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We herein report the first case of constrictive pericarditis (CP) induced by long-term pergolide treatment for Parkinson's disease that was assessed using multimodal imaging in a 72-year-old patient with leg edema and dyspnea. The patient was correctly diagnosed with CP using multimodal imaging and successfully treated with pericardiectomy. The treatment history of Parkinson's disease and pathological findings of the removed pericardium suggested that long-term pergolide was the cause of CP. Properly recognizing pergolide as the cause of CP and accurately diagnosing CP using multimodal imaging may contribute to the early detection and treatment of pergolide-induced CP.

Background: Determinants of exercise intolerance in a phenotype of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) with normal left ventricular (LV) structure have not been fully elucidated., Methods: Cardiopulmonary exercise testing and exercise-stress echocardiography were performed in 44 HFpEF patients without LV hypertrophy. Exercise capacity was determined by peak oxygen consumption (peak VO 2 ). Doppler-derived cardiac output (CO), transmitral E velocity, systolic (LV-s') and early diastolic mitral annular velocities (e'), systolic pulmonary artery (PA) pressure (SPAP), tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE), and peak systolic right ventricular (RV) free wall velocity (RV-s') were measured at rest and exercise. E/e' and TAPSE/SPAP were used as an LV filling pressure parameter and RV-PA coupling, respectively., Results: During exercise, CO, LV-s', RV-s', e', and SPAP were significantly increased (p < 0.05 for all), whereas E/e' remained unchanged and TAPSE/SPAP was significantly reduced (p < 0.001). SPAP was higher and TAPSE/SPAP was lower at peak exercise in patients showing lower-half peak VO 2 . In univariable analyses, LV-s' (R = 0.35, p = 0.022), SPAP (R = -0.40, p = 0.008), RV-s' (R = 0.47, p = 0.002), and TAPSE/SPAP (R = 0.42, p = 0.005) were significantly correlated with peak VO 2 . In multivariable analyses, not only SPAP, but also TAPSE/SPAP independently determined peak VO 2 even after the adjustment for clinically relevant parameters., Conclusions: In HFpEF patients without LV hypertrophy, altered RV-PA coupling by exercise could be associated with exercise intolerance, which might not be caused by elevated LV filling pressure., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest There is no conflict of interest to disclose relating to the present study., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Aims: Although the left ventricular (LV) dysfunction in pre-capillary pulmonary hypertension (PH) has been recently recognized, the mechanism of LV dysfunction in this entity is not completely understood. We thus aimed to elucidate the determinants of intraventricular pressure difference (IVPD), a measure of LV suction, in pre-capillary PH., Methods and Results: Right heart catheterization and echocardiography were performed in 86 consecutive patients with pre-capillary PH (57 ± 18 years, 85% female). IVPD was determined using colour M-mode Doppler to integrate the Euler equation. In overall, IVPD was reduced compared to previously reported value in normal subjects. In univariable analyses, QRS duration (P = 0.028), LV ejection fraction (P = 0.006), right ventricular (RV) end-diastolic area (P < 0.001), tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (P = 0.004), and LV early-diastolic eccentricity index (P = 0.009) were associated with IVPD. In the multivariable analyses, RV end-diastolic area and LV eccentricity index independently determined the IVPD., Conclusion: Aberrant ventricular interdependence caused by RV enlargement could impair the LV suction. This study first applied echocardiographic IVPD, a reliable marker of LV diastolic suction, to investigate the mechanism of LV diastolic dysfunction in pre-capillary PH., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: none declared., (Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author(s) 2022. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Aims: Elevated left ventricular filling pressure (LVFP) is a powerful indicator of worsening clinical outcomes in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF); however, detection of elevated LVFP is often challenging. This study aimed to determine the association between the newly proposed echocardiographic LVFP parameter, visually assessed time difference between the mitral valve and tricuspid valve opening (VMT) score, and clinical outcomes of HFpEF., Methods and Results: We retrospectively investigated 310 well-differentiated HFpEF patients in stable conditions. VMT was scored from 0 to 3 using two-dimensional echocardiographic images, and VMT ≥2 was regarded as a sign of elevated LVFP. The primary endpoint was a composite of cardiac death or heart failure hospitalization during the 2 years after the echocardiographic examination. In all patients, Kaplan-Meier curves showed that VMT ≥2 (n = 54) was associated with worse outcomes than the VMT ≤1 group (n = 256) (P < 0.001). Furthermore, VMT ≥2 was associated with worse outcomes when tested in 100 HFpEF patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) (P = 0.026). In the adjusted model, VMT ≥2 was independently associated with the primary outcome (hazard ratio 2.60, 95% confidence interval 1.46-4.61; P = 0.001). Additionally, VMT scoring provided an incremental prognostic value over clinically relevant variables and diastolic function grading (χ2 10.8-16.3, P = 0.035)., Conclusions: In patients with HFpEF, the VMT score was independently and incrementally associated with adverse clinical outcomes. Moreover, it could also predict clinical outcomes in HFpEF patients with AF., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.)

