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Purpose To assess the correlation between noninvasive cardiac MRI-derived parameters with pressure-volume (PV) loop data and evaluate changes in left ventricular function after myocardial infarction (MI). Materials and Methods Sixteen adult female swine were induced with MI, with six swine used as controls and 10 receiving platelet-derived growth factor-AB (PDGF-AB). Load-independent measures of cardiac function, including slopes of end-systolic pressure-volume relationship (ESPVR) and preload recruitable stroke work (PRSW), were obtained on day 28 after MI. Cardiac MRI was performed on day 2 and day 28 after infarct. Global longitudinal strain (GLS) and global circumferential strain (GCS) were measured. Ventriculo-arterial coupling (VAC) was derived from PV loop and cardiac MRI data. Pearson correlation analysis was performed. Results GCS ( r = 0.60, P = .01), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ( r = 0.60, P = .01), and cardiac MRI-derived VAC ( r = 0.61, P = .01) had a significant linear relationship with ESPVR. GCS ( r = 0.75, P < .001) had the strongest significant linear relationship with PRSW, followed by LVEF ( r = 0.67, P = .005) and cardiac MRI-derived VAC ( r = 0.60, P = .01). GLS was not significantly correlated with ESPVR or PRSW. There was a linear correlation ( r = 0.82, P < .001) between VAC derived from cardiac MRI and from PV loop data. GCS (-3.5% ± 2.3 vs 0.5% ± 1.4, P = .007) and cardiac MRI-derived VAC (-0.6 ± 0.6 vs 0.3 ± 0.3, P = .001) significantly improved in the animals treated with PDGF-AB 28 days after MI compared with controls. Conclusion Cardiac MRI-derived parameters of MI correlated with invasive PV measures, with GCS showing the strongest correlation. Cardiac MRI-derived measures also demonstrated utility in assessing therapeutic benefit using PDGF-AB. Keywords: Cardiac MRI, Myocardial Infarction, Pressure Volume Loop, Strain Imaging, Ventriculo-arterial Coupling Supplemental material is available for this article. © RSNA, 2024.

Aims: The morphology and function of the left atrium (LA) are intimately tied to left ventricular loading conditions. Data pertaining to the effect of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) on LA function and geometry are scarce. The aim of the study was to quantify associations between TAVR and LA remodelling by pooling available data from published observational studies., Methods and Results: A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed. Studies reporting serial LA speckle-tracking echocardiographic (STE) data, before and after TAVR, were included. Other outcome data included LA area and indexed volume (LAVi) and standard chamber measurements. Outcomes were stratified by timing of follow-up echocardiography: early (<6 months) or late (≥6 months). Twelve studies were included, comprising 1066 patients. The mean reduction in LAVi was 2.72 mL/m 2 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.37-4.06, P < 0.01]. LA reservoir function improved overall by a mean difference (MD) of 3.71% (95% CI 1.82-5.6, P < 0.01), although there was significant heterogeneity within the pooled studies ( I 2 = 87.3%). Significant improvement in reservoir strain was seen in both early follow-up (MD 3.1%, P < 0.01) and late follow-up studies (MD 4.48%, P = 0.03), but heterogeneity remained high ( I 2 = 65.23 and 94.4%, respectively). Six studies reported a change in LA contractile function, which recovered in the early follow-up studies (MD 2.26, P < 0.01), but not in the late group (MD 1.41, P = 0.05). Pooled improvement in LA booster function was 1.96% (95% CI 1.11-2.8, P < 0.01)., Conclusion: TAVR is associated with significant negative LA remodelling, and an improvement in LA mechanics, quantified by STE. The prognostic implications of these findings require further study., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: M.N.’s laboratory has received an NVIDIA Corporation Academic Hardware Grant. The remaining authors have nothing to disclose., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.)

We present a case of a complex congenital coronary artery fistula between the right coronary artery, left anterior descending artery, and the main pulmonary artery complicated by massive aneurysms and a left-to-right shunt. We highlight the multimodality approach to assessment and the importance of individualized management of complex coronary fistulas., Competing Interests: The authors report that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose., (Crown Copyright © 2024 Published by Elsevier on behalf of the American College of Cardiology Foundation.)

Contemporary echocardiographic criteria for grading aortic stenosis severity have remained relatively unchanged, despite significant advances in noninvasive imaging techniques over the last 2 decades. More recently, attention has shifted to the ventricular response to aortic stenosis and how this might be quantified. Global longitudinal strain, semiautomatically calculated from standard two-dimensional echocardiographic images, has been the focus of extensive research. Global longitudinal strain is a sensitive marker of subtle hypertrophy-related impairment in left ventricular function and has shown promise as a relatively robust prognostic marker, both independently and when added to severity classification systems. Herein we review the pathophysiological basis underpinning the potential utility of global longitudinal strain in the assessment of aortic stenosis, as well as its potential role in quantifying myocardial recovery and prognostic discrimination following aortic valve replacement., (Copyright © 2023 American Society of Echocardiography. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)