite these differences, the two groups of patients laid on the same oxygen consumption isophlets because of the increased peripheral oxygen extraction in HFpEF-STR ( p < 0.01). We found an inverse relationship between pulmonary vascular resistance and SV, both at rest and at peak exercise ( R 2 = 0.12 and 0.19, respectively)., Conclusions: Severe STR complicating HFpEF impairs SV and CO reserve, leading to pulmonary vascular de-recruitment and relative left heart underfilling, undermining the typical HFpEF pathophysiology., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The reviewer GI declared a shared parent affiliation with the authors CB, SC, GC, DS, AZ, MG, FH, MT, NR, FP, GPe, GPa, LB, and DM to the handling editor at the time of the review., (Copyright © 2023 Baratto, Caravita, Corbetta, Soranna, Zambon, Dewachter, Gavazzoni, Heilbron, Tomaselli, Radu, Perelli, Perego, Vachiéry, Parati, Badano and Muraru.)

Aims: To assess the level of transesophageal echocardiography (TOE) knowledge and skills of young cardiologists., Methods and Results: A European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI) online study using the first fully virtual simulation-based software was conducted in two periods (9-12 December 2021 and 10-13 April 2022). All young cardiologists eligible to participate (<40 years) across the world were invited to participate. After a short survey, each participant completed two tests: a theoretical test to assess TOE knowledge and a practical test using an online TOE simulator to investigate TOE skills. Among 716 young cardiologists from 81 countries, the mean theoretical test score was 56.8 ± 20.9 points, and the mean practical test score was 47.4 ± 7.2 points (/100 points max each), including 18.4 ± 8.7 points for the acquisition test score and 29.0 ± 6.7 points for the anatomy test score (/50 points max each). Acquisition test scores were higher for four-chamber (2.3 ± 1.5 points), two-chamber (2.2 ± 1.4 points) and three-chamber views (2.3 ± 1.4 points) than for other views (all P < 0.001). Prior participation to a TOE simulation-based training session, a higher number of TOE exams performed per week, and EACVI certification for TOE were independently associated with a higher global score (all P < 0.001)., Conclusion: Online evaluation of young cardiologists around the world showed a relatively low level of TOE skills and knowledge. Prior participation to a TOE simulation-based training session, a higher number of TOE exams performed per week, and the EACVI certification for TOE were independently associated with a higher global score., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: None declared., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)