Background: Although the time difference between peak of left ventricular (LV) and aortic systolic pressures (T LV-Ao ), which is considered to in part reflect pulsus tardus, is reported to be associated with clinical outcome in aortic stenosis (AS), its physiological determinants remain to be elucidated. We hypothesized that not only AS severity but also LV systolic dysfunction could be associated with occurrence of pulsus tardus., Methods: T LV-Ao was measured by simultaneous LV and aortic pressure tracing in 74 AS patients and prolonged T LV-Ao was defined as ≥66 ms according to the previous report. Mean transaortic valvular pressure gradient (mPG) and effective orifice area index (EOAI) were estimated by Doppler echocardiography and severe AS was defined as EOAI ≤0.60 cm 2 /m 2 . Global longitudinal strain (GLS) was measured by using speckle-tracking method., Results: Although a weak correlation was observed between EOAI and T LV-Ao , there was substantial population showing discordance between the parameters: severe AS despite normal T LV-Ao (10 of 47 patients) and moderate AS despite prolonged T LV-Ao (9 of 17 patients). In severe AS, mPG was significantly higher in patients showing prolonged T LV-Ao (57±20 vs 36±10 mmHg, p<0.0001) whereas GLS was comparable between the groups (-15.2±3.5% vs -14.8±3.2%). In contrast, in moderate AS, GLS was significantly smaller in patients showing prolonged T LV-Ao (-12.6±4.7% vs -17.4±3.4%, p=0.0271) while mPG was comparable (34±7 mmHg vs 35±8 mmHg). Multivariable analysis revealed that not only mPG but also GLS was an independent determinant of T LV-Ao ., Conclusions: The occurrence of pulsus tardus could be associated with not only AS severity but also LV systolic dysfunction in AS patients., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest There is no conflict of interest to disclose relating to the present study., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) caused by severe stenosis of left main coronary artery (LMCA) presenting with cardiogenic shock and pulmonary edema during noncardiac surgery is uncommon, but a catastrophic event. A 77-year-old male with cholangiocarcinoma underwent hepatectomy. During the surgery, he presented with cardiogenic shock, which did not respond to infusion administration or vasopressor. A transesophageal echocardiogram revealed anterior, septal, and lateral severe hypokinesia and impaired left ventricular function. Emergent coronary angiogram showed severe stenosis of LMCA. The patient underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) under the support of intra-aortic balloon pump, followed by extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. The chest roentgenogram showed pulmonary edema. Two days after PCI, he successfully underwent hepatectomy and bile duct resection. Early identification of the cause of hemodynamic instability during noncardiac surgery and invasive strategy are important for minimizing the myocardial injury and improving clinical outcomes in AMI of LMCA., Competing Interests: The authors have no competing interests to disclose., (Copyright © 2021 Sakae Takenaka et al.)

Background: Pre- and post-procedural hemodynamic changes which could affect adverse outcomes in aortic stenosis (AS) patients who undergo transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) have not been well investigated. Four-dimensional (4D) flow cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) enables accurate analysis of blood flow dynamics such as flow velocity, flow pattern, wall shear stress (WSS), and energy loss (EL). We sought to examine the changes in blood flow dynamics of patients with severe AS who underwent TAVR., Methods: We examined 32 consecutive severe AS patients who underwent TAVR between May 2018 and June 2019 (17 men, 82 ± 5 years, median left ventricular ejection fraction 61%, 6 self-expanding valve), after excluding those without CMR because of a contraindication or inadequate imaging from the analyses. We analyzed blood flow patterns, WSS and EL in the ascending aorta (AAo), and those changes before and after TAVR using 4D flow CMR., Results: After TAVR, semi-quantified helical flow in the AAo was significantly decreased (1.4 ± 0.6 vs. 1.9 ± 0.8, P = 0.002), whereas vortical flow and eccentricity showed no significant changes. WSS along the ascending aortic circumference was significantly decreased in the left (P = 0.038) and left anterior (P = 0.033) wall at the basal level, right posterior (P = 0.011) and left (P = 0.010) wall at the middle level, and right (P = 0.012), left posterior (P = 0.019) and left anterior (P = 0.028) wall at the upper level. EL in the AAo was significantly decreased (15.6 [10.8-25.1 vs. 25.8 [18.6-36.2]] mW, P = 0.012). Furthermore, a significant negative correlation was observed between EL and effective orifice area index after TAVR (r = - 0.38, P = 0.034)., Conclusions: In severe AS patients undergoing TAVR, 4D flow CMR demonstrates that TAVR improves blood flow dynamics, especially when a larger effective orifice area index is obtained.

Evaluation of left ventricular filling pressure plays an important role in the clinical management of pulmonary hypertension. However, the accuracy of echocardiographic parameters for the determination of left ventricular filling pressure in the presence of pulmonary vascular lesions has not been fully addressed. We retrospectively investigated 124 patients with pulmonary hypertension due to pulmonary vascular lesions (noncardiac pulmonary hypertension group) and 113 patients with ischemic heart disease (control group) who underwent right heart catheterization and echocardiography. The noncardiac pulmonary hypertension group was subdivided into less-advanced and advanced groups according to median pulmonary vascular resistance. Pulmonary artery wedge pressure was determined as left ventricular filling pressure. As echocardiographic parameters of left ventricular filling pressure, the ratio of early- (E) to late-diastolic transmitral flow velocity (E/A), ratio of E to early-diastolic mitral annular velocity (E/e'), and left atrial volume index were measured. In the less-advanced noncardiac pulmonary hypertension and control groups, positive correlations were observed between pulmonary artery wedge pressure and late-diastolic transmitral flow velocity ( R  = 0.41, P  = 0.002 and R  = 0.71, P  < 0.001, respectively) and left atrial volume index ( R  = 0.53, P  < 0.001 and R  = 0.41, P  < 0.001), whereas in the advanced noncardiac pulmonary hypertension group, pulmonary artery wedge pressure was only correlated with left atrial volume index ( R  = 0.27, P  = 0.032). In the controls, only pulmonary artery wedge pressure determined E (β = 0.48, P  < 0.001), whereas both pulmonary artery wedge pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance were independent determinants of E (β = 0.29, P  < 0.001 and β = -0.28, P  = 0.001, respectively) in the noncardiac pulmonary hypertension group. In conclusion, in the presence of advanced pulmonary vascular lesions, conventional echocardiographic parameters may not accurately reflect left ventricular filling pressure. Elevated pulmonary vascular resistance would lower the E, even when pulmonary artery wedge pressure is elevated, resulting in blunting of echocardiographic parameters for the detection of elevated left ventricular filling pressure., (© The Author(s) 2021.)

Anti-mitochondrial antibody (AMA)-positive myositis is an atypical inflammatory myopathy characterized by chronic progressive respiratory muscle weakness, muscular atrophy, and cardiac involvement. Arrhythmias, cardiomyopathy, and myocarditis have been reported as cardiac manifestations. Herein, we present the first report of a patient diagnosed with having AMA-positive myositis with cardiac involvement mimicking cardiac sarcoidosis., (© 2020 The Authors. ESC Heart Failure published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.)

Epirubicin-based chemotherapy carries a risk of inducing heart failure, although the frequency is rare. Bevacizumab, an anti-vascular endothelial growth factor monoclonal antibody, has recently been widely used in patients with recurrent breast cancer as a first-line chemotherapeutic agent. Heart failure or arterial thromboembolism has been reported as a rare cardiovascular complication of bevacizumab. We herein report a breast cancer patient with reversible cancer therapeutics-related cardiac dysfunction associated with bevacizumab and epirubicin complicating intracardiac thrombi in the left atrium and left ventricle. This case underscores the importance of tailored medical planning according to the individual status in patients receiving anti-cancer therapies.

We report a case of cardiac lipoma with intramyocardial invasion complicated by visceral inversion, which, to the best of our knowledge, has not been reported before. Multimodality imaging played an important role in differential diagnosis and determination of the management strategy. ( Level of Difficulty: Advanced. )., (© 2020 The Authors.)

Background: Ventilatory inefficiency during exercise assessed using the lowest minute ventilation/carbon dioxide production (V̇E/V̇CO 2 ) ratio was recently proven to be a strong prognostic marker of heart failure (HF) regardless of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Its physiological background, however, has not been elucidated. Methods and Results: Fifty-seven HF patients underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing and exercise-stress echocardiography. The lowest V̇E/V̇CO 2 ratio was assessed on respiratory gas analysis. Echocardiography was obtained at rest and at peak exercise. LVEF was measured using the method of disks. Cardiac output (CO) and the ratio of transmitral early filling velocity (E) to early diastolic tissue velocity (e') were calculated using the Doppler method. HF patients were divided into preserved EF (HFpEF) and reduced EF (HFrEF) using the LVEF cut-off 40% at rest. Twenty-four patients were classified as HFpEF and 33 as HFrEF. In HFpEF, age (r=0.58), CO (r=-0.44), e' (r=-0.48) and E/e' (r=0.45) during exercise correlated with the lowest V̇E/V̇CO 2 ratio (P<0.05 for all). In contrast, in HFrEF, age (r=0.47) and CO (r=-0.54) during exercise, but not e' and E/e', correlated with the lowest V̇E/V̇CO 2 ratio. Conclusions: Loss of CO augmentation was associated with ventilatory inefficiency in HF regardless of LVEF, although lung congestion determined ventilatory efficiency only in HFpEF., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2020, THE JAPANESE CIRCULATION SOCIETY.)

Aims: The prognostic implication of left ventricular outflow tract velocity time integral (LVOT-VTI) on admission in hospitalized heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) patients has not been determined. We sought to investigate whether LVOT-VTI on admission is associated with worse clinical outcomes in hospitalized patients with HFpEF., Methods and Results: We studied consecutive 214 hospitalized HFpEF patients who had accessible LVOT-VTI data on admission, from a prospective HFpEF-specific multicentre registry. The primary outcome of interest was the composite of all-cause death and readmission due to heart failure. During a median follow-up period of 688 (interquartile range 162-810) days, the primary outcome occurred in 83 patients (39%). The optimal cut-off value of LVOT-VTI for the primary outcome estimated by receiver operating characteristic analysis was 15.8 cm. Lower LVOT-VTI was significantly associated with the primary outcome compared with higher LVOT-VTI (P = 0.005). Multivariable Cox regression analyses revealed that lower LVOT-VTI was an independent determinant of the primary outcome (hazard ratio 0.94, 95% confidence interval 0.91-0.98). In multivariable linear regression, haemoglobin level was the strongest independent determinant of LVOT-VTI among clinical parameters (β coefficient = -0.61, P = 0.007). Furthermore, patients with lower LVOT-VTI and anaemia had the worst clinical outcomes among the groups (P < 0.001)., Conclusions: Lower admission LVOT-VTI was an independent determinant of worse clinical outcomes in hospitalized HFpEF patients, indicating that LVOT-VTI on admission might be useful for categorizing a low-flow HFpEF phenotype and risk stratification in hospitalized HFpEF patients., (© 2019 The Authors. ESC Heart Failure published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.)

Aims: The detection of increased left ventricular (LV) chamber stiffness may play an important role in assessing cardiac patients with potential but not overt heart failure. A non-invasive method to estimate it is not established. We investigated whether the echocardiographic backward/forward flow volume ratio from the left atrium (LA) during atrial contraction reflects the LV chamber stiffness., Methods and Results: We studied 62 patients who underwent cardiac catheterization and measured their left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) and pressure increase during atrial contraction (ΔPa) from the LV pressure waveform. Using the echocardiographic biplane method of disks, we measured the LV volume change during atrial contraction indexed to the body surface area (ΔVa), and ΔPa/ΔVa was calculated as a standard for the LV operating chamber stiffness. Using pulsed Doppler echocardiography, we measured the time-velocity integral (TVI) of the backward pulmonary venous (PV) flow during atrial contraction (IPVA) and the ratio of IPVA to the PV flow TVI throughout a cardiac cycle (FPVA). We also measured the TVI of the atrial systolic forward transmitral flow (IA) and the ratio of the IA to the transmitral TVI during a cardiac cycle (FA) and calculated IPVA/IA and FPVA/FA. IPVA/IA and FPVA/FA were well correlated with ΔPa/ΔVa (r = 0.79 and r = 0.81) and LVEDP (r = 0.73 and r = 0.77). The areas under the ROC curve to discriminate LVEDP >18 mmHg were 0.90 for IPVA/IA and 0.93 for FPVA/FA., Conclusion: The FPVA/FA, the backward/forward flow volume ratio from the LA during atrial contraction, is useful for non-invasive assessments of LV chamber stiffness and elevated LVEDP.